The world would be a completely different place if all Christians practiced what has been taught over the centuries, including myself. Philanthropy toward everyone is one of the cornerstones discussed early in the book of Acts. Lately, I have been studying Acts, and it is absolutely incredible to see how radically different believers were back then compared to today. It is called “Acts” for a reason: the apostles are doing good works.

At the end of Chapter 2, the apostles of Jesus gathered all their goods and dispensed everything they had according to the needs of the people. Take a minute and imagine what it would be like if billions of Christians brought together all their clothes, cars and salaries and gave it all away in accordance to the need of others. The world would be radically transformed. I believe poverty would cease to exist, and no one would be cold during the winter. The current health care issue could be lessened if churches still aided families who cannot help themselves.

Evangelistic organizations like the Union Gospel Mission do great work for communities, as they offer housing and rehabilitation services for free to people that are in desperate need. But missions in big cities can only do so much. It is up to Christians to fulfill the law to love their neighbor as themselves. I want a bed to sleep in and food to eat. Because I feel that way, it is my calling to provide that for others if they need it. I do not have to give someone a queen-size bed with a down comforter to love. I simply need to be willing to love them in whatever way I can.

The majority of the time, I believe churches do the right thing with their resources. Many have free clinics during the year, and almost all of them do food drives and some even open their doors to the homeless for a night. But the problem is that not all of them do, and it is not always constant. The weary should have no trouble finding rest in the arms of the church if it was truly loving as it should. Hospitality and charity are two things Christians need to be champions of. It is a sad day when a building that supposedly symbolizes love for and acceptance of the poor in society says “no” to the downtrodden.

Charity is not the responsibility of the government, but sadly, it has turned out to be that way because millions of Christians no longer feel a need to give. The church should be the poor person’s first line of defense and their greatest helper. Before Medicare and Medicaid and other government programs started, the church was the largest contributor of funds to people in need. And that is exactly what this country and every other industrialized nation in the world needs to get back to. America is the wealthiest nation in the world for goodness’ sake.

The next time you see someone in need, aid them, for you could be helping an angel in disguise.