Hungry Children Aren't Enough Reason

Hungry Children Aren't Enough Reason
Through the years I have been approached by people mooching money and using the argument that their children are hungry. OK, sometimes there are children, and sometimes there are hungry children, but seldom (if ever) are the children hungry because the parent(s) did not have food or money or access to food or money. Often times it was just a ploy, at other times, the parent(s) wasted the money on booze or drugs or whatever. Giving them money would just advance the problem, not solve it. When I have taken personal or church action in these cases I require accountability from the person seeking help. Usually they don't want help with accountability attached.

Usually I ask the people where they attend worship (which interpreted means, "where do you go to church"). The answer is almost always that they do not go to church. When they tell me that they go to church, I ask what church they attend, which usually takes us back to step #1. I may even ask the name of the pastor. I tell them that I will contact their pastor and help them explain their situation. In any case I tell them that their church and pastor should help them and that they need to find a Bible/Jesus preaching church, and talk to the pastor about their problem. They need to seek God and follow Christ. They are almost never interested in that solution.

Think about it, the fact that their life is so messed up that they supposedly cannot feed their hungry children is not reason enough to turn from their life of failure and seek God's forgiveness and deliverance. They would rather mooch than repent. It is not a hunger problem, it is a sin problem.

If the Christ-less life, if the church-less life is so good, then why do they need Christians to help them and carry them through life?

I am unashamed when it comes to telling people to seek a Bible/Jesus church. I am unashamed in saying that being part of a local church is expected from people who are seeking help from Christians.

Oh, by the way: there are more programs available for those people than can be imagined. Even if they do not want Christ in their lives or they do not want to be in a church, then the State is available to give away someone else's hard earned money. Also, there are organizations (Christian and non-Christian) which are equipped to do a more thorough job of helping the needy than some individual they meet on the street. Again, they usually do not want accountability, and they often are not actually as destitute as they say.

Certainly there is a need for Christian concern, compassion and action, but not in the form of free handouts or unaccountable assistance. Doing the right thing is not just doing the easy thing. Handouts is easy. But Christian ministry to the whole man is right, and demanding.