FEED THE POOR

Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Although it is the responsibility of the Lord to take care of the poor, He has committed it into the hands of those who are not poor. The way He has chosen is to bless those who are not poor that they may look after the poor. Responding to this task is therefore tantamount to doing the Lord’s work and neglecting it is disobedience unto the Lord. In Deuteronomy 15:11, we read;

“For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I COMMAND you, saying, ‘You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’”

(Emphasis added).

Looking after the poor is not an option for those who are not poor among God’s people. It is a command of the Lord. There are many portions in the Bible where God instructed the Israelites to take care of the poor among them. The Lord specifically asked them to treat the poor specially and always be ready to help them. Clearly, the Lord told them in Deuteronomy 15:7-8;

“If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks.” 

And in verse 9 the Lord also said if they gave the poor nothing and the poor cried to Him against them, it would be a sin in them.

Also, when our Lord Jesus Christ came, it was observed that He always fed the poor. During the Last Supper, when Jesus had finished teaching his disciples, He was troubled in spirit and then said one of the disciples would betray Him. None of the disciples knew who it was that would betray Him and Peter gestured to the disciple who was reclining on Jesus’ bosom, asking him who it was that Jesus was speaking about. And Jesus said it was the one to whom He would dip the morsel and give. So when Jesus had dipped the morsel, He gave it to Judas Iscariot. And Jesus said to him, "What you do, do quickly.” Now the Bible says no one of those reclining at the table knew for what purpose Jesus had said this to Judas. But they thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus was telling Judas to buy the things they had need of for the feast; or else, that he should give something to the poor. So in the ministry of Jesus Christ, giving to the poor was what He always and normally did. It was as if Jesus did not use money to do anything else apart from serving God. Because the only thing the disciples could think of was either that Judas should buy what was needed for the Passover feast or give to the poor, as always.

Also, after the ascension of our Lord, and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the mighty revival caused everyone to sell what they had to give to those in need. And the Bible says in Acts 4:34-35;

“For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.”

And as the church increased, they continued in like manner. Ensuring everyone’s need was met. In Acts 6:1, it is written that the widows who were in need were DAILY served food by the church. And when complaints arose because some were not served, the apostles ensured that the problem was instantly resolved. By the leading of the Holy Spirit, seven deacons were chosen to handle this affair while the apostles gave themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. The three clear works the early disciples were doing were praying, ministering the word and feeding the poor.

Also, years after Paul became a believer, he went up by revelation to Jerusalem to communicate the gospel he was preaching among the Gentiles to the apostles. And he said nothing was contributed to him but “was only asked to remember the poor – the very thing I (Paul) also was eager to do.” (Galatians 2:10). 

So, it was a very important work in the time of the early apostles. Something that should not be neglected. And we see when Paul began to plant churches, he was fully involved in caring for the poor. As a matter of fact, it could not be separated from his real ministry. He was always ensuring the church took care of the poor. Paul referred to feeding the poor as a ministry. He said in Romans 15:25-26;

“But now I go unto Jerusalem to MINISTER UNTO THE SAINTS. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.” KJV. 

(Emphasis added). 

And in 2 Corinthians 8:3-4, he said that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord. And that they were even begging him and his coworkers with much urging for the favour of participation in the support of the saints. 

Just as it has been, so it is incumbent on the present day church as a whole and on every individual Christian to take care of the poor and see that feeding the poor is a ministry God has committed into their hands. 

“Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” (Colossians 4:17). 

THE LIBERAL SOUL SHALL BE MADE FAT

Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Everything God made was good. Time was regular and everything maintained its course. Even God, at the end of the sixth day, looked upon His work and said  “It was very good.” (Genesis 1:31). There was neither any insufficiency, nor was there any difficulty of any kind. But it was not too long when He was seen pronouncing a curse upon the ground. And this was not for any evil it has done. But Adam had sinned. He together with his wife, had disobeyed the commandments of God by eating from the tree they were commanded not to eat. Adam was now sentenced to a lifelong struggle. He would no longer have access to the fruits of the garden but would be sent out of the garden altogether to eat from the plants of the field, meant originally for the animals over whom he had been chief. For Adam and his descendants to eat in toil for all the days of their lives, because of his transgression, the ground would now not only lack the strength to bring leaves and fruits into maturity, thus resulting into it bringing forth thorns and thistles, seedtime and harvest would also be highly uncertain and unpredictable because of the curse pronounced upon the ground. And this was the kind of life Adam and his descendants were forced to live. This continued until Lamech, Noah’s father, prophesied that in Noah’s time “will they have rest from their work and from the toil of their hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.” (Genesis 5:29). And in Noah’s time, as spoken by his father, the Lord reduced the effect of the curse He had pronounced on the ground to give the people rest. Genesis 8:21-22 says 

“The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, ‘I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done. While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, And cold and heat, And summer and winter, And day and night Shall not cease."

(Emphasis added).

Prior to this time, there was no certainty that what you sowed would yield fruit. And if it would yield any fruit, you would not be certain when it would. The time of reaping was unstable and irregular. So it was a terrible life since no prediction could be made. But after this time, among some other things, seedtime and harvest could now be calculated. The plowman could now plow in hope. The principle of sowing and reaping was now firmly established. To now enjoy the strength and fatness of the earth, and live in abundance, you would need to follow this principle. This became the way out of a cursed life of toil and struggle. This principle became the way into material rest. The Bible clearly says in Proverbs 11:24

“There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. 

(KJV)

If you now scatter your seeds on the ground, they will die and germinate to give multiple folds of what you scattered and you will thereby increase. The way to increase and abundance is now in scattering and sowing. But if you refuse the principle of scattering and sowing, and withhold your seeds, maybe because you think what you have is not enough for your satisfaction or because you are uncertain it will yield, there will be nothing for you to reap and have as your increase and you will therefore end up in penury. And in the next verse, verse 25, the Lord clearly tells us how we can scatter and sow our seeds so we can increase with the fatness of the earth.  Proverbs 11:25 says 

“The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”

It is by being generous you sow. It is by your liberality you will be made fat. And fear not, but be assured that you will certainly reap what you give, even in more measures. 

There are people who reject this principle of giving and unknowingly to them, they have accepted the life that was before Noah’s time and are thus struggling with a curse. A curse of not bringing into maturity. They are suffering from all forms of disappointments and the uncertainties of life. No wonder they have not been able to enter into financial rest. Such people will always receive and never give. But Jesus says “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35). The Lord has provided a way out of the curse into a life of blessing. After He perceived the aroma of the sacrifice offered to Him by Noah, on behalf of the whole earth, the way He could bless everyone on earth, who will want to come out of struggle and enter into rest was for Him to establish the principle of sowing and reaping. It became the God ordained way to come out of the curse of retardedness, poverty and dryness. There is no other way made available. 

Also, do not think you do not have enough for yourself let alone having to give out. You should not eat all your fruits without keeping some as seeds. When you have consumed all, what will you have to sow? If you do not sow, you will have nothing to reap and then be in want. It might be insufficient, but even out of that insufficiency, sow. For that is the way to come out of that insufficiency. 

The Bible says Psalms 126:5-6

“Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed, shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.”

It is so certain. Even if you have to give in tears, give. You will come again with a great shout of joy and your increase. Leave the cursed ground and return into the garden by giving to others.