1. Wicked and hypocrite Christian: our good deeds should be motivated by a sincere desire to help others. Our responsibility to care for each other, especially to care for the poor and needy among us, is all over the place in the bible. Many Christians want public recognition when helping the poor. We might have seen in our daily lives that some people holding a gigantic check and shaking hands in front of several TV cameras, announcing it with trumpets, boasting themselves.
We are commanded, therefore, to give our poor neighbor what is sufficient for his need. And to help them, and to contribute to their relief is the most natural expression of this love.
The Bible advises that the best way to give poor ,is to Give spontaneously without your left hand knowing what the right hand is doing, to Give anonymously, to Give with the passion of meeting a need, not enhancing your image and finally to Expect God to reward you not people.
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, Matthew 6:3.
2. Money minded Christians& False Preachers: Though the Bible warns against those who preach or do God’s work deceitfully or for personal gain, this has not stopped many pseudo-apostles, lying preachers and crooked prophets from posing as Christ’s agents.
There are Money minded Christians, rich Preachers, church robbers, and church con-men posing as pastors, some TV evangelists are very rich living in luxury ways, they have their luxury houses, luxury cars, furniture’s, properties, Precious ornaments such as Gold, Diamonds, etc .They are greedy for more money. The sad truth is that most of the professed Christians who have ministries today wouldn't lift a finger for God if they weren't getting paid to do it or selling something to make money.
Here is what scriptures says:
How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites...........you are so full of greed and self-indulgence"!! Matt 23:25
" Beware of these teachers of religious law! For they love to parade in flowing robes and to have everyone bow to them as they walk in the market paces. And how they love the seats of honor in the synagogues and at banquets. But they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property, and then to cover up the kind of people they really are, they make long prayers in public. Because of this, their punishment will be the greater." Mark 12:38-40.
" How terrible it will be for you experts in religious law! For you crush people beneath impossible religious demands and you never lift a finger to help ease the burden. How terrible it will be for you"! Luke 11:46-47.
" Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of them, Christ and his true way will be slandered. In their greed, they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction is on the way". 2 Peter 2-3.
3. Prosperity Gospel Preachers: Lots of churches are filled with money and power-hungry pastors, who preach water, drink wine and pay for it with money taken from the congregation. Do you see how far the Prosperity Gospel has gone in turning Christians into monsters of greed? Many of these Pastors started off genuinely and preached the gospel free of charge. However, with the advent of the Prosperity Gospel, greed set in and as such vices like fraud, defrauding, Ponzi schemes, and manipulation have become part of the Evangelical community. These Pastors have turned the House of God into a place of greed, gluttony, merchandising, fraud, and a den of thieves and robbers.
It is this love of money that prevents the truth from being preached and that causes so many Christian PREACHERS to compromise. There are a group of popular Preachers, who own millions-of-dollars worth of real estate. They vacation frequently. They eat the best of foods and dress in the best of clothes. They stash their money in numerous bank accounts and have hundreds-of-thousands of dollars saved, and some millions. This is NOT Biblical Christianity.
1st Corinthians 9:14 states, "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." Notice that the Bible says a Gospel preacher should only “live” of the Gospel; not parasite off the Gospel, nor thrive off the Gospel, nor get rich off the Gospel. 1st Timothy 6:8 is one of the most unpopular Scriptures in the Bible, "And having food and raiment let us be therewith content."
If pastors were satisfied to have just food and clothing, money wouldn't be the primary focus in their preaching.
'For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.' (1 Timothy 6:10)
These false preachers of the prosperity gospel encourage their listeners to covet wealth. They do not convict people of their sin, instead, they just try to make people feel nice about themselves. This is not the gospel of Christ Jesus, and I urge all people to flee from these preachers and their different gospel. But don't just flee from them, EXPOSE them as to what they are and PRAY for them. These prosperity gospel preachers are leading thousands of people astray. Jesus doesn't command people for GAINING wealth, He commends people for GIVING AWAY their wealth. That's the true Gospel.
Philippians 4:8-9 .....' Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.'
