When you ask any Christian, why do you go to church? I bet most of them will quote a very popular verse used by many Pastors to lure their members to church. It's a verse found in Heb 10:25, do not forsake the assembling of the saints.

Yes, sure, we are told not to stop meeting each other for fellowship. Some Christians will say they go to church to Praise and Worship God. Others say they go to refuel for the week ahead. One thing you never hear any Christian say is, I go to find someone who I can help that week. But I want to honestly say that, apart from hearing the word and worshipping God, helping is the next big thing that every church member should be always keen on.

We are quick to say, the church is a hospital for the sick. Yes, it is, but sickness doesn't only mean 'lost spiritually', it also means physical sick too. And sickness isn't a health issue but a negative condition, a lack in your life. And it's the responsibility of the church to heal that individual from that sickness.

A member might need accommodation, that's a sickness.

A member might need a job, that's a sickness.

A member might need clothes, that's a sickness.

A member might need money, that's a sickness...

And just as you are to heal someone who has cancer, we ought to have the same urge to help someone in need. There's nothing more important than helping another member meet their needs.

Now, you might say but I can't just walk up to anyone and ask, do you have a need I can help you with today? No. That's not what am saying. In Acts 4:34 the Bible says, not one member of the church lacked anything. That's a very powerful statement and I can understand why most Pastors today will not want to quote it because that would mean using all offering, tithe and free-will giving to help the members rather than spending it on themselves. But that's exactly what we should be doing with our giving. The Bible said every now and then, church members contributed and gave, and this money is used to take care of the needs of the members.

Some will say, but the Pastor helps anyone who comes to him for help. Right but that leads to a problem with the church today i.e. creating a God-like figure where we see the Pastor as the solver of all our problems,  Spiritually and Physically. For those who aren't comfortable with asking the Pastor for help are left to fend for themselves. But truth is, it isn't the job or responsibility of the Pastor to solve every church members' problems. It's our job, fellow Church members to do that. If we say the church is a body with many parts, why would you sit and watch your leg suffer and do nothing about it?

Every week, Church leaders receive thousands of offerings from members, it shouldn't be difficult to set aside a large percentage of that to take care of member needs. Like I said earlier, the church is not only a place to hear that word, worship and give, it's also a place where needs should be met, so there should be a time, during service, dedicated to giving back to members that have a need. Create a system where members can 'anonymously' post their needs and then these needs can be displayed in an 'auction-style' presentation for church members to help.

Every church is a faith based one, I suppose, so everything we do is by faith, that means even selecting who gets helped every week should be done by faith so there wouldn't be any need to worry about getting it wrong.

If you go to church, and this isn't top priority but they are collecting your offering and tithe etc, you ought to question what really drives them. There's so much suffering within the church and it ought not to be the case. 

If only we follow these practices, you will not only have a church that has no lack, but a vibrant church and a happy church.

I live you with this statement by Jesus when his disciples asked him to let the crowd go. Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat. Matt 14:16

Shalom 🙏🏾