The Scrolls is a weekly Bible study written by pastors and other leaders at Central Bible Church, based on that week’s sermon topic. Use The Scrolls as a personal Bible study tool, for family devotions, and for small group discussions. You can read part of it below. The downloadable PDF also includes discussion questions, more in-depth commentary, end notes, and a kids’ page designed for families to study the topic together. This lesson goes with the sermon "Surrender: Trusting God More."
From the very beginning the church assumed responsibility for caring for its own. Luke tells us that early on the needs of the “have nots” were addressed by the “haves” in the body. He writes: “For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sale and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need” (Ac 4:34b-35). Consequently, “there were no needy persons among them” (v. 34).
Somewhat later, after the number of believers in Jerusalem had grown substantially, Luke tells us how the needs of widows were addressed. He writes: “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food” (Ac 6:1). To rectify the oversight, the twelve delegated this responsibility to seven deacons. “At this stage of its development, the church was entirely Jewish in its composition. However, there were two groups of Jews within the fellowship: (1) Hellenistic Jews. Those born in lands other than the Holy Land who spoke the Greek language and were more Grecian than Hebraic in their attitudes and outlook (see NIV text note). (2) Hebraic Jews. Those who spoke Palestinian Aramaic and/or Hebrew and preserved Jewish culture and customs” (The NIV Study Bible, note Ac 6:1). The church assumed responsibility for all widows having no one to care for them, regardless of their cultural background, by providing a daily distribution of food. Later still, after agreeing that Paul should go to the Gentiles, the apostles in Jerusalem imposed no restrictions on him and his ministry apart from one—that he should continue to remember the poor, which his subsequent letters make clear he did. About that visit with the apostles in Jerusalem, Paul writes: “James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along” (Gal 2:9-10).
Two observations are worth noting in regard to the offerings taken for the impoverished saints in Jerusalem—two of which are explicitly mentioned in the New Testament. (The first is mentioned in Acts 11:29-30 where Luke tells his readers that Paul and Barnabas carried a gift from the Christians in Antioch to the elders in Judea. The second is mentioned in Acts 24:17 [cf. Ro 15:25-27; 1 Co 16:3-4; 2 Co 9] where Luke records the words of Paul in his defense before Felix the governor: “After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings” [Ac 24:17]. Paul made this trip to Jerusalem following his third missionary journey.) First, the offerings crossed international boundaries. The predominantly Gentile churches planted by Paul on his missionary journeys, which collected the offerings, were located throughout Asia Minor and Greece, more specifically in Antioch, Galatia, Macedonia, and Achaia. Second, the offerings crossed racial boundaries. The contributors were largely Gentiles, and the recipients were largely Jews. Nevertheless, because both groups were Christians, the Gentiles overlooked the ethnic and cultural differences between them.
His instructions in 1 and 2 Corinthians regarding a special offering to be taken for poor saints in Jerusalem gives us a pattern for giving in general, which when it comes to benevolence in particular, should cross international and racial boundaries.
Central Message of the Text:
Paul’s pattern for Christian giving suggests that you should give as an act of worship—voluntarily, regularly, and in keeping with how God has prospered you, rather than grudgingly, inconsistently, and out of keeping with it.
Family Talk:
Tithe. What does that mean exactly? Do we give based on gross or net income? What percentage are we supposed to give? Are tithe and offerings the same? Explaining the principle of tithing to kids feels a little like explaining algebra to a giraffe, especially when we might not fully understand the concept as adults. Parents, tithing is not a math equation, but quite simply, a matter of the heart. It’s a matter of obedience that is personal between you and God. I’d be willing to bet your children understand this better than you think. Over the past several years I’ve witnessed countless examples of cheerful and sacrificial giving by your precious kids. I’ve been handed jars of money from garage sales and baggies filled with coins from lemonade stands. The joy and innocence in the eyes of these children have brought me to tears. They can’t wait to bring their offering and bubble over with excitement as they openhandedly give their very best to the church. A beautiful prayer from a faithful friend of mine has stuck with me over the years. She asked to have more so she could give more (2 Corinthians 9:11). I want to be like this. I want to have more so I can give more. I want to bounce on the balls of my feet grinning from ear to ear as I offer my best to God. I’m praying for your family as you model cheerful and sacrificial giving for your children.