Should Christians Give to the Homeless?

Some of my Christian friends have criticized my Christian friends who are serving in the armed forces or have served in the past. And Adriel, of a humpback whale. Julie McSorley and Liz Cottrell say they were kayaking and whale watching off the coast of Abala Beach when the whale surfaced from underneath their boat. A video recorded by a witness shows the women and the kayak in the whale's mouth before they all disappeared under the surface of the water. Fortunately for them, the whale must have not have been very hungry because he spit them out.

Their boat flipped over but fortunately Julie and Liz made it back to shore uninjured. Wow, it's like a modern day story of Jonah. I mean, what a wonderful, people, you know, have all these questions about, did that really happen? Well, here it is.

It happens all the time, I guess, and people get swallowed by whales and spit out again. And so, Matt, I don't know, does that make Southern California Nineveh? I'm not gonna go there. All right, well, let's get to our first question. This was posted on our website from Bailey, and Bailey says, I have a question about prayer. I've heard that in prayer we can be totally honest with God, even cry and yell and demand help when we need it. But I recently have seen videos of prosperity preachers really screaming in prayer and demanding things of God that seem strange. So how should we model ourselves in prayer? I don't want to model my prayer life in ways that are offensive to God. Yeah, Bailey, you know, the verse that comes to mind, Psalm 145, verses 18 and 19, the Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him.

He also hears their cry and saves them. God wants honest prayer. And honest prayers are imperfect prayers, but so are all of our prayers because they're offered up from hearts that are still tainted with sin. I remember vividly when I first began to call upon the Lord. I was in high school, and a lot of my prayers were so foolish. I mean, I've shared this story before, but I remember when I was first sort of being confronted with my own sin and understanding my need of the gospel, my need of the body of Christ, the church praying to God.

And it was a very honest prayer. I said to the Lord one night, God, I know that I need to follow you, and I don't want to go to hell, but I really don't want to go to church. And I was trying to bargain with the Lord almost, like, hey, Lord, is there any way I can get in without having to go to church on Sunday? Because in my mind, it was absolutely boring.

I mean, that was the last thing I wanted to do as a young man in high school. I just felt like there was nothing worse than being in church on a Sunday morning. And I remember that night praying to God, trying to bargain with the Lord, and at the end just saying, God, help me. I know I need help. God in His kindness, Bailey, I think heard that prayer, and somehow—I mean, this really was a miracle—I started to want to go to church.

It was the wildest thing ever. I just think that the Lord wants honest prayers, even though that prayer was imperfect, and really it was foolish what I was asking of the Lord. When we come to the Lord sincerely, and we say, God, help, He hears us. Now, the Psalms really paint a picture for us of these honest prayers, especially the Psalms of lament. The lament Psalms—and this is the majority of the Psalms in the Psalter—they're the Psalms that were written when the psalmist was at the end of his rope.

I mean, he was really struggling. He felt like God had abandoned him, and it didn't seem like there was any light at the end of the tunnel. In some psalms, there really was no light at the end of the tunnel, at least in the way it was presented. You think of a psalm like Psalm 88, and yet the psalmist is wrestling with God in prayer, asking the Lord, Where are you? Why have you abandoned me?

And they could seem, on a surface level reading, they could seem a little bit disrespectful. How can the psalmist talk to God like this? I really think it's an act of faith. The psalmist, despite the fact that the circumstances of his life are very difficult and very hard, is still coming to the Lord and saying, God, where are you?

God, help! You see, again, it's those honest prayers that I think are what pleased the Lord, and we ought to offer up those prayers in faith. We can't demand anything from God.

We have to be very careful with that. And you mentioned, you know, you've seen some of these preachers on television demanding things from God. One theologian put it like this, God is a debtor to no man, so whatever he gives is a gratuitous benefit. God doesn't owe us anything. He doesn't owe me or you anything.

Whatever he gives, it's not because he owes it to us, it's because he's good. I think of what James says, you know, Come now you who say today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit, yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that. There is a humility with which we should approach the Lord in prayer, a humility about our own lives.

We recognize that I'm just a mist. God, if you will, I'm going to continue to live and do this or that, but my life is in your hands. And an honesty where we can say, God, I'm bringing before you my fears, my concerns, my sins, my joy, my hopes, truly before the Lord, through his son, Jesus. And that's the key there, Bailey, is we offer honest prayer up to the Father through Jesus, our mediator. And that's why God hears and accepts our prayers. It's not because we're perfect. It's not because our prayers are perfect. It's because Jesus, our mediator, is perfect. And through him, we can come to the Father, honestly.

And so do that, Bailey. God bless you. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. If you have a question for us, you can call us anytime at 833-THE-CORE. Ginger called us with this question. Hi, I'm calling from Tennessee, and I love your program.

I listen to it two to three times per day. My question is, what does it mean we have such a great crowd of witnesses? Is it the angels looking down on us, the people that have passed on looking down? I've always wanted to know that for years. God bless you.

