As I consider this I have no doubt that the following will ramble, but here goes.

A homeless man came to my office today looking for a place to stay and food. I called but the agencys would not accept him saying they were full. I asked about food. They were full. 2 of the ladies in my office said call the catholic center on campus. I did. Their response was, I'll be there in about 4 1/2 minutes. He made a joke about not speeding and hung up. I saw this young man when he arrived. He went to the unkept, homeless man with his hand extended,a big smile, put him in his van and drove off.

The people in my office know this young man on a first name basis because of his good works. They spent some time talking about the good things he has done in the past. An officer came in. He began telling me what a good man this young man is. He is known throughout the community for his kindness. He feeds the hungry, gives drink to those that are thirsty, cares for the sick, etc.

Which brings up my concern.I think I must be somewhere between Link's view on not owning buildings, etc. and those who go to the other extreme of spending to much on such things. I feel very strongly that the church as a whole falls far short on ministering to the needs of others. I know I do. I realize I am basing my judgment on my area since it is the area I am familar with.

1. Does the love of our neighbor that Christ tells us about include food, water, housing, compassion.

2. Is this also something that will help lead others to Christ.

3. Do we place enough emphasis on this.

4. Are we, ( the church ) spending to much on self and not enough on others.

5. Who receives the greater blessing. The one who receives or the one that gives. I think I know the answer to that one.

After more than 20 years as a cop I could go on with experences of those that take advantage of the giving of others. Perhaps it boils down to being a good steward. Know the need and give to those that truly are in need. BUT GIVE, of money and time.

Conclusion. Perhaps more time on the street with the sick than in the building with those that are well. Sometimes we know much but do little.

Any thoughts on this?

-- Anonymous, October 26, 2000

Answers

This is the type story that goes on daily. This is also one thing that is wrong with an institutional Church today, whether it is a Church of Christ or whatever.

I'm not saying this to the writer only here but to all Christians. Did the good Sama. call someone to come help the man who fell among robbers? Did he call for government help? Did he call for Church help? No, he helped, himself. He took from his own pocket.

Once in a congregation here in Houston a man went to the *Church* for help. I was standing there with a sack of groc. for their ben. building. The man was told by the one in charge of ben. that he would have to come back on Wed, which was their ben. day. I gave him the sack I was holding.

Another time a person told our class that someone needed diapers for their baby and he sent them to the Church office. After all, he had given for such and he felt it was the Church's business to buy the diapers. Any comparation here with the good Sam.?

Nelta

-- Anonymous, October 26, 2000

'At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge,' said the gentleman, taking up a pen, 'it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir.'

'Are there no prisons?' asked Scrooge.

'Plenty of prisons,' said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.

'And the Union workhouses.' demanded Scrooge. 'Are they still in operation?'

'They are. Still,' returned the gentleman,' I wish I could say they were not.'

'The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?' said Scrooge.

'Both very busy, sir.'

'Oh. I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course,' said Scrooge. 'I'm very glad to hear it.'

'Under the impression that they scarcely furnish Christian cheer of mind or body to the multitude,' returned the gentleman, 'a few of us are endeavouring to raise a fund to buy the Poor some meat and drink, and means of warmth. We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices. What shall I put you down for?'

'Nothing!' Scrooge replied.

'You wish to be anonymous?'

'I wish to be left alone,' said Scrooge. 'Since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer. I don't make merry myself at Christmas and I can't afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned-they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there.'

'Many can't go there; and many would rather die.'

'If they would rather die,' said Scrooge, 'they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. Besides-excuse me-I don't know that.'

'But you might know it,' observed the gentleman.

'It's not my business,' Scrooge returned. 'It's enough for a man to understand his own business, and not to interfere with other people's. Mine occupies me constantly. Good afternoon, gentlemen!'

-- Anonymous, October 27, 2000

Matthew 25:37-40 "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 needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

Yes, the church as a whole DOES fall quite short of this. Too busy with the ministering "unto the saints" through various and multiple programs....mostly in our Western church, that is!

