Good News for the Poor: An Interview with Mez McConnell

ligonier.org ^

[SoFloFreeper]

,,,,,I grew up in Ireland in the foster care system for most of my early life....In my late teens and early twenties, my drug use spiraled out of control, I was homeless on the streets, and I finally ended up in prison. It gave me a place to live. I heard the gospel for the first time and was converted through reading Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible.....

The church has made mistakes in the past by farming out, almost exclusively, social justice-type ministries to parachurch organizations.

The church has also been guilty of paternalism and malevolent generosity when it comes to things such as soup kitchens, food pantries, and so forth. We’ve too often confused free handouts with Christian ministry. Instead, we should be evangelizing, discipling, equipping, and sending out people as they minister within local churches.

We’ve separated mercy from discipleship...

[SoFloFreeper]

...The gospel challenges all of our self-righteousness and self-pity. We may not control where we were brought up or what life has thrown at us, but we are all still willful rebels against a Holy God. There are no innocent victims when it comes to sin. All have sinned and fall short of His glory....

Jesus does say the poor will always be among us, and yet he lived with and hung out with sinners. The goal of 20Schemes is not to alleviate all poverty, but to declare the life-saving gospel of Jesus Christ.

[SoFloFreeper]

Overall, a good article about the need for the poor to hear the gospel, while not ignoring the material needs. But the focus is on truth.

[the_Watchman]

Our senior pastor left for Ireland to meet with Mez and see the schemes ministry last week. Mez visited our church in Phoenix, Trinity Bible, earlier this year.

[Tax-chick]

Very interesting.

[Albion Wilde]

[free_life]

If we say saw we care about the suffering of others and want to help them we must not ignore their eternal suffering of being separated from God and help them by telling them there is a way to the Savior.

There also is a prophecy we cannot ignore, it is found in Matt 25 in it Jesus tells us a time will come that many will say, “ Lord when were you hungry” and Jesus will reply, “ Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Ignore this prophecy, ignore this truth and pay the most terrible price.