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Homeless people are pretty much just like you and me!

By Jeremy Myers
9 Comments

Homeless people are pretty much just like you and me!

homeless neighborWhen I was a kid, “homeless” meant that you had lost your job and couldn’t pay your rent so you took turns living with relatives until you found a job. No one I knew lived on the street, under a bush, or in a tent in a canyon. I had never heard of such a thing.

When I grew up, I got married and moved to California where I discovered that there were people literally living in the street, under bridges, and in the canyons surrounding our city.

One fine summer day I decided to go to my favorite beach to soak up some rays. When I arrived I ran into an old friend I hadn’t seen since the previous year.

“Hey Rick. I haven’t seen you around.”

“Yeah, I kind of fell off the map. I lost my job last fall and couldn’t find another one. I lost my apartment and ended up on the street.”

“You didn’t have a place to live?” I asked.

“No. I was living in a sleeping bag under a bridge behind the Warehouse restaurant and spending the day in a park a couple of miles away.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. I’m serious. But it’s worse than that. I almost died in January.”

“You did? What happened?”

“Remember that ice storm we had?” Rick asked.

“Yes, I remember.”

“I was at the park when it started to rain. By the time I got back to the sleeping bag I had stowed under the bridge I was soaked to the skin. I crawled into the bag and got it wet too. The temperature was dropping and it started sleeting. I started shivering and shaking and couldn’t get warm.”

“That’s terrible. What happened?”

“Sometime during the night I passed out. The next morning someone found me under the bridge and thought I was dead. They called the cops, who checked me and found out I was still alive, but unconscious. The cops called an ambulance and I ended up spending five days in the hospital. They told me I almost died. My body temperature had dropped below what it’s supposed to be to keep you alive.”

I wanted to cry. How could this have happened to my friend? “Rick, you could have stayed at our house!” I told him.

“I lost your phone number. I didn’t want to bother anyone. I thought it would be a temporary thing. When I started sleeping under the bridge it was only getting down in the sixties at night.”

“Are you still living under the bridge?”

“No. Someone I know ran into me in the hospital and he helped me get a job at a fast food place. After I worked there a couple of months I found another job in my field. I’m back in an apartment and doing good now.”

“Wasn’t there some organization or church that could have helped you when you were on the street?”

“There were these people who fed us lunch every day in the park downtown. I’m not sure who they were, but I don’t think they had any place for me to get off the street.”

“They fed us lunch? Who is ‘us’?”

“Me and the other homeless people around here.”
Homeless living under a bridge

“You’re saying there are other homeless people here?”

“Uh huh. Lots of them.”

“Where are they?”

“Living in the cracks where you don’t see them. Go downtown and you’ll walk right by them. Some of them are dressed a little shabby. Some of them look like anyone else. If you really want to meet some of them, go to the park downtown at noon. They’ll be there lined up for lunch.”

I was shocked. Homeless people in my town? How had I missed them?

Rick and I spent a couple of hours lying in the sun and talking. That evening at dinner I told Rick’s story to my wife.

After that, we didn’t think much more about it.

A couple of years later a friend asked if I could prepare lunch one day the following week for the homeless. The idea made me uncomfortable. What if I caught a disease from one of them? What would I do if one of them wanted money, or wanted to stay at my house?

feeding homeless peopleReluctantly, I agreed to make lunch for about sixty people. I was about as enthusiastic as I would have been if I had been planning to go to Calcutta to visit the slums. I did not know what to expect when I would actually meet sixty homeless people.

When the day to feed the homeless arrived, the people I met, people who had been unknown and faceless to me suddenly were sitting beside me as we shared stew, bread, and cherry cobbler.

I had expected filthy, stinking drunks with whiskey bottles in their hands and baggies of weed in their pockets.

Instead, the homeless people I met were not that much different from a lot of people I knew.

Some were poorly dressed. Some carried a backpack and sleeping bag. A few had shopping carts filled with their belongings. Several were probably under the influence of drugs or perhaps alcohol. But most of them looked and acted like I thought I might look and act if I were down on my luck.

How can I help people like these? Should I even be helping them? Maybe helping them just encourages them to continue living under bridges. I don’t have the resources to help them get into permanent housing. Shouldn’t the government take care of them?

“Thanks man,” one man said after finishing his lunch. “I want to let you know how much I appreciate this. This is the only time I’ll eat today and you gave me plenty to fill my stomach until tomorrow.” Many of the people who ate the lunch I had prepared said “Thank you, the food was good.” They had good manners, were respectful, well-spoken, and kind.

The homeless people were not that dissimilar to me.

This was quite a shock to me, and I began to ask questions that changed my view of homeless people forever.

How did these people end up on the street?

Do I know people who have ended up on the street?

Do I know people who are in danger of losing their homes?

I thought the poor and homeless lived in large cities like New York and Los Angeles. How many live in my own “backyard”?

Something I had heard somewhere popped into my mind: “If just a cup of water I place within your hand, then just a cup of water is all that I demand.”

I can’t give what I don’t have. But I do have a cup of water and I like these people. That’s a good place to start.

