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  • Ron Thomas 7:00 am on April 15, 2013 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , mission of church, poor,   

    The Poor Always 

    It has been said time and again that the mission of the church is three-fold: the proclamation of the gospel (Luke 19:10), the edification of the saints (2 Timothy 2:2), and benevolence (Galatians 6:10). I would like to develop in brief these three points.

    The church consists of only those who are saved by the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28); there are no unsaved people in the Lord’s church (2 Timothy 2:19). When one embraces salvation there is a change in life that is really remarkable. The saved one wants to assist in the Lord’s cause in any way that there is opportunity, and one of the best ways is in living and sharing the gospel of Christ. If all Christians did as much, the first mission statement of the church would continue to be fulfilled with each generation.

    Second, as one lives the life of Christ there will always be opportunities to share the gospel of Christ with the unsaved. Some of those who are not saved are attending the Bible classes. Our Bible classes are an important work of the church. In the Bible class the prepared teacher has taken time to not only learn from the Lord, but also desires to teach those present the same things the teacher has learned. It is a disservice to the Lord, to the teacher, to the parent, and to the child (children) when there is little interest or support for the work.

    Third, James said that pure and undefiled religions is to assist those who are in need (James 1:27). There will always be people who are poor in our community. Those who are in the Lord’s church have a special obligation to render assistance to Christians in need (not want). When the elders fail to take an active role in that they not only fail the one (or ones) in need, but the Lord also!

    The Lord’s church has an obligation in the community in which it resides and to the saints. Let us do what we can to promote the Lord’s way in this regard. RT

     

    • John Henson 10:47 am on April 15, 2013 Permalink | Reply

      You are so right, brother. It is interesting the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah have statements from God accusing Judah of forgetting the widow, the orphan and the poor while they built and enjoyed their wealth. It makes sense that God remains concerned and we should, too. Thanks for the lesson.

  • Ed Boggess 8:24 am on May 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , poor   

    Jesus replied to his disciples, “For you always have the poor with you” Mt 26:11. That certainly seems to be the case in America today. Although it could be argued that even the poorest in America is wealthy compared to others elsewhere, I choose to keep it within the confines of the USA. I just read that one out of five families owes more on credit cards, medical bills, student loans and unsecured debt than they have in savings coming out of the recent economic downturn. Nearly one in four families has no savings at all! This says to me that there are a lot of our fellow-citizens hurting financially. When Jesus made the statement referenced, he was not encouraging a baize attitude to those who are struggling. Compassion demands empathy and love calls for a helping hand. Jesus was shutting the mouths of those who murmured. Please don’t get the wrong idea. I am not arguing for supporting those who refuse to work. But I am encouraging that we have a sense of understanding for others who struggle, whether through no fault of their own or the result of poor choices (who hasn’t made many of whose?). Love demands no less.

     

  • Richard Mansel 8:27 am on April 2, 2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , poor   

    Our Clothing and Food Giveaway 

    “Remember the poor” (Galatians 2:10)

     

  • Ron Thomas 5:17 am on February 28, 2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , poor,   

    Virtue of the Poor 

    Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21, ESV). Some will interpret the Lord’s words as being the virtue of all virtues – selling what one has in order to help the poor, but this would be a mistake in interpretation. The Lord’s point is not selling and then giving, but getting rid of the hurdle that has now become a hindrance to one’s standing before the Lord. What hurdle is it that you feel like you have to jump in order to be pleasing to the Lord? With the Lord’s answer to the young man, the rich man turned away disappointed. Will you consider the hurdle the Lord wants you to remove, or will you turn away disappointed? 2/28/2011

     

  • Richard Mansel 8:51 am on August 17, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , poor   

    Helping the Poor 

    Considering my article today about the insistence in Scripture that we help the poor, what does your congregation do to accomplish this goal?

    Helping the poor is more complex than it ought to be. The reality of scammers and those who want handouts, but refuse to take care of themselves, makes this unnecessarily difficult. We can help the poor, but we cannot change the person.

    However, we must remember that helping the poor is a command. Yet, we are also commanded to be good stewards and to be wise. With all of these factors in mind, how can we help the needy?

     

    • Gerald Austin 12:12 pm on August 17, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      Though I do not want to support or encourage laziness I would rather be guilty of helping someone who didn’t need than passing over someone who did.

