IDES Sermon

The Triad of Biblical Disasters

Famine

Plague-fatal disease

War

Revelation 6:8 ESV

8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

Acts 11:28–30 (ESV)

28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

All the Famines in the Bible (Famine in the Days of Paul)

Ac 11:28 describes a famine during the days of the Emperor Claudius that affected people in general. As a result, the disciples sent help to the believers in Judea.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary (New Testament)

New Testament

According to Acts, Agabus predicted a famine during the time of the Roman emperor Claudius (ruled AD 41–54). It probably occurred between AD 45–48 and is well attested in extrabiblical sources (e.g., Tacitus, Annals 12.43). The famine prompted Christians in the region to send aid to the Christians in Jerusalem through Barnabas and Saul (Acts 11:27–30).

Romans 15:26 ESV

26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.

Proverbs 3:27 “27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.”

Finally, we are called to love and serve one another, especially in times of disaster. Galatians 6:2 instructs, "Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

Christians should respond to personal disasters by extending hands of help, offering prayers, and providing comfort to those in need. Read that again: we are servants. Don’t forget it.

Take the example of the early Christian community, as depicted in the book of Acts. When a great famine struck the entire Roman world, the believers in Antioch chose to send relief to their brothers living in Judea (Acts 11:27-30).

Their collective, compassionate response provides a blueprint for us today, teaching us that disaster response is not just about personal resilience but also about communal solidarity. We need each other.

From the Rise of Christianity.

Stark argues that contrary to popular belief, Christianity was not a movement of the lower classes and the oppressed but instead of the upper and middle classes in the cities and of Hellenized Jews. Stark also discusses the exponential nature of the growth of religion.

Stark points to a number of advantages that Christianity had over paganism to explain its growth:

While others fled cities, Christians stayed in urban areas during plague, ministering and caring for the sick.

Christian populations grew faster because of the prohibition of birth control, abortion and infanticide. Since infanticide tended to affect female newborns more frequently, early Christians had a more even sex ratio and therefore a higher percentage of childbearing women than pagans.

To the same effect: Women were valued higher and allowed to participate in worship leading to a high rate of female converts.

In a time of two epidemics (165 CE and 251 CE) which killed up to a third of the whole population of the Roman Empire each time, the Christian message of redemption through sacrifice offered a more satisfactory explanation of why bad things happen to innocent people. Further, the tighter social cohesion and mutual help made them able to better cope with the disasters, leaving them with fewer casualties than the general population. This would also be attractive to outsiders, who would want to convert.

Lastly, the epidemics left many non-Christians with a reduced number of interpersonal bonds, making the forming of new ones both necessary and easier.Christians did not fight against their persecutors by open violence or guerrilla warfare but willingly went to their martyrdom while praying for their captors, which added credibility to their evangelism.

Stark's basic thesis is that, ultimately, Christianity triumphed over paganism because it expanded help and hope.

https://www.disasterreliefeffort.org/biblical-giving