Defender of The Poor
One day in Transylvania, Romania, a mother and father abandoned their three-year-old girl, early one morning, on a sidewalk in front of a mayor’s office. A woman coming to work found her and called Social Services. They immediately called a local church and asked if they could take in this precious little girl. Their answer was, “Yes, of course.” Little Lacra has been living and thriving at the Sanctuary Orphanage ever since. We should ask, “Why did Social Services call a local church to ask for help?” It was because of the reputation that they had for caring for orphaned children. In the 14 years that we have worked with this church, they have rescued over 120 orphans, placing many of them in adoptive families. The love of Jesus has been seen through these Romanian Christians in the most practical of ways.
Who Should Be at Church?
I believe Jesus gave us the best description of what a local church should look like; He described for us who should be sitting in the seats next to us on any given Sunday morning when He said, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends of your brothers of your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment come to you. But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:12-14)
The leper, the blind, the poor and needy were all a part of the first church that Jesus established. They followed Him, worshipped Him, and listened to His teachings. Jesus didn’t just ‘welcome’ society’s most marginalized people; He sought them out and invited them to be a part of His church family. The early church (first 300 years) also sought to rescue and care for vulnerable and destitute people. Local churches became the center of activity for Christian charity. They even had a local church fund, which they used to take care of widows, orphans, strangers, the poor and needy. Local church leaders quickly developed the reputation that they were ‘Defenders of the Poor’ — not just because of what they preached, but also because of the love that their churches showed in practical ways.
Unreached People Groups
Unfortunately, many of the local churches in our modern western world have drifted away from the model of church-life that Jesus demonstrated. The local church is no longer the center of activity for Christian charity. In our day, the local western church has treated caring for the needy as social work, rather than evangelism. I believe this is a big mistake! We have focused on ‘preaching the gospel’ and we have left it up to others to do what we have called the ‘social work.’ This thinking has created ‘unreached people groups’ right in the midst of the most evangelized countries of the world. I would ask, “Aren’t the widow, the orphan (foster child), homeless, drug addict, those with mental problems, etc., worthy of the gospel?” Too often, we say in our churches, “That’s not our ministry,” but could this also be the same excuse the Levite and priest used as they passed by the injured man on the other side of the road? Jesus came to “preach good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18). And so should we! Ministering to the ‘poor’ is not about ‘social work’ — it is about the love of Jesus compelling us to share His message of repentance, hope, and forgiveness with those in need.
The western local church has relied too much on para-church ministries and the government to care for people in need. We have professionalized, specialized, institutionalized, and even secularized caring for the needy. The result ... we have churches filled with people who look, smell, and think all the same — the so-called ‘normal’ people, while the most vulnerable and destitute remain separate and alone. This is the exact opposite of how Jesus taught us church-life should be!
Who is known as a ‘Defender of the Poor’ today? Sadly, it is no longer the local church; it is the government. I once heard a Director of Child Welfare, being interviewed in the news about foster children say, “Many of these children have no parents except for us, the State. We are their parents; the ones that prepare them for adulthood.” Unfortunately, he is right. The local church used to prepare orphans for life, but we have given up this responsibility. Some, in our secular, humanistic society see the local church as no longer relevant for society’s needs. The local church is seen as a place of worship, prayer, Bible study, reflection — a place to prepare one for the next life. But Jesus taught us that our Christianity affects this life, this society, and especially the ‘least’ among us. It is time for the local church to become relevant in ‘mercy ministries’ once again. It will be a wonderful day when local church pastors are again known in the community as ‘Defenders of the Poor.’
It is Time to ‘Be the Church!
It is time for us to not just ‘go to church.’ It is time for us to ‘BE the Church!’ We are now Jesus’ hands extended into a world that desperately needs to see His love and compassion in action. It is not enough anymore for local churches to simply ‘write a check’ and support someone else’s ministry. We need to let His compassion arise in our hearts, and develop local church programs and strategies to care for needy people. Most vulnerable and destitute people will not just walk into church on a Sunday morning. We need to go get them! Isn’t that what Jesus meant when he said, “...Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame” (Luke 14:21).
The Local Church is the Answer!
One day, at one of our conferences, a woman expressed her desire to start a charity to care for a specific group of needy people. She then said, “But I don’t have resources or anyone to help me!” An amazing statement, since she was there with 25 others from her local church, who had all come there to learn what more their church could do in ‘mercy ministries.’ We explained to her that she needed a paradigm shift in her thinking; she should submit her idea to her pastor, and if that is a direction her church is going, then she will have the church and its resources behind her. Too many times we think that we need to join or start a para-church ministry to care for needy people. I thank God for every organization that is helping people, but it is time that we start thinking of the local church as a solution for people’s needs.
In the West, we are good at practicing charity on an individual level. I believe we will reach our full potential when we can join together to care for the needy on a congregational level as well. There is a huge untapped potential to make a difference right within many local western churches; we have the personnel, the resources, the love of Jesus, and a gospel message that changes hearts and gives hope. Local churches are also perfectly positioned within the community to hear and respond to human need. I can envision creating ‘mercy ministry’ networks of local churches (like the early church had) to care for vulnerable and destitute people. We may find that some of the hidden and unspoken needs are right within the local church itself (like the Elder we know who struggles to care for his adult autistic son, or the woman who just lost her job and may lose her apartment). Jesus will show us how to love each other in practical ways. There are many innovative ‘mercy ministries’ just waiting to be created by the local church — more family based rather than institutional solutions. Our teens and elderly, who we usually ‘minister to,’ will also find opportunities to give of themselves. Our churches will become hospitals of healing and missions of rescue for the broken-hearted. We have seen Jesus work in this way in Romania and He can do the same in our western churches. God has restored much to the church in the past few decades. It is time that we see the local church’s reputation as being a ‘Defender of the Poor’ restored as well.
Calling the Local Church for Help
It would be wonderful, in our western society, if we can get to the place where Social Services could call the local church to ask for help when they have a person in need. It will take a lot of hard work on our part to get this credibility back, but with God’s love and our faithfulness, we can make it happen. The love of Jesus, working through His church, has always been a powerful force to impact society. It is now our turn to show His love in practical ways toward the weak and needy in our generation. As local churches become relevant for the widow, foster child, alcoholic, sick, prisoner, stranger, etc., we will once again make Jesus known in this world as ‘The Defender of the Poor.’