Our attitude to the poor PART 2

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Key Verse

: Deut 15:11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

SCRIPTURE LESSON: DEUTERONOMY 15:1-11

Deut 15:1 “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release.

Deut 15:2 And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the LORD's release has been proclaimed.

Deut 15:3 Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release.

Deut 15:4 But there will be no poor among you; for the LORD will bless you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess—

Deut 15:5 if only you will strictly obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you today.

Deut 15:6 For the LORD your God will bless you, as he promised you, and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow, and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.

Deut 15:7 “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother,

Deut 15:8 but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.

Deut 15:9 Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin.

Deut 15:10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.

Deut 15:11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

Introduction

Some few days ago we began a discussion on the topic Our attitude to the poor. We defined poor as all who stand in need of help either in our society or the community. we discussed three reasons why the poor should be our concern. In this study we go a step further to discuss the practical ways by which we can help the poor, drawing again from our heritage.

What does it mean to help the poor

From the scripture lesson we can deduce the following:

1. Relief from finacial burden
2. Relief from beggar state
3. Being open-hearted toward the poor
4. Giving generously to the poor

Here we shall discuss practical ideas to help reduce poverty.

PRACTICAL WAYS TO HELP THE POOR

1. Begging for the poor
   In times of great social and economic distress resulting from industralization, poor harvest, severe winter and other circumstances, Methodist were told never to be ashamed to beg so that they could bring relief to the poor. How was this done? During revival meetings, appeal for funds was made. Also there was door-to-door knocking; direct approach to the rich to give in support to the poor. Members were called upon to contribute if they were able, a penny each week to a fund, for their relief. They were asked to bring what clothing they were able to spare to be distributed among the needy.

2. Formation Of Stranger's Friend Society
   An increase in the number of marginalized people in urban areas made it difficult to keep focus on the outreach to the poor who were not members to the Methodist Movement. To meet this need, Wesley set up a new charity called "Strangers' Friend Society".

John Wesley contributed large sums of money to this charity beginning with three pence a week. Similar charities were started wherever Methodism was established to address the inflow of strangers into their societies.

1. Means Of Employment
   The previous two arrangements were found to be inadequate due to their temporal nature. So Wesley came up with another programme to migitate poverty and keep the poor permanently employed and self-supporting.

What was the aim of this programme? "Our aim, was with as lilttle expense as possible, to keep them at once from want and from idleness".

How was this programme implemented? Wesley took twelve of the poorest in the society and a teacher into the Foundery where they were employed for months in the certain and spinning of cotton. In addition, a kitchen was established at the Founder to provide food for the poor.

1. Establishment Of An interest-Free Lending Finance
   A further plan in a bid to help more of the poor was to establish what we might call today a Credit Union. This enabled the poor to acquire some tools and raw materials to set up or develop their own small-scale businesses.

How did this programme work out? Wesley explains: >I made a public collection to raise a lending stock for the poor. Our rule is to lend only twenty shillings at once which is repaid weekly within three months.

This project within eighteen months, expanded to help over two hundred and fifty-five persons, rescuing them from lenders who demanded high interest on loans.

In all these four ways we see that early Methodist trying to understand that "There will always be poor in the land" (Deuteronomy 15: 11a), who must be responded to. The Wesley's used short term and long term methods to do this.

Jesus said "The poor you will always have with you...(Mathew 26:11)". The teaching here is that in each generation of human experience, there will be some who will need our help if they are to enjoy the fullness of life.

We can and are commended to be the means to help these poor. The four practical ways discussed above can be our guide.