LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for August 22: Relationships: The long-distance factor

Imagine for a moment that you are on the phone with a family member who is having a tough time. You wish desperately that you could reach through the phone and give them a much needed hug. Well, now you can. All you have to do is purchase them a Hug Shirt.

I am not kidding. This is a real product, invented by CuteCircuit, a fashion company based in London, which designs wearable technology. The Hug Shirt is a shirt that allows you to send hugs over long distances. According to the website, “Embedded in the shirt there are sensors that feel the strength of the touch, the skin warmth and the heartbeat rate of the sender and actuators that recreate the sensation of touch, warmth and emotion of the hug to the shirt of the distant loved one.”

When I first came across this product, I wondered if there really was market for such an item. Then I thought about all the people I know who live thousands of miles from their families of origin. One young couple with children that I know Skype with their parents every Sunday night to stay connected. Maybe, they would love to receive a Hug Shirt for Christmas this year as another way to stay in touch.  

Without a doubt, technology allows us to stay connected in ways we never would have imagined years ago. In the Apostle Paul’s day, the only method available for communicating with the churches he had planted was through letters or by sending a messenger. This must have made coordinating the churches’ mission’s efforts very difficult.

These lesson passages are about the offering Paul promoted among Gentile churches for the church in Jerusalem. The emphasis is on principles of ministry in distant, uneasy situations. Today, with unlimited long distance calling, airplanes and reliable mail carriers—and even Hug Shirts—long-distance relationships should be easier to maintain. The lesson encourages adults to minister to others in long-distance relationships.  

The offering Paul collected for Christians in need in Jerusalem is mentioned in several passages of Scripture. In Galatians 2, we learn about the origins of this offering. It seems Paul met with church leaders in Jerusalem, and they asked him to continue to remember the poor (Galatians 2:10). To fulfill this promise to them, Paul organized a collection to be taken up by the Gentile churches for those in need in Jerusalem.

And at some point, the Corinthian church is included in Paul’s collection drive, because in his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes: “Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come, no collections will have to be made”  (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). But, according to our passage of Scripture for today, 2 Corinthians 8-9, their commitment to the offering waned.            

Why was the offering so important to Paul? For Paul, sharing material goods was a trademark of any authentic Christian community.  It also is a tangible sign of the churches’ unity and love for each other.

In this instance, Paul also wanted to create a sense of camaraderie between the Jewish and Gentile Christians. He believed the offering would be a sign that the Gentiles really were being made an inclusive part of the community. This was a project that the churches could agree on and work together to complete.

Even today, missions is an area where churches can collaborate despite doctrinal differences. But for Paul, problems emerged because, in the beginning, the Corinthian’s were enthusiastic about the offering. However, they had not completed the offering they promised. Paul wrote, “So, I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised” (2 Corinthians 9:5). Paul wanted them to fulfill their promise.   

This brings to mind what a church today might experience if they agree to support a missionary. Imagine that next Sunday a missionary came to your church. He is home on furlough and is traveling to local congregations to raise support for his work. Your church receives him with enthusiasm and agrees to begin supporting his work by sending a monthly check.

The missionary is thrilled and returns home anticipating that your church will fulfill its commitment. But then, another recession hits and your congregation has to cut its budget, including missions. Before long, a couple of months have passed and the missionary has not received any support from your church. With the missionary out of sight and out of mind, it is easy to allow the commitment to fall by the wayside. Without Paul’s encouragement, the Corinthians too neglected to complete the offering.  

Paul dreamed of a church where people look out for one another. To Paul, this offering was about more than financial support—it was a symbol of the churches’ unity and love.

Like the churches Paul ministered to, we too are connected to Christians across our cities, our country and the globe. Yet, even with the help of modern technology, we often neglect to encourage and support our Christian brothers and sisters who are serving on the mission field or who have simply moved away. We vow to remain in contact, but then life gets busy, and we do not take the time to reach out. Make time today to encourage a Christian brother or sister who lives in a distant city.