Hi, Ginger. Well, one, I just want to say thank you. I mean, that's so encouraging to hear that you enjoy the program and that you frequently listen to the program. I hope that it continues to bless you. You know, the passage that you bring up is in Hebrews, chapter 12, beginning in verse one, the author of the Hebrews said, Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Now, this comes right after Hebrews, chapter 11, in the Great Hall of Faith, as it's sometimes referred to. These people are witnesses, not in that they're in heaven watching and witnessing our lives cheering us on. Now, the people that I'm referring to are the people back in Hebrews, chapter 11, the Hall of Faith. You had people like Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets, all those who really are described in the Scriptures, who have gone before us and have finished the race, if you will. They walked with the Lord. They kept the faith. Well, it's not that they're in heaven watching and witnessing our lives, you know, rooting for us. I used to play Pop Warner Football when I was a little kid.

I loved it, played for like seven years. And going to the game and having all the parents in the crowd cheering, shouting our names, it made me feel good. Well, that's not what this is. This isn't, you know, we're in the game of life and the departed saints are in heaven. You know, David is up there, Moses is up there, and they're watching us. They're rooting for us saying, go, go, go.

No. What do witnesses do? They testify. The Hebrews 11 cloud of witnesses, they testify to the reality of God's promise. And as they speak to us through holy scripture about the fact that God is true and that the blood of Jesus is sufficient to cleanse us of all of our sins, our job is to listen to their word throughout the biblical revelation, to trust their testimony. And as a result, as the author of the Hebrews says there in the beginning of chapter 12, to run with endurance the race that is set before us, setting our eyes on the one who they pointed us to all along, Jesus, who for the joy set before him endured the cross.

And there really is something wonderful here. I mean, the author of the Hebrews is basically saying these people, these biblical witnesses speak to us presently. They speak to you and they point you to Jesus. You know, when I was a kid, I watched that movie, The Neverending Story.

I really, I thought it was the coolest movie as a little boy. And if you've seen the movie, it's a sort of fantasy movie and it's a little boy who comes across this book, this sort of magical book. And as he's reading the book, characters in the story begin to speak to him.

This was the sort of strange revelation that he experiences as he's reading the book and all of a sudden characters within the story address him and he's sort of baffled. Well, in one sense, the author of the Hebrews is saying here, the cloud of witnesses, these characters in the Bible, these people who really and truly lived and kept the faith, they speak to you and they speak to me right now through the scriptures pointing us to Jesus. And since we have their testimony, we run with endurance the race that is set before us. It really is a wonderful promise and a call for all of us to hear the word of God and to be encouraged by it. You painted such a great picture there, Adriel. Thank you. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez.

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Again, the number is 833-843-2673. Adriel, here's a question that came in through our Facebook account from Ben. He says, Philippians 2 4 says, I should put the needs of others ahead of my own. Matthew 5 40 says that if someone asks me for my shirt, I should give them my coat also. So if someone approaches me with a need and I have the resources to help, I almost always help them. I have Christian friends who criticize me because they think I'm letting other people take advantage of me.

Are they right? Well, God bless you, Ben. And may God help all of us to cultivate a heart of generosity to those who are in need. I think of what John said in first John chapter three verses 17 and 18. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.

Did you get that? Let's just not talk about love and how we love each other. Let's show what it means to love one another.

Let's show by giving generously and sharing. I mean, that's what John is referring to there. Now, look, let's be honest. We have all sorts of clever ways that we can justify why we don't do the things that God has clearly commanded us to do. And in a case like this, I think we can say, well, you know, this person doesn't deserve my help. They're not good with finances.

Look, they're on the street perhaps. They must have done something to deserve this. Now, I'm not talking about enabling someone, but I am talking about having a heart of compassion and realizing that everything we have came to us from God. Too often we think that the blessings we have in this life are the result of our hard work primarily instead of God's mercy. Everything you have could be gone in a moment. And isn't that something that 2020 has taught us with everything that we've been seeing around it? I mean, people who have lost their businesses, all of these things, I mean, really a tragedy. And yet a lot of times we think to ourselves, I'm the one who's in control.

I have because of my good work, my smarts, the stuff that I've done. And we look at other people and we think, oh, if only you would have made the decisions that I made, you'd be better off. And again, I'm not minimizing the importance of our decisions and the importance of responsibility, but too often we have this sort of pull yourself up by the bootstraps mentality that causes us not to be compassionate to those who are in need.

And so how should we live? Well, our hearts and our hands should be open to those who are in need. And we give not out of a sense of obligation, but with joy because we know that everything we have comes to us from God. And that passage that you brought up, Philippians chapter two, verse four, Ben, you continue in that passage, Paul said, let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. And then verse five, have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men, being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Jesus, the eternal son of God humbled himself, assumed humanity served us, gave to us. And so that would be my advice. Andrew, a quick follow up to that. I have a friend who directs a rescue mission and he has advised people that he knows not to give to homeless people on the street who are, you know, carrying the signs and asking for money, because in many cases that money is going for drugs and alcohol. And he says that for those individuals there is help available, they just don't want to take advantage of it. So how would you respond to that?

