TEXT:

‘Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them’ – Matthew 11:4-5

THOUGHT:

I have just returned from Uganda, where the Missions Team conducted 3 conferences for Pastors and Leaders, held in areas not much dissimilar to the time of Jesus. People living in homes with no running water or electricity. Surviving as farming communities by trading in livestock, fruit and vegetables. Uganda has recently been badly affected by a nationwide drought, so it was good to see the rain fall at each venue. People, although having so little of this world’s goods, yet so hungry to hear the Word of God being taught, hour after hour.

• The Poor

Financially – either due to being born into poverty or as a result of waste, as happened to the Prodigal Son (Luke 15).

Physically – due to malnutrition, sickness and disease. Thank God, at each conference people testified to being healed by God’s power through the name of Jesus.

Spiritually – Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ – Matthew 5:3.

Ignorantly – ‘Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing” – and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked’ – Revelation 3:17. They had no idea as to their real standing in the eyes of God.

The Bible states that there will always be poor people in the world – Deuteronomy 15:11. This was re-iterated by Jesus – Matthew 26:11.

• The Gospel

Is ‘Good tidings to the poor’ – Isaiah 61:1. God wants the poor to have hope. The poor were often thought of and told by religious leaders that they were under a curse and therefore rejected by God. So too were people with illness and disability – John 9:2-3, 24.

James reminds us, ‘Has God not chosen the poor?’ – 2:5. He warned the church not to discriminate against the poor in favour of the rich – James 2:1-8. The Bible makes is very clear that the poor have exactly the same rights and privileges spiritually as anyone else as long as they put their faith in Jesus. The Lord Jesus, for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty should become rich in faith and heirs of salvation – 2 Corinthians 8:9.

• Preached to them

Here is the challenge to both church and Christian. Many churches have programmes to raise money to support the poor, but they forget to preach the gospel. We can feed, heal and deliver all without preaching the gospel. What we will do in the Day of Judgment, if the poor turn around and ask, “If the gospel was so important, why did you not tell me about it?”

‘How shall they hear without a preacher?’ – Romans 10:14. Where are the preachers who are willing to go to the poor? Radio & TV are fine ways to communicate the gospel but only to those who have them and electricity. It’s easier to go to the better-off communities, for out of their wealth they can contribute to the cost of going and staying. But the poor cannot do that and any contribution they make is so little compared with the overall budget.

So the one going has to have faith that God will prosper and raise financial support from other people, so as to enable him to continue to reach out to the poor. Jesus said, ‘Go into all the world’ – Mark 16:15. What part of your community is your church not reaching out into? There are spiritually poor people there too, who deserve to hear the gospel.

Finally stop for a minute and look around at all you have. We have so much, especially in the Western world. Yet how much of what you have, can you take to heaven? Jesus urges us to, ‘Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven’ – Matthew 6:20. Have you stored anything up there yet? It’s not too late to start doing do. Challenge the people in your church to do likewise.

Why not go on a Missions trip yourself? Many have done so late in life and found them both rewarding and invigorating for their faith. If, however you are not so adventuresome, why not support financially and prayerfully those who are reaching out to the poor with the gospel?