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THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR A PRACTICAL BIBLICAL THEOLOGY

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Title: THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR A PRACTICAL BIBLICAL THEOLOGY


1
THE GOSPEL TO THE POORA PRACTICAL BIBLICAL
THEOLOGY
  • Keith Wasserman, Founder/Executive Director
  • Good Works, Inc.
  • A COMMUNITY OF HOPE
  • www.good-works.net
  • goodworks_at_good-works.net

- Since 1981
2
Loving God our neighborLuke 927
  • 1.Getting bitten is a part of the normal
    Christian life.
  • 2. Ministry with hurting people is impossible
    except through community.
  • 3. Being on the front lines require learning from
    others mistakes.
  • Denying our pain does not work. It eventually
    comes back to haunt us.
  • 5. Forgiveness is the centerpiece of the gospel.

3
Two eye glasses
  • Great Commission (Matthew 2819)
  • Great Commandment (Luke 1027 John 1517)

4
Thats why we need to be
  • Luke 418-19 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me
    because the Lord has anointed me to bring good
    news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the
    broken hearted and to proclaim liberty to the
    captives and recovery of sight to the blind and
    to proclaim the year of the Lords favor
  • Anointed - the special grace from God to
    persevere in love with those who are often
    ungrateful and unresponsive
  • 1. Where does this grace come from ?
  • 2. How do we sustain it?
  • 3. How does Jesus see the poor?
  • Then Jesus said to his host. When you give a
    luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends,
    your brothers or relatives, or your rich
    neighbors if you do, they may invite you back
    and so you will be repaid. But when you give a
    banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame,
    the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they
    cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the
    resurrection of the righteous. Luke 1412
  • As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named
    Matthew sitting at the tax collectors booth.
    Follow me, he told him, and Matthew got up and
    followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at
    Matthews house, many tax collectors and
    sinners came and ate with him and his
    disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they
    asked his disciples Why does your teacher eat
    with tax collectors and sinners? On hearing
    this, Jesus said, It is not the healthy who need
    a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what
    this means I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I
    have not come to call the righteous, but
    sinners. Matthew 99-13
  • This requires (1) A lifestyle of hospitality (2)
    A willingness to lay down our SOCIAL LIFE (3) A
    willingness to get bitten ( see Philippians
    310 and I Peter 41) (4) letting our need to
    be appreciated DIE
  • REMEMBER THIS It is always and only about the
    Kingdom of God!

5
A word about me
  • Coming to Christ _at_ the age of 17 a
    comprehensive rescue!
  • WORSHIP
  • FELLOWSHIP
  • DISCIPLESHIP
  • EVANGLISM
  • A calling vs a concern
  • The gift of naivety
  • Information verses impartation

6
In-formation verses Impartation
practice makes _______ // Roses are red,
_________ (Can you think of any other phrases
like that in contemporary English
language? The poor you will have with you
always (Mark 147), therefore.. (People knew the
law, they know how to finish that
statement Deuteronomy 1511 There will always
be poor people in the land, therefore, I command
you to be open-handed towards your brothers and
towards the poor and needy in your land
Remember The Holy Spirit is our teacher (John
1612-15)
7
Do most Christians agree that evangelism with the
poor should be a priority?
  • Our priorities as Christians are revealed by our
    preparations. If the followers of Jesus believe
    the ministry of evangelism with the poor is a
    priority, this is revealed as ministry to the
    poor competes in the arena of other priorities --
    church budget, Sunday morning worship, youth
    ministry, sermon topics, leadership development
    and how Christians use their time outside of
    church meetings. Priorities are also revealed in
    fruitfulness. Are there poor people involved in
    the body life? Is your community a safe place
    for people in poverty?
  • If we ask "Is the Church prepared to evangelize
    the poor?", I wonder. While I observe a wide
    range of relief work-- meeting immediate needs
    (primarily food and clothing), I see little
    effort beyond 'relief to the deeper issues of
    evangelism, rehabilitation, and development
    addressing the root issues of poverty and
    oppression. While there may be a handful of
    church members who have passion to care for the
    poor, I see so few church governments whose
    priorities reveal this.As I see through a glass
    dimly, Christian culture has had far more power
    to determine the priorities of the church than
    scripture. Even as scripture teaches over and
    over the necessity of loving the poor, and
    bringing good news to the poor, it is being
    silenced by the overwhelming example of what
    believers actually do. When a contradiction
    between what scripture says and what believers
    model occurs, our Christian culture pressures new
    believers to tame their view of scripture to the
    examples they see.

8
GOOD WORKS The outward expression of the
inward change (Eph 210) Our good works glorify
God (Matthew 516) Jesus went about doing good
and healing (Acts 1038) We overcome evil with
good (Romans 1221) (See also I Timothy 618,
Galatians 67-10, Jeremiah 2216 Titus 31)
  • Luke 10 25-37 THE GOOD ?
  • Loving God loving our neighbors
  • How Jesus defines the problem
  • The obstacles of busyness theology
  • The necessity of getting messy

9
Evangelism with the poor
  • But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit
    comes on you and you will be my witnesses in
    Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to
    the ends of the earth Acts 18
  • What you are speaks so loud, I can not hear a
    word you are saying
  • You may be the only book about Jesus that some
    people will ever read
  • Acts 18 II Timothy 45
  • Acts 420 Acts 520
  • LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR BEGINS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
    We are either a good witness or bad witness.
  • EVANGELISM THROUGH THE BACK DOOR Unity!
  • Being the body (John 1720-21)
  • Welcoming not-yet Christians as to serve with
    us.
  • Walking out being reconciled with one-another
  • THE FOUR PRINCIPALS
  • Earn the right to speak
  • Get permission
  • Always use respect as the primary lens through
    which you speak
  • Pray Ask God what work of the Holy Spirit is
    already going on in this persons life . Use
    discernment

