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| Dr Dorothy King, PhD |
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True Ministry and Missions Needs to Take Place In America
Our view of Ministry and Missions needs redefining and updating. We think that our young Ministers, Missionaries, and Christian Workers should take on the responsibility of laboring abroad in Africa or some other third world country, when we have the same needs here in America among inner-city families who daily face the fact that they may not receive a meal that day. Before our hungry and homeless people could be ignored and passed by and looked upon as lazy, bums, who did not want to work or become part of society.
Today, due to economics, and jobs being shipped overseas leaving numerous Americans unemployed, with its sprawling effects on middle class, and the working poor, homelessness, added job shortages, and now individuals who once earned 60k are fighting with teenagers for minimum wages. Individuals who once lived in $275,000-1.5 mil dollar homes are living in tent-cities, no utilities, water, or proper sewage disposal.
Millions of Americans are at risk of loosing their homes with no relief or hope in sight. Although President Obama has passed several laws and the Department of Veteran Administration has issued several refinance plans to lower interest rates and acquire fixed rate mortgages that are affordable for families to maintain their homes. Regardless, Bankers are Not following through on these plans to ease this financial chaos.
No one is certain of anything anymore! We all live in a flux or constant change that shifts the paradigms of our existence. We are looking for a Saviour that will deliver us from this mess that took years of doing on our part [the government making bad decisions, the Banks making bad loans, the stock market, Wall Street, and the shipping of jobs to overseas]. Big business have mismanaged their funds, giving themselves million dollar bonuses and raises, while on the otherhand they are requesting Billions of dollars from the government to bail them out of bankruptcy, which the government granted and more and more citizens are being thrown out of their homes because they have no jobs and no relief of this situation.
We boast about helping people in other countries, feeding them, clothing them, building them homes, schools, medical centers, and parks; meanwhile, here in America all we have to do is look around and see the very conditions that we boast that we are fixing in foreign lands. I know that it is recorded in God’s word that ‘charity begins at home and spreads abroad’ it further address these same individual hypocrites, liars, blind guides and vipers.
Hypocrites, liars, thieves, and you vipers who steal the very life from my people and lead them astray! These are very strong words coming from our Creator and God, directed toward the religious leaders of his day. What would he say now to us who call ourselves religious leaders and spiritual guides? One thing I am sure he would say, “O you blind guides who lead my people astray”
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Love and Caring Begins At Home
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| Doubleminded/Twofaced |
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Jesus chastised the scribes and Pharisees for growing fat at the expense of widows (Matt. 23:14). Unfortunately, not much has changed from that day to this day. We still see people with lots of power but few scruples, growing richer by dislodging widows, divorced women with children and other less powerful individuals and disadvantaged from what little they own.
Sadly, there are loan sharks and other swindlers who con the poor. But there are also more respectable businesspeople whose activities can hurt the powerless. Then there are those who buy, sell, close down, and bankrupt companies with little regard for the impact on workers or communities, and whose only motive appears to be personal financial gain. For example, occasionally some “urban renewal projects” have driven the poor from their homes in one slum to another franticly searching for housing that costs more than before.
Jesus never condemned business or investment. But His stern rebuke of the Religious Leaders challenges any of us involved in finance and deal-making to carefully weigh the ethics of our choices. Woe to us if we devour the resources of the disadvantaged.[1]
The sinfulness of gaining affluence by oppressing the poor was a major theme of the Old Testament prophets. For example, Amos denounced the wealthy Israelites of his day for their self-indulgent lifestyle, which deadened their sensitivity to the poor and to the Lord. Affluent Christians today would do well to use his description to evaluate their own approach to wealth and the poor.[2]
Foreclosure-it is not new!
If you have ever had to file for bankruptcy protection or lost your home through foreclosure, perhaps you can appreciate Amos’ warning to the affluent property owners of Israel. He predicted that God’s judgment would effectively repossess and demolish their expensive houses (Amos 3:15). This was a true turn for the scribes, Pharisees, Priest, wealthy and the affluent.
The fact that wealthy Israelites often had two homes reflects the climatic realities of Palestine. It can be quite cold in the highlands during the winter, with snow in the upper elevations. Meanwhile, it can be warm down by the Dead Sea or along the Mediterranean coast. These extremes caused the affluent to build two homes, a summer house and a winter house, much like many people today, who have a home in the north and a home in Florida, or a home in the city and a second home in the country.
These Israelites were living in a time of renewed prosperity as Israel extended its borders. They poured their wealth into their homes, lavishly decorating them with expensive paneling and ivory carvings (Amos 3:15; 6:4). However, their wealth and sumptuous living was paid for by defrauding the poor (Amos 2:6; 5:11–12; 8:4–6). For that reason, the Lord promised to foreclose on the proud Israelites’ expensive real estate.
There is a lesson here for rich Christians today. There may be nothing inherently wrong with owning two homes or furnishing them attractively. However, God always pays attention to our treatment of others, especially the poor (James 5:1–6). It is a dangerous thing to lavish luxury on ourselves, particularly if we are doing so at the expense of others. We may find God not only “foreclosing” on our material lifestyle, but bringing us into a time of spiritual crisis as also.
[1]Thomas Nelson, Inc., Word in Life study Bible [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.
[2]Thomas Nelson, Inc., Word in Life study Bible [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.
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