I am a campus minister for a Christian fellowship on a university campus. Part of my job is to lead a Bible study for women in their final year of college. We begin the year with a two month long study of passages in the Bible on money, possessions and charity. We have just finished that study. Even though I have done this study many times now, each year the beauty of God’s commandments to his people for how to use their money, view their work and love their neighbor is awe inspiring. Bottom line – I am convinced that God wants those who are rich in the world’s resources to reduce their wealth by giving to and elevating the poor.
There is a lesser known hymn, a Christmas carol, whose first line is “Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor, all for love’s sake becamest poor.” Jesus emptied himself, says Paul in Philippians 2. He divested himself of his wealth, so that we might be lifted out of our spiritual poverty. He stepped down, as Ruth wrote about beautifully last week. (Burke, 2017) That step down powerfully accomplished something.
Now that he has enriched us, we have the calling to enrich others. One way we are to do that is to pass on the Good News. Preach the Gospel. This is what Christians are supposedly good at. After all, that is part of the great commission. However, here on the college campus, one impression I get is that our preaching mainly sounds like condemnation to a lot of people. Some of that impression is the result of the good news rightly involving bad news. We need a Savior because we are condemned sinners who cannot save ourselves There is enormous need, but the good news is that God has sent a Savior. There is plentiful forgiveness and grace, enough for all who want it.
But the Good News is also the generosity of God’s family. The letter of James says that true religion is more than preaching the Gospel. It is also helping the needy (James 1:27) This is what a lot of American Christians are less known for. Many really are helping, but doing so quietly, because Jesus told us not to advertise all of our charity. If so, what are some of the ways that you are giving? It would be good to learn from one another. Perhaps some Christians are discouraged because they don’t know how to give wisely or it feels like the need is enormous and there are not enough material resources with which to respond. But maybe the resources are more plentiful than we think. Maybe if those of us who have more than we need gave even small amounts constantly, God would multiply our gifts and make them plentiful and powerful to accomplish great good for others. We are called to share, in word and deed. That is what Jesus did for us.
The Gospel is a message of love. Preaching the Gospel so that others can have a life-giving relationship with God is a deeply loving thing to do. But it’s not enough according to James. Living the Gospel in generous self-giving love accompanies preaching and shows that we have become children of God. The apostle John agrees. I close with his words from 1 John 3:16-18: “This is how we have come to know love; He laid down his life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer in need but withholds compassion from him – how does God’s love reside in him? Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.”
Jesus Emptied Himself – https://renewingeve.com//index.php/2017/12/10/jesus-emptied-himself/