Posted on 06/23/2022 5:48:56 PM PDT by Faith Presses On
Presently, I'm at a ladies homeless shelter that's run by Catholic nuns.
Being low-income, so often I see where American Bible-believing churches are nowhere to be found although the Lord is at work. As He says, where He is, there will His servants be also.
And while I believe I'm not "worthy" to be homeless, in any case, helping the homeless is supposed to be about mercy and charity regardless of their "merit" (with qualifications due to bad actions by some individuals).
Staying at a pricey, 5-star hotel in a protected complex is also a very effective method of eliminating homelessness: If you do it, you'll soon notice that you never see homeless people at all!
Regards,
I agree that it's hard to understand what, exactly, Faith Presses On is trying to say!
Coherency doesn't seem to be her strong suit.
Of course, I don't know how I would be managing, if I were posting from a homeless shelter. Perhaps we should be more charitable.
Regards,
While I was trying to be funny there was also a serious aspect, because I actually do try to remember to carry around that sack lunch. Where I drive does not change, is not a variable, as I try to drive as little as possible these days but must still cover a certain route twice a day at roughly the same time five days a week.
My son was probably in Junior High (years ago) and the church youth group went into Seattle to partner with adult volunteers passing out sandwiches.
He said some people refused them (”But if you have any spare change I’ll take that”), most folks took them. The one that really made an impact on him was some older woman.
“Ma’am - would you like a sandwich and an apple?”
“Oh, I would love to, but I can’t.”
“Oh - why not?”
“I couldn’t eat it all at once, and someone will just rob me for the left-overs.”
“Well - I can give you just half of the sandwich!”
“Oh - that would be lovely!!”
When it happened I figured she really might get robbed. But thinking about it now I’m guessing she might have been a paranoid schizophrenic.
Just tonight on the news they had some long segment on the cleanup of a housing camp along the freeway. Almost $50 million dollars allocated to getting them off the streets. At the end of the segment they said “The five people living at the encampment have been provide living quarters.”
FIVE people having their slum tarps torn down makes the news.
The government spends money on windmills, there are more windmills.
The government spends money on bike paths, there are more bike paths.
The government spends money on the homeless, and they expect a different result!
MY BAD!
Thank you for pointing this out.
Any idea what this is a reference to?
I am, of course, familiar with the Phrygian city of Laodicea.
There are also several references to it in the Bible:
Laodicea was neither hot nor cold — “you are lukewarm” (Revelation 3:16).
Laodicea had a high opinion of itself — “I have become wealthy and have need of nothing” (Revelation 3:17).
Laodicea did not recognize its real condition — “you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17).
source: the Internet
So, anyone know why this article is titled this way?
Regards,
So are you using some of the money saved and the time saved(by not going to these retreats) to actually serve the poor and witness to the lost that you say aren’t “being saved” by these events?
What you say might be true in a lot of cases but in “all cases”? Are you doing what you say these people arent’ doing? Or are you a whiner hypocrite and judging those for not doing what you aren’t doing??!! And if you are...are you “doing God’s work enough”? Or “not enough”? And what book are you using to measure yourself versus what the “others” aren’t doing?
I agree with you somewhat though, and do think that a “retreat” based on the book of James might not be so popular! (No personal mirrors allowed...just each other to “sharpen one another like knives”!
She thinks a lot of America’s churches are Laodicean...rich and claiming “to need nothing”, but really are in wretched condition and are are in need of the Gold refined by the fire of the Spirit of God. The Laodicean Church may have done good deeds but these weren’t connected with the love of God but out of their own self sufficiency.
I don’t think the writer and poster connects the analogy of the Laodicean church with her own situation very well.
I agree! Is apparently a "hit-and-run" poster who doesn't have the courtesy to stick around and respond to FReeper comments and questions.
Regards,
This shelter collects our phones overnight. I’m just now finishing reading the replies and comments.
Amen. And we just read 1 Corinthians 15 which applies...but, in life, the whole BIBLE applies!!!!! Thank you God for your Holy Word!!!
For those who think retreats and concerts are just for the saved, I suggest you visit GoVictory (Kenneth Copeland ministry) and FLASHPOINT (prophetic news and commentary). Flashpoint broadcasts on Tuesday and Thursday evenings usually at 7 pm to 8 pm. Also, Sean Feucht is having concerts across America healing and baptizing many youth saved! Mario Marillo has tent venues and has had them for over a year. Check his website. Next one is in Colorado soon. Flashpoint is having a gathering early July in Atlanta to bring LIGHT to that area of Georgia needed for the ongoing revival and upcoming election!! ALL these are FREE.
