Tom Snyder, at http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52402, writes:
God presents us with three general ways in the Bible to take care of the poor and needy: 1) through the family; 2) through the church; and 3) through individual charity. The applicable passages for these three ways are Deuteronomy 14:28, 29, Numbers 18:24, Matthew 6:1-4 and 1 Timothy 5:3-16.
Now, the first two ways are pretty clear. People's first obligation is to the needy, poor, widowed and orphaned in their own families. Only after they do this do they have any obligation to help the needy, poor, widowed and orphaned through their local church organization. God established the pattern for this kind of church giving in Numbers 18:24 and Deuteronomy 14:28, 29. As David Chilton points out in his great book "Productive Christians in an Age of Guilt Manipulators," the bulk of Christian giving to the local church should be geared toward financing professional theologians, experts in biblical law and church discipline, teachers of God's word and leaders skilled in worship. It was only every third year that all the giving was set aside to help the needy, poor, widowed and orphaned. Even then, the money was not given just to anyone who showed up. Those able to work but don't do not qualify for help. Also, those who have families to take care of them don't qualify, nor do widows under age 60 qualify, according to the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 5:3-16.
Jesus Christ, who is God in the flesh, talks about the third way in Matthew 6. He tells His listeners that they should give individual charity. He also says they should give such charity secretly: "Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."
I found this interesting. One-third to the needy, huh, and two-thirds to preachers, teachers, etc? Gotta chew on this a bit.
What do you folks think about this?
1 comment:
I think that in the previous system, in which only a certain sub-group were the priests, and in which God dwelt in a Tabernacle/Temple that needed maintenance, this 2/3s to the "system" made sense.
However, now, we're all priests (Rev 1:6, etc), and God now lives in our hearts rather than in a building. So this system may not need the same maintenance that the previous system needed.
Still, it's interesting that in the old system, God placed so much emphasis on supporting the "ritual" aspect of religion as opposed to the "one another" aspect. These things bear consideration, me thinks.
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