10
Plowing is a spiritual act of worship.John the
Baptist gave his life to prepare people to
receive Jesus
11
A poor man is shunned by all his relatives how
much more do his friends avoid him! Though he
pursues them with pleading, they are nowhere to
be found Proverbs 197 Questions to consider
  • 1. Who are the poor ?
  • 2. How do we bring good news to the poor in the
    21st century?
  • The gospel must be good news for us before it
    will ever be good news for them. The gospel is
    not about information it is about
    TRANSFORMATION!! (Romans 116)
  • The gospel must be overflow (Ps 235/ Col. 27)
  • The gospel must be both proclamation and
    demonstration (Matthew 105-10)

12
MATTHEW 935-38
  • Jesus went through all the towns and villages,
    teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good
    news of the kingdom and healing every disease and
    sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had
    compassion on them, because they were harassed
    and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then
    he said to his disciples, The harvest is
    plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord
    of the harvest therefore to send out workers into
    his harvest field Matthew 935-38
  • Principals from Matthew 935-38
  • 1. Jesus reached out beyond the system to where
    people were he went to the multitudes.
  • 2. The good news of the kingdom will always
    involve healing of some kind.
  • 3. SEEING the multitudes (as God does) will bring
    compassion in us.
  • 4. We must wrestle with WHO or WHAT is harassing
    them if we are going to help them!
  • 5. We must wrestle with WHO is helpless in our
    community and why.

13
Q How do you bring good news to the poor in the
21st century?
  • A By creating a context (a venue) a way for
    the good news to engage the people, to intersect
    with the lives of those in need marked by grace
    a grace to participate, to freely receive and a
    grace to reject! Each context will open up new
    relationships for those serving and those being
    served.

14
Principals of evangelism inside a
contextassess and adapt assess and adapt
assess and adapt and..
  • Always seek to do the thing that builds trust!
  • Meet the felt need ( clothes, food, cars,
    housing, support)
  • Err to the side of mercy. Mercy triumphs over
    judgment (James 212
  • Pray/Ask Lord, what are you doing already and
    then get in line with that. Use discernment!
  • Get permission which communicates respect.
  • Always take the posture of being teachable (I
    Peter 55)

15
  • Personal choices
  • vs.
  • Systemic sin
  • Personal choices
  • Proverbs 69-11
  • Proverbs 104
  • Proverbs 113
  • Proverbs 1318
  • Proverbs 1423
  • Proverbs 204
  • Proverbs 2125
  • Proverbs 2433-34
  • Systemic sin
  • Proverbs 1323
  • Proverbs 1420
  • Proverbs 193-4 7
  • Exodus 18-22

How long will you defend the unjust and show
partiality to the wicked? Defend the cause of the
weak and fatherless maintain the rights of the
poor and oppressed, rescue the weak and needy
deliver them from the hand of the wicked
Psalm 822-3
16
Luke 1412
  • Then Jesus said to his host. When you give a
    luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends,
    your brothers or relatives, or your rich
    neighbors if you do, they may invite you back
    and so you will be repaid. But when you give a
    banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame,
    the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they
    cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the
    resurrection of the righteous.

17
Part 1
With whom is God concerned? Scripture study on
the widow, fatherless and stranger
  • Psalm 1014 (helper of the fatherless) 685,
    (defender of widows)
  • Exodus 2221-24 Commands to the people of God
    to
  • Not mistreat or oppress strangers
  • Not take advantage of a widow or an orphan
  • Leviticus 1934 2535
  • Treat the stranger as you would the 'local'
  • Help the 'locals' as you would a stranger
  • Deuteronomy 1018
  • God defends the cause of the fatherless, widow
    and orphan. We are to love the strangers and fear
    the Lord.
  • Deuteronomy 1428-29
  • Strangers, fatherless, widows and Levites are
    grouped together so that they all may glean. When
    THEY glean, we are blessed. The Levites had no
    allotment or inheritance of their own.
  • Deuteronomy 157-11
  • "Do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted. Do not
    harbor this wicked thought
  • God listens carefully to these people "he may
    appeal to the Lord
  • There will always be poor in the land,
    THEREFORE. I command you to be OPENHANDED

18
Part 2
With whom is God concerned? Scripture study on
the widow, fatherless and stranger
  • Deuteronomy 2417-18
  • Do not deprive the alien (stranger), or the
    fatherless of justice
  • Do not take the cloak of the widow as a pledge
  • Remember You were once in this situation!!! That
    is why God COMMANDS this!
  • Deuteronomy 2612
  • The 'set-aside' was for the Levite, the alien,
    the fatherless and the widow so that they may
    eat.
  • Deuteronomy 2719
  • There is a curse upon the person who WITHHOLDS
    justice from the alien, fatherless or widows
  • Deuteronomy 3112
  • Include the alien (stranger) in your gatherings
    (assemblies) SO THAT they can fear the Lord and
    follow carefully all the word of this law.
  • Proverbs 1525
  • The Lord tears down the proud man's house but he
    keeps the widow's boundaries intact
  • Proverbs 2310
  • God seems to be very concerned about the
    boundaries of the fatherless. "Their defender is
    strong and he will take up their case against the
    one who encroaches on their fields
  • Other scriptures to consider Isaiah 117, James
    127, Job 2912-17 Jeremiah 76-7 4911 Matthew
    2531-46

19
A look at the poor through the lens of the
Proverbs
  • Proverbs 1015, 1323, 1431, 175, 1811,
    194 7 17, 2113, 229 16 22, 2320 21,
    2411-12, 283 5 27, 297, 307-9, 314-9.
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