The
Church And Faith-Based Initiatives
(February 15, 2001)
What It Is
Faith-Based Initiatives or charities is when Federal money (grants) is given to non-profit religious groups to operate community programs for people with low and moderate income, as well as those with no income. These religious community programs are intent on transforming lives of the people they serve. They are to help struggling people (indigents) build a better life than what they currently have. These programs are on the front-line battling social problems, or what Jesse Jackson refers to as “America’s unfinished business,” which of course I disagree with. Some of the social programs these groups undertake are:
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When the Government awards a Church or religious organization grant money for their social program(s), they have conditions within the contract stating what you can and cannot do as a recipient. Some of the conditions are limiting and often concealed, which is better known as “strings attached.” It’s those strings that the religious organizations have to be concerned about hindering their true Christian mission.
The Christian Mission
Churches and religious groups working to transform the lives of needy people in the community have been successful over the years because they didn’t compromise their Christian mission being that they were not reliant on grant money from the Federal Government to keep the programs operating. These churches and religious groups have provided evidence with results of changed lives, but that is because of the freedom to call upon the name of The Lord and praise His holy name in the presence of the people they make available their charitable services. By receiving Federal grant money to operate, the writer believes that these churches and religious groups will no doubt compromise their Christian mission. Just what is the Christian mission?
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations….to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you… (Matthew 28:19-20).
What Christ commanded The Church to do is to teach all nations/people that:
· He is the Son of God who came to set the captives/sinners free to love and serve Him with their whole beings.
· The “only way” to God The Father is through God The Son, Jesus Christ. (This is not what Billy Graham and President George W. Bush believe, but it is the Word of God and He cannot lie.)
· One must be Born Again of water and Spirit or he or she will not see the Kingdom of God/Heaven.
The word kingdom means sovereignty or supremacy, or the
rule of God The Father over both Heaven and Earth and all that’s in them.
God wants sovereign reign over all lives but He gives people the choice
to want Him after hearing about Him through the churches and Christians who
are commanded to teach people.
The kingdom of God is the Word of God. How can a church organization
omit that from a social program that they operate?
After all, it is the Word of God that
sets people free from their problems or social ills.
You see, these indigents didn’t fall upon “bad luck” because
there is no such. Either they don’t
have The Lord in their lives or they have some other sin that they can’t
shake themselves from and as a result, Satan and his hoards hold them captive.
…Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled [at this time in history], and the kingdom of God is at hand [here now to deliver you]: repent [regret your sinning and change] ye, and believe the gospel [God’s call for holy living] (Mark 1:14-15).
And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give (Matthew 10:7-8).
Jesus came preaching the Kingdom
of God. The Kingdom
of God is God speaking to mankind that at this time on the Earth (this
dispensation), a different way is in progress whereby you will be delivered so
that you can live holy, righteous, meek, and Christ-like with reverence and
trust in Him, and all your needs will be taken care of in due time. This is to
say that those bound by alcohol, drugs, a violent nature, lack of finances,
etc., can be delivered from those bondages when they look to Him, Jesus, the
author and finisher of their faith. The
main concept of Christianity is “faith.”
Faith is the crux of Christianity because the Word of God says that,
without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).
Faith is not to say that one is loyal to God, but faith is absolute and
total belief that God is all that he says He is and will do all that He
says He will do.
The Church is
responsible for teaching the indigents that all the handouts in the world won’t
change their plight. Look at
Lyndon B. Johnson’s war on poverty for example.
Billions of dollars have been spent each year since 1964, and poverty
has not been eradicated. The
Church has to teach the indigents that for a metamorphosis to occur in their
lives, the Kingdom of God/Heaven
is the answer, but that the Kingdom
of God is not handed to anyone on a silver platter. It must be sought
after just as one is seeking after "things" in life trying to fill
the void within. Matthew tells you not to fret about what you’ll eat, drink,
or wear, and all the other things that go along with being looked after in
this world, because God knows your needs, and wants you to be more concerned
about eternal security that won’t burn-up in the fire.
Along with the helping-hand, the indigent people have got to be taught
that they must
…seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).
Even though Jesse Jackson, of all people, believes churches can’t handle certain social problems, I beg to differ with him, and because I differ with him does not mean that I support the Faith-Based Initiative program that operates on government money. The February 5, 2001 Washington Times online reported Jesse Jackson as saying in a sermon at a suburban Washington, DC church,
Can this
church really handle the problem of drug addiction? You need psychologists, you need housing.
Churches do not have the capacity to address America’s unfinished
business.
