Christians and Government Assistance

Let's face it; our country, and this world are in a serious economic crisis. We could go into a long list of reasons why we are where we are; however, the Bible clearly gives us the answer in 1 Timothy 6:10: For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Add to this our diminshing dependence upon the Lord, and a growing dependence on man's government, and the result is what we are seeing today. In fact, we have people who profess to be Christians that are more concerned about how to hold on to their jobs and their wealth than they are trusting in the Lord who created them and knows what their needs are. So, it should come as no surprise that many Christians are now turning to the government for help during this time. Is it wrong for us to turn to the government for help?

Not completely. For example, a person who has been involuntarily terminated from his or her job is eligible to apply for unemployment benefits. Since that person more than likely paid into the system while he or she working, that person has a right to receive such benefits. This is not a matter of someone living off of a public welfare system; these are temporary benefits from a system that he or she contributed to while the person was actively employed. Such benefits are not interminable, however. What happens after those benefits terminate?

It is in these situations where the body of Christ has a great opportunity to show love and compassion to our brothers and sisters; yet, we have Christians who are struggling in congregations, and they are unwilling to go to the church for assistance. How can this be? There are a number of reasons that Christians are reluctant to turn to their local fellowships for help. One issue may be pride; many people may be ashamed to say that they have a need because of how they may be viewed by others. What many of those people may not realize is that the Lord may have allowed that situation to occur so that they may deal with the issue of pride in their lives.

Yet, there is another, far more insidious reason that people may not approach their local fellowships for assistance. Many times, people either suspect or know that they will get turned away from the local fellowship, and they will instead be encouraged to go to the government for help. This is an indictment on the entire body of Christ. Consider how the first generation church responded to the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 4:

32And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

33And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

34Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,

35And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.


Notice that they trusted the apostles to distribute the money in such a way that no one lacked. Where is this type of trust in our local fellowships today?

We will be continuing this discussion this week. Let us know your thoughts, and we may discuss them on the air. Be sure to listen to us every Saturday from 12:30 p.m. until 1:00 p.m. on WCVX, 1050 AM in Cincinnati. You can also hear us live on the Internet; just visit us at our website and click on the link on our home page.