And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, "Look at us." So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk."
Acts 3:4-6

As we considered last time, the first step in ministering to the poor, needy, and disenfranchised (as Jesus and the apostles did), to is to at least look at them. Not through them or past them, but at them. Acknowledging their presence. Communicating actual care for them. After all, they are, like us, fellow human beings created in the image of God, no matter how that image has been marred, and no matter what the reason.

The next step is to speak to them about Jesus. As mentioned last time, He is not what they want or are asking for, but like all sinners, He is what they need the very most!

Feeding the hungry is a noble thing. If we can, it is not a bad thing to do. (Someone close to me makes it a practice to find a homeless person to give left overs when she has ordered more than she can eat when eating out. Great Idea!)

But whether we can give them food or not, we must give them Jesus. Too often, well meaning individuals (and ministries) that serve the poor, get sidetracked away from Christ and the gospel, focusing solely on physical needs to the neglect of the people’s spiritual needs. Without Christ, a full stomach gives only fleeting comfort. Christ and the gospel give people eternally abundant life.

Saying “God bless you,” and nothing else, really doesn’t mean much. And since we are often on our way to or from some other engagement, we seldom have the time to engage in lengthy conversation. And even if we do, sadly, many find street people difficult to speak with. This is why I again advocate keeping tracts on our persons so we can “give them Christ and the gospel” in the form of a tract they can read maybe later.

More thoughts, next time…