Blessing or Discipline?

Do you want God's Blessing or Discipline? What does the Bible really say about helping the poor and having compassion for those beyond our borders? What are God's commands on this topic? Should this be a foot note or the primary mission of the Church? These questions are examined starting in the Old Testament in Episode 4 of the Rich Church Poor World Podcast.

Transcript

Rich Church Poor World, Episode 4

There’s a common response among Christians when someone raises a concern over us not doing enough to help the poor or support missions. It goes like this: “That’s so great you’re passionate about that.” Essentially, it’s a patronizing dismissal. The need is looked at as something that individual can be encouraged to get involved with, but not something the whole church should put a large emphasis on. If we make a judgement based on the actions and budgets of most churches in America, we can assume that we believe our main focus should be on growing our local churches and building up the saints, or more accurately, pampering them. There is a tiny focus on missions and charity but very little attention is paid to them other than missions week once a year and that small section in the bulletin that mentions a collection of clothes for the homeless once a month. What’s most important is having great Sunday morning worship and solid Bible teaching.

            This mentality seems to have made us like someone
trying to take a rowboat across a lake with only one oar, rather than getting
where we’re supposed to go we’re spinning in circles. The oar that represents
building up the saints through the local church is vital, but without the oar
of missions and charity we’re not advancing the kingdom of God and it appears
all our spinning has caused a leak in the boat. Now more people are jumping off
than climbing in.

            Rather than dismissing those who express a concern
over us not doing enough to support missions or help the poor, we should be
asking ourselves as churches and individuals what scripture really says about
our duty to the poor and those outside our borders? Does it align with
scripture to say we should put a much larger emphasis on these things? Not does
it align with conservative politics, not does it align with what we were taught
growing up, but does it align with scripture? Does God really want us to be
caring for the poor and prioritizing missions? Let’s take a closer look into
these questions, starting with the Old Testament. 

As the people of Israel were
getting ready to enter the promised land after their captivity in Egypt, the
Lord had many special instructions for them. In the midst of these instructions
we catch a strong glimpse of God’s compassion for outsiders and the poor. We
also see a precedent set for how tithes and offerings were to be used. God
tells the people in Deuteronomy 14:28-29 the following: “At the end of every
third year, bring the entire tithe of that year’s harvest and store it in the
nearest town. Give it to the Levites, who will receive no allotment of land
among you, as well as the foreigners living among you, the orphans, and the
widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied. Then the Lord your God
will bless you in all your work.” 

These verses demonstrate
God’s primary intention for tithes - they were to support the Levites, who we
can equate to people in full time ministry, they were to help foreigners,
showing God’s compassion for all people, and they were to provide for widows
and orphans who could not care for themselves. These were the duties that God
was giving His people - now in our time, the church.

There’s estimated to be 153
million orphans worldwide. How many churches in America do you see leading the
way in addressing the needs of these children? We have the resources, but they
are being directed elsewhere. James 1:29 tells us that “Pure and genuine
religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in
their distress.” Sounds a lot like what God wanted His people to do in
Deuteronomy 14 doesn’t it? An objective bystander would be left to assume that
for American Christians pure and genuine religion means going to church on
Sunday, studying the Bible and volunteering once a month to pass out bulletins. 

God wasn’t done with His
instructions to His people on how they were to act regarding the less
fortunate. In Deuteronomy 15:7-10 He continues: “But if there are any poor
Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is
giving you, do not be hard hearted or tightfisted toward them. Instead, be
generous and lend them whatever they need. Do not be mean-spirited and refuse
someone a loan because the year for cancelling debts is close at hand. If you
refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be
considered guilty of sin. Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the
Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.” 

Once again we see God’s
command for His people to show compassion toward the poor and to share freely
with them. We see further how seriously God takes these commands in saying that
if the poor cry out to God, those who refused to help them will be considered
guilty of sin. Reflect on this for a moment. Isn’t this starting to seem like a
big deal to God? He commands us to be generous and share freely with the poor.
To ignore this instruction is just pure disobedience; and disobedience of any
kind equates to sin. James 4:17 reminds us “it is a sin to know what you ought
to do and then not do it.” 