But nowhere does the Bible say that preachers should get rich off the poor. Christians, including preachers, are to share as per their need (“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” (Acts 2:44-45), not to have the rich keep taking more.
The people in gleaming suits and jewelry who beg for money from pulpits are not true servants of God, but the false prophets whom Jesus warned about: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15).
4. Different ways we can help the Poor: The important thing is to do something. Each of us has something to offer. We can give our money and our time to charity, be a friend to someone who is sick or lonely, do volunteer work, or be a peacemaker, teacher or minister. Even treating homeless people like people is a Christian act. Many people cross the street or avoid eye contact if they see a homeless person on the street. A warm smile and a friendly hello can go a long way to help a person through a difficult day, even if you do not want to give them money for fear of it being misused. Every person has to choose the way they will serve God, by serving the poor. Some people physically go and help serve food, or work in overnight shelters, others provide services such as aid and welfare workers, housing assistance, free legal services, etc. Other people are not in a position to help directly, so they make donations of money or household gear, old coats, toys at the Holidays, etc. God has called us to help the poor by spreading his gospel as well as easing the troubles of their lives. We should give bountifully, and sufficiently for the supply of the poor’s need. Deu. 15:7, 8, “Thou shalt not shut up thine hand from thy poor brother; but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.” And again, in verse 11, “Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.” Again, we should give willingly and without grudging. Deu. 15:7, “Thou shalt not harden thine heart from thy poor brother,” And verse 10, “And thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest him.”
5. Jesus is Poor: Jesus never had any luxurious stuff like modern-day preachers. Jesus himself cared for those in need by feeding the hungry. Crowds of four thousand (Mark 8:1-13) and five thousand (Mark 6:30-44) had assembled to listen to Jesus. They soon became hungry. When his disciples suggested that Jesus send the people away to buy food, he responded by saying "I have compassion on these people..." and "you give them something to eat." He proceeded to perform miracles to feed these large crowds of hungry people.
There are many deceivers are gone into the churches. The False Preachers encourages people to buy things they cannot afford and do not need by justifying that God wants to materially bless believers, and if they just have enough faith then God will provide the means. Jesus chose to be homeless ("And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.'" (Luke 9:58)) and the Apostle Paul was poor at times ("Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." (Philippians 4:9-10)).
To be a disciple of Christ means that you must study His Word, and live the Word. As a disciple of the Lord, you will be asked to spread His Word regardless of the sacrifices and the personal difficulties you will have to endure. The work of God always need money. However, a genuinely man of God will not be in the ministry primarily for gain and personal vendetta
6. Blessings on Those Who Serve the Poor
Deuteronomy 15:10 “Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.”
Psalm 41:1 “Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the LORD delivers him in times of trouble.”
Proverbs 19:17 “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.”
Proverbs 22:9 “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.”
Isaiah 58:10 "And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."
Jeremiah 7:5-7 "If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever."
Matthew 19:20 “‘All these I have kept,’ the young man said. ‘What do I still lack?’ Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’"
Luke 14:12-14 "Then Jesus said to his host, ‘When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’"
Luke 12:33-34 "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
7. Scriptures say that we should not neglect Poor:
Exodus 22:21-27 “Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless. If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest. If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.”
Proverbs 14:31 “He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”
Isaiah 10:1-3 " Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches?”
Jeremiah 5:28 “‘Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor. ‘Should I not punish them for this?’ declares the LORD. ‘Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?’”
Ezekiel 16:49 "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.”
Ezekiel 22:29, 31 "The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD."
Amos 5:12 “For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts.”
Luke 6:24 " But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort."
Luke 16:19-25 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.'"
1 John 3:17 “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”
James 5:1-6 “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.”
Scriptures say that True Christian is to be concerned about the poor:
Leviticus 19:15 "Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly."
Proverbs 29:7 “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.”
Matthew 6:2-4 " So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
Luke 6:33-34 "And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full.”
Acts 2:44 “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.”
Acts 4:32-35 “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”
Galatians 2:9-10 “James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews. All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”
Ephesians 4:28 “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.”
1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
James 2:5 “Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”
Note: May God bless the true christians and true preachers who are willing to stand by poor !