Yeah, I get that. And I mean, I've done homeless ministry throughout San Diego in the past, and I've seen that same thing. You know, there are some people that are on the street because they choose to be there. There are other people that are there because of drugs. Sometimes it's mental health issues. I really think what we can do is stop and say hello and strike up a conversation and offer to buy an individual breakfast. We ought to be a people who are generous and give.

Now let me say one other thing, Ben. Sometimes Christians will criticize you when you do something in obedience to God simply because it exposes their lack of obedience. Obviously, I can't say that that's precisely what's happening in your situation, but I've seen this happen before. And again, I'm not saying it is always wise and right to give to a particular person in need. Sometimes, you know, the more loving thing to do is to help them up and out of the situation that they're in by encouraging them to find work.

Again, every situation is different. So it's not 100% right or wrong necessarily, but I'd rather err on the side of being generous and of cultivating that heart of generosity because we are the recipients of the generosity of God. God has been so good to us, and so we should do good to others and share. And so Ben, again, may the Lord bless you as you continue to cultivate that heart. Continue to be generous, brother, and may the Lord bless you, even as I know that He will. Good counsel. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez.

If you have a question for us, you can call us at 833-843-2673. That's 833-THE-CORE. Peace.

This is Eric in Kansas. According to the Quran, Jesus is the Christ, as well as his birth to the Virgin Mary. Jesus is described as Word of God and Spirit of God. The Quran states that God raised him up bodily unto himself.

In light of Matthew 10-32, and we could also add some other passages, do Christians do well to condemn Muslims for failing to confess Christ as a creed? Derek, thank you for that very thought-out question, and it's an important one for us to answer. The most important question that you will ever answer, that I will ever answer, that anyone can ever answer is, who do you say that Jesus is? It's the question that our Lord asked to his disciple Peter.

First he says, you know, who do men say that I am? And people had all sorts of different responses, and then Jesus, looking at Peter, says, who do you say that I am? And Peter's response was, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. You remember what our Lord said to Peter when he made that confession?

He said, blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah. Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. In other words, the ability to confess Jesus as the Christ was this gift, even, that the Father had given to Peter. I mean, it's what Paul tells the Corinthians. No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. But, Derek, and this is really important, different people mean different things when they say Lord or Christ. You see, and I think this is one of the ways that Satan can be so subtle in his deception, is people can use the same terminology of the Bible even, of the Christian faith, and yet they define it in a very different way. You see this in Mormonism, and Mormons will talk about grace, will talk about Jesus the Son of God, will talk about the gospel, and yet when they define those things, when they talk about who Jesus is, they're not talking about, as you said, you know, the Jesus of the creeds, or the Jesus that has been confessed by the Christian church for 2,000 years. Ultimately, the Jesus, I would say, of Holy Scripture, they're talking about another Jesus.

And Paul warned about this in 2 Corinthians. He said, you know, some people are going to come and preach another Jesus, and people are going to receive another spirit, and he was terrified because he knew that this was one of Satan's main deceptions. It wasn't to just flat out deny Jesus, it's to offer people a Jesus who is only half of Jesus, we might say.

Not the real deal. A savior who is the Christ but who isn't God, or a savior who is Lord but who doesn't care about how you live your life, that kind of a thing. Now in Islam, Muslims don't confess the same things about Jesus that the Christian church confesses and that the Bible teaches. Even when they talk about Jesus being raised up, I mean, that's a reference to Jesus being raised up to heaven, but it isn't a reference to the bodily resurrection of Jesus, which Islam denies. Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead. They don't confess that he is God the Word, as John says in John chapter 1 verse 1, and the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And so even while they might use some of the same terminology and confess certain things about Jesus that we might even say, yeah, well, yeah, Jesus was a great prophet in one sense, what they mean by that is very different than what Jesus himself meant and what the apostles meant, and that's why we have to be so discerning, brother.

You have to get this one right. There are other answers we can get wrong, and there are secondary issues that aren't going to determine whether or not we're going to be in the presence of the Lord for all eternity, but if you reject the true Jesus of Scripture, you will perish. You will die in your sins. I mean, this is what Jesus told the religious leaders. If you don't believe that I am He, Jesus said to them, you will die in your sins. Well, who is Jesus? He is the great I Am, who assumed humanity to purchase us back, died for our sins. And if we have another Jesus, then we have another gospel, and if we have another gospel, well, then it's not the gospel, it's not good news, and we're lost. And so it's good for us to be charitable in our discussions, to have these conversations, but to be clear about what the Bible teaches and about what we mean when we say Jesus is the Christ, because it's that message that is the hope of the world. When you contact us, please let us know how you've been encouraged by this podcast, and be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's Word together.