God's Heart for the Poor is Our Heart Too!
This is a letter I sent to Randy about a year ago as we were just beginning our work at Life House. I so appreciated Randy's sermon this past Sunday and as I was going over my files stumbled onto this letter and it just fit so well with the heart of God Randy was sharing, I wanted to share it with you...
Dear Randy,
I appreciate your heart and leadership. I writing to give you of some of the fresh God stories that I am convinced are literally everywhere as people catch the heart of Christ in our own community for the hurting. In my Bible reading today I was in Matt. 25 and struck again with the simple powerful teaching of “who Jesus is” in our world. He is the orphan, the naked, poor, the hungry, the prisoner, the desperate, the hopeless, the addicted, the marginalized. I think you heard the prof. from David Lipscomb U. speak at the P&T on the poor in spirit. His understanding of the people Jesus was talking to at the Sermon on the Mount were “the left out”. Thus another confirmation that his self introduction in Luke 4 “I have come to preach good news to the poor.’ Of course, we are all poor when it comes down to it. But he really was talking about the poor. I am sure you have read through Luke and underlined every time Jesus says something about the poor. It really is amazing to see his consistent focus. If Jesus’ words about himself and the poor are true, no wonder the prophet Jeremiah cried out, ~Jer 22:16~ He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD.” I am grateful for the day you came to me and asked me to pray about starting an Outreach ministry. I was literally scared spitless at the thought but that is where God wanted me. I have prayed like I have never prayed before and God has opened doors and He has done things beyond what I ever asked or imagined according to his power at work in me. I have taken seriously the elder’s admonition to seek the heart of God and His heart burns in my chest deeper and more profound it seems every day. What God is doing in Joplin at God’s Resort and Life House, Watered Gardens, Life Choices… and in countless other ways is nothing less than amazing and is being replicated in unique and powerful moves of the Spirit and the heart of God for the lost and hurting all across the nation and world.
Why is his heart so in tune with the poor, why give them so much ink in Scripture? They are the most vivid picture of us. They are helpless, so are we. They are hopeless, so are we. They are captive, so are we. They are disgusting and smelly and messy and frustrating and ..so are we. We actually get to see ourselves as we really are without Christ. It is humbling to take the feet of a drunk, who has worn ill fitting shoes, living on the street and wash those putrid, gross, disease infected feet. And yet the day I did that for Ed Ambrose (you remember him from mine and Julie’s days years ago at the park downtown with our little girls, feeding the homeless guys who gathered there each night.). I may have never done anything more significant to the heart of Christ than that day I humbled myself to do that for him. I loved him in ways I can never explain (Think of him as HIM). I think I may have understood God’s grace for me better than I ever did before. The funny thing is Ed never changed. I did. When Jesus died on the Cross, He literally took the sins of the whole world and all the pain that went with it. O so much pain. With the poor there is no polite, clean way to deal with pain. There are no acceptable artificial life preservers to hold on to like we in the middle and upper classes have, no nice cars, homes, boats, $. Nothing to distract them from the pain that defines them, often for generations. So they prostitute themselves to drugs, alcohol, sex in ways that make even the most vile wealthy heathen shake their head in disgust. I think that is why Jesus is so attracted to them. What we are finding out as we walk the streets and pray with people is they are blessed, for theirs really is the Kingdom of God, just like Jesus said. He has just been waiting for us to leave the four walls of comfort and walk where He walks. Kerry Cravens told me today at Life House that yesterday she went to Tasha, the widow of the suicide man John. She went with a new Bible and a heart that burns with the love of Christ for Tasha and her kids, Story, Jillian, ‘Waylon and Lacey. She told me this was so far outside of her comfort zone all she wanted to do is stay in her house with her four kids and stay away from the “sick and scary” world. But the sick and scary world is right where Jesus is. Isn’t it strange to think in Jesus own words, the sick and scary world – IS Jesus. So she went, by faith, because He called her out of the safety of the boat to the winds and waves where Tasha lives and drowns in her sin and sorrow. So acquainted with grief and sorrow is our Lord. Remember who He is. Kerry said she was so afraid she was sick to her stomach and wanted to vomit but she “walked out where Jesus was” -at Tasha’s. Kerry, her eyes ablaze in the Spirit said it was a God moment! Tasha was so receptive to the Love and Word of Jesus. As she walked away from Tasha’s home yesterday she thought of the joy and peace and pleasure of the Lord she experienced and thought came to her mind, “So this is what obedience feels like.” On the other side of faith is where God wants to take us. It is in a constant move to the other side of faith, past the fear, intimidation, self-limitations and flat out lies of the evil one that God does his greatest work in us and our world!
