Learn the lesson of Jonah - Do you care more for your own kind, your own people, your own church, your own denomination, than you do for others? Do you care more for those who are blessing you than for those who forsake you, care not for you, curse you? "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (maliciously) use you, and persecute you. That you may be the children of your Father which is in Heaven: for He makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (on the tares and the wheat). For if you love them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even the Publicans do the same? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more than others?"
Throughout our New Covenant, God insists the hallmark of His own is love. But not as the world loves - as He loves - a radical, passionate, raging love for those who do not love him in return! Jonah cared only for himself and his people. Denominations segregate their love, caring only for their own, churches love their own, not those in other churches - we tend to love those who love us while shunning those who hate us but it's those who hate us that need our witness of God's love the most! Furthermore, give your love away freely to those who cannot return it, just as we are to give money and goods away to those who cannot repay us "when you make a dinner or a supper, call not your friends, nor your brethren, nor your kinsman, nor your rich neighbors; lest they also bid you again, and a recompense be made you. But when you make a feast (church supper), call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: (those beaten down and abused in this life - those unloved, unwanted, shunned) and you shall be blessed; for they cannot recompense you - for you shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the just."
We, of all people on earth, need to obey these commands (not suggestions) of Jesus because we are the ones he's invited to feast on his great love for us and we are the poor in spirit - unable to recompense him for all he's given us. We were not his friends, his brethren, his kinsman, when he invited us to feast in his kingdom. When we invite the poor, the stranger, those unable to recompense us - we are emulating him. We are not to give in order to get in return but that's exactly what many prosperity teachers and pastors preach and teach. They encourage us to give to God in order to get from God but he says "freely you've received, freely give". Besides - if we really want to give to God, we should do it by giving directly to people, He says if you give to the least of these my brethren....he says if you love me, feed my flock (not just his word but actual, real food for the body as well). His flock is all the poor, lost souls throughout the world that his heart is breaking for. We are not to give to others to then decide where to give, unless of course God leads us to do it. But I ask - is your Pastor, is your church, giving your money to the poor? To the widows and orphans in your community? (not just in your church, most churches will bless their own) Your church may even have a program to feed and clothe the poor but it isn't enough when it doesn't bring them into fellowship on a regular basis. They will feel they are not a part of your family, if they aren't invited to your feasts on a regular basis - both your services, which should be a time of feasting on God's love, and the actual feasting on natural food. It's easier to invite them to a food pantry, where most congregants have no contact with them - out of sight, out of mind, no real sacrifice on the part of the congregation (except those volunteering to serve) because we've been taught to let the church we're attending to do all the work for us - we feel good that we gave some money or canned goods so others can do the dirty work of coming into contact with the poor and needy, while we can go about tending to our own busy lives.
In this sense, our churches become our spiritual surrogates, doing the works we've been called by God to do. All through scripture we are encouraged to minister to the poor, as our God does daily, and in James we are not to differentiate between the rich and the poor. We are not to be respecters of persons, yet so often in churches around the world, the rich are given more honor and respect than the poor. I once heard a pastor declare from his pulpit he only wants rich people attending his church. He said if you live in a trailer or drive an old car, you're a failure as a christian because (he said) God will bless you with lots of nice things, if you just have enough faith and if you give enough money to God (well, not to God directly, give it to the pastor instead, he will accept it on God's behalf, to give it directly to God you would have to give it to the poor of which Jesus said "as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me".
This pastor of whom I speak never preached in India, I suspect. His message would not be appropriate there or welcome ( it shouldn't be appropriate anywhere). In fact, that's a good measuring stick - any message you teach or preach should be just as applicable in any country on earth, not just in the USA. Truth is truth, no matter where you go, unless you're teaching about the ill effects of pursuing worldly wealth on our souls. So many scriptures warn us about the folly of lusting after worldly treasure, money, expensive things, yet still so many pastors set their hearts on worldly wealth. Worse, they teach people to do the same. I'll take Arthur Blessit over Kenneth Copleand any day of the week.
"There is that makes himself rich, yet has nothing; there is that makes himself poor, yet has great riches. Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. Lay not up for yourselves treasures here on earth. My brethren, have not the faith of our lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment, and you have respect to him that wears the rich clothing, and say to him, sit you here in a good place and say to the poor, stand you there, or sit here under my footstool - are you not then partial in yourselves? (showing partiality)? Has God not chosen the poor of this world rich in faith? BUT YOU HAVE DESPISED THE POOR. Verily (truthfully) I say to you that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven and again I say to you - it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth. Take no thought for what you will wear or eat (or where you will live or what car you will drive) for your father which is in heaven knows you have need of these things".
Lives fly by at the speed of life.
Some cause joy, other's strife,
but each one, whoever they may be
help to form Christ in you and in me.
Our enemies are just as important to us as our friends,
if we wish to become like Christ in the end.
So don't curse your enemies, thank them instead
for providing your heart and soul with this test -
to learn to love as our God loves, is best.....