Thank you for calling Grinch Baptist Church!

I just received a telephone call asking the question, "Do you know any church that is giving out toys for the kids?" My answer was that I do not, which brought my call to a quick end. I'm sure the caller on the other end thinks that our church is not generous, and it's pastor is the Grinch personified.

I guess I should have been more honest with the caller. Our church is indeed giving toys to children. We collected shoe boxes full of toys that will be sent to poor children living on Native American reservations. These boxes of toys help soften the hearts of the people on these reservations to the gospel. We have also committed to provide gifts to 25 children and teens who are residents of the Palmetto campus of the Georgia Baptist children's homes. We hope these kids have a very merry Christmas. What I should have told the caller is that we won't be providing Christmas gifts to her children! Yes I know, that sounds harsh. Now you think that I'm a grinch too. That's ok, I can live with that. But before you judge me too harshly, let me ask you a few questions.

What is the mission of our church? We exist to make disciples of Jesus Christ. That means sharing the gospel with those who need to hear it, assimilating those who respond to the gospel by making a profession in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and training those we assimilate to become mature followers of Jesus. When we have a request from someone to pay their rent, put gas in their car, but them groceries, or buy their kids Christmas gifts, we need to determine whether that will help us to make disciples. If you have any experience dealing with benevolent needs in church work, you know that the vast majority of the beneficiaries never return to the church after they have been helped materially and financially, unless they are looking for more financial help. They generally do not return for worship, fellowship, or Bible study.

Aren't Christians supposed to help the poor? Absolutely we are. The Bible is filled with instructions to help those who are needy. In the Old Testament farmers were told to leave the corners of their field unharvested, and not to pick up anything that was dropped when harvesting, but to leave these for he poor. In the New Testament Jesus says that those who will receive a reward in the judgment are those who clothe the naked, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and visit the sick and imprisoned. Our church does those things. I already told you about our church providing Christmas gifts to children living on reservations and in Baptist Children's homes. We also have a ministry where we prepare a meal and serve the residents of a local homeless shelter once every other month. We just went this past Monday night and had a wonderful time. We fed about forty men, women and children, and even had Santa and Mrs. Clause join us and hand out a few gift baskets.


But there is another side to ministering to the poor also. We can only help so many, and we want to make sure we help those with the greatest needs, and those with whom we have the greatest expectation of being able to share the gospel. That is not to say that those who aren't willing to listen to a presentation of the gospel don't need help. Indeed they do. But if our resources are limited, and they are, then we must try to use them in a way that helps us accomplish the mission of the church.

Additionally, we are called to help people not only with generosity, but with accountability. Those Old Testament farmers didn't gather up the crops they dropped and deliver them to the homes of the needy. The needy had to go to the fields and glean what the paid harvesters left behind. Although Jesus fed five thousand one day, the next day when they came back asking for more, he gave them sound doctrine instead of food (John 6:25-70). At this they turned away from following him.

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." John 6:26-27

A principle we can see here is that although we are to help the poor, we are to use wisdom and discernment in determining which people we help, and how much of God's resources we expend on each.

Can this person help himself?
When an anonymous caller wants to know if we will provide gifts for his children (or food, or help with utilities, etc.) we have to ask, could this person meet this need for himself? People began calling First Baptist Lovejoy in October wanting to know if we would be helping with Christmas gifts for children. When they called, I told them yes we would, but explained that we would be doing so through our show box ministry and the Georgia Baptist Children's home. It didn't take them long to realize that their children were not included in either of those ministries. What I really wanted to say was, "It's just October! You have two months until Christmas. Skip a meal or two, or get a part time job, and you should be able to provide your child with a couple of nice gifts for Christmas." But what about the lady that called today? Christmas is only six days away. Perhaps she has suffered some major last minute setback and now has no way to provide Christmas gifts for her children. Perhaps, but we have no way to know that when someone previously unknown to our church come calling.

On the other hand, what if someone in our church family suffers a major financial setback a couple of weeks before Christmas? Well the fact is, that happened last year. Terri and I talked with a family that needed help, and we bought several Christmas gifts for the child/children (the number of children will not be revealed for the sake of the family's privacy). This year some ladies in our church became aware that another child, who attends our church, was unlikely to receive many gifts for Christmas. They collected money and went shopping for this child. You see, there is a world of difference in those we know who are in need, and those who call claiming to be in need. The people in our church are kindhearted and generous. They give sacrificially when they see a genuine need. But if you never attend church, and then proceed to go through the yellow pages trying to find one that will hand out money or toys, your odds of getting the help you need are not nearly so good.

What can we give you? If we don't know you before you call, odds are we aren't going to be giving you any financial assistance. But if you are looking for a place where you will be wanted and accepted just like you are, we invite you to join us for worship and or Bible Study. If you are looking for a way to be forgiven for the wrong you've done, and accepted by God, we would love to tell you about God's free gift of forgiveness and everlasting life to all who would believe in his son. If you are looking for a place where you can partner with other Christians to make a positive impact on our community, we would love to have you on our team. And if you become involved, as a member or even a regular visitor, when you have a genuine need, we'll be there.

Merry Christmas
Pastor Mike