Letters to the Modern Church

Homeless people are a common enough sight the world over. Enter any metropolitan area or local park and it would be difficult to avoid running across at least one person who is homeless.
When I was six or seven years old, my family went on a day trip across the border of Washington into Canada. I don’t remember much about what we did or where we went, but one thing I do remember was noticing (I mean: really noticing for the first time) a homeless individual pushing a shopping cart full of their belongings down under an overpass (we were in the process of getting onto the freeway to head home). I asked my parents why he was doing that, and they explained that he was homeless and those were his belongings. He pushed his things in a cart because he didn’t have a house to keep them in. And my child’s heart broke for this lonely man. I asked if we could turn around so I could give him the $2 or $3 of left over spending money I had, but my dad said no (in his defense, we were well past the place I had seen the man, at this point). He then explained to me that we didn’t know what he would even spend the money on, probably alcohol, cigarettes, or something else bad.
That memory came to me in recent years and it occurred to me that it is a common mentality among the vast majority of people I have spoken to on this topic. What will the person spend the money on, if I give it to them? Over subsequent years, I have allowed that thought process to influence whether or not I give, on more occasions than I care to admit. Even to the point of disobeying God, at times, when I have been prompted by Him to give. I have come to realize that that is a terrible excuse for not giving to the needy.

“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?”
James 2:15-16 ESV

God wants us to be responsible with what he has given us:

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
Luke 12:48b NIV

(see also: the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30)

However, I would like to challenge you to consider something else. Is that money still yours when you give it to a homeless individual, or anyone else for that matter? Are you still responsible for how that money is used?
Certainly, the hope would be that the aforementioned individual would spend that money on necessities, but I believe it is safe to say that the money is no longer yours, and therefore, no longer any of your business what is done with it.

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your hands, just as we told you”
1 Thessalonians 4:11 NLT

God calls us to give freely. In speaking of the poor and needy in Israel, he gives this command:

“You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’”
Deuteronomy 15:10-11 ESV

Here, God does not just tell us to open our hand to the needy, but to “open wide your hand”. When God calls you to give, give freely. He does not tell us to hold back and worry about whether the person receiving is going to use it for what you think they should. If you sense the Spirit of your Father telling you to give: give. Then, let God handle their heart.

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:7 ESV

We are also told to not make it well known any time that we give, seeking praise or reward, but simply giving cheerfully. Because it is a blessing to give and help another human being. An exception to this might be to allow your children to see you give and talk with them about it, so that you can model and teach them how to obey this command.

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Matthew 6:2-4 ESV

I believe that the call to “give freely” and to “not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” means to not give a second thought to what or how you give. And if you are concerned with how a person will spend the money you give, then wouldn’t that be giving a second thought? If God asks you to give, once that money passes out of your hands, it is no longer yours, and no longer any of your business or responsibility to worry about how it is spent. It is now between that person and God, and your only job is to pray for that person.

So now the question is: how do we balance these different instructions, of being good stewards, and giving freely? The answer to that will vary from one person and situation to the next, but there is scripture to give us some basic guidelines. While, realistically, we cannot give to every person we come across who has a need, we can spend time in prayer and ask the Spirit to give us good discernment and clear direction for our giving, as well as an ear to hear His voice when He tells us to give.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
James 1:5 ESV

God also does not intend our giving to be a debilitating hardship. There are other people or children that may depend on us being wise with the money God has given us. It is important to keep in mind the needs of your family and to not give so readily that we cannot pay our bills or buy food for ourselves (and those in our care), and so put ourselves into a position of needing help (unless you believe that God is asking that of you specifically, in which case, he has promised to provide what we need Matthew 6:25-34).

“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
1 Timothy 5:8 ESV

“For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality.”
2 Corinthians 8:12-13 ESV

Often, when people hear the command to give, the only thing that comes to mind is to give financially. There will be times when that just won’t be possible, or God may even be putting something more tangible on your heart to give. Even the apostles were not always able to give financially to the needy, but they gave what they could anyway. In Acts, Peter stopped and spoke with a lame beggar outside of the temple:

“But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.”
Acts 3:6-7 ESV

Whatever you do, give freely. Give food, money, clothing, toiletries, resources to find a job or other help, and if you can give nothing else, give your time and attention, which may end up being the most valuable thing to them, when likely, most of the people who walk or drive by literally look the other way. Ask to hear their story, and listen.
A line from a song comes to mind here: “It’s all about living love, [and] being Jesus to those he came to save”*. We, the church and body of Christ, are a picture of Jesus to the world around us. Are we representing him well and accurately?

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’“
Matthew 25:35-40 ESV

People. People are the reason that Jesus came. People like you and I, who haven’t always made the wisest decisions on how to use what God has given to us. People who are broken and at the end of their rope. He made friends with the lowly and touched the unclean (an act which would have made the “clean” person unclean). To withhold grace and compassion based on our own ideas of how a person “should” be living their life (“you’ve ruined your own life”, “go get a job”, “why should I help you when you keep blowing every opportunity to better yourself”, “stop doing drugs, then I will help you”, etc, etc, etc). Isn’t that putting yourself in the place of God? Isn’t that a way of declaring the person as “unclean” or unworthy of grace or mercy? Which one of us is worthy of grace and mercy? Certainly not me.

“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”
Luke 6:45 NIV

Isn’t the whole point of the Biblical standard of grace, the fact that we don’t deserve it? Some of the (many) defining characteristics of our God is that he is full of grace, mercy, and Love.

“On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’ [Hosea 6:6]. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.””
Matthew 9:12-13 NIV

I wonder what would happen if the body of Christ became free and easy givers to the needy in their communities. What kind of changes would we see if Christ followers were to invest time and resources radically, without casting judgment and withholding based on that judgment? What if we were to “be Jesus to those he came to save”?
Many of us know the story of ‘the Good Samaritan’ as told in Luke 10:25-37. A man of the law asked Jesus who his neighbor was and Jesus told this story. At the end, Jesus asked a question of the man.

“’Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’
The expert of the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’
Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”
Luke 10:36-37 NIV

So I say to you, Christ follower: “Go and do likewise”.

*Song: Saving Grace Written by Matt Huesmann & Grant Cunningham.
Performed by: Point of Grace