Jesus said that poverty is everywhere (John 12:8).  The pressure on the Ephesian church to meet the needs of bereaved people who had no family support was enormous.  There was a strong apostolic teaching to care for widows and orphans (Galatians 2:10; James 1:27) as an expression of God’s compassion for the poor (Deuteronomy 15:11).  

Collectively, the believers practised a sacrificial lifestyle to provide the money to help people in need (Acts 4:32-35).  Practically, this needed some administration (Acts 6:1-7), but each circumstance needed wisdom and spiritual discernment, and the Apostle advised on the best way to care for widows who had no family to provide for them or the opportunity of remarriage and family-making (1 Timothy 5:3-15).  Paul taught that instead of assuming that most care should be centralised or institutionalised in the church, each believing family should provide for distressed people as they were able, especially for their own relatives (1 Timothy 5:8).   There should be no presumption that every widow would have their living expenses paid for long-term by the church.
 
It was not that the church was shirking its responsibility, but by each family taking a share of the responsibility to care for widows, and others who had no income, the most personal attention could be given to people in need and the other church resources could be released to meet other situations.  As churches grow there needs to be clarity of ministry strategy.
 
This verse has been a powerful encouragement to many women (married and single) to devote time and care in looking after older relatives.  It is a simple instruction which has motivated, empowered and sustained millions of godly ladies, and some men, in self-sacrificial hard work.  They may have given up paid work to meet the demands of their extended family or other believers or chosen to care for others before and after work.  Often the wives of ministers personally take some of the load of child-rearing and elderly care.  But whatever your personal circumstances, providing for your family and God’s family should remain a high priority: it pleases God and builds the church.