Promoting Equality Through Christian Compassion

Posted on by korgrocker

Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal.”
2 Corinthians 8:12-14 NLT

In this passage of Scripture devoted to encouraging the Corinthians to provide of their resources to help the poor elsewhere, we come across this verse (13) that seems to promote the thought that the burden of living should be shared across the churches. In those days there was no government funding to support those in need, and, quite rightly in my opinion, the churches were encouraged to fill the gap. After a major famine in Judea, people who were unaffected elsewhere made a positive move to help their fellow believers in need. This philosophy of shared resources was there right at the beginning of the early church, as we read in Acts 4:32, “All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had”. Two verses on, we read, “There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them”. But all was not problem-free, as we read in Acts 6:1, “But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food”. There was obviously in place an early version of a “social security” system amongst Christians, and this principle spread across the early church. 

However, the question remains about the extent to which this process should be implemented. In Galatians 6:2, Paul wrote, “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ”. This is something we do with our fellow believers because all of us sometimes face an emergency, financial or otherwise, and need help. So we are called to help each other by sharing the burden. But in Galatians 6:5 we read, “for each one should carry their own load”. Loads and burdens. We should discern the difference when we meet with people, believers or not. To illustrate the difference, I recently met a young man begging outside my local supermarket. He was stopping passers-by to ask for help with something to eat. In conversation, I discovered that he had missed two appointments at the DSS and that his benefits had been stopped as a result. He had the responsibility to carry his “load” in that particular phase of his life, by attending the DSS appointments. But his particular “burden” that day was to find some food, which I was happy to help with. A hard-hearted person might have walked away at this point, leaving him, in their opinion, to the results of his own stupidity, but that is where Christian compassion, helping others less fortunate than ourselves, kicks in. I have been in churches where the leadership has provided funds to help a congregant with a pressing need, such as an unexpected bill for which they had no resources. That was a “burden” we were happy to assist with. Separately, their “load” was already catered for by their own efforts.

In 2 Corinthians 8:13, we read, “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality”. Paul believed that there should be fairness among the Christian community. It didn’t make sense to him that some believers should live on the verge of starvation while others lived to excess. But isn’t that the case globally in the 21st Century? People living in the West have plenty, whereas those living in more deprived areas of the world are always close to starvation. The frustration is that there is sufficient food in the world to feed everyone, but due to distribution inefficiencies and corruption in various governments, people go hungry.

Christian giving is meant to foster fairness and equality, not to create hardship for the giver to ease others’ needs. Paul clarifies that the goal is balancing abundance and need among believers, rather than causing poverty for one group while relieving another. To a large extent, that process has been taken over by our societies with the government of the day taxing those who live in abundance so that the money raised can be given to those living in poverty. Unfortunately, such systems can fail, and there are still people in the UK who rely on food banks and other support because they are unable to supply their basic needs, even with government help.

The word “equality” also applies outside this context of financial giving. Equality in society means ensuring every individual has equal rights, dignity, and access to opportunities, free from discrimination based on factors like race, gender, or religion. Key aspects include fair legal treatment, economic equity, access to education, and healthcare. Greater equality leads to healthier, more stable societies. But such a support system doesn’t come cheap, and the tax burden has been steadily increasing and is expected to reach 38% of the UK GDP by the end of this decade. In the first century, society was much simpler, and the Christian ethos of sharing possessions did much to promote the Gospel and establish the church, in a harsh world where the “haves” survived and often the “have-nots” didn’t. 

We pilgrims are part of a worldwide faith that reaches into just about every society on this planet. But we are also part of a community of friends and family that need help from our resources from time to time. And I’m sure that we do help where we can. And so we must be available to those we know, always willing to share what we have, be it money, love, grace, or whatever. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35). True equality only comes in the way we treat others. God shows no favourites, and we all stand equal before Him. James 2:1, “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism”. So in our churches and fellowships, we remember that we are all equal before God’s throne, freed from any thoughts of inferiority or superiority. 

