We’ve been having a seminar at my church about ministering to the homeless. I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve learned after two sessions.
Homelessness isn’t the problem, it’s the symptom. Most homeless people have some sort of mental health issue and/or addiction. Sometimes one causes the other and then back around, and sometimes both of them are the same thing. Putting a homeless person in a house won’t fix the underlying reason they’re homeless in the first place. They don’t need you to hand them money, they need you to build a relationship with them and help them get the help they need, and that will be a long, heartbreaking process.
You should reach out to the homeless with help and support. This isn’t just because it’s not safe to go alone, it’s because you need the support of your church. God commands his people through local church authority to reach the poor and the needy. The homeless are definitely the poor and the needy, so we should get it together and support each other in an organized ministry for the best effect and for God’s fullest blessing on it and the people we will reach. This mission is from God, and it is non-negotiable.
Only God can save people; we can’t. We’re called to reach out, and God does the rest. We’re merely starving beggars telling other starving beggars where we found food.
If you want to minister directly to Jesus, then minister to the hungry, thirsty, stranger, unclothed, sick, and otherwise needy people (Matthew 25:31-46).
Related:
Fishers of Men and the Fish We Catch