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Hard To Act? Act We Must!12/2/03 On November 9, 2003 , Sean Kelly gave a presentation on HOPE Worldwide, the effective benevolent organization we’ve supported for years with our prayers, our volunteer service, and our money. It was thorough. It stirred us all as we were reminded of the incredible impact HOPE has made all over the world, and also of the unstable financial predicament they now find themselves in. We have pledged to offer our support by taking a collection for HOPE once each month, beginning in 2004. Beyond this, we were sobered as we talked about our relationship as Christians to the “poor and needy.” As I read the Bible, I find there are really two different meanings of the term “poor and needy.” First, there is the “poor in spirit,” referring to regenerate disciples, who clearly see their need based on their standing with God. Without the proper perspective, we see ourselves as rich and without need; a sure-fire way to miss the Kingdom of God (Rev. 3:17-18, Phil. 2:5-11). This same category may also include the “poor and needy” outside of the Kingdom – lost people who live in the dark; those who need the healing power of the Gospel; those who we must reach with the message of Jesus on the cross. Isaiah 61:1 reads, “The Spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom from the captives and release from darkness the prisoners…” This same scripture is quoted by Jesus in Luke 4:19-20, as he began his ministry of preaching the good news to everyone! We’ve always had deep convictions about helping the spiritually poor and needy. Ask yourself, “do I desire to share my faith with people in need of hope?” YES, of course! I’m positive we’re motivated in our mission to seek and save the lost. I’m also positive that it’s easier to get motivated to do so, because we’ve been there. As disciples, we’ve all been lost, been found, so it’s naturally our duty and calling to act. Second, there is the physically “poor and needy.” Without question, for many of us it is harder to get motivated for action here. Why? 1. We’re busy…just don’t feel like we have enough time 2. We’re not sure how to do it 3. We’re actually very “rich” people, and the poor we see among us here aren’t the truly poor and needy we see in other parts of the world! 4. We haven’t been there! Let’s face it, not many of us have been orphans, widowed, homeless, extremely ill, born into a situation that was gravely harmful to us, or elderly and in need of help with life’s basic chores. I have to confess that at times I have actually felt uncomfortable around those with real needs. We get inspired by the zealous advocates for the needy, but need to realize that most activists for these types of causes owe their zeal to their own personal experience. Because of these and other reasons, it’s hard for us to act, but act we must! Just as God’s heart for lost people is clear, his heart here is clear and plain (Prov. 14:31, 19:17 , 31:9, Matt. 25:31-46, Gal. 2:10, Acts 10:4). As his followers, we don’t have a choice…we must make every effort to make a difference in this area. The question becomes, how do we do it? I believe we can accomplish this in two ways: 1. Give to HOPE Worldwide as a proven organization! They can obviously do so much more than we can. Let’s give them as much support as possible. 2. Make sure that every single Bible Talk group is consistently involved in some sort of project to help the poor and needy here in Pierce/Kitsap Counties. In fact, this will be one of our goals for 2004 in the Tacoma Region. I’ll be working with the Bible Talk Leaders, who will in turn be working with each member to identify a cause to collectively get involved with on a regular basis. The simple truth is, we need to be doing more, and we CAN make such a difference individually and as a church. Let’s pray that God will lead us in developing greater ways to help the poor and needy among us. |
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