Dear Heavenly Father. Please help us, we pray, to reach out and be available to those fellow members in society who are in need, so that we can bring Your love and the resources You have graciously provided for us to help them. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

The Law of Christ

Posted on by korgrocker

“When I am with the Gentiles who do not follow the Jewish law, I too live apart from that law so I can bring them to Christ. But I do not ignore the law of God; I obey the law of Christ. When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.”
1 Corinthians 9:21-23 NLT

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:21 that he obeyed “the law of Christ”. A simple statement, but one that we should look at because anything to do with Jesus must be important. Early in His ministry, Jesus made reference to the Jewish Law of Moses, which described a life of perfect, sinless righteousness that no Israelite had been able to fulfil until Jesus arrived. He said in His Sermon on the Mount, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose” (Matthew 5:17). All through the Old Testament, there are prophecies about the coming of Jesus. They came into fruition with His birth, life and death two thousand or so years ago. Jesus brought a new covenant as we read in Hebrews 8:10, “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people”. In Hebrews 8:13, we read, “When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear”. Hebrews 10:10, “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time”. With the arrival of Jesus, a transition occurred from the old to the new covenant, an earth-shattering moment when the Light of the world provided a way back to God for humanity everywhere.

So, what is the “law of Christ”? One day, Jesus was asked what the most important of all the commandments was. “Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these”” (Mark 12:29-31). Jesus said that these two commandments form the basis for all the rest, and equally are foundational for the lives of Christians. God, through Jesus, provided the basis for a righteous relationship between Himself and all who believe in His Son, Jesus. And that relationship continues in the way we live with our fellow members of society, and beyond to the world around us. In fact, a world based on these two simple commandments would be totally different to the bad and sad world in which we live, with its wars, misery, and famines. One day, we pilgrims will live in such a world as we know if we read the last pages of the Bible. But in the meantime, the law of Christ is to love God with all of our being and to love our neighbours as we love ourselves.

There have been some who maintain that being without the Law provides an excuse to sin, because sinful actions are covered by God’s grace. However, for the follower of Christ, the avoidance of sin is to be accomplished out of love for God and love for others. Love is to be our motivation. When we recognise the value of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, our response is to be love, gratitude, and obedience. When we understand the sacrifice Jesus made for us and others, our response is to follow His example in showing love to the people around us. Our motivation for overcoming sin should be love, not a desire to obey a series of commandments out of legalistic obligation. We are to follow the law of Christ because we love Him, not so that we can check off a list of commands that we successfully obeyed.

The old Apostle, John, wrote, “Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (1 John 4:7-10). ‭‭We can only imagine the gracious and loving words as they flowed from his pen, revealing John’s profound understanding of God. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, wanted everyone to experience what he had found and to experience that same love, and, most importantly, to show it to those around them. And so, for us pilgrims, everything that we do should have love for God and for our fellow human beings at its core. I find that this is easy to write, but to work it out in practice requires a lifetime of relationship with God. He will help us day by day as we navigate our way through life, living God’s way.

Dear Heavenly Father. We love You and dedicate our lives to following You in obedience. Please help us when we struggle with our humanity. Please forgive us when we make mistakes and get it wrong. And lead us, we pray, in Your ways this day and every day. Amen.

The Loved Disciples

Posted on by korgrocker

“Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home.”
John 19:25-27 NLT

We know four of the people standing by Jesus as He was crucified – three women, Mary, Jesus’ mother, Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene, and John the writer of his Gospel and Revelation, and the man who was the disciple who Jesus loved. We know of course about Jesus’ mother, but little is known about Mary Clopas. Tradition has it that Clopas was a brother of Joseph, Jesus’ stepfather, making his wife, Mary, a sister-in-law of Mary, Jesus’ mother. And then we have Mary Magdalene who is mentioned several times in the Gospels. She was one of the women who travelled with Jesus and helped support Him and His ministry from her resources, so she was probably a wealthy woman. We see her again at the first Easter morning. 

The poignant scene that day was Jesus dying slowly and extremely painfully on the cross but able to look around. He saw His mum standing there with the other women and at least one of His disciples. But what a tragedy for Mary and her Son. Mary had warning of a dark day ahead when she met a Spirit-filled man called Simeon in the Temple, baby Jesus in her arms. Simeon prophesised, “As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul” (Luke 2:35). Was the event now before Mary the culmination of that prophetic word thirty or so years before? But Jesus referred to His mother as “Dear woman” and went on to make arrangements for her after His death, by asking His friend, John, to take His mother in. A question to be asked was where were Jesus’ other brothers and sisters? Could they not have looked after Mary, their mum? But we read that from that day, John took Mary into his home. In other words he assumed the responsibility for looking after her. No Social Security or government safety net in those days. Mary was indeed blessed.

