They only asked us to remember the poor — the very thing I also was eager to do. — Galatians 2:10
When Paul and Barnabas were commissioned by the apostles James, John, and Cephas to go and preach to the Gentiles, there was one additional request made of them — to remember the poor.
What is striking about this is the combination of priorities it reveals. On one side, the apostles were sending Paul and Barnabas out to preach the gospel and evangelise the Gentiles. On the other side, they were equally concerned with the welfare of the very people being evangelised.
Word and Deed
It is not uncommon for us to separate these two things. We sometimes treat evangelism as one thing and acts of love and compassion as something else entirely — two separate categories that do not necessarily belong together. There are times when we focus so completely on the verbal proclamation of the gospel that we overlook the very real physical needs of the people we are speaking to — even when we are in a position to help.
Evangelism is absolutely vital. It is the primary reason we reach out to people — to proclaim the great message of Christ. His life, His death, His resurrection, and His ascension. The gospel of justification by faith — that when we believe in Jesus Christ for our salvation, we are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s Son and are called children of God. This message must be proclaimed.
And yet, this message is to be delivered in love, gentleness, and kindness. If we proclaim this good news in a manner that is unbecoming and unworthy — with hatred, malice, or partiality — we defeat the very purpose of the message we are delivering. The gospel is good news, and it must not only be proclaimed but also lived out and demonstrated in how we treat those to whom we bring it.
This is precisely what James and Cephas were commending to Paul and Barnabas — that as they went out evangelising, they were also to care for, provide for, and show genuine love to those among whom they ministered.
Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. — 1 John 3:18
Eager to Do the Same
Paul goes on to note that this was the very thing he was already eager to do. He is not describing a reluctant compliance with someone else’s instruction. In Paul’s own mind, evangelising and caring for the poor were never in conflict — they belonged together. Preaching the gospel went hand in hand with taking care of those to whom he preached.
This stands in contrast to those Paul describes elsewhere in Philippians 1, who preach out of selfish ambition — drawing attention to themselves rather than to the name of Jesus Christ. True gospel ministry is never self-serving. It is motivated by genuine love for God and genuine love for people.
What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. — James 2:14-17
The Great Commission in Full
As we go out to fulfil the Great Commission — to make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that the Lord has commanded — may we not be a people who merely tells people what they need to hear while remaining indifferent to their needs.
May those around us see our good works. May they see our love. May they see in us a light shining on a hill — so that when they encounter us, they encounter not only the words of the gospel but a living demonstration of it.
Amen.
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