Poster | Thread | sojourner7 Member
Joined: 2007/6/27 Posts: 1573 Omaha, NE
| A WORD FROM JESUS | | "He said also to the one who had invited him; "When you give a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you will be repaid your kindness. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you shall be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
LUKE 14 vs12-14 _________________ Martin G. Smith
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| 2010/11/24 20:52 | Profile | sojourner7 Member
Joined: 2007/6/27 Posts: 1573 Omaha, NE
| Re: A WORD FROM JESUS | | B*U*M*P !! _________________ Martin G. Smith
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| 2010/11/25 9:59 | Profile | RainMan Member
Joined: 2010/4/21 Posts: 227
| Re: | | question: I heard a guy on the 700 club talk about gods law of reciprocity. The way he explained it it was kind of leaning to a reciprocity in this current age.
Is gods reciprocity towards us limited to "kingdom come"? |
| 2010/11/25 10:34 | Profile | enid Member
Joined: 2006/5/22 Posts: 2680 Nottingham, England
| Re: A WORD FROM JESUS | | I wonder, in this day and age, if it is so easy, to find the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind, and invite them to a meal.
I'm not trying to disregard what scripture is saying. It is looking at servanthood, hospitality, humility and giving. These are virtures we should strive to have.
But I'm speaking in the sense that, I honestly don't see people like that around where I live. I just don't.
In the past, we've invited people to our home for a Christmas meal, and they just don't show up. You'd think with them having little or nothing, they'd be there. But, that's not so.
Also, I understand that Jesus is telling us not to look for a reward in what we do, but do it reagardless.
God bless. |
| 2010/11/25 10:40 | Profile | sojourner7 Member
Joined: 2007/6/27 Posts: 1573 Omaha, NE
| Re: | | JESUS is speaking of considering those who cannot repay your kindness. Maybe you have tried to find such as these, and to help. If you have, GOD bless.
_________________ Martin G. Smith
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| 2010/11/25 10:47 | Profile | RainMan Member
Joined: 2010/4/21 Posts: 227
| Re: | | There is poverty all around us. If i lived in billionaires row it would be hard to encounter poor people. The third world is full of families that need a hand. In the west there is a tendency to look down on poor people as lazy. But if we are willing to take a drive outta our gated community comfort zones we are sure to find poor people even in the west. |
| 2010/11/25 10:55 | Profile | learn Member
Joined: 2008/7/24 Posts: 613
| Re: | | One doesn't even need to take a drive now to find people that need help. Similarly if the people you invite for dinner/lunch etc don't show up, well then next time use the money differently and one which you know will certainly be put to great use. See examples below.
We can help right from our house using the internet.
For eg: look at Gospel For Asia's website. One can donate there. $5 can provide for a pair of rabbits or a pair of chicken or a blanket. You can choose which items you want your $ to go to from bibles to shoes for the missionaries etc and how much (100% of money goes to the field as the admin etc all raise their own $). This is just 1 website. There are others websites too for eg: Open Doors, Voice of Maryrs etc. _________________ geraldine
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| 2010/11/25 12:07 | Profile | terrybob Member
Joined: 2010/2/16 Posts: 30 Yorkshire, England
| Re: | | Poverty is wide spread throughout England but you need the right eyes to see it. Having worked in social housing across the North for the past 20 years it is clear that there are many struggling people trying to live decent lives and bring up their children as best as they can.
Many work juggling low paid part time jobs with looking after a family, this is made worse with an increase in single parent families. The stereotype of the feckless, work-shy, benefit society we have been fed by a largely hostile media egged on by people who should know better is just not true of vast numbers of silent, struggling people at their wits end to make ends meet.
This poverty and need is hidden in our society by proud people who will not share their need and anxiety about life with anyone outside of their immediate circle of trusted friends, and these are often thin on the ground if not nonexistent.
The only way to know about all of this is to live where they live and to walk as they walk, then, slowly trust is established and the barriers come down. This is exactly what the Lord Jesus did for us He came from heavens glory to live as a working man, in a poor place and rub shoulders day by day with ordinary people who were struggling to make a living.
The model of this in our day is someone like Jackie Pullinger this way of sharing the gospel is not easy, it takes commitment borne of love and ownership of the Lordship of Christ it takes a change in life style, friendships and sharing. The emphasis is sharing, one broken person sharing out of our poverty what we have with someone in need, to meet their need at the right time and in an acceptable way. This is not dispensing charity it is sharing out of our poverty. Part of that sharing is for us to learn how to be able to receive this often very hard for Christians to do, we are good at giving to all sorts of good things but receiving a gift when we need takes a humble and contrite heart (the difficult part for many, including me).
There are many unsung saints doing just this day by day throughout the world, including England, the US and Canada. The poor are there, all around you, just ask the Lord to open your eyes, you will be amazed.
Take care and God bless you all as you seek to share the gospel of the risen Jesus with those in need - His way.
Terry
_________________ Terry Smith
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| 2010/11/26 2:32 | Profile | Lysa Member
Joined: 2008/10/25 Posts: 3699 East TN for now!
| A love they cannot gainsay nor resist! | | Quote:
terrybob wrote: The model of this in our day is someone like Jackie Pullinger this way of sharing the gospel is not easy, it takes commitment borne of love and ownership of the Lordship of Christ it takes a change in life style, friendships and sharing.
I believe this statement to be absolutely true. I would add for us here in North America, that we dont even have to leave North America to change our lifestyle, friendships and sharing!
I had a pastor years ago who had church in a house (they gutted) on Third St in Dayton OH (if you know anything about Dayton OH, you know this area); and down past it was all the homeless lived in their lean-tos (in the 70s they called them winos).
These precious people started coming to church, most times they came drunk; they were humble about it, they would ask before coming in (they just didnt barge in) b/c they knew they couldnt walk into a regular church. Bro. Herman never turned anyone away.
It takes a special, deep love to minister to people WAY below your income line; Im not saying I have it but I did have a pristine example in one man of God!
God bless, Lisa
_________________ Lisa
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| 2010/11/26 7:06 | Profile |
| Re: | | Terrybob writes.....
"Poverty is wide spread throughout England but you need the right eyes to see it. Having worked in social housing across the North for the past 20 years it is clear that there are many struggling people trying to live decent lives and bring up their children as best as they can."
Well said Terry, good post. I come from a welfare background, raised in the housing schemes of Scotland. There are very few churches that can break through the barriers that men have created. Someone famous , I think it was Brooks, once said that the " class system within the church represents the triumph of the world over the church."
It would be akin to the fact that it used to be in the States, and still is in many areas, that the most segrated place in America was the church on a Sunday morning. These attitudes that you described of peoples feelings towards those who are in poverty or welfare or food stamps, is rife within the American church, egged on by politicians who make a wedge issue out of it, but again, that is the triumph of the world over the church.
When people that are called by the name of Jesus decide to lay aside their agendas, their philosophies, their own preducies and begin to look at the world the way Jesus looks at the world, when they decide to follow Jesus with their whole hearts, then we will see a world rocked. When the passion of the Christians is Jesus, and not sports or politics or careers or even families, when Jesus gets a hold of a people who are completly sold out to Him, He can and will do mighty things..........brother Frank
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| 2010/11/26 17:48 | |
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