Tag Archives: Restoration

FAQ 2 – Why Would You Qualify People?

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Not Approved“Why would you qualify people? The Bible doesn’t tell us to do that! Jesus helped everyone.” These are some of the things I’ve heard during conversations about effectively ministering to the poor. I find the belief that Jesus never qualified people before helping an interesting idea…one that doesn’t have a lot of Biblical support. First we know that Jesus didn’t have to qualify anybody because, unlike us, He already knew their motivation, but there are a couple of times when Jesus did question people before He healed them.

Jesus asked “What do you want me to do for you?” with two blind men in Matt 20 and 1 blind man in Mark 10. Now it’s possible that these are the same instance, but there are a couple of interesting things to note about this exchange.

  1. Jesus asked what they wanted.
    • He didn’t need to ask. I believe Jesus was publicly checking their motives.
  2. Jesus made the blind come to him.
    • He didn’t walk over to them. He made them come to Him.

Now let’s look at a time when Jesus was really hard on people. The Bible doesn’t say they were poor, but He had fed them the day before. It’s found in John 6. Let’s set it up:

  • Jesus feeds the 5,000
  • Jesus goes to the mountain alone
  • The 12 leave in a boat
  • Jesus walks on water
  • The people find out that Jesus has gone to Capernaum
  • A “crowd” of people go and find Him

Jesus qualifies them…or should I say disqualifies them

  • They weren’t coming because they believed
  • They only wanted Jesus because their belly was full
  • They even bring up the manna that the Israelites were fed in the desert
  • They weren’t willing to follow Him as their savior
  • Jesus told them the hard truth
  • They walked away

Jesus didn’t chase the people down and try to convince them to follow Him. He knew their self-serving motives and He let them go.

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There are a several passages where Paul tells us the right way to live and qualifies people. Let’s look at a couple.

1 Timothy 5

  • Only “genuine widows” should be cared for by the church
  • If someone doesn’t take care of their own family they are worse than an unbeliever
  • Refuse to provide long-term support for younger widows

1 Thess. 4 – These are things that are considered walking properly and they display brotherly love.

  • Lead a quiet life
  • Mind your own business
  • Work with your own hands

And we certainly can’t forget 2 Thess. 3 where Paul “Commands in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” that a man who is not willing to work should not eat.

Next time we’ll take on the question “why is work so important?”

Until then, can you think of other passages in the Bible where people were qualified before receiving help?

FAQ 1 – What about Jesus Feeding the 5,000?

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As I travel around the country speaking, and equipping churches to renew broken lives, there are some Frequently Asked Questions that I receive. I am going to take the next few posts to answer some of these F.A.Q.’s, beginning with the following question:

“What about Jesus feeding the 4,000 and the 5,000?
Doesn’t that show that Jesus wants us to feed the poor?”

This question is often asked by people who are struggling with the idea that God calls us to do more than just meet the immediate need. And while I appreciate this line of thought, we have to be careful not to take these two isolated instances out of context and use them to support systematic feeding programs.

Let’s look at the two passages and see what they have in common and how they are different from our feeding programs today.

Let’s start with the feeding of the 5,000. This is found in Matt 14, Mark 6, Luke 9 and John 6. Feel free to read them.

What was the situation when Jesus fed the 5,000?

  • Jesus was heading to an uninhabited area
  • People ran around the Sea of Galilee and beat Jesus to where He landed
  • Jesus spent the day healing people
  • There was no other food available
  • Feeding them was a necessity

What about the feeding of the 4,000? Found in Matt 15, Mark 8

  • Jesus was up on a mountain (remote area)
  • They had been with Jesus for 3 days
  • Jesus spent his time healing people
  • It was physically dangerous to send them home on an empty stomach
  • There was no other food available
  • Feeding them was a necessity,

These two passages have a lot of things in common, but the question is: do the people our feeding programs serve mirror those who Jesus fed?

  • Are they in a remote area?
  • Are they giving up their time and energies to be near Christ?
  • Are they there, or bringing their loved ones, to be healed?
  • Is there no other option for people to get food?
  • Are they physically in danger if they don’t eat?

As we look at these two instances, it becomes pretty clear that Jesus was not creating a model for feeding programs. Now think about this. When Jesus healed someone, He opened the door for them to work and care for their families.

While it is necessary to meet the immediate need, Jesus was not using Himself as an example for feeding the poor. In fact, there is no evidence in Scripture that the people he fed were even poor.

What other programs or services do we provide that stop short of restoring the poor because they only meet the immediate need?

Next time we will look at a second F.A.Q. I get asked regularly. Why do you qualify people before you serve them? Jesus didn’t do that.

Do you want to learn more about God’s plan to restore hurting people? Click here to order your copy of Breaking the Broken.

Do you Value or Pity the Poor?

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Do You Value or Pity the Poor

Many of us provide services or minister to the poor. We donate clothing and supplies, provide food and shelter and this is done because we value human life. To value something means to find it important and our hearts are broken when we see our fellow humans suffering so we work to alleviate their pain.

But there is another aspect of value and a very different way to respond. To value something also means to find it useful. We believe it has worth and is important. While we may see our service as important, do we really see the poor as important? Do we see their worth and usefulness?

Pity, on the other hand, is the feeling of sorrow and compassion caused by the suffering and misfortunes of others. The truth is, most of our services are driven out of pity and not value. You see we invest in what we believe in. When we only meet the immediate need, without working to help them gain sustainable change in their lives, we are showing our thoughts on their value.