The church has abdicated its responsibility

I believe that poverty is the responsibility of the church but we have abdicated it to the government and welfare organisations. In our ministry we find that more businesses and other organisations are willing to work with us than churches. It could be that churches dont’t understand our ministry (To reach out without any limits to whoever needs help) – or, could it be that they are building their own little kingdom and there is no room to work together? What about God’s promise that “No longer will the poor be nameless”?

Sometimes it just hurts too much!

People who suffered great tragedy or dissappointment sometimes stop to worship God. Not because of the pain and shame, but because they are hurting so much that they have lost their vision of God. If they have no vision of who God is, there is no hope. And where there is no hope, we become like the dry bone in the valley (Ezek. 37).

Outreach Unlimited

We have started a ministry with the name Outreach Unlimited. We want to reach out to those in need without any limits. To receive our free monthly newsletter simply send an email to info@outreachunlimited.co.za with the word “ADD” as a subject.

What are you standing for?

The base of all church outreach, whether it’s within the church or in the community, has to be showing the true and whole heart of Jesus Christ.  That means not only standing against the “sin” issues, but also standing up for the issues that warm our hearts, too.

In your outreach: Do you focus on what you stand for as much as you focus on what you stand against?

Why do we do Outreach?

“Outreach” is a staple word in any Christian church.  We have outreach ministries, outreach programs, outreach youth activities, outreach books, outreach pastors.  Most Christians are familiar with this concept, but outreach is still an under-emphasized topic among Christians.  What we sometimes fail to realize is that outreach isn’t a program.  Outreach is ingrained in the Christian’s life.  It’s a natural response to God’s “in-reach”.

Jesus said to go into all the world and preach the gospel…therefore, if you don’t do outreach, then you are missing out on the biggest command of all…GO!

For those churches who have some sort of outreach (which should be every church!), the question must be asked: “Why do we reach out?” This is a crucial question.

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

As Christians we are very sympathetic to the poor and needy, but we are unsure of how to do it. So many social and political ideas are wrapped in the execution of charity. How do we do it? How much should we give? Who is responsible? What organisations are thustworthy? Which programs are effective?

But beneath all the noise of our own selfishness and confusion, Jesus simply whispers: “REMEMBER THE POOR.”

No Longer Will The Poor Be Nameless

The launch of my book was on 26/09/2009.

Thanks for all your comments.

The book is now on sale for R100 and can be ordered from pieter@endeo.co.za

The Church Is Not The Way To God

Our job is not to convert people to Christianity. The church is not the way to God. We have the habit to show people to the church and then expect the church to get them to Jesus. Paul was one of the meanest, murderers of his time. He was a terrorist who killed people and he did this in the name of religion. He was not the type of person that you would like to double cross. But his whole life changed when he met Jesus. And that is the problem with Christianity today. We invite people to join our church – to become part of our club instead of introducing them to Jesus Christ. The church can’t change anybody, but Jesus can.

Jesus is the only way to God – there is no other way. We must help people to meet Jesus.

They Need A Dream!

Poverty cannot be an excuse for being morally corrupt, but it is presumptuous to preach to people who are living in hopeless poverty, going to bed hungry almost every night, about abstract moral values without offering them hope. They have an inherent pride but all hope has been taken away from them. And it is their hope which must be restored. When people are poor, they must be given hope that there is a way out.

 Above all, what the poor needs is an inspiration, a dream of a better future, a hope for the dawning of a better tomorrow. It is their dreams that keep their eyes focused on the ray of hope at the end of the tunnel, however slight that hope is. It is their dreams that keep their feet to keep moving and never give up, even if their steps are slow and uncertain. Poverty steals more than full bellies; it suffocates the future and squanders their hope and dreams.

Befriending The Poor, Who Me?

Befriending those who are poor rather than simply serving them, helps them to gain their self-respect. But most of all, it transforms our world, we cannot look at anything the same again. We need to understand that we live in a society that has been deeply wounded in the relational area and so we need to take specific action to address this.  The actions we need to take aren’t deep and strange, it starts with befriending the poor, and that requires deliberate choices on our part.