I knew that while I couldn’t save them all, and maybe I couldn’t even save any, I could at least give them a warm meal, a cup of water, or a new pair of socks.

But how do I figure out who among the homeless needs the most help? And how can I determine what the best way is for me to help?

In the following posts we will look at how my wife and I along with a few friends have been answering those questions.

Until then, what sorts of questions do you have about loving the homeless? Leave your questions in the comment section.

There is so much need in the world!

And YOU can help.

Fill out the form below to receive several emails about how to love and serve the poor and homeless.

(Note: If you are a member of RedeemingGod.com, login and then revisit this page to update your membership.)

God is Redeeming Church, Redeeming Life Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship, evangelism, following Jesus, homeless, looks like Jesus, love like Jesus, ministry, missions, poor, Sam Riviera, Theology of the Church

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A Church Builds the Tower of Babel

By Jeremy Myers
4 Comments

A Church Builds the Tower of Babel

There is a church in Australia that has decided to build the world’s tallest spire.

I am sure this is exactly what Jesus wants.

Here is an artists rendering of the proposed structure:

church spire tallest

I kind of doubt it will actually look like that, but whatever….

I know I do not agree with a lot of the ways that churches spend money, but is there really any justification of any sort whatsoever to build the world’s tallest church spire?

I mean really…. I complained when First Baptist in Dallas decided to raise $50 million for their building renovations (and then later upped it to $115 million!!!), and the plan by this church in Australia is more of the same. It may look beautiful to men, but I firmly believe that in God’s eyes, it’s a big pile of crap.

I am sure the church is quite generous with their money and is doing a lot of good in their town, but even if they are giving 99% of their income away, and only spending 1% to build this spire, what justification is there to build the world’s tallest church spire?

I just don’t get it.

I know I am not supposed to judge other people and other churches and their use of money, and I am certain there are ways I am spending my own money wastefully, but I just cannot help myself on this. What kind of message does this send to a watching world?

Does it say, “We care about the poor, the homeless, and needy, and weak, the orphans, and widows, the outcast, and the rejected”? Or does it say, “Look at us! We have the world’s tallest church spire!”?

Sigh. I just don’t know what to say sometimes. Am I wrong on this somewhere?


 

Someone please explain this to me.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship, Theology of the Church

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Is Confession to a Priest Necessary for Forgiveness?

By Jeremy Myers
19 Comments

Is Confession to a Priest Necessary for Forgiveness?

[The following is a question sent in by one of the readers of this blog. If you have a Bible or Theology question, you would like to ask, send it to me through the contact form on my About page.]

I’ve been doing a bit of thinking regarding the concept of confession during my research on multiple different aspects of Christianity, and I’ve come across the Catholic concept that requires confession to a priest. However, my beliefs have never required it but then again I don’t recall ever having researched the subject! The question is, how do you view the concept of confession, and is there any Biblical support for that view? Once again, sorry to bother you with this question. Keep well!

Church ConfessionsThe practice of confessing sins to a priest is not explicitly commanded anywhere in Scripture, though it is derived from various passages. For example, 1 John 1:9 tell us to confess our sins, and James 5:16 tells us to confess our sins to one another. The context of James 5:16 talks about how a person who is sick should call the elders of the church to pray over him, and if this person has committed sin, he should confess it. Therefore, this confession is in the context of having the elders pray over him, and so some see this as an instruction for people to confess their sin to priests, who somewhat function as “elders” or spiritual “overseers” in their church.

The Catholic Church also uses John 20:23 to defend the practice of confessing sins to priests. In this text, Jesus gives the Holy Spirit to His apostles and tells them that if they forgive people their sins, they will be forgiven, and if they do not forgive people, they will not be forgiven. Since the Catholic Church believes in apostolic succession, they argue that the authority to forgive sins was passed down from the apostles through the Pope to the priests.

So is the Catholic Church right in requiring people to confess sins to a priest?

Well, I agree that confession of sins to one another is a valuable spiritual practice. There is something beneficial and helpful about telling other Christian brothers and sisters where you have wronged them, and asking for their forgiveness. Also, bringing your hidden sins into the light so that others can keep you accountable and give you help in overcoming such temptations is also extremely valuable.

But Scripture does not limit our confession just to a priestly class. Even if it did, 1 Peter 2:5-9 reveals that we are all “priests.” Every believer in Jesus is a member of the holy priesthood. Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 also describes the church as a Kingdom of Priests. Each one of us is functions in a priestly role within the rule and reign of God.

[Read more…]

God is Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: Theology of Salvation, Theology of Sin, Theology of the Church

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The Kingdom of Heaven is like Sung-Bong Choi

By Jeremy Myers
1 Comment

The Kingdom of Heaven is like Sung-Bong Choi

Have you seen this video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0n0vSAqdL0

I include it here, not because the story is so compelling (it is), or because Sung-Bong Choi has such an amazing voice (WOW!), or even that “The Mission” soundtrack contains some of my favorite music (I tear up every time). I include this video because hearing Sung-Bong Choi sing reminds me of what the future Kingdom of heaven is like.