Like the lady who was prayer walking last October in Jeremy Cupp’s neighborhood. Just walking with Jesus and listening… Jeremy was at the end of his rope. His hope in life was quickly “going down the toilet” as he said to me Sunday. Not knowing if God was there but like many of the desperate, hoping against hope He is, he prayed, not really expecting an answer, not really. He prayed, “God if you are there, let me know, because I am hurting and I need help.” The words had barely escaped his lips when that prayer walking lady waves from the end of his driveway. With a smile she approaches him and begins friendly conversation but finally says, “The real reason I came to talk with you is that God told me you were hurting and needed prayer. May I pray with you?” They bowed there heads and right there, in front of God and all the neighbors they prayed as hot tears of awe and relief came running down Jeremy’s cheeks and dropping on the pavement with the sudden reality that there really is a God who exists who is close to broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Soon he met Eric Gonzales at work and Eric invited him to church at College Heights. He joined the church last Sunday. “I want to be involved in the mission of this church,” he told me.
Chris Williams is known for hanging with the “left outs”. I love his heart. It is the heart of Christ. There is NOTHING that is rotting our community more than the sin of drug abuse and the greater sin of dealing it. Chris has met and befriended a former drug dealer named Corby. Corby is a new Christian and attends College Heights now. Corby invited Christ (I mean Chris but I will let the misspelling stand since they are synonymous in that Chris no longer lives but Christ live in Him and the life he lives he lives by faith in the Son of God who loves him and gave his life for him) to come with him to talk to a room full of desperate drug dealers. Corby had been telling them how Jesus rescued him and all that Jesus has done to give him real life. Chris was in the presence of Jesus and Jesus/the drug dealers want him to come back and talk with them some more about this JESUS! This is how a city and region infamously known for its drug addiction is and will be delivered! It is nothing less than a miracle of God, the greater things Jesus promised He would do in we who make ourselves available.
I am humbled to be in the company of such people in the service of the Lord as the board members and volunteers at God’s Resort and Life House. I am seeing a holy zeal and boldness for God that is challenging my faith and I love it! We have seen mountains move and we will see more cast themselves into the sea of God’s amazing grace! They are pioneers of the kind of love and faith, I am not sure Joplin has ever seen and they know they are completely dependent on prayer and the grace of God’s faithfulness. How much our world needs people like them!
Sunday, Cory, a faithful nursery worker at College Heights and UPS driver in Joplin was at my son’s Jack’s birthday party at the Flip Shop with his son Tyler and we sere standing around talking and watching the kids play. He said, “Jay, I am so glad for what we are doing at N. Joplin. I can’t tell you how bad that neighborhood is!” Knowing he was right, I asked him what he had seen. He told me there was so much drug dealing going on in the open as he drives his truck through the streets and prostitution is rampant. Women will flash drivers and stop them to proposition them. The he said this, “BUT, God’s Resort, you wouldn’t believe how much that area has changed. It really is the difference between darkness and light.!”
Dave lives in the north Joplin area. He goes to College Heights and he is a next door neighbor to Tasha. In fact, the day of the suicide was really the first day I had officially met Dave or his wonderful wife, Jana. When it became apparent God was calling us to clean up the suicide scene for the family, Jana ran to the store to get cleaning supplies and Dave joined the small group of us who cleaned the room. Dave told his friend, Doug Youngblood, another CH member, “Watching those people clean that room and being there with them has forever changed my life.” Love and service is some of the most powerful weapons the church possesses. Especially the “TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW ME” kind of love and service. It clears the muddy waters of Christendom so that the world can more clearly see who Jesus really is and what Jesus really is about. How the world needs to see Jesus more clearly!!!
My last story came today. Katie Strawn and John Blankenship, both wonderful teachers at CHCS and faithful long time members at CH are leading a pioneering team of teens in a service project at Life House for CHCS’s missions week. They work on the building during the day and in late afternoon open the doors of LH to the Children of the community. Today over 30 showed up to be loved on, fed supper (which some would not have gotten tonight otherwise), taught the Word. “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these” Randy, I really cannot tell you or describe what I saw today. It was the Kingdom in one of it’s simplest most powerful examples. Austin and Gabe, two African American boys who are still full of life and hope. Austin raises his hand to answer questions the teacher, Lindsay had just taught about the Gospel. Gabe, raised his hands and helped lead the group in “Jesus Loves Me.” “…this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to HIM BELONG. They are weak but He is strong. Yes! Jesus Loves me! Yes! Jesus loves me…” More stories, Amber, she will break your heart, Austin…Cheyenne…
I told Katie, as she poured out the joy and strength of the Lord to me, even as some of the most desperate kids in Joplin played, laughed, prayed and may be even…hoped around us. “Be ready to share the heart of what God is doing here!” She, John and those teens inspired me.
Just as few stories. So many more and why not. God so loved the whole world that he gave his only Son, that whoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.” All we need to do is make ourselves available and SHOW UP!
I could go on and on. My heart is full. I never really get to share my heart with you like this and since you will be sharing God’s heart for this community Sunday, I wanted to share my heart with you.
~Psa 71:18-19~ Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. {19} Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you? AMEN!!
Thank you for your prayers. I do love you and pray for you and this church that His KINGDOM would COME and His WILL would be DONE here in JOPLIN as it is in HEAVEN,
Your humble servant,
Jay