It Matters To God How We Treat People

No matter what the issue of the day, if you are follower of Christ, here are some words of wisdom from God's Word.

Those who are "strangers in our land" are loved and valued by God. Therefore, if we are a follower of Christ, we are called, by God, to value them.

It MATTERS to God how we treat people individually and as a nation. 

Leviticus 19:33-34 and 24:22 – When the alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
Deuteronomy 10:18-19 – “For the Lord your God...loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 27:19 – “Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien…of justice.”
Jeremiah 7:5-7 – “If you do not oppress the alien…then I will dwell with you in this place…”
Jeremiah 22:3-5 – Do no wrong or violence to the alien.
Malachi 3:5 – The messenger will bear witness against those who thrust aside the alien.
Matthew 25:31-46 – “…I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
Romans 12:13 – “Mark of the true Christian: “…Extend hospitality to strangers…”
Hebrews 13:2 "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."
Ephesians 4:31-32 "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Why Help All People

A friend brought up a good question. I have seen this question floating around Facebook all weekend. As a community minister through our Baptist associations and churches for over 30 years, I feel I am qualified to answer this question, so here goes.

How are we supposed to help people from other nations if we are not even taking care of those in need in our own country(paraphrased)? 

Here is my answer.
It is not an either/or question. We do both. We don't need to depend on our government to do it all. The system can't handle that. So....churches, non profits and individuals need to step up and do it. Many are but if you are not, come on over and join in the beautiful but messy world of serving others.
I am going to answer this through the lens of Christianity but it can be applied to all people who care for others.
1. The Bible commands those who are followers of Christ to help those in need. Period. There should be no discussion on that. If you believe that the Bible is TRULY GOD'S WORD, then you need to follow what God says about helping others. We are to love all people, no matter where they are from or what circumstances they are in. Period.
2. If you don't know where to begin, ask someone(like me)who knows where there is need.
3. Change the lens in which you see people. If you only see others as needy or a burden, then you are going to treat them that way. When you see EVERY HUMAN BEING as a creation of God, then you will be able to help others in a way that builds them up to do what they need to do.
4. Stop lamenting over what the government isn't doing and go do it yourself. YES. ONE PERSON can make a difference. Go volunteer somewhere that you have a passion or compassion for and help. There are many churches and organizations who would LOVE your helping hands.
5. Change the way you speak about social issues. They are real to the people who are dealing with whatever the issue is. The words out of our mouths reflect what is in our hearts. (that is in the Bible by the way). Just because you may not have had that experience does not mean you have license to criticize their circumstances. Jesus talks about looking at and hearing others through God's eyes. (Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord).
6. If you are believer and follower of Christ, you don't have to live in fear. If you are nudged to do something, then do it with faith and trust in the Lord. If He guides you to it, He will guide you through it.
7. Expand your world. As a Christian, our immediate family cannot be our only "world". Our church family cannot be our only "world". We have to look outside ourselves, get involved and bring hope to a world who desperately needs the hope we say we have.
8. Not everyone is called to the same "compassion ministry" but we are all called to love and care for others. If you are a follower of Christ, it is part of who you are as a Christian. It is all over the Bible to care for the foreigner, the orphan and the widow(and many more). Not a suggestion, a command.

Will our nation EVER solve all the social issues of its time? NO.
Will we as churches or individuals? NO.
BUT....we have to keep doing something. Complaining, arguing and lamenting leads us to do nothing and then we start feeling helpless, angry and bitter. And then nothing is done and people continue to hurt.

