Chico Alliance Church
Pastor David Welch
“Taking Good News to the Poor”
Evidence of God’s presence
Introduction
For some time now the issues concerning our partnership with Abraham’s house ministry to the community have been discussed and even debated among us. On this issue we have been a divided house. I have wrestled over the issues over these past several months. I have searched for God’s heart on the subject.
What I share today is what I have learned from my study concerning our responsibility to the needy around and among us. What God thinks about the issue is very clear. How we as a church should specifically apply what God instructs is perhaps not as clear.
I have summarized my findings under three general principles.
Ministry to the poor and needy is the passion of Jesus.
Ministry to the poor and needy reflect genuine heart change
Ministry to the poor and needy determine blessing of cursing.
I. Ministry to the poor and needy is the passion of Jesus.
Taking the good news to the poor was the core of Jesus’ ministry authenticating his person and validating his anointing.
And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
"THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.
HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,
TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE YEAR OF THE LORD’S FAVOR."
And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, "Is this not Joseph's son?" Luke 4:16-22
Anointed = appoint, assign, give a task,
Jesus took on a pretty awesome mandate.
Preach the gospel to the poor
Proclaim release to the captives
Proclaim recovery of sight to the blind
Set free those who are oppressed
Proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
While in prison John wondered if he had pointed in the right direction when he told people…
“This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you hear and see: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. "And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me." Matthew 11:2-6
Notice the impressive list of accomplishments Jesus told John’s disciples to report back to him.
The blind receive sight
The lame walk
The lepers are cleansed
The deaf hear
The dead are raised up
The poor have the gospel preached to them.
Of all the signs pointing to the authenticity of Jesus and his ministry, preaching the gospel to the poor ranks right there with raising the dead.
Ministry to the poor authenticated the heart of God on earth.
How do we know Jesus still works among us?
His works became our works.
His anointing became our anointing.
Why would someone take offense at Jesus’ ministry to the poor and needy?
It appears that many took offense at Jesus’ own state in life.
Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? "Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?" And they took offense at Him. Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household." And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief. Mark 6:1-6
Just a carpenter
The good Shepherd
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Cor. 8:9
They also were offended because he dared actually touch the untouchable and associated with the undesirable.
Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?" But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. "But go and learn what this means: 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Matthew 9:10-13
John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!' "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds." Matthew 11:16-19
Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." Luke 15:1-2
Jesus proceeded then to speak three parables.
The Lost sheep – the priority reaching the lost
The Lost coin – the passion of reaching the lost
The lost sons – the patience of reaching the lost
We must exert all diligence to reach out to those who are lost both in and out of the fold.
"Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house." And he hurried and came down and received Him gladly. When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:1-10
Jesus’ passion was to seek and save that which was lost.
What is our passion?
Satisfy and salve those who have been found?
Associate only with those we find compatible of comfortable?
Give only to those who can give back?
"If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. "If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:33-36
II. Ministry to the poor and needy reflects genuine heart change
The instruction of John the Baptist
So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? "Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. "Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
And the crowds were questioning him, saying, "Then what shall we do?" And he would answer and say to them, "The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise." Luke 3:7-11
As disciples of Jesus we must feel his passion and carry our His purpose.
The early church passion
And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. Acts 4:32-37
James identified genuine life change
If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:26-27
Jesus tested the true heart of the rich man by asking him to give to the poor.
Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." Matthew 19:21
The final test
"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
"Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
"Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Matthew 25:31-46
The evidence that Messiah had come among us was ministry to the needy.
The evidence that we are truly his is our ministry to the poor and needy.
III. Ministry to the poor and needy determine blessing or cursing
"If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks. "Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, 'The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,' and your eye is hostile toward your poor brother, and you give him nothing; then he may cry to the LORD against you, and it will be a sin in you. "You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.” For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.' Deut. 15:7-11
There are blessings for ministry to the needy.
There are consequences for neglecting or despising the needy.
Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written,
"HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR,
HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER."
Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. 2 Cor. 9:6-15
at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality; as it is written, "HE WHO gathered MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE HAD NO LACk." 2 Cor. 8:14-15
Through Christ then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:15-16
The poor is hated even by his neighbor, but those who love the rich are many.
He who despises his neighbor sins, but happy is he who is gracious to the poor. Proverbs 14:20-21
He who oppresses the poor taunts his Maker, but he who is gracious to the needy honors Him. Prov 14:31
He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker; he who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished. Prov 17:5
One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed. Prov 19:17
He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be answered. Proverbs 21:13
He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor. Proverbs 22:9
He who gives to the poor will never want, but he who shuts his eyes will have many curses. Prov 28:27
The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor, the wicked does not understand such concern. Pro 29:7
"Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. Ezekiel 16:49
And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. "But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." Luke 14:12-14
'When you reap the harvest of your land, moreover, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field nor gather the gleaning of your harvest; you are to leave them for the needy and the alien. I am the LORD your God.' " Leviticus 23:22
Whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart (affections from) against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. 1 John 3:17-22
Conclusion
In light of God’s heart, I have concluded that our energy should be directed to exploring every means to pursue ministry to the poor and needy rather than seeking reasons not to pursue such ministry to the community; especially the poor and needy.
I believe that even though it is good to financially invest in many efforts to touch the needy of our world, the greatest benefit comes when we are challenged to sacrifice our own comfort levels.
It is easy to keep such ministry at a distance because it is uncomfortable, confusing, and sometimes outright messy.
But…
It causes us to search our own heart.
It exposes prejudice.
It exposes self-centeredness.
It scrutinizes our passion for the lost.
It encourages thanksgiving.
An inward rather than outward focused people becomes weak and dysfunctional.
A healthy body first focuses upward then inward, then outward.
A purpose driven ministry balances energy between ALL the purposes.
Cultivating dynamic relationship with God.
Pursuing meaningful community with each other.
Resisting evil and restoring obedience.
Touching a lost world in the name of Christ.
An inward focus spends more time arguing over the club house than how we can best accomplish our divinely mandated mission.
We should not be focusing on all the reasons and difficulties why we can’t be involved but rather the reasons why we should set our heart to do everything possible to take the good news to the poor and needy of our community.
We flounder for lack of a unified mission.
We have sought God for several years for a way to impact our community.
Henry Blackaby who wrote, “Experiencing God” urges churches to discover where God is working and then join Him rather than start some ministry and then ask God to bless it.
He advises churches to pay attention to the people God brings in the door. He suggests we look for what ministries pop up among us and cultivate them.
Well, we did not go looking for Abraham’s house and Abraham’s house did not go looking for us.
Through a long sequence of circumstances both find ourselves struggling to serve God through ministry to the lost.
Meeting the needs of the needy is a responsibility placed on the people of God.
Giving away stuff that meet needs just happens to be a bridge to take the good news to the poor which is as powerful as raising the dead.
It is not about the stuff!
It is about taking the good news to the poor.
The stuff just so happens to open doors to share the gospel.
The “stuff” stacked in the gym for now just happens to be a tool to an end.
Yes other ministries provide help to the needy. Few do it to share the gospel. Yes we could support such a ministry at some other location but we would miss the blessing and benefit for those who personally engage in such ministry. Whether it is Abraham’s house or some other ministry, I feel we must follow God’s heart.
What price are we willing to pay?
For now, we have an opportunity to partner with a ministry that has effectively ministered to the needy of the community for the past several years.
Ministry to the poor and needy is the passion of Jesus.
Ministry to the poor and needy reflects genuine heart change and connection with Jesus.
Ministry to the poor and needy determines blessing of cursing.
