2005-02-06
SOCIAL JUSTICE | POVERTY | SCRIPTURE
When warmongers and "tough love" proponents, start rattling their forked tounges while scrambling to dismantle the social safety nets in the name of GOD, they had also better be listening ~ and paying heed to~ things like this | Read the rest of Inkling's comments on hunger poverty and suffering | ¶ 03:29
Matthew 25:34-46 (New International Version) | Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Int'l Bible Society [IBS]
34- “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35- For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36- I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37- “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38- When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39- When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40- “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41- “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42- For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43- I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44- “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45- “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
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kirk franklin - lean on me :: urbnmix.net
From Just an Inkling | kirk franklin - lean on me :: urbnmix.net
So why did Jesus say that not helping the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the person with no clothes, the sick, or the person in prison, was the same as not helping Him?
I am not entirely sure, but I am sure that the body of Christ (the church) not only has a responsibility to share the gospel (e.g. to say repent and be saved), but to also say “You don’t have to worry, I am here. Here is my shoulder you can lean on me.” Of course, it is not my shoulder that is needed, but the shoulder of Jesus. But think about it, the Church is the Body of Christ, so that means you and I as Christians are that sholder - a sholder which according to Jesus' words is not only meet spiritual need, but physical needs too!
Consequently, I can’t turn my back on the hungry, the stranger, the person with no clothes, the sick, or the person in prison and so on. But I do not become a shoulder that matters unless I am united with other Christians - that was the whole point of my Philippians post below – we need to act in unison as the Body of Christ.
Of course, many many Christian organizations do and are acting to deal with these and many other issues. But to really address the issue and end world hunger, the entire church would need to rise up and act in unison. In the mean time do some math - if 25 million people die a year of hunger - how many died since my last post yesterday? So is you have ideas about how we can stand up and act in unison on these ussues share them - so that we can stand up together - and turn the world upsidedown!
When warmongers and "tough love" proponents, start rattling their forked tounges while scrambling to dismantle the social safety nets in the name of GOD, they had also better be listening ~ and paying heed to~ things like this | Read the rest of Inkling's comments on hunger poverty and suffering | ¶ 03:29
