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Poverty the Blessing & the Prosperity Curse

on Jan 20, 2012 in Bible Study

Psalm 17:13-14 NASB Deliver my soul from the wicked with Your sword, From men with Your hand, O LORD, From men of the world, whose portion is in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your treasure; NET Use your sword to rescue me from the wicked man! Lord, use your power to deliver me from these murderers, from the murderers of this world! They enjoy prosperity; you overwhelm them with the riches they desire. If you never read it anywhere else, you can read it here. Prosperity and the riches of this world are a curse, not a blessing. Some of that sounds good: to have your belly full of treasure, to have all of the riches you desire, but the context is worldly men or murderers, not the blessed. This fits along with 1 Timothy 6:9 Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction....

Jesus The Poor Naked Felon

on Sep 22, 2011 in Bible Study

Matthew 25:36-40 NET “I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’” http://bible.us/Matt25.36.NET Usually we read this and we see that we should take care of people. That’s right and true. We should. Did you catch who the people are? They are the very people we middle class white folk most want to avoid! * Strangers (not just unknown people, let’s remember the STRANGE in STRANGER) * Naked (read...

Babylonian Commander Nebuzaradan cares for the Poor

on Oct 21, 2008 in Bible Study

Jer. 39:10 But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields. A commander of the Babylonian army sees fit to give land to people that are poor, but the people of Israel did not. They would not celebrate the Sabbath of the Land or return land to the family from which it came in the year of Jubilee. What evil shame Nebuzaradan testified to when he gave the poor in the land vineyards and fields to work.

Jesus and the Ubiquitous Poor

on Sep 23, 2008 in Bible Study

When Jesus said, “You will always have the poor with you.” He was not giving an excuse or being overwhelmed. Many people read this like it’s Jesus’ commentary on how we should care for the poor. “Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’” (Matt 26:10-13 NIV) It’s not a commentary on caring for the poor, it’s about the timing of His death. His death is coming soon, and He won’t always be around. Look at how Mark tells it. ‘The poor you will always have with you, and you...

GO BUY THIS BOOK NOW

on Mar 14, 2008 in Bookstore, Short Quotes, Urbia

Man, I don’t think I’ve read a book that has forced me to re-think and repent from the way I’ve done ministry more than this book. You should go buy it from the local bookstore right now. “Perhaps the greatest poverty of all is having nothing of value to offer the community. I want to believe that no one in my community is that poor.” from Ch. 7, in the context of destroying people’s dignity by giving free handouts. Compassion, Justice, and the Christian Life: Rethinking Ministry to the Poor, by Robert D. Lupton