What really makes our
disobedience mind blowing is our failure to believe what God tells us He will
do if we obey Him in these instructions. What does God say in both Deuteronomy
14 and 15? He says that if we obey Him in these things He will bless us in
everything we do. That’s a direct promise from God. God is a generous God. He’s
not stingy. We can’t even fathom the blessings God would pour into the American
church if we were to cease from our total self indulgence and begin generously
giving more of our resources to meet the material and spiritual needs of the
world. Psalms 41:1-2 reaffirms this promise: “Oh, the joys of those who are
kind to the poor! The Lord rescues them when they are in trouble. The Lord
protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity in the land and
rescues them from their enemies.”

The alternative to receiving
God’s blessing is to expect divine discipline. Ask the average Christian in
America why the Lord destroyed Sodom and they will tell you it was because of
the city's perversion and immorality. However, we find the primary reason for
its destruction in Ezekiel 16:49 where God says, “Sodom’s sins were pride,
gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door.”
Yet again we see an example of people living in excess while ignoring the
critical needs of the impoverished around them to the great displeasure of an
almighty God. Yet again we find that the ugly painting on the wall is really a
mirror and the hideous portrait is our reflection. 

As we continue examining the
Old Testament we see God’s compassion for the helpless on display again and
again. We also see the same theme repeated as to how He wants us to treat these
people. Psalms 82:3-4 says “Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the
rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Rescue the poor and helpless;
deliver them from the grasp of evil people.” This doesn’t align with our “me
first” or “American Conservative” version of Christianity where we are more
concerned with our rights as Americans than God’s kingdom, but it’s what the
Bible actually says. People want to blame God for all the suffering in the
world, but the reality is God desperately wants to relieve the suffering of the
masses. As the Vine, Jesus longs to extend His branches of shade and rest to
everyone, but the design is that it be done through the church; and when we, as
His branches, are chasing after the things of this world instead of abiding
with full surrender in Him, the work will not be accomplished.

The call for us to attend to
this work continues to ring throughout scripture. Isaiah 1:17 says “Learn to do
good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for
the rights of widows.” And in Isaiah 58:7 God repeats “Share your food with the
hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need help.” 

We continue to be reminded
of how seriously God views disobedience to these commands as we see how He
rebukes the people of Israel in Jeremiah 5:28-29, saying “They are fat and
sleek, and there is no limit to their wicked deeds. They refuse to provide
justice to orphans and deny the rights of the poor. Should I not punish them
for this?” says the Lord. “Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?” 

            Does a nation that is “fat and sleek” and ignoring
the poor and needy remind you of anywhere else in the world today? God’s
character never changes, nor does His heart of compassion towards the widow and
orphan. We should not be so foolish as to think God is not greatly displeased
with our country, or the American church, for our luxurious living while those
starving for spiritual and physical food are suffering outside our door.

How bad is our self
indulgence? A recent Barna Group survey found that 91% of Christians in America
do not tithe a full 10% to the Lord’s work. We are the richest people in the
world, but we cannot find it within our means to honor God by giving Him our
first fruits. Our selfishness reveals how little we actually know of God’s
character and highlights our neglect of the scriptures.

In Malachi 3:6 God says “I
am the Lord, and I do not change.” before saying in verses 8-10, “Should people
cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we
ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me.
You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all
the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If
you do” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven
for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you will not be able to take it
in! Try it! Put me to the test!” 

American Christians are
guilty of cheating God to our own detriment. There’s no disputing we must make
a distinction between Old Covenant and New Covenant requirements, but why do
you think God put the book of Malachi in the Bible? Was He just trying to fill
space or did He want to reveal something to us about how He views our disobedience
when it comes to financial giving? Think back to what the Lord said in Malachi
3:6. He said He doesn’t change. Therefore, though we are living under a new
covenant, we can be assured that God is just as displeased with our
disobedience as He was with the Israelites.

Of course, our disobedience
always prevents us from experiencing God’s best. We are promised that if we
step out in faith and obey we will receive a blessing “so great we will not be
able to take it in.” Why don’t we trust God when He promises us this? It’s
amazing how we trust Him with our soul for eternity, but we don’t trust Him
with our money. Can you imagine the impact if every believer in the US acted on
this promise? We could support more missionaries and do more to help the poor
than anytime in church history. Furthermore, we can trust that God will in turn
pour out His blessings on us. His richest blessings come in many different
forms, but if a portion of them are financial,  then we will be able to
give even more towards advancing the Kingdom of God, all while storing up rich
treasure in heaven “where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not
break in and steal.”