John was one of Jesus’ closest companions, and, although John is not named as “the disciple He loved”, theologians have eliminated anyone else who it could have been. John was effectively Jesus’ best friend, and throughout the ministry years John witnessed the miracles, the Transfiguration, and eventually in his twilight years, was given the visions that became the Book of Revelation. 

Are we disciples who are loved by Jesus? Of course we are, because that was why Jesus went through all that He did that day at the Place of the Skull. For God so loved the world … rings in our hearts as we consider our relationship with Jesus. But John had a special relationship with Jesus at a time when He walked on this earth as a human being. Our relationship with Jesus is spiritual, but that does not mean He cares any less for us. In fact, we know that He is now seated at God’s right hand, interceding for us. Just for a moment, write down all the things that Jesus has done for us. I can list all the big things that He has done in my life, but what about all the small things? They are countless because we probably don’t know half of what Jesus as done for us. He loves us and we love Him, with all that is within us. But we love Him as John wrote – 1 John 2:5, “But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him“. 

There’s the challenge for us pilgrims. We love Jesus of course, but we show our love for Him by being obedient to His commands. How do we fit in doing all that we must do for Jesus with all the other things on our busy agendas? We work for a living. We have families and homes to look after. But Paul wrote, “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:17). That’s a good start – it was Billy Graham’s wife, Ruth, who apparently had a sign over her kitchen sink that said, “Divine services held here three times daily”. We do what we do as to the Lord. Jesus knows how busy we are and He has the resources to help us when the going gets tough. There are those who are called to “full time ministry”, ministers or missionaries, but in a sense we are so called, whatever our vocation.

We are loved disciples. John might have been the first, but countless people through the generations since can claim the love of Jesus and how it has transformed their lives. From his perspective as being the one who Jesus loved, the old apostle John wrote, “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters” (1 John 3:16). As we serve others we express our love for God.

Dear Father God. We love you and worship You today. Amen.

None Are Lost

Posted on by korgrocker

“Once more he asked them, “Who are you looking for?” And again they replied, “Jesus the Nazarene.” “I told you that I Am he,” Jesus said. “And since I am the one you want, let these others go.” He did this to fulfil his own statement: “I did not lose a single one of those you have given me.””
John 18:7-9 NLT

So, there was Jesus facing a crowd of soldiers, Temple guards, Judas, and others, even the High Priest’s slave, who had all been sent to arrest Him. I wonder what this motley crew were expecting? Of course, they may well have seen the miracles, and even might have benefitted from them. They would have heard about Jesus, and the Jerusalem rumour mill might have made them nervous in case He called upon supernatural resources to protect Him and His disciples. But earlier, and as recorded in John 6:39, Jesus said, “And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day”. And even in the face of personal danger all Jesus was concerned about was His friends. It is a humbling thought that our incarnate Creator God made friends with human beings. Ordinary men like Peter the fisherman, or Matthew the tax collector. But despite His imminent suffering, Jesus’ concern for His followers was exactly what He taught and demonstrated during the previous years – His selflessness and love. But Jesus’ actions were all part of His Father’s plans for mankind.

There are two things here that apply to us pilgrims. Firstly, and because God has no favourites, Jesus’ care for His disciples extends even to us today. We may not see Him in the flesh but nevertheless He is with us through the Holy Spirit, making available to us all the love and grace we need in our hours of need. Secondly, are we too looking out for others in their times of adversity? Are we putting aside our own convenience and feelings, instead thinking of others? Paul wrote in Philippians 2:3-4, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too“. We look around us and we have a circle of friends and family. How are we supporting and encouraging them? Perhaps our patents or grandparents need assistance with garden chores. Perhaps a friend is incapacitated by an accident or illness and needs some shopping done. We must remember that for most people the only glimpse they will receive of Jesus is through His followers.

Jesus cared deeply for His friends, the disciples and others who had faithfully followed Him over the previous few years. And even as His life was coming to an end He cared more for them than He did for Himself. In John 15:12-13, Jesus said, “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends“. Jesus gave us an example of what true love really means, and we are called to offer that same love to others, “so that none will be lost”.

Dear Lord Jesus. You laid down Your live in the ultimate act of love dying on the Calvary Cross so that we might have life. We are so grateful. Amen.