Recently, something happened in a Wechat group. Some people claim to be Christians who believe in the Lord, and ask for financial help from Christian groups. They usually send a tragic picture in the group chat with a short description, and then "beg for help!" This causes chaos in the group.
In one group, the Church staff criticized this behavior for it violated the group rules of the church and affected the normal order. However this criticism lead to a strong retort from those people:
"Don’t Christians have love? You are so cold-blooded! How can you believe in the Lord without love?"
Therefore, the debates begins. Someone who feels sympathetic will give a red packet to the person asking for it, but someone else who don’t know what is going on snatches it away. Then the person who gives the red packet starts to ask for it back.
There are also people who question the authenticity of the person seeking help. They will ask more questions. For a while the group chat became chaotic.
There is another group, which is more loosely managed. Those people make pictures of WeChat or Alipay QR codes and instructions for help and send them to the group again and again, whether during sermon or prayer time.
At first, the brothers and sisters feel sympathetic, then they are overwhelmed by boredom, and finally someone comes out and condemns it. Then the debates appear again.
I would like to say something about the matter of asking for help.
Everyone has difficulties, especially in the case of natural and man-made disasters. When they have no way out, it is ok to ask for help from others. But they should be aware of how to ask for help. Christians should not do as they please, especially in God's family.
When people wants to ask for help, they should first pray, and then share their feelings and what happened to the person in charge of the church, so that the church staff can take care of things, instead of making decisions by themselves and causing chaos in the Christian group.
Because the people in the group are from everywhere, it is difficult to verify the authenticity of the incident. In this case, we should pray to God. If we are touched, we will help. If we are not, we can give up. For God will make all things work together for good for those who love God.
I do not agree with using red cash packets to support those people. From my perspective, for the brothers and sisters in need, the church staff should explain the true situation of the supplicants clearly, and those who are touched can contact them privately to give help. Let alms be kept in secret.
Do not allow a brother or sister to add a WeChat account or provide other contact information to a person whose case is unclear.
My advice is to explain the situation in the group, not only information on the person asking for money, but also about the real situation. Let the brothers and sisters give the money to the person in charge of the church out of a personal desire and their own free will. It is better for the person in charge to give the money to the person asking at an appropriate time.
Personally, I believe, from the perspective of faith, that the Church must not be indifferent to those whose situation cannot be verified. Beside providing help in the way above, we should also share God’s love with them and let the person know that it is God, not man or money, who will truly help them.
Another thing is that church officials should not rush to hand over the money to these people, and should keep it for a short time. For true Christians will stay in the group, and those who try to use Christian love to swindle others will not stay in the group forever because time will prove everything.
- Translated by Kevin Feng
有人频繁在主内群里发求助信息，帮还是不帮？
最近多个主内的群里出现了一个情况，有一些人自称是信主的弟兄姊妹，在基督徒的圈子里直接要资金的帮扶。通常的做法是在圈子里放一下很悲惨的图片，配上简短的说明，然后开始“求大家帮帮！”造成了群里的纷争混乱。
在一个群里，教会的工作人员谴责了这种行为，因为违反了教会的群规，影响了群里的正常秩序。而这种谴责居然招来求助者的强有力的反驳：
“我们基督徒不是要有爱心吗？你这么冷酷！没有爱心，你这主是怎么信的……”
于是便出现了纷争。有同情求助者的人，会发红包给求助者，却被其他不知情的人抢去了，于是发红包的人，便在群里开始往回追要红包。
也有对求助者真实性产生质疑的人，在平台里会刨根问底。一时间平台里变得混乱起来。
还有一个群，管理的比较宽松。求助者把微信或支付宝的二维码与求助的说明制作成图片，不断在群里发送，不管是在证道时间还是在祷告时间，时不时就出现。
最开始，弟兄姊妹还有同情心，后来被厌烦的情绪所淹没，最后终于有人站出来谴责这一行为，于是又是同样的纷争混乱出现。
对于求助的这件事情，我想说一下自己的看法。
谁都有难处，特别是遭遇了天灾人祸，在自己无能为力的情况下，求助别人是可以的。但要讲究方式、方法，基督徒不能随己意行事。特别是在神的家中。
求助者想请求帮助的时候，首先要在神的面前祷告，然后把自己的感动和事件先告诉教会的负责人，由教会同工去安排这件事情，而不是由自己擅自做主，造成主内群里的混乱。
