Over the past few weeks, there has been an underlying theme in various sermons presented by a variety of pastors. I believe this theme is God’s call to work for the end of poverty
The first was Charlie Robinson of NorthRidge Church speaking on God’s heart and our need to have a heart transformation. By having a heart transformation, we are called to
- Love what God loves
- Hate what God hates
- See the world as he sees it
- See people as he sees them
- Be passionate about his plan
- Do not sell out to anyone, anything or to any other philosophy that weakens ones heart against God’s desire
In discussing the sermon afterwards, I was asked what God hates. My response was that God hates injustice. I stated that the Bible is full of passages calling on God’s people to care for widows, orphans and the poor.
The second message with an underlying theme that God’s church should be working to end poverty was by Perry Noble of NewSpring. While speaking on Exodus 22 and 23 where God calls us to return to him a portion (tithe) of what he has blessed us with, Perry made the following statement:
If every person in America tithed, we could feed and educate every human being on the planet and still have 70 billion to advance his kingdom.
The third and most direct message was presented to Church of the Resurrection by Dr. Jim Wallis where he called for a ‘Justice Revival’ – to love God and end poverty. Stating that God is with us, he quoted Bono who said
The one thing on which we can all agree, all faiths and ideologies, is that God is with the vulnerable and poor.
God is in the slums, in the cardboard box where the poor play house.
God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives.
God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war.
God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them.
Wallis went on to discuss a question he was asked by Gordon Brown,
We have the knowledge, resources, technology and information to end extreme poverty but lack the moral and political will to do it — and that’s your job isn’t it, in the churches?
As Christians, we are called to be a people of hope. Wallis defined hope as believing in spite of evidence and watching the evidence change. Thru our churches, we are being called to put our faith into action and change the course of history in regards to poverty.
Faith — prompts — Hope — creates — Action — makes — Change
Make Poverty History
