Blog Action Day 2008: World Poverty

The Big Issue

It’s no secret that Jesus had a special place in his heart for the poor and marginalized. In fact, both the old and new testament are littered with God’s instructions to his people for generously loving their neighbor, and making certain that there are no poor amongst them.

In Deuteronomy (15:4-11) God’s speaks through Moses and explains “there should be no poor among you,” because God himself has blessed his people and creation with all that they need to sustain themselves. It then goes on to say “do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.”

When it comes to the issue of global poverty there are a lot of different social, political, ethical, and moral factors that come into play. Putting most of that aside, I think we can all agree that as followers of Christ we can’t ignore this injustice. We must respond with love, compassion, and action. As the Apostle John wrote, “let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

As part of the 2008 Blog Action Day conversation, here are the two big questions we want to kick around:

• What should we (the church) do?
• What can you (as a christ follower) do?

Here are some Bible passages to get you thinking:

• Psalm 113:5-8
• Proverbs 14:21, 19:17
• Matthew 25:31-46
• Mark 10:17-24
• Luke 14:12-14

Some First Steps

The hardest part is knowing what you can really do. But, in reality it’s very simple. Here are some easy steps that you can take to help fight this problem.

1) Read about the homeless community and statistics. Let this information sink in and then pray. Pray that God will not only help those in need, but that he will also give you a heart to serve others.

2) Google homeless shelters in your local area. I am sure you will be surprised how many ways there are to help in your community. Read through the websites and find an organization that you feel comfortable with and contact them.

3) Educate your community, church, small group and family. To help you, we’ve created a series of posters (see bottom of post) that are designed to engage and challenge the viewer. Art is a powerful medium that can have an immeasurable impact on the masses.

Here is how the posters work:

1. Print them out at your local Kinko’s or home printer
2. Write or print your local shelter/ministry info in the provided white box
3. Hang these posters at your local coffee shop or any place with high traffic

We want to encourage you to be bold with this! People want to help, so allow them to do so. Ask local business, churches and coffee shops to help with your message. Ask them to take it to the next step by helping to raise money for local shelters. Be bold with your faith and know that God came to save the lost.

Our Commitment

We will donate $2 for every person who participates in this campaign. Email us (corey [at] jaghq.com or kyle [at] jaghq.com) a picture of the posters in use and $2 will be donated to our local shelter The Lighthouse Mission. Pass this along to as many people as you know, lets make a difference in peoples lives.

We Want to Hear From You

We desperately want you to join in on this conversation! What are some steps we can take together as a church, and as individuals to solve this issue of global poverty? Share your thoughts and ideas. This is our chance to start a dialogue that could change the world.

Click on the images below to download a full-sized printer ready PDF:

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