The Lord Jesus gave very specific instruction on how mercy ministry was to be conducted by the church. In Matthew 6:1-4, Jesus says, “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.”
The pastor of our local mega church was interviewed by various news sources this weekend explaining why his congregation wanted to do good in the community this December. Just in time for the late-December rush of extra worshipers, the pastor announced that $5.3 million in local medical debt had been purchased by the church and over 5000 families in Los Angeles would receive letters saying that their medical debt had been paid off. The buzz online is quite impressive. What a huge mercy for struggling families!
The congregation that I serve also does mercy ministry among our members and in the community. Our mercy budget is supplied in the old fashioned Presbyterian way—through a simple wooden dropbox marked “Mercy Fund.” I have dozens of stories of God working through the funds that go into that dropbox.
