Acts 11:29 Cross References

Acts 11:29

29: So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could.

If you are really eager to give, it isn't important how much you are able to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you don't have.
Of course, I don't mean you should give so much that you suffer from having too little. I only mean that there should be some equality.
Right now you have plenty and can help them. Then at some other time they can share with you when you need it. In this way, everyone's needs will be met.

Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, their wonderful joy and deep poverty have overflowed in rich generosity.
For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but far more. And they did it of their own free will.
They begged us again and again for the gracious privilege of sharing in the gift for the Christians in Jerusalem.

Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never fail you. I will never forsake you."
That is why we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper, so I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?"

When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching great numbers of people. (It was there at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)

At the meeting I said to them, "The rest of us are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?" And they had nothing to say in their defense.

Now about the money being collected for the Christians in Jerusalem: You should follow the same procedures I gave to the churches in Galatia.
On every Lord's Day, each of you should put aside some amount of money in relation to what you have earned and save it for this offering. Don't wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.

Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God.

And don't worry about food--what to eat and drink. Don't worry whether God will provide it for you.
These things dominate the thoughts of most people, but your Father already knows your needs.
He will give you all you need from day to day if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.
"So don't be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.
"Sell what you have and give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no holes in them. Your treasure will be safe--no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it.

The only thing they suggested was that we remember to help the poor, and I have certainly been eager to do that.

and each leader gave as much as he could. The total of their gifts came to 61,000 gold coins, 6,250 pounds of silver, and 100 robes for the priests.

or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged.

But before I come, I must go down to Jerusalem to take a gift to the Christians there.
For you see, the believers in Greece have eagerly taken up an offering for the Christians in Jerusalem, who are going through such hard times.
They were very glad to do this because they feel they owe a real debt to them. Since the Gentiles received the wonderful spiritual blessings of the Good News from the Jewish Christians, they feel the least they can do in return is help them financially.

I really don't need to write to you about this gift for the Christians in Jerusalem.
For I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to our friends in Macedonia that you Christians in Greece were ready to send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of them to begin helping.

There was no poverty among them, because people who owned land or houses sold them

Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.
God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you.
Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to him forever and ever. Amen.

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