https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/The-Poor-Among-Us.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Psalms 72<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. Poverty is an existing problem. It has always been this way and it will continue until the\nworld ends.\n
A. Jesus said “You will always have the poor among you.” – John 12:8<\/p>\n B. Poverty comes from a variety of sources: Circumstances, incapacity, and\nsometimes even by choice \n
1. These things will continue to happen, so poverty will continue to exist.<\/p>\n
II. The question is: What should be done?<\/p>\n A. In an editorial published on 12\/23\/1996, Cal Thomas, worried that the\ngovernment’s capacity to care for the poor is exceeding its limits argues that the\nchurch should take up the responsibility.\n 1. He urges a return to the time “when religious people were on the front\nlines in the war on poverty.”\n 2. “According to the Maryland secretary of state’s office, there are 53,253\nfamilies or 185,083 individuals, receiving welfare payments in that state. \nThere are more than 5,000 places of worship in Maryland. So if every\nplace of worship became responsible for just 10 families, or 37\nindividuals, the welfare rolls in Maryland could be wiped clean.”\n a. Failure to do so would just be churches “rejecting one of their\nfundamental mandates and opportunities.”\n b. Note that if each family is supported at $33,000 per year (the\ncurrent poverty limit in the United States), Mr. Thomas is\nsuggesting that each church would be adding $330,000 per year to\nits budget.\n 3. “Clergy should begin preaching messages about the privilege of helping\nthe poor out of their poverty. The state grants certain tax breaks to\nreligious bodies, expecting them to perform work that the state can’t or\nshouldn’t do. It has a right to expect a return from the tax exempt. If\nchurch leaders think government ought to be the primary provider for the\npoor, perhaps the state ought to be asking the churches to help foot the\nbill.”\n B. President Clinton has state something similar. In a message to church leaders, he\nsaid, “If every church in America just hired one family [off the welfare rolls] the\nwelfare problem would go way down.”\n C. President Bush also wanted to activate faith-based organizations to deal with\nsocial problems, such as poverty.\n D. We see how deeply ingrain in American’s thought is the idea that the church is a\nwelfare organization.\n
E. The only problem is that such is not taught in the Scriptures. <\/p>\n 1. Nowhere does God instruct the church to eliminate poverty (such would\nnot be possible according to Jesus). \n 2. Nowhere is the church commanded to support the poor in general, though\nit does aid its members who are needy\n
III. The care of the poor is place on each individual Christian’s shoulders<\/p>\n
A. James 1:27 – We are to visit (oversee) widows and orphans in their affliction.<\/p>\n
B. Galatians 6:9-10 – Do good to all as you have opportunity.<\/p>\n
C. It is the idea of having compassion for your fellow man – Luke 10:25-37<\/p>\n
D. Compassion means action, not just sympathy – James 2:15-17<\/p>\n
E. Compassion is what separates the sheep from the goats – Matthew 25:31-46<\/p>\n
F. God wants a sacrifice of doing good – Hebrews 13:16<\/p>\n 1. Isaiah 58:6-12 – By these services, we have a chance to undo the\nconsequences of sinful men.\n
2. I John 3:17 – To love God we must show love to our fellow men<\/p>\n
G. The care for others does not depend on convenience<\/p>\n
1. Even if we are forced, we must give generous help – Matthew 5:38-42<\/p>\n
2. Proverbs 25:21-22 – Help your enemies<\/p>\n
H. Willing to share God’s blessings<\/p>\n
1. Be willing to give up what you have – Luke 12:33-34<\/p>\n
2. Share from your abundance – Luke 3:11 <\/p>\n
3. I Timothy 6:18 – The rich should be willing to share<\/p>\n
I. God encourages our generosity<\/p>\n
1. Luke 6:38 – God returns blessing in proportions of our generosity <\/p>\n
2. Proverbs 28:27 – If we give, God will help us<\/p>\n
3. Proverbs 21:13 – If we ignore the poor, we will face similar situations<\/p>\n
4. Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 – Helping others is investing in our own future<\/p>\n
IV. But all of this is commanded of the Christian, not the church<\/p>\n A. Look at Jesus. He was a poor man from a poor family. The common people gladly\naccepted him as one of their own – Mark 12:37\n
1. Jesus’ purpose was to teach the truth – John 18:37<\/p>\n
2. His service to the poor was to teach the Gospel – Luke 7:22<\/p>\n 3. When people followed him because he feed the 5,000, Jesus turned them\naway, because that was not his purpose – John 6:26-27\n 4. Jesus came into a world dominated by an oppressive government, filled\nwith slavery, poverty was widespread through much of the population; yet,\nhe did not seek to change the people’s political, social, or economic status.\n
B. As with Christ, the church’s purpose is in the spread of the gospel<\/p>\n
1. It is the pillar and foundation of truth – I Timothy 3:15<\/p>\n
