We are seeing an increase of panhandling in our towns/cities and now even in some of our churches. I have personally witnessed this at several churches on the west coast recently.
So what does the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy say? And as you read think about these three things: Who, How, and What. Emphasis supplied.
“But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother” (Mark 3:35/Matt 12:48-50).
“But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:17-18).
“If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?” (James 2:15-16).
“Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him…. Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things” (Matt 6: 8, 31-32).
Give us this day our daily bread (Matt 6:11).
“If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth…. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land” (Deut 15: 7-11).
Honour widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to shew piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God. Now she that is a widow indeed, and desolate, trusteth in God, and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day….Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man, Well reported of for good works; if she have brought up children, if she have lodged strangers, if she have washed the saints' feet, if she have relieved the afflicted, if she have diligently followed every good work. But the younger widows refuse: for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry” (1 Tim 5:3-5, 9-11).
“As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Gal 6: 10).
“And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need” (Acts 2:44-45).
“And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;…I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth” (Luke 11:5-8).
“If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee” (Pro 25: 21-22).
“Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth” (Eph 4:28).
“Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me” (Mark 10: 21).
“For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2Thess 3:10).
“But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (1Tim 5:8).
Testimony
We had yet another incident at our small church with people claiming to be Adventist asking for large (as in hundreds of dollars supposedly for rent... and a thousand dollar plus supposedly car repair) financial assistance. Are our other churches having the same problem or are we the only unlucky ones out here in California? These people show up with little kids in tow (sympathy getters) with the women all decked with jewelry and nice clothes and the men are in sweat pants and T-shirts.
I was in the Sacramento area last year visiting with a family friend, and a man in the same attire and same looking nationality came in doing the SAME THING! I was informed that some Muslims will hit up churches for money claiming to be Adventists in need. I just really think that it might be beneficial to all of us if this could be put out there as a warning to our sister churches. God bless!!!!
“I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need….But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philip 4:12, 19).
“Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise…. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:30-36).
“Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:34-35).
“Men may have boundless wealth; yet if they are not rich toward God, if they have no interest to secure to themselves the heavenly treasure and divine wisdom, they are counted fools by their Creator, and we leave them just where God leaves them. Labor is a blessing. It is impossible for us to enjoy health without labor. {3T 154.2} {HR, July 1, 1873 par. 6}
“Useful physical labour is a part of the Gospel. The great Teacher, when enshrouded in the pillar of cloud, gave direction that every youth should learn a trade. Thus, the people would be enabled to earn their own bread. And knowing how hard it was to obtain money, they would not spend their means foolishly” {AUCR, December 1, 1899 par. 1}.
"Those who gave also erred, not being particular to inquire into the necessities of the case, whether there was actual need or not. Those who had means were thrown into great perplexity. One brother was much hurt by too much means being put into his hands. He did not study economy, but lived extravagantly, and in his travels laid out money here and there to no profit... {EW 93.3}
“Their unwise management affects the church. It takes means from the treasury of God which should have been used to advance the cause of present truth. If these poor brethren take a humble course and are willing to be advised and counseled by their brethren, and are then brought into straitened places, the brethren should feel it a duty to cheerfully help them out of difficulty. But if they choose their own course, and rely upon their own judgment, they should be left to feel the full consequences of their unwise course, and learn by dear experience that "in multitude of counselors there is safety" {1T 224.4}
Testimony
Recently, a couple came into our Church on Sabbath morning, claiming to have car trouble. They said they were Adventists , and needed $600 for repairs. They said they were on their way to Florida. The fellow said “We’re Adventists and you can call my pastor, he will vouch for us. All we want is a loan of $600, we will pay it back as soon as we arrive home. Here’s my driver’s license, you can keep it as proof of my honesty.”
Our church loaned him $600. It’s been almost a year, and we never heard back from him. Maybe they haven’t arrived home yet..
“Jesus honored the poor by sharing their humble condition. From the history of His life we are to learn how to treat the poor. Some carry the duty of beneficence to extremes and really hurt the needy by doing too much for them. The poor do not always exert themselves as they should. While they are not to be neglected and left to suffer, they must be taught to help themselves. {4T 550.3} The cause of God should not be overlooked that the poor may receive our first attention. Christ once gave His disciples a very important lesson on this point. When Mary poured the ointment on the head of Jesus, covetous Judas made a plea in behalf of the poor, murmuring at what he considered a waste of money. But Jesus vindicated the act, saying: "Why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on Me." "Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her." By this we are taught that Christ is to be honored in the consecration of the best of our substance. Should our whole attention be directed to relieving the wants of the poor, God's cause would be neglected. Neither will suffer if His stewards do their duty, but the cause of Christ should come first” {4T 550.4}.
“There are some who give indiscriminately to everyone who solicits their aid. In this they err. In trying to help the needy, we should be careful to give them the right kind of help. There are those who when helped will continue to make themselves special objects of need. They will be dependent as long as they see anything on which to depend. By giving undue time and attention to these, we may encourage idleness, helplessness, extravagance, and intemperance” {6T 277.4}.
“When we give to the poor we should consider: "Am I encouraging prodigality? Am I helping or injuring them?" No man who can earn his own livelihood has a right to depend on others” {6T 278.1}
“The proverb, "The world owes me a living," has in it the essence of falsehood, fraud, and robbery. The world owes no man a living who is able to work and gain a living for himself. But if one comes to our door and asks for food, we should not turn him away hungry. His poverty may be the result of misfortune” {6T 278.2}.
“Men and women of God, persons of discernment and wisdom, should be appointed to look after the poor and needy, the household of faith first. These should report to the church and counsel as to what should be done” {6T 278.4}.
“Instead of encouraging the poor to think that they can have their eating and drinking provided free or nearly so, we should place them where they can help themselves. We should endeavor to provide them with work, and if necessary teach them how to work….We are to educate the poor to become self-reliant. This will be true help, for it will not only make them self-sustaining, but will enable them to help others” {6T 278.5}.
“If they are poor, and in need of food and clothing, we should minister to their temporal as well as their spiritual wants. Thus we may be a double blessing to them. He who, in love and tenderness, had helped a needy soul may at another time be in need of compassionate words of hope and courage. Then the one who has been helped should in turn manifest loving, patient interest in him who is in need of help. Our daily prayer should be, "Help us to help each other, Lord; each other's woes to bear" {RH, January 31, 1899 par. 7}.
Summary
In summary, our help is to consist of supplying basic physical needs: Food, Clothing, Water. If there is family, the needs should be supplied by them and not fall onto the church. We are to do good to all but especially the household of faith. And even their situation should be carefully investigated as to need. We should never be found guilty of “helping,” aka enabling, someone to their injury.
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philip 4:19).
Further reading:
{COL 51.3} {EW 93.1-3} {1T 480-481} {1T 641.1}{6T 277-279} {RH, February 21, 1893 par. 6} {RH, August 21, 1894 par. 7} {RH, April 16, 1908 par. 3}
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