      I am a poor steward of money in some eyes. It has little value as far as saving any.
      However I try to be a good steward of the love Christ has shown to me. It is never wasted as long as its given freely. I fail in this often and am by no means an expert but try to be an enthusiastic apprentice. I try too err on the side of love as opposed to wisdom.

  • Richard Mansel 8:44 am on August 17, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , helping, poor   

    Seeing Jesus Through a Helping Hand 

    Justin Imel tells about a disabled boy years ago who sold items on the platform as passengers exited a commuter train. One day, a businessman rushes from the train to meet an appointment and crashes into the boy, spilling the contents of his basket. He leaves, never even looking down. As other passengers pass, trampling his goods, another man stopped. He offered his hand, helped the boy up and gathered his things together. Wiping away tears and dusting himself off, the boy, in a quivering voice, asked, “Mister, are you Jesus?”

    Read More

     

  • Mike Riley 11:05 pm on April 14, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: falsehood, feed, , , , poor, , prescribe, profane, , steal   

    Favorite Biblical Prayer 

    My favorite biblical prayer comes from the Proverb writer in Proverbs 30:8-9:

    “Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
    Give me neither poverty nor riches -
    Feed me with the food You prescribe for me;
    Lest I be full and deny You,
    And say, “Who is the Lord?”
    Or lest I be poor and steal,
    And profane the name of my God.”

     

    • John Henson 12:40 pm on April 15, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      You’re absolutely right, Mike. Not only is this a beautiful prayer, but also it’s a tough one, too. Not many people (in or out of the church) would have enough courage to pray this. I believe the apostle Paul echoed this prayer when he said, “And having food and raiment let us therewith be content.”

      • Mike Riley 10:22 pm on April 15, 2010 Permalink | Reply

        Yes, I’m sure the apostle Paul was very familiar with this prayer.

  • joyjensen 2:26 pm on April 11, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: decay, poor, ,   

    Lay Not Up for Yourselves Treasures Upon the Earth 

    Hey, I’m on a roll! Two posts in one day. :)

    This morning our family worshiped with the brethren at the Njiro congregation. We always enjoy worshiping here. Though they be few in number, there are some good people here. During one of the prayers offered this morning, my heart was struck at some words which were uttered.

    But first, you must understand context. The home of the one who led the prayer is kind of like “The Projects” of Tanzania – rows of apartment-like dwellings for factory workers. Their space consists of two very small rooms. There is a small cubby hole where some food preparation is done. There is a tiny closet-sized toilet room, with just a hole in the ground. No sink. No shower. No running water. No electricity.

    Now, with that in mind, think about this. Our brother prayed that we should not lay up our treasures on earth, because there are thieves and these earthly things will decay, but we should lay up our treasures in heaven. Isn’t that humbling to you? It is to me.

    We may look at conditions in which our Tanzanian brethren live and think they are very poor. By U.S. standards they are. But U.S. standards don’t matter in the least. They are not “the” standard. George once asked his class of preacher students how many consider themselves to be poor. None of them thought so.

    Just maybe some of our brethren in third-world countries have a better handle on what it means to lay up our treasures in heaven. They don’t have a lot of “things” in which to put their trust, but hope for a better place is very real to them.

    What things do you treasure most? Can they be stolen? Can they rust? Will they decay? Maybe it’s time to reevaluate where we are storing our treasures, Matthew 6:19-20.

    May you all have a blessed week.
    In Him,
    Joy

     

    • Paula Harrington 5:09 pm on April 11, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      Beautiful, Joy. Thanks for sharing.

    • jimnewy 9:42 pm on April 11, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      When the social elite take over this country there will be less luxury. Then maybe we will learn.
      Thanks for sharing this.

    • Richard Hill 9:59 pm on April 11, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      Loved the article, Joy. It reminded me so much of the wonderful Christians we met in Jamaica while on campaigns. Some of them really struggle to keep their families clothed and feed yet they have this marvelous trust in God. I’ve taken both my kids down just to help them have a different view of “things.” It was money well spent.

      God bless you and your husband and the work there in Tanzania!

    • Tina Cutsinger 1:54 am on April 12, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      Excellent post Joy. I wish we all could experience missionary life. It would give many of us “US” citizens and christians a dose of humbleness and strenghth to walk with God.

  • Mike Riley 11:56 pm on January 25, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , poor   

    A man isn’t poor if he can still laugh.

    Raymond Hitchcock
     

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