Caring for the Poor

Let me say that I’m worried by an underlying message that
I see in the church today. Not sure I can fully express this, but let
me take a whack at it.

Part A: It seems to me that the message of the gospel is that Jesus
Christ is the Savior of the human soul. He is our door/ladder/way
into eternal life with God in heaven. The cost for this was paid by
His full sacrifice and the crucifixion of His earthly body. He was
then resurrected (in the flesh) and then ascended to heaven where He
prepares for His people to join Him.
Part B: Our response is to be the execution of our old selves, full
of selfishness and sin, and the burial of the old man in baptism. We
are then resurrected, a new creation, to walk a new life of
self-denial, love of God, and care for others.

Now that is what I see in the scriptures. Let me tell you what I see
in the lives of many Christians today….self included.

The message we seem to be telling/showing the world today is
different. We seem to be in agreement with Part A above. When Part B
comes along, I think, things have changed. Most Christians are
telling the world that very little change is necessary. not with
their words but with their lives. Just sprinkle a little Jesus and
church into your lives that you now live, and you’re good to go!
Take me for example:
I watch the same TV shows, movies, read the same books it’s just that
I try to be a bit more circumspect about watching anything TOO
graphic. I have the same hobbies, spend money on the same things, and in many other ways live just the same as others, but I go to church services. My life, in almost every respect, is the same or very
similar to all the people around me. I’m still the old man! I’ve
added just enough Jesus to feel safe, but not enough to feel
threatened. or you could say I’m close enough to the fire of the Holy
Spirit to feel warm, but not close enough to be engulfed!
So now when I talk to them about spiritual things what will
happen? Why would they listen to me??

But what if I lived a changed life? What if I died to self and live
to Christ? What if I spend everyday trying to grow closer to the Son,
willing to pay whatever price was necessary to gain Christ? What if
I devoted my life and my talents to serving Christ and others? What
if I gave whatever I have to give to those who have nothing?

I know that feeding the belly should not be the focus, but
consider Christ and the early Christians. They spent their lives
among the poor, sick people on the margins. They spent their lives
feeding them, healing them, giving to them, and living among them.
All the while they were trying to lift their focus beyond the physical
to the spiritual! There is no doubt that they were striving for the
spiritual kingdom of heaven, but they were filled with too much
compassion to simply say,’ Go thy way and be filled.’ I think if we
spent more time with the poor and the wounded we wouldn’t have to ask, ‘WWJD?’….the answer would be obvious! What is His focus when He tells us of the Judgment Day?(Matt 25:31-46) He would heal
and feed and give to their physical all the while doing the same to
their spiritual. What reaction would non-believers have to this
life?? What kind of impact could I have if I was willing to give til it hurts?

to sacrifice mySELF in the service of my Lord?

I’m NOT talking about ‘Oh, well my church gives this much for benevolence…’ or ‘Our church built a homeless shelter…’ These are man’s ways of working, and they are really convenient because they don’t ask anything more demanding from me than a check!

I AM saying that Christians have a greater responsibility to the poor then we are taking on! But sadly for us, we have insulated ourselves from these people. We no longer have to see the poor thanks to our modern
technology…..they’re still there, we just don’t encounter them
anymore. We have bought into the Consumer Christianity of our
society. Christ is here to fix my life, and I have no responsibility to
help others. We also have swallowed a subtler version of the
televangelists’ ‘Prosperity Gospel’. We believe that our ridiculous
wealth and comfort are ‘blessings’ from God that justify our
lifestyles and self-centered living. These are deadly diseases!! We
have, unfortunately, become adept at explaining away the many passages in the NT that comment on the folly and dangers of earthly
wealth……surely Christ and the rest of the NT can’t be talking
about us!?!

am I crazy? Does this make any sense to you or do you think I’ve lost
it? I must confess that what I’ve written above (over the last couple
of days) is disturbing to me. It means a lot of change and a much less
comfortable life for me.
Now…..do I have the courage to live it??…..stay tuned…

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