Title: Think of the poor (Galatians 02:10)
In Galatians 2:10, it is written, “We have entrusted ourselves with the consideration of the poor, and this is what I strive to do.”
1. The poor are easy to forget and are easily despised. That is why Paul emphasizes that we should do our best to think about and help the poor. The reason for this is that it is a command from God to think of the poor (Deut. 15:7-11). The cause of poverty can be disease, incompetence, abuse, laziness, or natural disaster. Whatever the reason, it is not desirable for the poor to exist on the beautiful land that God has created, and it is not gracious for a poor neighbor to groan in a place of love where Christians live. Therefore, God has specifically asked us to do our best to help the poor brothers around us. In the land the Lord our God has given us, if a poor brother dwells with us in any city, do not harden our heart toward the poor brother, and do not grasp our hand; we must stretch out our hands to him, and have enough for what he asks for. I command you to borrow.
2. It is the mission of the church to care for the poor (Acts 2:45) What the church does is through the teachings of Jesus Christ, and it is concentrated through evangelism, education, and almsgiving. And since evangelism and education are providing strong support through the act of relief, we can see that the church must focus on relief and carry out its mission. That is why the early church appointed deacons to take care of the relief work (Acts 6:3), and Paul combined his evangelism activities with the relief work (Romans 15:25). In recent years, the budget of the Korean church has been growing rapidly every year. It's something to be proud of. However, when looking at the expenditure aspect of that huge budget, it is not possible to just like it. This is because, with the exception of a very few churches, most of the churches spend most of their budget on self-maintenance. Just because you have a luxurious meeting room that makes the president's office of a first-class company discolored in a shabby shack, or a pipe organ worth tens of thousands of won, and running a bus or a car doesn't mean it's a big church.
3. To think of the poor is to serve the Lord (Matt. 25:40) Everyone wants to serve the Lord better and to serve the Lord well. good idea. However, it seems that they do not know the specific way to serve the Lord. We have poor brothers everywhere we live. In the name of the Lord, we must not neglect to take care of these brothers quietly. Because that is what it means to serve the Lord. The saying, “He who has mercy on the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his good” (Proverbs 19:17). Please keep in mind that the kindness you show to one of the least of my brothers is the kindness you show to the Lord, and give your heart especially to the poor. This is godliness and participation in suffering.