-- Anonymous, October 27, 2000

Brethren:

I do not want to pour water on this mutual condemnation of our failings in these areas that you all describe. Those who disobey God in these things are no different that those who disobey him in other matters.

In fact, it seems that this is only a secondary stage of the result of the false doctrine of salvation by "faith only". For it is in this very connection that James makes clear to us that we are NOT justified by faith only. Read James 2:14-26 and you will find that he ask a very appropriate question. If we say to those who are hungry, "depart in peace be ye warmed and filled nevertheless you give them not those things which are needful to the body what doeth it profit? Even so faith if it hath not works is dead, being alone." We seem to have learned that faith without works cannot bring us salvation from our sins and have failed to gather that faith without works is also not a profitable basis for living a faithful Christian life. The false doctrine of faith only makes it not only impossible to obtain salvation in Christ it also makes it impossible to live a Christian life. It is useless to believe in Christ and not do the works that we were created in Him to do. It is useless to believe in Christ if such faith does not move you to obey Him. (Heb. 5:8,9; Matt. 7:21-23).

I must also say that I, for one. Am tired of our foolish efforts to program the church to death! It seems that we have in so many ways forgotten that Christianity is far more an individual faith than a corporate one! We seem to excuse ourselves as parents from our duties to bring our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:1-4) because the church does not have a viable Byouth programB! We seem on too many occasions to excuse ourselves from bringing anyone with us to the worship on Sundays because the church has a Bbus ministryB for that purpose. We seem to often unwilling to encourage young men to aspire to be preachers of the gospel because the church does not have a BTimothy ClassB designed for that purpose! We excuse ourselves far to often not only because the church does not have these programs but we also excuse ourselves from individual action by making sure that the church does, in fact, have these programs. For in this way we can sit back and praise those who work in theses endeavors and brag that the church has so much to offer while we as individuals have no program to tell the dying world what Christ our blessed Lord has to offer all men! May God in heaven make us aware of this miserable state of affairs among us and may we repent immediately of these sins and transform ourselves by offering ourselves as a Bliving sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service.B (Romans 12:1,2)

However true this is, I want to tell you that it is not the truth in regard to all those who are members of Christ's Church in this nation. There is a congregation here in Atlanta and one that I am aware of in Alabama that a large percentage of the members have adopted orphan Children and taken them into their homes to raise as their very own because of their faith. They do not believe in building an institutionalized home to care for these orphans. And each congregation simply contribute a small sum each month to support it and thereby all individual Christians can feel that they have, by simply being members of such congregations, obeyed the command of God to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction. It would be difficult indeed to find sectarian denominations that have such a large percentage of their individual members that have actually adopted Children in order to do the work that Christ gave them to do. So, you can easily speak as if the church of Christ has failed miserably in this area, and you may be right concerning a majority of Christians in America. But I want you to be aware that you are not right if you mean that the Christians in America have TOTALLY failed in this area of service to their Lord and their fellow man.

Your Brother in Christ,

E. Lee Saffold

-- Anonymous, November 13, 2000

Lee

As I read your post your opening statement seems to indicate that we are in disagreement. After having read the complete post it seems to me we are much in agreement. Perhaps there is something I'm missing. One place we may disagree is concerning orphans. I think the best way would be for the children to be adopted but I also think those that support a childrens home are to be commended.

Also in my original post I stated that my experence was within my area. Although I do not doubt there is room for improvement elsewhere.

I can not say all programs, pizza parties, etc. are bad. Nor do I want to. I guess my concern is that the church be faithful to Christ, by loving our neighbor, by sharing the good news with him and ALSO meeting his needs, food, clothing, listening to him. I believe this is a way multitudes can be won. Again, we need more effort outside the building. My greatest concern is winning the lost and I feel this would improve our results.

I have no doubt that there are many congregations doing great. Even in those congregations that are weak there seems always to be those that are faithful. Those persons that just need strong leadership.

