Chapter 8
Our Brother’s Keeper

In the book of Acts, after Jesus had left and the Holy Spirit was strong in the world, the disciples practiced what might be called Communism today.  They had everything in common.

Acts 4:32-35
And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.   And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.  Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. 

This was the birth of Christianity.  God was more important to the apostles and those who were accepting this new way of thinking than anything else.  Everyone that had more than what they needed was happy to give to those in need.  No one went hungry.  Everyone’s needs were filled by others in the group.

Communism might look good on paper but when reality creeps in it falls apart.  Part of human nature is self preservation and that will always through a wrench into the gears of communism.  This is shown in the next chapter of the book of Acts.  It is a story about the couple, Ananias and his wife Sapphira.  They sold their house and kept some of the money back for themselves.  It probably would have been OK, but they lied about it.

Act 5:1-3
But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

You cannot lie to the Holy Ghost.  While the Holy Ghost was with the apostles and their followers they were dwelling in the Secret Place of the Most High.  Lies cannot exist there, so when Ananias and Sapphira lied they dropped dead.

Act 5:5
And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

When his wife came to Peter a few hours later and told the same lie she suffered the same fate.  She dropped dead.

In the USA we have an economic system known as capitalism.  It allows for individuals to start and run their own businesses to provide goods and services to the population for a price which allows for some profit.  Also, investors can put funds into corporations to make large investments and produce more goods and services to be sold for a profit.  The investors then share in the profits.  These businesses also create jobs for individuals to earn money for their contributions to the businesses. 

However there are always some who are left out and are unable to provide for themselves and their families.  They are what we usually call the poor, but they need food, clothing and shelter also.  Often they can get help from friends and family, or from charitable organizations.  Aside from privately funded charities the government has programs to provide for those in need.

Unfortunately there is corruption and waste in these programs.  Of course, the world is a corrupt place, but still these programs help a lot of people.  Not only do they help the people that receive benefits from them, they also help people become givers who would not otherwise give and reap the benefits of giving.

Luke 6:38
Give, and it shall be given unto you;

Giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin.  We can give to charity foundations, we can give through our churches, temples and any other places of worship or we can just give to people we meet that are in need.  However when our tax dollars are used for programs that help those in need we are also giving to the poor and needy.

Of the two political parties in the USA one promotes programs to help those in need, and the other does not.  Republicans are historically against social programs that help those in need.   After President Obama had gotten the Affordable Care Act known as Obama Care passed into law the Republicans managed to get control of the House of Representatives.  They spent hours and hours of their time voting to overturn Obama Care.  They voted on it about 60 times, knowing it had no chance of becoming law.  They talk about cutting Social Security, Medicare, food supplement programs and just about any program to help those less fortunate and in need of help. 

When Medicare began covering prescription drugs the Republicans let the drug companies pretty much write the law.  A major part of that law was that the government could not negotiate the prices of drugs.  That was great for the drug companies but not too good for consumers in need of those drugs.  Fortunately some Democrats have begun to turn it around and bring prices down.   Insulin that once cost hundreds of dollars monthly for seniors with diabetes is now capped at $35 per month.

Unfortunately there are many people who claim to be Christians and are aligned with the values of the Republican party.  It is probably because the Republican Party has been courting them for decades with the abortion issue.  They can overlook all kinds of corruption, greed and immorality because their candidate claims to be Pro-Life. 

Another big issue is the southern border.  They make all kinds of claims that illegal immigrants are hurting our country.  What does the Bible say about immigrants?

Leviticus 19:33-34
And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him.  But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself;

Zechariah 7:10
And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor;

Hebrews 13:2
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

The Bible says that we are to help those in need.   We have to realize that we are all in this life together.  We are all born by the breath of God.  We all breathe the same air.  We all need food, water, clothing and shelter.  More importantly, as children of God we all need love.  We need to give love and we need to receive love.  Love is the commandment that Jesus gave us.

Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.    This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

We wouldn’t deprive ourselves of the necessities of life, so if we want to dwell in that Secret Place where Love is, how could we deprive our neighbor of the same necessities that we need?  How could we not love our neighbor if we are dwelling in the place where God’s Love is?  Who is our neighbor?  Anyone that has the breath of life.

The Bible is full of teachings that tell us to give to the poor.  Here are a few examples from the Old Testament.  In Deuteronomy Chapter 15 God is telling Israel how He is blessing them and we should bless the poor.

