"On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper" (1 Cor. 16:2).
Almost all of Paul’s exhortations concerning giving to the poor have primary reference to the poor in Jerusalem. It is not known why there was so much poverty among the churches in Jerusalem at that time. Some believe their poor estate arose from the community of goods introduced among them at the inception of the church as seen in Acts 2:44–45. Sharing all things in common and distributing to those in need is difficult when dealing with fallen people, regenerate or not. Hodge wrote, “Perfection in one thing requires perfection in all. Perfect equality in goods requires perfect freedom from selfishness and indolence.”
However, in God’s providence we have no clear record as to the cause of the poverty. Whether the culprit was poor stewardship in the sharing of goods, or due to persecution of the church, or due to natural causes like famine (such as that in Acts 11:28–29), there was definitely a problem of poverty in Jerusalem at the time of Paul’s ministry. To help alleviate the suffering of the saints there, Paul often exhorted other churches to give. He does this among the Galatians, the saints at Macedonia, and those at Corinth.
Regarding the collection at Corinth, Paul established three principles that can applied to any church. First, the collection was to be made every Lord’s Day—the first of every week. This was when Christ rose again, when the first Christians began meeting (Acts 20:7), and what John called the Lord’s Day in Revelation 1. Second, everyone in the church was to contribute. Giving was not reserved for the rich, the middle class, or the poor. Third, the contributions were to be in proportion to the means of the giver. Paul did not dictate how much the people were to give, only that it was to be proportionate to his income: “storing up as he may prosper.”
Lastly, Paul wisely urged the Corinthians to select someone to deliver the gift. He even went so far as to make sure that he would not be present when the collections were made. Paul did not want anyone to suspect him of taking the money for himself. This is a good principle for all ministers, that they not collect money themselves but that they put all collections into the custody of someone else in the church.
This week at Sunday worship, give some money for the poor when your church takes up its collection. Designate on an envelope that the money is to go specifically for those in need, either to a specific family or person in the church that you know needs the money or to a ministry to the poor. If you have children, have them give as well.