[Read more…]

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Theology of the Church

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10 Reasons I Criticize the Church

By Jeremy Myers
5 Comments

10 Reasons I Criticize the Church

criticismSometimes I get some criticism from Christians for being critical of Christianity and the church. In the words of Alanis Morisette, “Isn’t it ironic… don’t you think?”

Nevertheless, I do understand the concern. Christians are to be known for our love. Jesus prayed for our unity. The church is too splintered and fractured. Can’t we all just get along? Won’t criticizing some aspects of the church lead to more disunity, lack of love, and fracturing?

I actually do not think so. Below are 10 Reasons I am Critical of Church.

Here are ten reasons I criticize the church:

  1. Church criticism is a family matter. I am part of the church. The church has never been receptive to criticism from those outside the church, and so if pastors and church leaders do not speak up, how will the church ever change? However, if Christian leaders and writers just say positive things about the church all the time, how are we any different than the 400 lying prophets who said only good things to King Jehosphaphat (1 Kings 22:6-28)? While there is lots to praise about the church, there is also lots that needs to be corrected and fixed. Someone must speak up about these areas, and it should be those within the church, from whom “the wounds of a friend can be trusted” (Prov 27:6).
  2. Jesus reserved his criticism for his own group. Jesus only criticized other Jewish religious beliefs and behaviors. Jesus never had anything negative to say about anybody who was not part of his own group. I have sometimes been told that there are more appropriate targets to criticize than the church. I always wonder, “Like who?” Should I be criticizing Democrats? Gays? Immigrants? Muslims? I am not a part of any one of these groups, and if I joined the already ringing chorus of Christians who lash out at such groups every chance they get, I am just reinforcing the idea in most people’s minds that Christians are hateful, judgmental, critical, harsh, and mean.
  3. Let judgment begin with the House of God (1 Pet 4:17). The apostles were quite clear that we must not be critical of those outside the faith, but only those within the household of God. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 6, calls us to practice discernment with each other since we will be judging angels in the age to come.
  4. All the prophets were critical of Israel. It is not just Jesus and the apostles who reserved their criticism for people of their own group. This is the consistent example throughout Scritpure. Every single prophet wrote primarily against the people of their own city, their own nation, their own religion. Yes, some of them sometimes wrote against other nations and other people groups, but this was generally just to show the Israelites that they were behaving just like the “heathens” of other nations who did not know God.
  5. Criticism leads to unity. Most believe that criticism leads to division and disunity. While this is true when criticism leads to condemnation and name-calling, criticism that is focused on speaking the truth in love generally results in greater understanding and unity between the two different parties. If there is no criticism between the two parties, then any unity that occurs between them is fake and forced. Unity forged in the fires of conflict resolution is far stronger than unity built upon painted smiles and limp handshakes.
  6. All great reformations in church history began with criticism. I fully believe that the church is on the verge of another great reformation. The church 50 years from now will look nothing like the church of today. God is at work in our day to bring together the worldwide church in a unified way so that together we can continue the mission of Jesus in the world. But to bring a splintered church together, it is necessary to point out the areas that have caused the divisions in the first place. Division is never healed by turning a blind eye to its source.
  7. When I point at others, I point three fingers back at me. I am not a backseat driver, an armchair theologian, or a Monday morning quarterback. Almost everything I write about is because I have already implemented it in my own life, or am in the process of doing so. I am not critical of the church just to be critical. I write about things I have done myself, and put into practice in my own life. I make sure I am a practitioner of my own criticisms before I challenge others to take similar steps. I am not always a perfect practitioner, but what I write is also a reminder and encouragement to me to continue making the changes I feel are necessary.
  8. I do not want to destroy the church; I want it to look more like Jesus. My areas of concern with the church are not a result of hate or anger. I truly love the Bride of Christ, and desire us to become all that Jesus intends. I want us to reflect the love of God to the world, so that when people see the church, they see Jesus. But all studies and reports show that exactly the opposite has happened. People love Jesus, but they do not see Jesus in the people who claim to follow Him. The goal of my criticism is to bring Jesus and the church back into alignment in people’s minds.
  9. I want the church to expand. Sometimes people complain that my criticisms are damaging to the church. This may be true, but only to “the church as we know it.” My actual goal is more like pruning. The chains of tradition are weighing the church down and keeping it from running the race that is set before it. We have picked up a lot of unnecessary baggage in the past 2000 years, and my calls for change are not intended to damage the church, but to throw off the weights that entangle our progress and hinder our movements, so that we can better follow Jesus into the world. When we become fluid and graceful again, the church will be free to love and serve as never before.
  10. I love the church. The original goal of this website was to speak God’s “Truth in Love, Letting Him Equip Christians to Obey, Minister, Evangelize, and Send” (TILL HE COMES). That is still my goal. I love the church and have always loved the church, and the only way to express that love in a website setting is to do what I can to help equip Christians for the service and ministry to which we are all called. When my posts seem critical of the church, is not because I hate the church, but because I dearly love it, and am concerned for it.

God is Uncategorized Bible & Theology Topics: Theology of the Church

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