“But I will give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising him to everyone. For he stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them.” Psalms‬ ‭109‬:‭30‬-‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

Recent social media doctrinal positions have made it necessary for me to enlighten my circle of influence about the position of the Bible about God’s relationship with the poor. The Word of God is the final authority on all matters. Is poverty proof of sin? Is it wrong to relate with or associate with the poor? Did the Lord Jesus Christ visit only poor people? What exactly should our attitude be to the poor?

One reality is incontrovertible to begin with and that is the fact that God loves all of humanity (Psalm 36:7, John 3:16). All humans are included in the love of God which is boundless. It is the basis for the redemptive work of Christ and at the back of everything He does for His creation (Romans 5:8, 1 John 3:1). God made both the rich and the poor of this world (Proverbs 22:2). This does not mean their outcomes were predetermined by God.

A loving God cannot be the author of poverty. As a heavenly father, He cares for us much better than mere mortals care for their children and none of us will like to make our children poor (Matthew 7:7-11). He placed the first family of creation in a lustrous garden with an abundance of provisions. As a King, He is pleased that His subjects are abundantly provided for (Psalm 14:15-16). He wants to meet all our needs and that is His perfect will (Psalm 23:1, Philippians 4:19).

Poverty is a product of the fall of man and one of the manifestations of the reign of death which is characteristic of the government of Satan in the world’s social order (Romans 5:12, 17). With the destructive nature of poverty, it is preposterous to imagine it as the will of God for any of us. I remember praying for deliverance for a couple many years ago and an evil spirit who manifested himself as poverty spoke up. This demon, according to the couple, would always abort any opportunity of significant provision coming to them.

It is debatable whether 2 Corinthians 8:9 references material poverty but the favour God granted Israel as part of her redemption at her deliverance from Egypt certainly proves that poverty is not part of God’s plan for us. If sin brought poverty into the world, God’s plan of salvation will definitely include freedom from poverty. Like John the Apostle in 3 John 2 wished Gaius in a popular greeting of the day that he may prosper (succeed in life’s journey) and be in health, it must be God’s mind that all be well with us in all dimensions of our existence.

As God, with over 600 laws, statutes and precepts gave Israel a new culture and society, He made ample provisions for the poor. Knowing fully that no matter what happens, due to the fall of man, there will always be poverty, God arranged for relative equity, justice and social welfare. He did this in various ways:

1. He mandated all of Israel to tithe different types of tithes, including one that made provisions for widows, orphans and the vulnerable (Deuteronomy 14:28-29),

2. He mandated all Jews who had resources never to shut their hearts nor their hands from the poor. (Deuteronomy 15:7-8)

3. He instructed everyone to deliberately leave a little of their harvests on the field so the poor could find something to survive on. (Leviticus 23:22).

4. He promised abundant provision for whoever gave to the poor. (Deuteronomy 15:10-11).

God bypassed the rich and the mighty in His choice of the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ and chose the poor (Luke 1:36-53). When the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ began, the poor were the primary target of his gospel (Matthew 11:5-7). Paul, the Apostle, observed that the call of God to salvation reached more of the poor and the vulnerable people of society (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). Nothing depicted Peter as a wealthy man and yet the Lord Jesus Christ visited his home and even prayed for his mother-in-law who was sick in Mark 1:29-31.

Every King takes responsibility for the poor and in so much as Satan, the god of this world, has impacted humanity with so much poverty, God deems those who take care of the poor and needy as taking direct care of Him (Proverbs 19:17). False teachers have despised giving to the poor with carnal thinking, claiming God will only repay the giver with exactly how much he has given while multiplying what is given to the church or to men of God. This is a gross misinterpretation of the Word of God. Most people forget that most of what was taught as Grace Giving by Paul, the Apostle, was done in the context of raising funds for the poor saints at Jerusalem. Let us read 2 Corinthians 9:8-9 NLT together:

“And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, ‘They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.’” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

A major part of the early church was an attempt to achieve commonality among the saints. Everyone relinquished a sense of personal ownership of anything and equitable distributions were made to reach everyone in the spirit of the oneness of the body of Christ. The rich felt a sense of responsibility to the poor.

“There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.”‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭4‬:‭34‬-‭35‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

Paul, the Apostle, rebuked the Corinthian church for shaming the poor among them during the celebration of the Lord’s supper:

“When you meet together, you are not really interested in the Lord’s Supper. For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk. What? Don’t you have your own homes for eating and drinking? Or do you really want to disgrace God’s church and shame the poor? What am I supposed to say? Do you want me to praise you? Well, I certainly will not praise you for this!” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭20‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

It was a lack of discernment of the body of Christ and the oneness of the church that caused such behaviour. We must realize that whether rich or poor, we are one. It is the responsibility of the rich to care for the poor because the rich have much by the grace of God and the poor are poor because they are victims of the fall of man and its consequences. We are so united in Christ that what belongs to one belongs to all IN HIM.

“When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT.‬‬

James, the Lord’s brother, defines true religion:“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” James‬ ‭1‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

“The people must be able to reach you after service,” Bishop David Oyedepo said to me in a mentoring session many years ago. I bursted into laughter. “Papa, how many people can reach you with tens of thousands worshipping every Sunday?” I replied. Apart from laying hands on hundreds in the healing room, he said he would attend to people till dawn after preaching several services. “My associates handle most people but pass the most difficult cases and widows to me.” He told me their problems are mostly financial and he always made provisions for them. He did so personally. It’s a lesson I will never forget.

Finally, let us be admonished by the counsel of Paul as we seek God’s kind heart about this matter:“Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!” Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

Victor Adeyemi.