
By Dr. Andrew Spurgeon
Associate Professor of Biblical Studies (New Testament), SBC
Publications Secretary, ATA
The Role of the Church During Crisis
(Reprinted from Helix Research Center Resources for COVID-19 Response Project, Singapore Bible College)
Christians have always stood at the forefront of any social, physical, and spiritual warfare. Like David before Goliath, they stand not on their might. But, drawing their strength from God, they fight: William Wilberforce against slavery in England, Florence Nightingale for the wounded soldiers in the Crimean War, William Carey against sati (burning of widows on the pyre of their husbands) in India, and Joni Eareckson Tada for the physically challenged throughout the world. Asian Christians are no exception ā they are fighting to save the dignity of the migrant workers, fighting to preserve Godās creation, and fighting on behalf of those who canāt speak for themselves (those with special needs). [1] Similarly, as Singapore faces the threat of the microscopic enemy, the COVID-19 virus, the role of churches and Christians is clear: stand at the forefront and fight for the fainthearted.
The Jerusalem apostlesā fight against social oppression and Paulās fight against poverty give the biblical precedent for us to be socially active. Since Alexander the Greatās time in the Middle East, Jews struggled with their identity. Those in Jerusalem spoke and read the Torah in Hebrew. Those in Egypt and Asia Minor (modern Turkey) spoke Greek and read the Greek version of the Old Testament, the Septuagint. So, at an early gathering of the Christians, tensions arose between Greek-speaking Jewish women and Hebrew-speaking Jewish women. One group felt they were cheated in the provision of daily food; they felt as if the Hebrew apostles were partial to the Hebrew-speaking Jews (Acts 6:1). The apostles didnāt sweep this complaint under the rug but addressed it (6:2). They instituted the first official ādivision of laborā between the apostles and other servants: whereas some ministered Godās word, others waited on tables (6:3ā4). Since waiting on tables was equally important to preaching Godās word, they chose āmen⦠full of the Spirit and wisdomā (6:3). [2] The apostles laid their hands of approval on them and commissioned them to the ministry of waiting on tables, for the sake of the Hellenistic Jewish widows (6:6; cf. 6:2). The result was astonishing: āthe word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faithā (6:7).
Paul is often known as āthe greatest theologian.ā But, equally important to him was caring for the poor. When he heard Agabusās prophecy that there would be āa severe famine⦠over the entire Roman worldā (Acts 11:28), he collected the funds that disciples in Antioch had gathered and took them to the Christians in Judea (11:29ā30). While he defended the gospel before the Jerusalem apostles, they were speechless, except to make one request: āremember the poorā (Gal 2:10a). Paul didnāt need this request because he āhad been eager to do [this] all alongā (2:10b). When other Christians joined him in this endeavor, as did those in Philippi (Phil 1:5; 4:18), he couldnāt stop praising them and thanking God for them. He dedicated two chapters in 2 Corinthians to challenge the Christians in Corinth to participate in caring for needs, after challenging them and outlining how to gather funds to give to the poor in 1 Corinthians (16:1ā4). Giving to the poor was so important to Paul, in fact, that he used a multitude of terms for it: āfellowshipā (2 Cor 8:4; 9:13; Rom 15:26), āserviceā (2 Cor 9:1; Rom 15:31), āgraceā (2 Cor 8:6ā7, 19), āblessingā (2 Cor 9:5), and ādivine serviceā (2 Cor 9:12; Rom 15:27). [3]
So, whether in times of racism, prejudice, injustice, poverty, or illness, Christians and churches have always stood at the forefront and fought against evil and preserved good. Even now, when we are faced with an invisible enemy, COVID-19, letās stand strong as the apostles and the cloud of witnesses ahead of us and fight by offering calmness and care to the troubled and fainthearted.
[1] Calvin Chong, ed., The Servant at the Fringes: Christian Serving Foreign Workers in Singapore (Singapore: Singapore Bible College, 2018); Melissa Ong and Prarthini M. Selveindran, ed., Godās Gardners: Creation Care Stories from Singapore and Malaysia (Singapore: GraceWorks, 2020); and Leow Wen Pen and Anne Wong-Png, ed., Call Me by Name: Stories of Faith, Identity, and Special Needs (Singapore: Family Inclusion Network, 2018).
[2] All scripture quotations are from the NIV.
[3] See Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, 1st edition, NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 812.
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