The Homeless Debate

The Bible says in Proverbs 29:18, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.”  Other versions describe this message as “Where there is no vision, the people perish” and “If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble over themselves.” 

A current debate is what to do with the homeless.  The fact that this is a debate in our church is somewhat offensive to me.  However, before I get too good in my own mind, I have to recognize that my own personal stumbling block is over myself when attending to the homeless.  I believe God’s instructions are perfectly clear in the matter, the reality of debate is usually over my will or His will in how I respond.  Yet, I am always compelled by my cousin Joe’s words that explain the feelings and thoughts regarding helping others.

“The reason I am drawn to help is because I have a lot of love in my heart.  I have Christ in my heart.  He wants to help so I want to help.  I hurt when I see someone hurting and needy because Christ, in my heart, hurts.  I have to overcome Christ to do nothing.”

I have to be very careful to take full measure of my responses.  Am I persecuting God’s message in my response?  Or am I the hands and feet of God?  I am one or the other. 

There is a negative reality to the homeless.  Panhandling could be described as a professional scam.  And some homeless have no regard for property and are incredibly selfish for people who subscribe as having nothing.  Whether this is from mental illness, an unwillingness to accept laws and morality, or a lack of instruction is unclear. 

Jesus is recorded in Matthew 5:42 saying, “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”  As I examine this, I don’t read instruction to ensure that the need of the one asking is truly genuine.  I do not like that, but does it really matter what I like regarding the Word of God?  God is concerned with my heart condition.  In verses 38-42, we are instructed to be patient, forgiving, and willing to share the blessings we’ve been afforded.  Every time I’m confronted with someone who states a need, my heart condition is being tested. 

I am absolutely confident that I’ve been scammed before.  I’ve had my property affected by homeless who have used it as a bathroom.  Even so, the bigger question is, at what point do I become the selfish young ruler, unable to give up control of my God given resources?  By God’s grace, hopefully never.  Why would I ever not give?  It can only be because I do not love Jesus.

Our church faces a similar heart crisis and if it is to succeed, it must choose to not overcome and persecute Christ, but to follow Him.

When God’s Word instructs us what to do, we don’t need a new vision for the church.  The church or the person that doesn’t pursue God’s instruction runs into dangerous territory as it could face one of God’s curses as stated in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.  Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

When the apostles were brought into the Sanhedrin because they were teaching in Jesus name after being instructed not to, they responded saying, “We must obey God rather than human beings!” (Acts 5:29)  

Shall our church turn its back on God’s Word and be destroyed or shall it have a faith that is wide open or “lit” as the kids say today?  Will it seek not to overcome Christ and do nothing, or will it face the test of its heart condition?