Debt Paid

God has made available what the Bible calls "the riches of His grace" toward those who call on the
names of Jesus. Ephesians chapter 1 states:
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him.

We have been redeemed through the death and resurrection of Christ, and He calls us to walk in that resurrected life, which includes the way we use our resources to honor God.  He is our provider, and by His Spirit, He can help us to identity how we should appropriate what He has given, so that Christ may be glorified and that others may hear and see the gospel.  As we surrender, we can have a more intimate walk with God and experience the power of His Spirit working through us.

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We are called to follow Christ, and that includes the use of our finances toward others.  Jesus gave
His life to pay our sin debt, and we are called to exhibit His spirit of compassion. 1st Peter 2 states:
21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 "Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth";
23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.

We can be challenged to consider how the Lord would have us use the resources that He has provided for us.  That applies to our individual lives...and there are instances of churches that have taken special steps to relieve financial suffering.

Take, for instance, the example of Revolution Church in Annapolis, MD.  A nice article on the ChristianHeadlines.com website spotlights a recent effort by the church to pay medical expenses.  The article says:

The church collected $15,000, which they donated to a nonprofit called RIP Medical Debt. The organization purchases debt for pennies on the dollar and pays it off. To date, RIP Medical Debt has forgiven nearly $650 million in crippling debt.

The story goes on to say, "The donation impacted over 900 individuals and families. The debts forgiven were as large as $100,000 and small as $200, according to the Christian Post."

The article quotes Lead Pastor Kenny Comancho, who told The Christian Post: “The cities that have churches in them should be different because Christians are in those cities,” adding, “So, we want Annapolis and Maryland to look different because we are here. We think this is one of the ways that we can do that.”

The church is working with other local churches to help provide debt relief.  The story says that Revolution was inspired by a church in Texas, as well as an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. It states:

Covenant Church in Carrollton, Texas, paid off more than $10 million in medical debt for veterans and families in their area, according to Christian Post. All veterans and 4,000 families within a 20-mile radius of each of their five campuses no longer have debt.

The church has spent $100,000 in the past on Easter promotion, but last year, decided to take that money and use it to help people in the area.

The website Mashable has more on the John Oliver involvement.  In a 2017 article, it reported:

In June, comedian and Last Week Tonight host John Oliver purchased $14.9 million dollars worth of medical debt for just $60,000.

It seemed almost too good to be a true — a simple, hilarious sketch designed to produce great ratings. But on reddit Tuesday, user EricHill submitted a letter he claimed he received from the comedy show, explaining that his debt had been resolved.

I regard these as two examples where churches and their members decided to use the resources that God had given to them in order to provide financial relief for others.  We can recognize God's hand in our finances, not in prosperity formulas, but in practical stewardship.  He has a purpose for His provision for us.

We can also remember to develop a giving heart.  Because God has been so generous to us, giving of Himself so that we might come to Him, we can extend that generosity and compassion to others.

And, as the pastor of one of the churches that were featured had pointed out, Easter is about relieving our debt.  The ChristianHeadlines.com story stated:

Covenant Church’s Senior Pastor Stephen Hayes used the medical debt forgiveness as a reminder to his congregation that while not everyone has monetary debt, we all have spiritual debt that has been forgiven by the blood of Christ.

We had no way to pay the penalty for sin that we owed.  But, God sent His Son as a worthy sacrifice for the sin debt we had accrued.  Through His debt and reconciliation, Jesus redeemed fallen humanity to God; He paid the price for our sin by paying the ultimate price through His life.  But, because death couldn't hold Him, He won victory for us over the power of sin.