And to be clear, the Bible NEVER says "God helps those who help themselves". NEVER. In fact, it says this: "........Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood(ALL of your neighbors). Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously." (Matthew 10:5-8 Message)
If, we as individuals, who make up this nation, were to get involved in one thing AND LIVE generously, then we can see change in the people we serve. They will see the HOPE and LIGHT that Christ gives freely---in us.
Believe me, after being in ministry for over 30 years, these issues can easily wear on you but the thing that keeps me going is that our hope is in Christ, not others, not the government. EVERYONE who says that they are a follower of Christ is CALLED to serve.
If you would like to talk more, message me and we can get together. I would love to help you explore ways that you and your church can make a difference in this city, this state, this nation and this world.
Galatians 5:13
"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love." NIV

To My White Christian Friends

 reposted from Praying for Greater Montgomery page 9/20/2016

Ezekiel 36:26   "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

In Montgomery, in Alabama and in our country, we still wrestle with race issues. People are still treated unjustly, they are targeted and profiled and we continue to not want to acknowledge that, as white Christians, that there is still a problem and it does exist in the Greater Montgomery area.   This post is specifically for the white followers of Christ on this page.

 ALL of us have the ability to be prejudiced. We do. Why? Because we are all sinful. BUT...the good news is that BECAUSE OF CHRIST, the sin of prejudice CAN be overcome. Those of us who are WHITE Christians need to be aware that because our skin is not DARK, we really have NO CLUE the full ramifications of the ongoing prejudice in our city, our state and our country.  We can't say "I know how you feel". We don't and we are fooling ourselves if we think we do." 

It is WRONG to make light of our black brothers and sisters concerns and pain as they see people weekly(sometimes daily)be shot or profiled. We don't know what it is like to fear that when your children go out of the house that they might be shot or profiled or the worse scenario, killed. We don't know. It is a lie to say we do.

So what do we do as White Followers of Christ?
We pray.
We ask the Lord for insight.
We ask the Lord to show us our prejudices.
We ask for forgiveness and we turn around from what we were doing(repent)..      I John1:9 
 We go to our neighbors/friends/family and confess that we don't know what it truly feels like but that we are willing to stand beside them/walk beside them and do what we can do to change things which includes SPEAKING UP for what is wrong. That off the cuff joke, that added, my "black" friend, etc. Those are things we MUST change. Jesus would never tolerate that. We must change our language, our thoughts, our actions if we are to claim to be FOLLOWERS of CHRIST in this city. WE MUST BE DIFFERENT!

We have talked about "heart change" and the ongoing issues that are in the Greater Montgomery area. THIS is a way to have that HEART CHANGE in our own lives.

PRAY PRAY PRAY for our own hearts to be changed toward what is happening today and ask for ways to begin to build bridges not walls with our neighbor.

READ BELOW:
From former pastor of McGehee Road Baptist, Greg Murks.

With another black man, Terence Crutcher, having been shot and killed by police in Tulsa, Oklahoma our Facebook feeds are once again alive with posts - people stating opinions that fall on different sides of what continues to be a tragic and complex issue in our society. Every time there is a shooting like this - either the shooting of policeman in the line of duty or the shooting of a black person by the police, lines and sides form. These same lines form every time a person makes a social statement about these things - the current issue being statements made during the playing of our National Anthem. With all this in mind, and my heart struggling to keep up, I have decided to make the following commitments:

* I commit to seek to hear and see both sides of the story and not simply hear or view these things through my predetermined lens (which is by definition, prejudging, hence, prejudice) - I do desire to see these things through the eyes of Jesus.
* I commit to not rush to judgment because of what I see reported by the media or posted on social media, especially if the information is from a source that is clearly slanted in support of a particular viewpoint.
* I commit to communicate and demonstrate love and value to persons of a different race, perhaps the simplest way being listening to their perspective (and not simply choosing people who I already know see things the way I do)
* I commit to not bury my head in the sand, which, quite frankly, tends to be the easy path, and to not pass judgment on those who protest in order to arouse people's attention.
* I commit to weep with those who weep - whether it be African American families who have lost loved ones, families of police who have died in the line of duty, or all who die a little on the inside because someone who represents them has died in senseless violence - I will not be dismissive of their pain.
* I commit to only take the side of Christ with a clear understanding that He has a greater purpose that transcends and overrules my personal agendas and perspectives.

Some of these commitments will not be easy to keep. Pray for me as I seek to keep these commitments as I will pray for you as you seek a similar path!
In Christ's love,
Greg