The Reverend Jesse Jackson undermines the Gospel of Jesus Christ by speaking such blasphemy. He has forgotten the Christian mission. (Jesse Jackson can’t be Holy Ghost filled – recommending psychologists.) Jesse only said what he said because (1) he is a socialist, and socialist are not TRUE CHRISTIANS; (2) his fame and recognition is diminishing because Republicans occupy the White House; and (3) with the faith-based community programs getting so much attention and grant money, the man Jesse Jackson will become deservedly obscure. The truth of the matter is, the True Church of Jesus Christ, Spirit-filled churches can successfully tackle the ills of the indigent if allowed to do so with no strings attached. Besides, Jesse Jackson, it’s not America’s unfinished business, it’s The Church’s unfinished business because she has failed in following through on the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, which is to set the captives (indigents) free by means of the Word of God/the Kingdom of Heaven. If the Church leaves that out of her Federally-funded community programs, the Church is not THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST anymore, but it is a state-Church that dances to the tune of the arms of man/government. The Church can do anything, but should she be getting assistance from the Federal Government and accepting their strings by leaving Jesus Christ out of their programs. Yes, you may be able to keep on your wall a big cross and or a fake picture of Jesus, but what does that do for anybody? Nothing!
Churches, Before You Take The Plunge . .
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Blessed [divine care] is the man that trusteth [put confidence in] the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is (Jeremiah 17:7).
Before embarking on any program to help the indigent people with Federal money, you should commit your “plan of work” unto The Lord (Proverbs 16:3), and He will, if it is His will, make provision or ordain it to come to pass without having to compromise the Christian mission. This means that you churches will have to trust completely in God to make the way where there is no way. You will have trust in God to touch the hearts of people to support the work in some way or another. If your plan of work is ordained by God, it will begin to
…be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river… (Jeremiah 17:8).
Your work ordained by God will flourish.
You will always have what it takes to do the work.
Even if the shelves are empty, and it’s fast approaching time for the
next meal to feed the hungry, the blessing will pour in on time.
Just wait upon The Lord because His reputation is at stake.
He put His signature on your work and He must come through.
Meantime, you are to continue trusting in The Lord and Him alone, and
continue living a holy life according to His Word, and sharing His Word with
those you serve.
Remember, God’s reputation is at stake here and He encourages you by
letting you know that as a tree planted by waters, your ordained work
…shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit (Jeremiah 17:8).
When there is nothing to be gotten because there is
nothing available, God will come through for your work, even if He has to
bring down manna from Heaven. God is going to keep His promises, don’t you
remember that, or have you forgotten? All
you have to do is put full trust/faith in Him alone, for that is the only
string attached, and in that string you can preach the Gospel to the
indigents, for it is the only thing that can set them free.
Jehovah Jireh your provider will come through for whatever He has
ordained or put His stamp of approval on. Yes, it could even be through “Big
Government,” but there will absolutely be no strings attached to the
provision on the part of Big Government.
By strings attached, I mean labels such as
We’re giving you this
grant/money but there can be “no tax dollars to preach religion” »
“no proselytizing” »
“no evangelism” »
“no prayer” »
“no praise and worship” »
“no Bibles” »
substance abuse is a disease and not sin” »
“provide birth control pills and condoms” »
“must hire homosexuals” »
“must hire regardless of faith” »
“professional licensing standards required of counselors.”
Those are examples of “strings attached” and Heaven
knows what else those socialist sitting on Capitol Hill will come up with.
Church organizations, read the fine print before you sign on the dotted
line. When you see strings such as above, know that God isn’t
blessing your work through the Federal Government, that’s the work of Satan.
Don’t run the risk of becoming a state-run church by being dependent on
government money to provide for the indigent.
Do what you can with what you have and all else that God sends your
way, rather than keep your lips buttoned about Jesus and how He changes lives
just to get some dollars for the poor and needy.
Saints of God, don’t forsake your Christian mission for the sake of
securing government funds to aid in the fight for the down-and-out of this
society. As a Christian, you
cannot separate Church from state, therefore you cannot omit sharing the
Gospel of Jesus Christ with the people you provide charitable assistance. You
cannot force Jesus down anyone’s throat, but you surely must be free to
speak about His infinite goodness and how He changes lives. Don’t
diminish the Great Commission for the sake of mammon.
To do so is an abomination. That’s
being ashamed of The Lord!
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Oh that men would praise the Lord for his
goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
(Psalm 107:8) |
For who is God save The Lord? For who is government save man?
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man (Psalm 118:8).
Let Caesar
keep what’s his!
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