To me that is the point. That is the only job a homeless, mentally ill, and addicted person can do. That is why the great commission tells us to ..."go into the highways, and byways and compel them to come in." You cannot minister to people who are hungry, homeless, and do not have sufficient clothing. First we need to meet their basic needs then we can share the gospel.
Do you feed the needy when they approach you and ask for a handout? Monday afternoon I decided to browse a christian bookstore. Before my entry, I was approached by a man and his wife. By all appearances they were homeless and hungry. They were dirty and gaunt. The man asked if I had any money to spare. "My wife is hungry, sir." I replied "I do not carry any cash. I do carry my (credit) card. If you'd like, I will pay for your meal," as I pointed to the pizza establishment adjacent to the bookstore. The man looked to his wife. She shook her head no. The man said,"I'm sorry to bother you, sir." And they turned away.
I don't believe she was in a position to be picky. If they were really hungry she would have accepted the offer.
Our church had a ministry to the homeless for a while. What we discovered is that the majority of them already had a very nice income. Social security checks, food stamps, and other sources of income. Most of them lived the homeless lifestyle simply because they preferred it. We even tried getting homes for some of them, and they'd end up going right back to the streets. That was where they really wanted to be.
I know there are some homeless people who are genuinely in need, but many of them aren't. That's just a fact.
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Re: Helping the homeless and the hungry
Quote:
Originally Posted by *AQuietPlace*
Our church had a ministry to the homeless for a while. What we discovered is that the majority of them already had a very nice income. Social security checks, food stamps, and other sources of income. Most of them lived the homeless lifestyle simply because they preferred it. We even tried getting homes for some of them, and they'd end up going right back to the streets. That was where they really wanted to be.
I know there are some homeless people who are genuinely in need, but many of them aren't. That's just a fact.
To me that is the point. That is the only job a homeless, mentally ill, and addicted person can do. That is why the great commission tells us to ..."go into the highways, and byways and compel them to come in." You cannot minister to people who are hungry, homeless, and do not have sufficient clothing. First we need to meet their basic needs then we can share the gospel.
Blessings, Rhoni
I agree with you. There is a place that some get into that their future is almost hopeless to them. Meeting their basic needs makes way for an opportunity to minister to them. God can then do a work on the inside that will forever change their lives.
I have someone homeless living with me right now. Some probably feel it isn't for me to do, but I am following what I feel God spoke to me to do. Right now I am just trying to help this person understand who they are and the worth they have as a human being. I am trying to show love and hopefully be able to minister to their spiritual needs as God opens the door.
I had a situation about 6 months ago a woman had a old car and walked up to my car where I was sitting at Taco Bell eating a taco and said her purse had been stolen and she needed money for gas to get back home to La.
I gave her a $20.00 which is not what I normally do. She may have been lying to me, but I gave in good faith for what she asked for.
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Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
We rarely give away money, but we do help a lot of people from our church. They stop by the office every week - different faces, but basically the same story. Sometimes we help; sometimes we can't. But we always make a check out to their landlord, or their utility place or let them charge at the grocery store, but the store knows our policy - nothing but food items. Once in a while we will give out something from petty cash, but it's rare.
Personally, we give to beggars in cities that we visit, because we figure if they don't use it for the right thing, at least we will be blessed for trying.
We have a young man in our church who, when he sees someone with one of those signs along the highway, he goes to McDonald's and buys two Happy Meals and then goes and sits with the person and shares a meal and encourages them and talks about the Lord. I think that's an awesome thing to do!
We have a young man in our church who, when he sees someone with one of those signs along the highway, he goes to McDonald's and buys two Happy Meals and then goes and sits with the person and shares a meal and encourages them and talks about the Lord. I think that's an awesome thing to do!
I LOVE that!
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"God, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. And sever any tie in my heart except the tie that binds my heart to Yours."
--David Livingstone
"To see no being, not God’s or any, but you also go thither,
To see no possession but you may possess it—enjoying all without labor or purchase—
abstracting the feast, yet not abstracting one particle of it;…."
--Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, Song of the Open Road
I had a situation about 6 months ago a woman had a old car and walked up to my car where I was sitting at Taco Bell eating a taco and said her purse had been stolen and she needed money for gas to get back home to La.
I gave her a $20.00 which is not what I normally do. She may have been lying to me, but I gave in good faith for what she asked for.
I recently had someone approach me in a WalMart parking lot. She was pregnant and had an old car, stating she was from Springfield (about 4 hours from here) and didn't have the money to get home. Their bank card wasn't working or something like that (I don't remember anymore), but could I help them with anything.
I took out $40.00, knowing that would get them home and she wouldn't have to ask others for money. She asked for my address so she could pay me back, but I declined, instead telling her to spend it on her unborn child. And I'm realistic in knowing that she wouldn't pay me back anyway. I didn't care, or I wouldn't have given it to her.
But rarely do I give out money. It's just not a good idea.
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