This is a very brief statement on a most important subject.

-- Anonymous, November 14, 2000

I don't believe our failing is in having youth nights, pizza parties, etc. Our failing is in not utilizing these activities effectively. We have created ample opportunities, and we have blown them by being afraid to teach our kids the hard truths of Scripture. We have too long been preaching to our children (and ourselves!) a namby-pamby milquetoast Christ who winks and nods at our failures, rather than calling us to holiness and calling us to account when we are disobedient.

-- Anonymous, November 14, 2000

Brother Faris:

You have said:

"One place we may disagree is concerning orphans. I think the best way would be for the children to be adopted but I also think those that support a childrens home are to be commended."

I want to say that we do not disagree here in the least. I certianly commend those who do anything to support the orphans. My concern was was with the way in which these programs are often used to avoid the individual responsibility to care for orphans and widows. One does not always have to adopt an orphan to help an orphan. In fact, I have seen individuals in the church actually help those who have adoped orphans to provide for them in a variety of ways.

My problem with many of the "programs" of the churches is the apparent effort to avoid individual responsibility to act. Corporate efforts are meaningless when they arise from a group of people who are not in the least concerned or active as individuals to help those in need. If we are all doing everything that we possibly can as individuals and we recognize that the corporate effort of all of our individual action will produce a greater result then our joint efforts would be a far more sensible and effective endeavor. But so long as we have programs only to make it appear that we are genuinely concerned as individuals. While simultaneously acepting the fact that we cast a few dollars into the pot satisfies our individual obligations. We will be destroyed by such programs becase they have then become a means of pretense and sham that gives us all the illusion of working for Christ when the truth is that we are not being obedient to his commands at all. WE are each severally stones in the building of God and we must each bear the weight that presses down upon that portion of the building where God has placed us. We cannot be "hallow stones" unable to bear the stress of this divine structure and expect that the house of God will stand firm in the place where we serve.

I just want you to know that we are not really in disagreement about the support of orphans. I beleive that you would agree with me that those who adopt them and give their lives and fortunes to support and sutain them in a good home with loving parents who teach them of God and His word daily are surely "visiting the fatherless" in a way that is most effective. This is not a work that all of us can do therefore we can and must find other ways to support them, one of which might be suporting as individuals an orphan's home or even a home that has taken orphans into it. But surely you would agree that the purpose of the institutionalized orphan's home is to make up for the fact that there is not enough people who will take them into their own homes to raise them. Would it not be wonderful indeed if the institutionalized orphans homes went out of business because so many Christians took orphans into their homes to give them a real family instead of an institutional substitue for the families that they lost? I think it would be wonderful indeed while I am thankful than since such is not a reality some faithful brethren have sought to care for them in the best way that they can. I am saddened that the best we seem to be able to do is put them in an institution. And is this the case because we are not willing to provide real homes or is it because we are just unable to do it? This is a question the we should think hard about before we immediately chose the latter answer. If we were to study the reality we might find answers that reflect poorly upon the strength of our faith and commitment to the Lord as well as our genuine concern for the lost and our fellow man.

I do commend those who help orphan homes. But I am concerned about the reasons these institutions must exist when there are plenty of homes available to care for these orphans in the environment of a real family.

I hope that you understand my meaning and my intent in saying these things. I am only asking that we reflect upon our "convienient form of Christianity" in this country and ask ourselves honestly if we are as committed to Christ as we often imagine that we are? I cannot answer the question for others. I can only ask it of myself and others and hope that we will face the truth about it and if action is needed to correct ourselves. I pray that we will be moved by compassion and faith in Christ to act as we know the scriptures teach us to act. May God lead us through His word to have pure religion undefiled before Him.(James 1:27)

Your Brother in Christ,

E. Lee Saffold

-- Anonymous, November 14, 2000

Lee

You have said what I wanted to say much better than I could ever say it. We do agree.

Faris

-- Anonymous, November 15, 2000