因为群里的人员天南海北的到处都有，对于事件的真实性很难查证。在这种情况下，我们要祷告神，有感动的就去帮，没有感动的，也可以放弃。因为神会针对个人的生命，使得万事互相效力，叫爱神的人得益处。
本人不赞同在平台里用红包的形式资助求助者，我个人的建议是：对于真正有需求的弟兄姊妹，教会同工把求助者真实的情况讲清楚后，有感动的弟兄姊妹可以私下联系求助者。做到施舍在暗处，不让左右手知道。
对于情况尚不清楚的求助者，决不能让弟兄姊妹私下加微信或提供给对方其他的联系方式。
本人的建议是：在群里实事求是地讲明情况，既要讲求助者的情况，也要讲清楚对真实情况的不太了解，让弟兄姊妹出自个人的感动，然后把出自善心款交给教会的负责人，由负责人在适当的时间转交给求助者，这样比较好。
我个人从信仰声誉的角度认为，教会对不能核实情况的求助者决不能采取漠视的态度。不光要按照上述的方法，给其提供合理的帮助以外，还要把基督的爱告诉对方，让对方知道，真正会带给他们帮助的是神，而不是人或是钱财。
另外还有一点的提示是教会管理人员不要急于把善款马上交给求助者，有必要保管一小段时间。因为真正的基督徒，会留在群里，而一些想利用基督徒爱心行诡诈的人，不会总呆在一个群里，时间会证明一切。
Recently, something happened in a Wechat group. Some people claim to be Christians who believe in the Lord, and ask for financial help from Christian groups. They usually send a tragic picture in the group chat with a short description, and then "beg for help!" This causes chaos in the group.
In one group, the Church staff criticized this behavior for it violated the group rules of the church and affected the normal order. However this criticism lead to a strong retort from those people:
"Don’t Christians have love? You are so cold-blooded! How can you believe in the Lord without love?"
Therefore, the debates begins. Someone who feels sympathetic will give a red packet to the person asking for it, but someone else who don’t know what is going on snatches it away. Then the person who gives the red packet starts to ask for it back.
There are also people who question the authenticity of the person seeking help. They will ask more questions. For a while the group chat became chaotic.
There is another group, which is more loosely managed. Those people make pictures of WeChat or Alipay QR codes and instructions for help and send them to the group again and again, whether during sermon or prayer time.
At first, the brothers and sisters feel sympathetic, then they are overwhelmed by boredom, and finally someone comes out and condemns it. Then the debates appear again.
I would like to say something about the matter of asking for help.
Everyone has difficulties, especially in the case of natural and man-made disasters. When they have no way out, it is ok to ask for help from others. But they should be aware of how to ask for help. Christians should not do as they please, especially in God's family.
When people wants to ask for help, they should first pray, and then share their feelings and what happened to the person in charge of the church, so that the church staff can take care of things, instead of making decisions by themselves and causing chaos in the Christian group.
Because the people in the group are from everywhere, it is difficult to verify the authenticity of the incident. In this case, we should pray to God. If we are touched, we will help. If we are not, we can give up. For God will make all things work together for good for those who love God.
I do not agree with using red cash packets to support those people. From my perspective, for the brothers and sisters in need, the church staff should explain the true situation of the supplicants clearly, and those who are touched can contact them privately to give help. Let alms be kept in secret.
Do not allow a brother or sister to add a WeChat account or provide other contact information to a person whose case is unclear.
My advice is to explain the situation in the group, not only information on the person asking for money, but also about the real situation. Let the brothers and sisters give the money to the person in charge of the church out of a personal desire and their own free will. It is better for the person in charge to give the money to the person asking at an appropriate time.
Personally, I believe, from the perspective of faith, that the Church must not be indifferent to those whose situation cannot be verified. Beside providing help in the way above, we should also share God’s love with them and let the person know that it is God, not man or money, who will truly help them.
Another thing is that church officials should not rush to hand over the money to these people, and should keep it for a short time. For true Christians will stay in the group, and those who try to use Christian love to swindle others will not stay in the group forever because time will prove everything.
- Translated by Kevin Feng
If Someone Keeps Asking for Help, Should We help or Not?
