As I was reading my Bible this morning I read the following:

Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom:  She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.  They were haughty and did detestable things before me.  Therfore I did away with them as you have seen… – Ezekiel 16:49-50

The ESV Study Bible comments on this verse…”People usually think of the sins of Sodom as sexual transgressions (Genesis 19:5-9), but Ezekiel indicted the city for its materialism and neglect of the needy (although “detestable things” might include sexual sins).  Jesus made a similar comparison with Capernaum in Matthew 11:23-24.”

Those who have ears, let them hear.  God takes very seriously the Christian’s call to be a voice for the voiceless, to care for the needy, to love the unlovely.  Let’s briefly take the verse in order and see if you can relate.  This was the sin of Sodom:

1. The city and her inhabitants were arrogant.  They had an exaggerated sense of their own importance.  Is this you? Check yourself:  Does preoccupation with yourself – your own needs, dreams, and plans – quickly drain you of any additional time to focus on the needs of others, especially the poor, needy and thus forgotten people made in God’s image?  Perhaps you are arrogant.

2. The city and her inhabitants were overfed.  They had more than enough material possessions.  They lived in luxury, fed themselves like gluttons and chose not to care for the poor – whom God created, along with all humanity, to reflect his communal nature of goodness, righteousness and justice.  Is this you?  Check yourself:  Do you lack the basic necessities that are needed to sustain life? Examine the luxury items you over-indulge in that hinder your ability (financially and relationally) to serve the poor – gourmet coffee, video games, your Friday night on the town ritual?  Do you spend on yourself till you have nothing left to give, including your time, talent and paycheck?  Perhaps you are overfed.

3.  The city and her inhabitants were unconcerned.  They showed a lack of worry or interest.  Is this you?  Check yourself:  When was the last time you thought about someone who is poor?  Do you know a poor person by name? When was the last time you prayed for the needy, suffering and dying?  Can you consider a person who is materially poor to be your friend?  Have you served someone who is needy in the last week?  Perhaps you are unconcerned.

Honest reflection is difficult because we must own the reality that we are deeply sinful.  Do you exceed the guilt of Sodom?  Confess to the Lord your arrogance, gluttony, and lack of concern for the poor and needy.  Mere confession, however is not repentance.  You must turn from your wicked ways.  Christian, you must turn from your sin.  You must turn from your ways and walk in God’s.  There is wonderful news – that those who are in Christ are new creations – there is not only forgiveness of sin, but power that leads to right concern, motivation, and action.  If you are in Christ, then God’s Spirit will warm your heart and affections toward the poor and needy.  For that is what we all are, poor and needy before a holy and righteous God.

What does repentance look like for you?  How will you tangibly demonstrate God’s care for the poor and needy?

There are many ways to get involved in Seed.  Join us every Monday night at 6:30pm as we love, care for, and visit the sick, unlovely, poor and needy.  You just may discover that your heart burns with delight as you embrace and experience God’s special concern for the poor.

Every week, Sojourner’s gather on Saturday afternoon with Bates Memorial Baptist Church in Shelby Park to serve meals to poor families.  Not only do they serve meals, but there is ample opportunity to get to know these families and share laughs or perhaps more often, share their tears.

Saturday was a special Saturday at Bates CDC on Jackson Street. God transformed a heart of stone in a gentleman that Brother Gill had been sharing Christ with for quite some time, praise be to God!  We celebrated with this gentleman as he has put his trust and hope in Jesus Christ.

It was a fresh reminder of the power of God at work in the lives of the overlooked. Many of the families that we minister to feel invisible as many people pass by without acknowledging their presence. Families tell me that they experience more pain and frustration in their loneliness, isolation and rejection than the difficulties of figuring out how to afford healthcare, get meaningful employment, and find adequate shelter.  What they tell me is that they need meaningful friendships and relationships more than a handout and a warm meal.

So it is in this case.  A man we have been journeying with for some time now knows God personally.  He stopped being a stranger to us long ago.  As we got to know him – his struggles, his fears – we came to love him.  And huge part of loving him was not only to feed him, but to help him see his need for Christ.  So yesterday we celebrated! It is truly the Holy Spirit alone that could prompt such a suffering soul to receive God’s grace. There is a harvest to be had on Saturday afternoons! If you’re eager to share Good News in Word and deed, come check it out.

David Taliaferro, the writer of this blog, can be reached at david.taliaferro@summitenergy.com.  Join him and a team of Sojourner’s every Saturday morning at 11:30am-2:00pm at Bates Memorial CDC located at 1228 S. Jackson Street.

I think it’s fair to say that many of our attitudes toward the poor are mostly disdain and fear. Sometimes there is a suspicion that their condition is their own fault, that they are simply lazy or inferior. Some of us are more kind-hearted, but prefer not to look at the poor too closely, because it is depressing, and they are surely not fun people to be with.

These attitudes are a world away from God’s attitudes, as described in the bible. Neediness arouses compassion in God– and action.  Ephesians 2:1-10 tells us that we were once dead in sin, but were made alive in Christ because of God’s great mercy.  God acted.  Christ became poor so that we may become rich (2 Cor 8:9).  Because God acted and raised us from the dead, we are now God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to act – to do good works.  Therefore, may the neediness around us arouse in us a godly compassion for the poor and let us not shrink back from action.