I attended Flashpoint and Mario Marillo’s Tulsa prayer event in April. I am a born again Christian. The Friday venue was for healing. The line was probably nearly a mile long. Your heart would be broken to see how so many struggled to get to the arena with their illnesses strongly desiring healing. Many miracles happened and many came to the podium to receive Jesus Christ as their LORD and Savior.
I am not going to judge retreats. Many Christians have never seen healings and miracles!!! So, if you don’t go, you’ll be a pew sitter. Our local church used to have healing prayer services after a Bible Study. Many left when Bible Study was over, probably over half!!! We witnessed many answered prayers. I had one miracle (vision returned from being blurred where I could not drive to better than before!!!!!). One man was cured of depression instantly! He was a member so we saw it happen and his life was changed having joy and love!!!
Sadly, many Christians do not want to engage in healing prayer, laying of hands and anointing, fasting, etc. because they feel they are incapable or do not understand The Holy Spirit- thinking we are kooks!!!
The Believer’s Authority by Kenneth Hagin is a powerful book, or was to me. IF people, even my family, allow, I will pray over them....BUT, they don’t ask and James tells us about that!!!!
We’re on the journey!!!
Faith,
Not sure if I understand, but..
I am reading into it that homeless may actually be a legal term for charities because they receive funds from the state and feds and it may be that some don’t really qualify as homeless, and receive help needed, because there are hoops even those ‘homeless’ have to jump through, to qualify?
In other words, some homeless are more qualified than others?
Am I understanding it right?
And even in religious orgs and supposed ‘Christian’ orgs, they too answer to the ones funding them?
And maybe these religious orgs are really just stop gaps for state and fedzilla, and not Christ led?
It’s really CINO because they are really regulated by state and fed secular govt?
Faith,
May His Peace cover you in the midst of the storm you find yourself in..
Thirty percent of Protestants listed God as their most important connection (relationship) versus 9% of Catholics. Barna, 2008 http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/13-culture/44-americans-identify-their-most-important-relationships
Political conservatives were almost three times as likely as political liberals to identify God as their most important relationship (33% vs. 12%, respectively). ^
About 56 percent of Evangelicals currently say they're strongly affiliated with their religion, while only 35 percent of Catholics say the same, and 4% lower than mainline Protestants (devoutness of Mainline Protestants [distinct from evangelicals] fell to roughly 30 percent in the late 1970s to late 1980s before gradually climbing to 39 percent in 2010) https://www.barna.com/research/protestants-catholics-and-mormons-reflect-diverse-levels-of-religious-activity
Bible Reading: the highest was 75%, by those going to a Pentecostal/Foursquare church who reported they had read the Bible during the past week (besides at church), while the lowest was among Catholics at 23% ^
Volunteer church work (during past 7 days): Assemblies of God were highest at 30%, with the lowest going to Catholics at 12%. ^
Donating Money (during the last month): Church of Christ churches were the highest at 29%, with Catholics being the lowest at 12% ^
American evangelicals gave four times as much money, per person, to churches as did all other church donors in 2001. 88 percent of evangelicals and 73 percent of all Protestants donated to churches. John Ronsvalle and Sylvia Ronsvalle, The State of Church Giving through 2004: Will We Will? 16th ed. (Champaign, Ill.: Empty Tomb, 2006),12. http://www.generousgiving.org/stats#
Data from a variety of researchers indicates that Catholics give one-third to one-half the portion of income that Protestants give. http://www.emptytomb.org/cathgiv.html
A Catholic survey reports that 4 percent of US Catholics described themselves as “very” involved in parish or religious activities other than attending Mass, and 11% as “somewhat involved, and 64% as “not involved at all.” Among weekly (or more) attendees (approx 22% of adult Catholics), 13% were very” involved, 29% “somewhat involved and 25% not involved at all.” http://cara.georgetown.edu/CARAServices/FRStats/devotionpractice.pdf
Catholics count everyone who was baptized as a Catholic, whether they currently attend church or not. Protestants do not do that.
I don’t do enough personally. I could give you all the excuses under the sun, but it remains, that I don’t do enough.
I’m old enough and seen enough that I’ve seen most of the people doing what I wrote about do, and nothing else. No work camps, no community service, no volunteer work. Of course, I do not know what they give in tithes and offerings.
So maybe a bit hypocritical? Probably.
My question was not at all uncharitable in intent. I am trying to understand what she is saying. That is all.
I have been very near shelter living a few times in my life.
Yes, that was indeed what I was getting at — there is some conduct that may make some homeless people not unworthy of help, but very difficult to help at that time. Meanwhile, in general, Christians should be there for the homeless and not rejecting them on the whole.
Thank you. And God bless you also.
Thank you.
Thank you. It’s appreciated.
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