Poor

“If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

 1 John 3:17,18.

I remember hearing a very popular evangelist talking on television about people on welfare he called the majority of them lazy. His tirade went on for only a couple of minutes but it made me sick inside. He made it sound that they were the ones responsible for their situation.
In some cases, a minority of people, are responsible for themselves being on welfare. But the vast majority are not.
I would like to ask this evangelist, is it the poor that pulled the industries out of the United States and put them in other countries.
Is it the poor that caused the real-estate collapse or the need to bail out large corporations a few years ago.
Is it the poor that cause double digit unemployment in Ireland, Greece and other European countries?
Certainly not. A person can only get a job if one is available to him or her and if affordable education is available to train people for the jobs. (Have you seen the price of a good education?)    
Don’t blame the poor for being lazy. The majority are not.
Wasn’t it Jesus that said ‘the poor you will always have with you’?
I’m convinced since man began living in cities there have been poor people. And I’m sure there will be poor people living around us until the end of days.
I know a lot of poor people. People who are just making it. Some hold several jobs but for a myriad of reasons they can’t make ends meet.
These people are honest hard working people who have to make decisions at the end of the month. Do they feed their family or pay the utilities.
We need to pray for the poor. We need to put our faith into action and do our best to help them in deed as well as word.
Someone suggested to me the other day that wouldn’t it be wonderful if some of these evangelist and super churches that bring in millions would start schools.
Schools that would help people get the education they need to get jobs.
It is true that the great commission is to go into all the world and tell anyone who will listen the way to heaven. But couldn’t Christian based schools do that while teaching trades or other higher education curriculum designed to help those who cannot afford the price of regular university or collage.
What a fantastic witness this would be to the world.
While I know that the Talmud is not a holy book of Christianity, the truths there in most definitely reflect Christian values.
One portion of the Talmud states this,
“Rabbi Akiba was asked by a Roman general, “Why does your God who loves the needy not provide for their support Himself?”  He answered, “God the Father of both the rich and poor, wants the one to help the other so as to make the world a household of love.”
Perhaps it is time for any church that can do it here in North America, to set up places to train people in areas that will help them get out of poverty. And in so doing become a beacon of light to the world.
Think about it.