Matthew 25:34-40

“The King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit 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 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.’”

Cape Town Contrasts

In his book The Hole in Our Gospel, Richard Stearns, president of World Vision U.S., cites a speech by Jimmy Carter in which the former president labeled the growing gap between the rich and the poor as the greatest problem of our time. Stearns then recalls a visit to Cape Town (which included a visit to Living Hope’s ministries) that gave him new perspective on Carter’s statement. He writes:

We also built in a couple of days to do some sightseeing – but found it difficult to enjoy it. Cape Town is one of the few places in the world where the worst imagined poverty and the most opulent wealth live together, sometimes just fifty yards apart. In the shadows of the luxury homes, high-rise hotels, wineries and upscale shopping malls lie acre upon acre of rundown shantytowns reeling with hunger, poverty, crime, disease, and despair, and populated by hundreds of thousands of broken-down human beings. … For me it was a microcosm of the “chasm” President Carter had described. How can the rich and the middle class live like this, I wondered, forced to see the stark contrast between themselves and the desperately poor every single day?

  

They do exactly what you and I do. They ignore them. The only difference is that it is easier for us to ignore the world’s poor because they are “over there.”

Stearns’ take on the rich-poor gap in Cape Town is spot-on, as are numerous other observations he makes as he wrestles with the question, “What does God expect of us?” when it comes to dealing with the poor. Stearns’ organization, World Vision, is doing heroic humanitarian work around the globe. For further insight, I highly recommend his book, royalties from which are benefitting World Vision’s work with children in need. To get involved with World Vision, check out www.worldvision.org. And for a further look at some of Cape Town's contrasts, see the images below.

Haves vs. Have-Nots, Part 1

 

 

Haves vs. Have-Nots, Part 2

Haves vs. Have-Nots, Part 3

Haves vs. Have-Nots, Part 4

Life-Changing Message

Following up on my most recent post, I’m here to report the Spirit continues to move in Red Hill. Last week, six boys gave their hearts to the Lord; on Monday, three more followed. Not that this is a scorekeeping exercise, but it’s exciting to realize that in the past month 12 kids have come to know Christ as their Savior.

Some who read this might wonder, “What’s the big deal? Jesus died for our sins, so we’re all going to heaven, right?” But following Christ requires a personal commitment. The Bible says until a person takes that step and receives Him into their heart by faith, they are an enemy of God (Colossians 1:21).

Some skeptics accuse believers of pushing their faith on others, claiming they aren’t being respectful to those who believe differently. But as recorded in John’s eyewitness account, Jesus said He’s the only way to God: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John14:6).

It's possible to respect others while not agreeing with their beliefs. For Christians to say a contrary system is equally valid would not only defy what their leader taught (and thus be hypocritical), it would be cruel if what Jesus said is really true. His followers should be compelled to share God’s message of salvation, in both word and deed. To remain silent and let friends, neighbors and relatives die and spend eternity separated from God is tragic.

That's why the first point in Living Hope's mission statement is “to spread the good news of Jesus Christ in a life-changing way and to encourage people to follow Him.”