Christian Mission and Poverty

Resources for Application

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Notes

Forty Days of Focus: For over fifteen centuries millions of believers have annually prepared for Easter with a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and special attention to the poor (almsgiving). Consider adopting an increased emphasis on care for the poor each Lent leading up to Easter. Perhaps re-reading Christian Mission and Poverty could become part of your annual Lenten discipline? Perhaps money saved from fasting from food can be invested in care for the poor in your community? If not during Lent, when does your community conduct an annual audit of its care for the poor? Tithing is a great place to begin to battle the seduction of the love of money (1 Tim 6:10). An annual audit of one’s finances can reveal whether we are truly following Jesus in caring for the poor. We must beware becoming like Judas, who talked about the poor loudly while secretly rejecting Jesus in practice (John 12:1−8). What percentage of your annual budget is spent in care for the poor? If care for the poor is a top priority for Jesus, is it also a top priority for you as reflected in your finances?

Almsgiving in Lent

The Tithe

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow , and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

~ Deuteronomy 10:17−18

Followers of Jesus participate in his proclamation of good news to the poor in word and deed. This participation is especially aimed at embracing widows, orphans, and immigrants with the good news about a God who loves them. Individuals and churches pursuing participation