The World at Our Doorstep

Do you ever ponder the question, “What are my obligations as a believer?”

To what extent are we called to be our brother’s keeper?  Some time ago, I was having a discussion with a fellow believer about our obligations to the poor.  The passage we were speaking on in particular is found in Luke 16:19-31

   In this piece of scripture, Jesus tells a story about a certain rich man, who lived in luxury everyday.  He wore fine clothes and had plenty to eat.  At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus.  Lazarus lay there day after day, just hoping to get some of the rich man’s table scraps.  Eventually, they both died.  The poor man ended up with father Abraham, and the rich man descended down to Hades.

  During our discussion, I made mention of the fact that this poor man laid at the gates of the rich man day after day, waiting for scraps.  I don’t believe that we are required to change the world, but I believe firmly that we are called to meet the needs that are presented to us. 

  The response I got went something like this;

“Yes.  But in our day, the world is so much smaller.  The things that we do here can affect people around the world.”

   I don’t know about you, but I’m just not able to change the whole world.  If you are able to have an active presence in Honduras, Haiti, South Africa, Somalia, Ethiopia, Pakistan and India, I’m happy for you.  I truly am.  I for one am not able to meet the needs of every living person around the globe.  Perhaps the lady was right.  Perhaps we are responsible for the whole of the world.  My thinking however remains the same.  We’re responsible to respond to the needs that are brought before us.

   That being said, when the world does show up at your doorstep, then it’s time to deal with the world.  There are times when this very thing comes to pass; where needs from across the globe are brought to our very own doorstep.

   It hasn’t been finalized, but it looks like my old church will be hosting an evening to try and do what they can to help some of the world’s hungriest people in Africa.  It looks like it will be held on Aug 27^th at around 7:00pm.  If there is any interest, I'll try and give more details later.

  I won’t tell you that you’re going to hell if you don’t show up.  It doesn’t quite work that way.  Neither will I hold up Christ’s love for the poor as some example by which to follow.  If we do absolutely nothing to respond to the needs which are brought before us, the problem isn’t our inactivity.  The principle at work looks more like this:

  The lives we live reveal our spiritual identity.

   This is foundational to the Christian faith.  Technically, we aren’t required to do anything.  The question at hand should be as follows;  If we have absolutely no concern for those needs which are brought before us, how can the love of God reside in us?  Jesus didn’t come to show us the way or to teach us the way.  He was, in Himself, the way.  If we have found in Him the way to card carrying citizenship into the kingdom of God, then there will be at least something which cares.  We should at least be willing to look at that sickly man, without turning the channel, closing the window or shutting the door behind us.

  I don’t believe God asks us to do what we cannot do.  Neither does he expect us to deal with needs which have never been brought to our attention.  What He detests, is when we turn a blind eye and when we intentionally avoid looking at and responding to the needs which lie at our very own doorstep.