I saw a post floating around Facebook Land about how people are suffering because of the government shut down. Government employees are not getting paid. Folks are not going to be able to receive their food stamps and tax returns. Eventually, this will cause rioting in the streets.
Before I go on, let me be clear, this is not about the shut down.
This is about the church.
Church, we are responsible for taking care of the poor, the elderly, the widows, the orphans. We are responsible for feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting those in prison, healing the sick. We are responsible for spreading the gospel of the good news that we have been redeemed from the curse of the law, which includes poverty and sickness, and have been received into the kingdom of His dear Son.
Instead of being dependent on an imperfect, man-made system, which is often full of corruption, citizens of our country should have a knowing that they can turn to the church in time of need.
Now, I’m not saying the mess we are in is 100% the church’s fault. We can trace the mess clear back to Adam and the fall of man. Plus, there is a devil running around seeking whom he may devour, and that would include infiltrating a once pretty decent system of power we call the United States Government. I’m pretty sure our founders would be rolling in their graves at what it has become. But they’d also take a good look at the church and say, “What happened? You let Satan run ramp shod all over this nation’s values.”
“How did the church let it happen?” By not using their God-given authority to stop the devil in his tracks. “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19 NKJV
We were too busy having the same problems the rest of the world has to bother concerning ourselves with its downfall. We let the enemy oppress us, keep us down, convince us it’s God’s will to be sick and poor. A large portion of the church has no idea that they have any kind of authority over the fiery darts of the enemy (Ephesians 6:16). They are living in sickness and poverty, lack and oppression, depression and despair. How can we expect to help those in need if our lives are in constant crisis? I have heard Christian after Christian state that they, “would love to give to the poor, but I’m in too much debt and swamped with my own bills to pay.”
That’s not where God wants you to be. There’s a reason He wants above all things that you prosper and be in health (3 John 1:2). First and foremost, because He loves you and wants the best for His children, as any good father would. But also so that you can be a blessing to those around you. God wants you to be a storehouse of goods in order to be a servant to your fellow man. “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house.” Malachi 3:10 NKJV
The first step to helping those in need around you is to get control of your own life. Just like the instructions given by a flight attendant on an airplane- if the plane goes down, put your own oxygen mask on first. You are no good to the poor if you are drowning in debt and sick all the time. Learn to take authority over the serpents in your life. Look to the Word of God for the wisdom and knowledge you need to make it happen.
Then, seek out people to help. Actively find at least one person in your life in which to minister. They are all around you. Be a willing vessel, allowing God to use you to care for His creation. Be the salt and the light you have been called to be in the lives of others. Whether it’s time or money, or both, be willing and able to do as God would have you do. Go where God would have you go.
Church, it is time we stop being luke-warm, half-hearted, baby Christians still feeding on the milk of the Word afraid of getting dirty in the trenches of servanthood. We are to be the salt and light of the world. The world should be looking to us, not the government, for help. The time is now for the church to rise up and take its rightful place in society. It is time to use the authority we have been given by God through Christ’s resurrection to put the enemy in his place. The time is now to be the salt. The time is now to be the light.
In His Service,
Rebecca Hamilton, Founder/ Executive Director
For Every Great Battle, There is a Great Victory!!