{"id":9482,"date":"2007-04-18T22:24:11","date_gmt":"2007-04-19T03:24:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=9482"},"modified":"2024-11-16T10:27:43","modified_gmt":"2024-11-16T16:27:43","slug":"if-the-church-isnt-a-social-organization-then-how-are-the-needy-cared-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/if-the-church-isnt-a-social-organization-then-how-are-the-needy-cared-for\/","title":{"rendered":"If the church isn’t a social organization, then how are the needy cared for?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Question:<\/h2>\n

“The church has no bowling league, no softball team, nor does it sponsor a Boy Scout troop. We have an air-conditioned building with several rooms for Bible classes, but there is no kitchen, no banquet hall, no gymnasium, or party room. Perhaps you are wondering what kind of church is this, or what does the church offer the community. Quite simply, we are a church that follows after the pattern of the New Testament. We are not a social club, nor a civic organization, nor a political forum, nor a welfare institution. While the influence of the church and its members are felt in all these areas, the church, itself, is none of these things. The church is a spiritual institution, which administers to the spiritual needs of its members and the community.” (from La Vista Church of Christ’s\u00a0home page<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now, I am a Biblical literalist. The early church pooled its resources to meet every member’s needs. As a matter of fact, Acts records that the first controversy in the church was over the Hebrew widows receiving more food than the Greek ones. And then you have James (if a person comes to you lacking food or clothes, do not tell him “be ye warm” or “be ye fed” but rather meet the needs of the body in addition to the spirit) and Jesus Christ said that those who did not feed the hungry or visit those in prison would be “goats.” It might be mighty forward of me to ask such a thing since I am not a minister and not a member of your congregation, but are you keeping these things? And if so, how? Please do not take offense (I know, that is the equivalent of bashing someone on the thumb with a hammer and then saying, “I hope that didn’t hurt!”), but instead, please know that my intent was honorable. Hopefully, I am telling you that the fact that I came across your website looking for the meaning of “firstborn of creation” that Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and similar points to deny God’s Tri-Unity, found what I was looking for, and will use it for my own website (which gets frequented by Mormons and Oneness Pentecostals attempting to defend their false beliefs) will convince you that my intent is not to mock, accuse, or claim to be superior to you. Thank you.<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

You are blending passages discussing the responsibilities of each individual Christian with those discussing the responsibilities of the church in a local. While both the Christian and the church may share overlapping duties, they are not the same. A passage illustrating this is the instructions given on who takes care of widows. “Honor widows who are really widows. But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God. … But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. … If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may relieve those who are really widows<\/em>” (I Timothy 5:3-4,8,16). The verses I skipped contain the details of what characteristics indicate that a widow should be the responsibility of the church. But notice in what I did quote that the primary responsibility for the care of widows is upon the widow’s children. The church only handled widows who had no family to care for her and who had lived an exemplary life. The church was not a welfare organization to care for everyone who came along.<\/p>\n

Did the church meet the needs of every member? Only if you see that the emphasis is on\u00a0members<\/strong>\u00a0of the church who had\u00a0needs<\/strong>. The church made sure that no member went hungry. But every member was not in need, otherwise from where did the money come? “Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need<\/em>” (Acts 4:34-35). Even in this help in times of need, the church’s aid did not remove the individual’s responsibility. “But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us. For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread<\/em>” (II Thessalonians 3:6-12).<\/p>\n

The church here teaches its members to fulfill their responsibilities to their fellow men and not to expect someone else or some organization to relieve them of their duty.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: “The church has no bowling league, no softball team, nor does it sponsor a Boy Scout troop. We have an air-conditioned building with several rooms for Bible classes, but there is no kitchen, no banquet hall, no gymnasium, or party room. Perhaps you are wondering what kind of church is this, or what does…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[194,929,676],"class_list":["post-9482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-benevolence","tag-needy","tag-poor"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":29604,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wow-a-church-that-believes-in-the-true-word\/","url_meta":{"origin":9482,"position":0},"title":"Wow, a church that believes in the true word!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 19, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Wow, a church that believes in the true word! Thank God for you and the brethren.\u00a0 I was just blessed and \"holy thrilled\" reading the first lines of your introduction: \"The La Vista Church of Christ, located on the south side of Omaha, Nebraska, has no bowling league, no\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":69384,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-liberal-and-conservative-churches-of-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":9482,"position":1},"title":"Why \u201cLiberal\u201d and \u201cConservative\u201d Churches of Christ","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Robert Harkrider During the past two decades, many have asked this question. Some sincere brethren who have been caught up in one stream or the other never fully understood, and many who were too young before have now grown to adulthood wondering why. It is, therefore, a good question\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":56869,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/helping-the-needy-in-our-community\/","url_meta":{"origin":9482,"position":2},"title":"Helping the Needy in Our Community","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 14, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"by Matthew Allen \"My kingdom\u00a0is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not\u00a0of this realm\"\u00a0(John 18:36). I am convinced that the verse\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":63000,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/understanding-the-difference-local-and-universal-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":9482,"position":3},"title":"Understanding the Difference: Local and Universal Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 30, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bill Robinson I have a lot of friends that I dearly love and count them as brothers who are going to disagree with this article. Nonetheless, there are others that I dearly love and also count as brothers, for whom I feel compelled to write this. We are fast\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":69866,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-a-church-let-the-community-use-its-well\/","url_meta":{"origin":9482,"position":4},"title":"Can a church let the community use its well?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 20, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Greetings Brother Hamilton, I trust you are doing great today. I have this conflict to clarify:\u00a0I understand the church is not suppose to go into business or maintain one. But I have a challenge; My congregation was gifted a piece of land with a sunken borehole (well) by a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55614,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/congregational-independence-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":9482,"position":5},"title":"Congregational Independence (Moyer)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 7, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer The Scriptures teach local congregational independence and autonomy. What does this mean? The body of Christ (universal terminology as in one body, Ephesians 4:1-3) is not some interconnected web of congregations; rather, the body is composed of individuals (see I Corinthians 12:12-27). 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