Dear saints,
God’s basic rules, His commandments, are easy to remember. The foremost is loving Him with all we have. Mark 12:31 states: “The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Who is our neighbor?
We too might ask Jesus. How might He reply?
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A group of unkempt individuals was stranded by the side of a major road one Sunday morning. There was a man and woman, an old woman, three children, a baby, and a younger man. They may have been a family, but there was really no way to tell for certain. Also in this drama was a scraggly female dog, a mutt, weighed down by her milk and 5 small pups scurrying to get a place to feed.
The group was in obvious distress. The woman was sitting on a tattered suitcase, hair uncombed and matted down, clothes in complete disarray, a whole series of tattoos showing. She had a glazed look in her eyes, holding the smelly, diaper laden, poorly clad, wailing baby.
The man was unshaved, dressed in coveralls with no shirt, with multiple body piercings, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, a look of despair as he tried to corral the younger children. One young boy was urinating in the gutter of the street in full view of the world. The other two children were yelling and hitting each other, also pelting each other with small stones found in the gutter.
To top in all off, the old woman was trying valiantly to cradle in her lap the head of the young man whose emaciated body was sprawled across the concrete curb and sidewalk, no soft grass in sight to comfort his body. The young man exhibited all the signs of the last stages of AIDS. The mutt and her pups were alternating cycling around these two on the curb, seeming to know the desperation of the situation, and yet trying to settle down for a feeding.
Beside them all, an ancient two door F-150, complete with tattered lawn chairs in the bed, enormous rust holes, countless multi-colored patch attempts, smelling of burning oil and smoke, had obviously just given up the ghost.
Sweat ran liberally off each member of this motley crew. It was a full sun August day and about 95 muggy degrees, and cooling rains had been missing in the drought that was upon the area. No shade was anywhere to be found. Again, there was no way to be certain they were a family of any type, maybe just a collection of people. A faint smell of marijuana hung in the air to anyone that might pass by.
Down the road came a car driven by the senior pastor of a major local church, on his way to Sunday services. And although the man on the side of the road, perhaps being the father, waved frantically and shouted loudly, the pastor couldn’t hold up his congregation.
So, using the volume control in the steering wheel of his late model Expedition SUV, his latest praise music CD was adjusted upward, as the in dash GPS system noted his position. He glanced away to left, with the air conditioning blowing in his hair, and acted as if he didn’t see them.
Soon after another car approached, and again the man (father?) waved furiously. But the car was driven by the president of the local Bible College, and he was late for a statewide meeting of Bible College presidents in the nearby convention center on the edge of the city. He, too, acted as if he did not see the group, but he just stared straight ahead.
Shortly afterward, the next car that came by was driven by an outspoken local atheist, who also happened to be the state’s head spokesperson for Gay and Lesbian Pride movement. He was a practicing homosexual, and his flamboyant partner, also an atheist and noted abortionist, was sitting next to him in the light tan leather seat.
When they saw the group’s distress, they immediately swerved to the right, stopped and pulled right up to the curb. They jumped out of their Lexus SUV, and immediately began loading the people into their vehicle.
After inquiring of their need, the homosexuals took them to the local Hilton, where they spent a considerable time getting them settled in and cleaned up. Next, they paid for two weeks lodging for the entire group of people, also making provision for all their meals and incidentals with the Innkeeper.
The AIDS infected man was transported a bit later by the men to the local hospice, and when he died two weeks later, they provided a grave site and memorial marker paid in full.
Even the mutt and her pups were taken by the men into their own home, after receiving top treatment at the vet. The atheist homosexuals helped the man find work through the local secular job agency. They even paid for a rental van for the man. They also gave $500 cash to the woman for food and new clothes for the entire family, driving her around town to three thrift stores to get the best deals.
And lastly, they ferried the young children to and from Vacation Bible School during the week since the family had a budding interest in spiritual matters.
So, then, which of these proved to be a neighbor?
Go, and do the same. Luke 10:36-37
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Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.
Your friend and brother in fighting the good fight,
Marc
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Saints, we’re one day closer to Home, and Him! Love Him wholeheartedly!
You may view our Archives here: MONDAY MANNA – ARCHIVES; Complete Archives; feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion. May our Father richly bless you with His grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, in order to walk worthy of His name.
Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.
Brother Mike says
THAT WAS POWERFUL ! THANKS FOR THE “WAKE UP” CALL.
MIKE
jesusislord says
Praise the Lord, dear brother…
One day closer to Home and Him,
Brother Marc
Brother Ian says
I often wonder how many “un-churched” people are as such because the “witness” they have been given of Christ has in fact been antichrist. Such brutal honesty as you publish will divide the sheep from the goats where you are concerned and for everyone who says “Amen”, another will say, “You cannot say such a thing!”
Be brave and keep His witness even unto death, and you will receive the crown of Glory. The more you die to the things and the ways of this world, the more you will be an offending stench in the nostrils of the worldly but a sweet smell to the Lord as the smoke of your sacrificed life rises to heaven as incense! It is better that what is offensive to God and to his kingdom be burned off now by the fiery trials of this life than later by His all consuming presence. If that makes sense.
