Until We Learn From The Poor

I’m convinced that the deficiencies we have seen in the discipleship of much of the American Church largely surrounds our inability to learn from and be with the poor.

We cry out for God to meet us.

We wonder where God is.

We hold all-night prayer gatherings craving His presence.

We host annual revival weeks in hopes of close encounters.

We craft brilliant sermons helping people through seasons where they can’t seem to find and feel God.

And yet the road map to Jesus is vividly clear, and laid out for us in the gospels.

Clothe the naked.

Feed the poor.

Visit the prisoner.

Invite the stranger in.

“What you have done for the least of these. You have done for me. (Mtthw 25)

This is the mystery of the faith. Jesus has yoked himself with the poor.

Want to find Jesus? Find the poor.

Want to be with Jesus? Eat with the hungry.

Want to invite Jesus into your life? Invite the stranger in.

Unfortunately, this is not the motivation for so many church communities in our country when it comes to their missions, justice, and mercy programs. Instead…

If we feed the hungry….it looks really powerful on our annual report. The more we’ve served, the more impactful we have been.

If we are with the poor….it is often once a month, as we serve food for those less fortunate, from “that part” of the city.

If we invite the stranger in….it is to a 10:30AM church service located about 25 minutes from their actual neighborhood.

Let’s be honest…

Jesus says care for the poor, and we've just written laws to put those on the street into jail.

Jesus says set the captives free, and yet the majority of evangelicals are proponents of the death penalty.

Jesus says give them food and drink, and we question whether or not giving food and drink is "enabling".

Jesus says welcome the stranger, and our leaders put asylum seekers on buses, shipping them around the country (without a support system) as nothing more than a political statement.

It is one thing to believe "in" Jesus.

It is another thing to believe Jesus.

If the gospels are true, the poor don't simply need you. You need the poor; For this is where you will find the risen Christ. And this is where you will mature into a Jesus follower that looks and sounds and feels like good news to the rest of the world.

Want to read more about how to engage in transformative relationship with our most vulnerable neighbors?

Read the following-
Neighbors With No Doors

Look into our work here- City Relief