God has always increased His kingdom with generosity and serving others. God’s original plan was always for His people to give freely. Then He will bless the work He has given you.
We can look back to the old testament in Deuteronomy. God wanted us to provide for the people in need around us. Not just the poor in the streets, but also the ones inside the church. We should be happy to help. “You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the Lord your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand” (Deuteronomy 15:10 NKJV). Because we bless others, God will bless us.
That continued in the New Testament with the apostles and the followers of Jesus. In Acts 6:1-7 NKJV it says there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists (Greeks) because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. It wasn’t an accusation or assumption. They were neglected. The early church was growing but had problems in serving one another. The apostles were there to minister the word, so they “summoned the multitude of the disciples”. The responsibility of giving belongs to the whole church and not just the leadership. So they asked the multitude of the disciples to pick seven men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom they would appoint over this business. After these seven Godly men started to serve their own church, verse 7 says the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. Compare that to verse 1, and you will see that the church grew faster after they started to serve their own.
How many members of our churches are part of our body but neglected? There should be none. Evangelism is important, and the apostles dedicated themselves to it, but it wasn’t until people were dedicated to serving the body of Christ that their numbers multiplied greatly. So much that even the religious people of the day turned to Jesus. It has always been part of God’s plan for His people to be generous and provide for people, and that needs to start inside the church. So look around you and be a helping hand to your brothers and sisters.