Deuteronomy 15:4
Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it:

God doesn’t hold back with His blessings to us and if we want to get to that Secret Place of the Most High we must not hold back on helping the poor and needy.  We should not have hard hearts, we should love our neighbors.

Deuteronomy 15:7
If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:

It is more than just giving food and shelter.  When someone needs help with something that we can help them with we should jump in and help.

Deuteronomy 22:4
Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fall down by the way, and hide thyself from them: thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.

In those days the big industry was farming.  Whatever the crop was the land owner didn’t harvest all of it.  He left some for the poor to glean.

Leviticus 19:9-10
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest.  And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.

God even asked them to provide housing for those in need.

Leviticus 25:35
And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner; that he may live with thee.

God cares for the poor.  He will protect them from those who would take advantage of them or try to harm them.

Psalm 12:5
For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.

Psalm 35:10
All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?

When we take care of the poor God will take care of us when we need His help.  One way to look at it is from a plumber’s view.  We are a pipeline for God’s blessings.  When we turn on the valve to bless someone, the blessings flow through us.  When we turn the valve off whatever blessing is left in the pipe is ours.

Psalm 41:1
Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

Proverbs has a lot to say about helping the poor.  If we want to be happy we must have mercy on the poor.

Proverbs 14:21
He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.

If we oppress the poor God takes offence, but if we have mercy on the poor God will honor us.

Proverbs 14:31
He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor.

God said that having pity on the poor is like lending to the Lord.

Proverbs 19:17
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

We should listen to the poor if we want God to listen to us.

Proverb 21:13
Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.

It is righteous to care for the poor, to give to those in need.  To hold back from helping when we are able to borders on being evil.

Proverbs 29:7
The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.

We should even plead the case for the poor.

Proverbs 31:9
Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.

God wants us to show mercy and have compassion not only on the poor, but on everyone.

Zechariah 7:9
Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:

The New Testament also has many teachings that tell us to help those less fortunate.

Matthew 5:42
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

When we see someone on a street corner or outside a place of business asking for help, we should give them something.  Even if it is only some change or a one dollar bill, when someone is that desperate that they are willing to be that humble, every little bit helps.

When we give to anyone we are giving to God, because God is in every one.

Matthew 25:35-36
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

Matthew 25:40
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Jesus was the ultimate giver.

Mark 10:45
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Here are some New Testament verses that show us that we should be cheerful givers.

Luke 3:11
He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

We have thrift stores where we can bring our extra clothing to make it available to those who may not be able to pay the price for new clothing.

Luke 6:38
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

If you want to receive you have to be willing to give.  There is a preacher who tells a story about suits.  When he first started preaching he had only one suit.  He gave it away and before long people were giving him more suits than he could possibly use.

Luke 6:27
But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

It’s easy to love friends and family but to love our enemies and those who disagree with us is much harder.  However, if we want to dwell in the Secret Place it is mandatory.

Luke 6:28
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

Romans 12:14
Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Nobody said it is easy to bless when we feel like cursing.  Even Jesus had that problem when he cursed the fig tree.  However, when we fail we need to get up again and try harder.  Curses are not allowed in the Secret Place.

Romans 15:1
We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

When we are strong we should help the weak.  We all have times of weakness when we could use some help from someone that is stronger.

Galatians 5:13
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

As children of God we have the power to be of service.  That doesn’t mean we should use that power to gratify our flesh.  We should use it to be of service to others.

Philippians 2:4
Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

We are our brother’s keepers.  When we put others before ourselves we open the door for God to look out for us.

2 Corinthians 9:7
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 

God has written his law in yur hearts and our minds.  When we listen to our hearts we will feel the love of God.

James 2:15-16
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,  And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

It is good to pray for those in need but it is even better to add to your prayers some needed help.

1Peter 4:10
As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

We are stewards of God’s good will.  We are obligated to give as we receive.

1 John 3:17
But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

God’s love and compassion does not hold back.  When we see a need and we are able to fill it, we should do it.

Remember that John 3:16 says that “God so loved the world…”  He didn’t add any limitations.  He often said that we should treat foreigners as neighbors.  God’s love doesn’t leave anyone or anything out, and neither should we.

If we want to get to that Secret Place of the Most High and dwell under the Shadow of the Almighty, Love is the road we must travel.  We must learn to be compassionate to all.  It may not be easy, and it make take some time and effort to even get close to that Secret Place of the Most High, but it is well worth it. 

And so it is.