Foundations for Christian Mission, Student Workbook, SW04

2 1 4 /

F O U N D A T I O N S F O R C H R I S T I A N M I S S I O N

7. Why ought the poor never be patronized but always respected and dignified in all our dealings with them? In what sense is it necessary for those who serve the poor to be confident of God’s ability to transform their condition, as well as for them to become major contributors to the advancement of God’s Kingdom? 8. Explain the statement: “The Church must act in accordance with God’s choice of the poor.” In what sense can we say that God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith (James 2.5)? Why must we always be especially careful to show generosity to strangers and the imprisoned? 9. Why must our caring and ministry to the poor always go beyond meeting surface needs seeking to engage and change structures and relationships that will lead to a more just situation for them? Explain. 10. Why is helping the poor according to God’s standards of shalom the best definition of the “prosperity Gospel?” What can we be confident that God will do on our behalf if we truly sacrifice ourselves on behalf of the poor? In the teaching of Jesus material possessions are not regarded as evil, but as dangerous. The poor are often shown to be happier than the rich, because it is easier for them to have an attitude of dependence upon God. It was to them that he came to preach the gospel (Luke 4.18; 7.22). It is they who are the first to be blessed and to be assured of the possession of the Kingdom of God (Luke 6.20), if their poverty is the acknowledgment of spiritual bankruptcy (Matt. 5.3). A poor person’s offering may be of much greater value than a rich man’s (Mark 12.41–44). The poor must be shown hospitality (Luke 14.12–14), and given alms (Luke 18.22), though charity was to be secondary to worship (John 12.1–8). The early Church made an experiment in the communal holding of wealth (Acts 2.41–42; 4.32). This led at first to the elimination of poverty (Acts 4.34–35), but it has often been held that it was responsible for the later economic collapse of the church at Jerusalem. Much of the ministry of Paul was concerned with raising money in the Gentile churches to assist the poor Christians in Jerusalem (Rom. 15.25–29; Gal. 2.10). These churches were also taught to provide for their own poor members (Rom. 12.13, etc.). James is especially vehement against those who allowed distinctions of wealth in the Christian community (James 2.1–7). The The Poor in the NT

4