2. From each congregation, God’s word is sent forth – I Thessalonians 1:8<\/p>\n 3. Congregations, at times, did give aid to needy members, but it cannot be\ndescribed as a primary purpose. Nor was it ever given to world in general.\n 4. “Go to the American Lung Association with a toe problem and ask for\nhelp. What would happen? Chances are good that those folks would be\nunable to assist you. Their area of expertise begins at the top of your chest\nand ends about the middle of your stomach. They aren’t the American Toe\nAssociation. They do lungs, and anything associated with your lungs and\nbreathing.”\n“Does this mean they aren’t compassionate? If you are turned away and\ntold to have your toe looked at elsewhere does that mean the American\nLung Association does not care? Is the American Lung Association “anti”\ntoes, or horror of horrors, actually guilty of hating toes? No, they are not. \nWhen the ALA tells you to go elsewhere for toe care, it simply means they\nhave a mission, a focused objective, and they have to “stay on target.”\nThey do lungs, period. If they start scattering themselves all over\neverywhere doing everything for everyone, who will take care of lung and\nbreathing problems?” – Mark Roberts\n 5. The church’s focus is teaching God’s word – Matthew 28:18-20. \nEverything it does revolves around this duty. The church is not an\nemployment agency, recreation center, political action committee, or\nwelfare aid society.\n
V. Our deepest poverty is not material wealth, but our soul’s great need for salvation.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 72 I. Poverty is an existing problem. It has always been this way and it will continue until the world ends. A. Jesus said “You will always have the poor among you.” – John 12:8 B. Poverty comes from a variety of sources: Circumstances, incapacity, and sometimes even by choice 1. These…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[194,676,354],"class_list":["post-63277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-benevolence","tag-poor","tag-responsibility"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":41146,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-poverty-a-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":63277,"position":0},"title":"Is poverty a sin?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What is poverty? And is poverty a sin? Answer: Poverty is the state of being poor. Neither wealth nor poverty is a sin, though people in either state can be tempted to sin. \"Give me neither poverty nor riches - feed me with the food allotted to me; lest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3933,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-bible-and-the-poverty-problem\/","url_meta":{"origin":63277,"position":1},"title":"The Bible and the Poverty Problem","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 11, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Matthew W. Bassford In 2003, social scientists Isabell Sawhill and Ron Haskins noticed\u00a0three striking differences between poor people in America and the nonpoor. First, poor people generally hadn\u2019t completed high school; the nonpoor had. Second, nonpoor people kept a steady job; poor people didn\u2019t. Third, nonpoor people got married\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3797,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-poor-in-spirit\/","url_meta":{"origin":63277,"position":2},"title":"The Poor in Spirit","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 30, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey Hamilton Text: Isaiah 61:1-3 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The good news is a message to the afflicted - Isaiah 61:1 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This is the passage Jesus chose to read in his hometown - Luke 4:16-21 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When John began to doubt Jesus, Jesus again referred to this passage - Luke 7:22-23 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Jesus declared\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13212,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/feeding-the-poor\/","url_meta":{"origin":63277,"position":3},"title":"Feeding the Poor","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 15, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Edwin Crozier Where in the Bible did Jesus feed the poor? My only goal is to provoke some intense thinking and searching. I'll just say at the outset that I know my point here is going to make me an outlier. I know I'm cutting against the grain and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/feeding-the-poor-300x148.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":68982,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/notes-on-the-poor\/","url_meta":{"origin":63277,"position":4},"title":"Notes on the Poor","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 23, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Equal Treatment Leviticus 25:35 Exodus 22:26-27 Deuteronomy 15:7-11 Deuteronomy 24:15 Proverbs 19:17 Proverbs 22:2 Proverbs 29:7 Equal Treatment in Court Leviticus 24:22 Numbers 15:15-16 Numbers 15:29-30 Deuteronomy 1:16 Daily Wages Leviticus 19:13 Deuteronomy 24:14-15 Jeremiah 22:13 Usury Exodus 22:25-27 Leviticus 25:35-38 Deuteronomy 24:10-13 Debts Exodus 21:1-6 Leviticus 25:39-43 Deuteronomy 15:1-6\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Notes","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40402,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-poor-lame-man-and-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":63277,"position":5},"title":"The Poor Lame Man and the Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 24, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry W. Benton Just shortly earlier than the scene in Acts 3 is the story of the beginning of the church and the fellowship they had with each other (Acts 2:42f), the selling of possessions to divide among all the saints that had need (due to the unexpected overstay\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63277\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}