Blessings, Ian.
jesusislord says
Thanks for writing, dear one…
One day closer to Home and Him,
Brother Marc
Sister Joan says
Its’ a real stretch of the imagination to see them driving the children to Vacation Bible School, but people of all natures respond with compassion when faced with the multiples attacking these sad folk. If they were Christian maybe God was using them to touch the rescuers? God moves in mysterious ways. The 2 pastors I am sure were convicted, at least I pray we all were. As I read it I thought of the Good Samaritan and Love Inc today.
jesusislord says
Yes, it is a stretch – but often I see more compassion in pagans for desperate situations than the believers – if the rescued were seeking God, the VBS would be a natural to try and get the fellowship they crave – the homosexuals wouldn’t mind, for they just felt compelled to help…
Thanks for writing, dear one…
One day closer to Home and Him,
Brother Marc
Dean says
EVIDENTLY, Marc, you have never in your life done anything like you describe (below), and you have no knowledge of what you advocating for. FIRST OF ALL, most Saints do not have that kind of money available to give away at a moment’s notice. 2 weeks at the Hilton with meals? Rental van? $500 for new clothes? Veterinary bill? That’s A LOT of money, MARC – do you actually have that much to spare right now without cheating your creditors or your family? ON THE OTHER HAND, I HAVE DONE (similarly) to what you describe several times in my life: picked up dirty, vagabond homeless persons and families and (since I could afford no hotel or motel) BROUGHT THEM HOME INTO MY HOUSE (have you?) – they, EVERY ONE turned out to be wicked, lying, unhelpful, and unclean people who NO DECENT PERSON would want to find in their living room every morning. This thing you sent out (below) is PURE GARBAGE – and it’s obvious that you do not have the slightest experience of doing any such thing. You will not be “excused” because you invented a scenario in which you condemned yourself for what you haven’t done yet and may never do. You ought to both retract and apologize for this – for all you have done here is beat everyone up for not doing this – when in fact, they shouldn’t have to do this. Jesus said, “The poor ye always have with you, and WHENSOEVER YE WILL, ye may do them good”. He DID NOT say, “the poor are always around you, make sure that every time you see a poor person that you meet all their needs”. WHAT BIBLE are you reading?
Was The Good Samaritan required to make sure that the wounded man he helped was supplied and cared for, for the rest of his life? What if that man through evil choices is back on the side of the same road by the time The Good Samaritan returned from his journey? What if decides to come to that same road and wait for The Good Samaritan every time he runs out of money? What if he even follows The Good Samaritan from place to place begging for ever more? Did Jesus multiply the loaves and fishes until there were no more starving people left on earth? Did Jesus heal all the sick people in the world – or even at The Pool Of Bethesda, when He was on the earth? What communistic nonsense are you proposing here in the name of Christianity? Why don’t you actually READ the parable of The Good Samaritan once (instead of paraphrasing it as you must be doing) and find out WHO the neighbor was that we are supposed to be “loving”?
I am sending you (in no expectation that you will read it) an article about “THE DOWNTRODDEN, AND WHAT WE OWE THEM” – just in case you would like a moment in REALITY concerning this matter. Galatians 4:16 Dean
jesusislord says
Dean – thanks for writing — I will make a suggestion – before you assume I’ve not done anything like this (EVIDENTLY all in caps? Not even the “slightest experience”?), you might ask! As a matter of fact, we have done such a thing on more than one occasion and spent a lot of money – or with what money we have or join with others to make up the lack…You asked “have you” brought them in to your house like you’re saying you’re a cut above. Actually we’ve had whole families live with us for months at a time.
I know you’re trying to bring truth and I appreciate that. But your “pure garbage” comment belies, in my opinion in the Spirit, a critical spirit – we are not called to always bat 100% with these types of people, or even 50%, or 25% – but in these cases, as well as prison ministry where at times it seems a bottomless pit, I’ve seen God shame the ungrateful into repentance later on…
I will tell you your communication style at present is one that lacks kindness and honoring my intention to glorify God – even if I may be dead wrong. Your accusatory tone, without asking any questions first of my view of things, needs to change. Repent, dear one..
Regarding, “what Bible am I reading,” etc, here are some things to ponder. I never said one needs to stop every time. You assumed that. But I rarely hear of any believer stopping and helping. I’m glad to hear you have, even though the result was disappointing. The poor will always be but we can always help. The victim in the original Bible story was most likely a hated land baron who exploited the Jews and was attacked by Jewish zealots to teach him a lesson. Jesus turned the tables on all the parties in the story, especially the religious types who thought he’d use them to help, but instead used another hated person to finish up the story. Feel free to read, among others, Malina’s Social Science Commentary to get up to speed and out of the Western mentality. It certainly helped me and others.
I seem to remember some time ago I had this same experience with you and your style. I do want to learn from my brothers – but, friend, you have a willing person on this end – I do not detect that in your heart – you seem to be always dispensing the truth often in unwelcome sarcastic ways.
