26/04/14

Giving alms to the poor

Acts 3:2-5
2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked alms.
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5 And he gave heed to them, expecting to receive something from them.


We as Christians are called to be merciful to those in need like the poor and sick. But is social service the flagship of Christianity?

There are some people who are lifted up and even called saints because of the social service work they have done in their lives, but when we see them through the eyes of God (through scriptures) we will be surprised what God thinks of them.

Let us analyse what Peter and John did in this situation. Note this man was not the only beggar or sick person outside the synagogue but when this beggar pursued them for alms they responded to him.
If someone asks you for water, do you give them something to eat or give them something to drink? We see here the beggar was asking them for money and Peter and John did not give him money. Surely they did not have money, but could not they have prayed for God to bless him with money? If God could provide money through a fish when Jesus was to pay the temple tax and Peter being the one who caught the fish, surely Peter should have known the amazing ways in which God can provide money, but we see when they saw the beggar they saw his sickness more than his poverty. They knew if they had provided him money they would have helped him for that day or a few days more but by healing him they made a way for him to provide for himself. They saw his medical problem more than his financial problem.

When the sick and poor came to Jesus we do not see Jesus everyday looking after them and feeding them every day, Jesus healed them and sent them back, He gave them spiritual food more than earthly food. There are 2 incidents where Jesus provided food for the hungry but He did it in a supernatural way and in both incidents He duplicated the procedure (I have written about these two great miracles, how they were preformed). Even the Apostles took care of the widows and the orphans but they themselves did not, they assigned the young men those who were growing in the Lord to do this work. They understood these worldly problems were secondary and not that critical as the spiritual problems. Surely they could not ignore the worldly problems but if they were to concentrate on solving the worldly problems all the generations would go yet these problems would not be removed, but by dealing the spiritual problems the worldly problems would surely cease to exist.

We Christians alone know the solution to the world's problems like poverty, sicknesses, sex discrimination, wars, unhappiness, unemployment, hunger etc. and that solution is Christ. Bring people into the Lord and He becomes their Jehovah Jireh (God who provides), Jehovah Rapha (God who heals), Jehovah Raah (God who leads), Jehovah Shalom (God who gives peace), Jehovah Mekoddishkem (God who sanctifies) etc...

Till the world comes to know God there will be all kinds of problems, we may have to help them in worldly way for some time but let us remember these way are not permanent solutions, so let us concentrate more on the permanent solution - give them Christ.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord You alone are the solution to all our problems. We suffer because we do not know You. As we come to know You we see the working of your Hand in our lives. It is our faithlessness and lack of knowledge that blocks our provisions, our peace and our joy. Lord the world needs You, they need to know You more than they need food, water, medicine or a job. We pray more and more people will let them know You so that they will overcome these worldly problems...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
Acts 3:2-10
2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked alms.
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5 And he gave heed to them, expecting to receive something from them.
6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have I give thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
10 And they knew that it was he who sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened to him.

Matthew 10:27-31
27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Matthew 6:24-34
24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

The Word of God was given free to us, therefore we should also share it freely with others. (All rights are with God)