CHURCH OUTSIDE THE BOX


One major area most Churches of today are failing is in the area of extending a hand of love, fellowship and help to the needy and destitute people who are outside her flocks. I believe if this aspect can be addressed, we will win more people to the Lord compared to when we just preach to people and we don’t seek to meet their physical and basic needs like food, clothing, accommodation, education etc.

One prominent Scripture the devil uses to blind the Church especially her leadership is Galatians 6:10 which reads, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

If this verse is taken in isolation without considering the purpose of the verse and also considering other related Scriptures; it is capable of leading a Church to be self-centred and egocentric - seeking only the good of herself and her members without regards to people outside the Church.

Sadly, the misinterpretation of this verse has hindered many Churches from rendering help to people outside their Church circle. More sadly is that it has also hindered non-tithe payers, undedicated members, and irregular (in attendance) Church members from getting help from the Church. It’s not supposed to be so because that is not the way of love or of God. For God gives His blessing to both the righteous and the unrighteous.

…that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45.

When you read the Old Testament of the Bible, you will see the value God places on rendering help to the needy, strangers, widows, orphans and the temple workers (known as the Priests). The poor and less privileged have always been God’s priority and this was re-emphasised by our Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostles in the New Testament Church.

Worthy of note among the categories are the strangers. Jesus Christ gave an illustration in Luke 10:25-37, of a stranger who was helped by a Samaritan (whom we usually called the Good Samaritan). This story defines who a stranger truly is. Other categories of the less privileged like the widows, orphans and priest, might be related to you somehow, but a stranger is unconnected to you.

A stranger is someone you have never met before, an unfamiliar and an unknown guest. A stranger is that person who does not belong to your Church, organization or group... that man or woman who does not attend your Church.

If we put Jesus’ teaching in perspective, it implies that we extend our hand of fellowship and help to people outside our Church circle. They must not necessarily be tithe payer or regular attendee before we can be a blessing to them as a Church.

Besides, Jesus asked a striking question in this regards when He said:

But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. Luke 6:32-34.

So, when a Church only gives help to those in their flocks, they are not different from a typical unbeliever who renders help to only those they can get help in return.

My suggestions to Churches that are failing in this light are;

1.Have a charity outreach arm in your Church that is saddled with the responsibility of reaching the needy in the society. By so doing, you are extending God’s arm of love to the less privileged. Reach out to those in the hospital, prison, orphans, widows, the aged once, strangers and the needy. When you do this, you show the love of Jesus to our world.

2.Have a community development project in your Church plan. Look around the locality where your Church is situated and find and solve a basic need like water issue, bad road, traffic issue, tide the environment, give free extramural lesson, free medical treatment etc. Operate a Church outside the box, outside the four walls of your building.

One might say the idea is good but how do we fund it? Don’t you know that basically, the tithes and offering being collected in Churches are supposed to be used to take care of such projects? This is in accordance with the Biblical laid down principle of the administration of tithe and offering, in the Old Testament. According to the Scriptures, the tithe and offering are to be used to take care of the Priest, Levite, strangers, fatherless and widows.

When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year-the year of tithing-and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled. Deuteronomy 26:12.

I trust that by these few points, your Church will start getting it right by extending her hand of fellowship, love and care to the needy outside the church membership and operating a Church outside the box.

Remember to also share this if you agree with the article, it might help a genuine Church of Christ that is getting it wrong to be on track.

For Christ Jesus is coming for a Church without spot or wrinkled.

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal”. Matthew 25:31-46.

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