Oh, by the way – I did read your other writing – but either you were trying to shame me into reading it or you’re again using an unkind approach – neither one motivated me, for I read it because the Spirit told me – and I wanted to honor you for you call yourself my brother (I think you do) and I’ve read portions of your book.
But unless you choose to modify your style (and I can include others to help us through this), I’m ceasing to dialogue with you since I consider the style sinful…
One day closer to Home and Him,
Brother Marc
Dean says
Dear Marc – I was evidently wrongly presumptive in daring to tell you what you have and have not done. I recant and apologize for that. But as to the “spiritual rightness” of the IMPLIED recommendation of your article – I will submit that now for others to decide. This goes out to my most active list.
I thank and respect you for the courtesy of a responsive answer. Thank you. But I still think that the article itself that you sent is “garbage” and is actually harmful to Saints if obeyed. I have run dormitories where we took in such persons for religious insititutions: the actual number of Real Saints that I found amongst these “homless and downtrodden” persons was nil…… they were mostly people who were practiced at using Christians and Local Churches one after another. I just spent a month at a “mission” and saw many men come and go – all but one proclaiming his Christian faith AND ONLY ONE had any faith that I could identify with – and he was not one of these “vagabinds”: he was a decent working family man who got addicted to meth and got caught by the cops. He was clean. He was safe. He was productive. He knew what his faith was about – and it seemed like if we discussed, we could not disagree. ANYWAY – yea – as wrong as I was and faults and all, I still seriously object to the IMPLICATIONS of the article I was reacting to. I should learn the lesson I preach to others – to stay on topics and off of persons. SO I am sorry, and I apologize and retract what I said about you “not knowing about what you are recommending”. Please now forgive me for that sin against you – I deplore what I did – it was unjustified PRESUMPTION (on my part).
Eccl. 7:21-22 Brother Dean
jesusislord says
Dean – yes, I do forgive you…thanks for your sensitivity to the Spirit…
In the story – there is no indication that the family was “homeless,” only in distress, and captured by bad habits…I’m sorry you feel it was garbage, many others didn’t. I stand by my earlier response to you…may God grace you as you serve the poor through Him!
A great article to buy and read is the Global War Against the Poor…
One day closer to Home and Him,
Brother Marc
Pastor M says
Dear Marc,
Is this a modern day parable or an actual event? If it is a made up parable, how ever nice it is, it puts down the Servants of God. If it is a real event, than we must activate repentance and challenge all readers to be on the watch in the Spirit and do as Jesus direct them to do in any future event they may face themselves.
I wonder how many church members drove past.
Sheep have Lambs. Shepherds look after sheep. Pastors Teachers Apostles Prophets and Evangelists are placed within the Church to train the Congregation members to do the work of the Ministry (Eph 4). Only when they are not on assignment or moving in their ministry appointment are they free to be a sheep looking after lambs.
I love real stories, whether good or bad, and the Bible is full of them.
Pastor M
admin says
Dear Brother M,
I appreciate your admonition, and have sought the Lord for His answer. I believe He has answered my prayer. As with the original in the Word, this is a parable. But I know many true stories very similar that I could have written about. The Ephesian 4 saints, nor you, nor I, must never pass an opportunity like this or we can over time be classified as goats (please refer to the chilling characteristics of goats in Matthew 25 as described by our Savior Himself).
I take it you’re saying you’re personally relived of this responsibility since you, a shepherd, must busily tend to the sheep. This means, as I think you’re advocating, that you’re only job is to equip your sheep only, and not care for lambs in distress.
I sense by the Spirit this issue may have hit a bit too close to home for you as a “pastor.” If so, then the goal of the story was achieved: like the original Jesus’ parable, we all should be stirred to conviction. Every last one of us. We all need to get the beam out of our own eye first, and that begins with both you and me.
Did Jesus “put down” the Servants of God since by way of priority He directed His comments in this parable first to those in fully supported ministries? Please see Bruce Malina’s insightful book, Social Science in The Synoptic Gospels, where Jesus in this parable turns the tables on ALL His hearers, including those who were “serving” Him.
By the way, the Word teaches we’re all “church” members, ones who are called out, for church is not a place we go, but is something we are. The word “church” was wrongly translated and became to most readers a physical building, wrongly describing real estate, in instead of God’s precious people.
You said, dear brother, you love real stories (as I do to) and the Bible is full of them. However, Jesus choose parables often to communicate divine truth. And my understanding is that these stories in the purest form are not “true” stories, but they certainly illustrate true people engaged in true life situations, whether good or bad.
May the Lord richly bless you as you seek to fulfill your calling of an Ephesians 4 leader. May those so gifted as you and led by the Holy Spirit be the servant of all.
Every grace as you personally serve the poor, blind, lame and crippled just like the Savior Himself. And be sure to stop and help people in distress just like the hated Samaritan of his day. After all, what if it was YOUR wife and kids in this great distress and I was a pastor passing by their way? Wouldn’t you want ME to stop and help them?
Brother Marc