What does the Bible say about helping homeless people?
Isaiah 58:7 urges, “Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter.” This call to provide shelter underscores the importance of treating a poor man with respect and compassion. Amos condemns those who trample on the needy and bring ruin to the poor (Amos 5:11-12).
Scripture is clear about God's concern for the poor and His expectation that we share that concern. Jesus said, “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you” (Matthew 5:42).
“Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
What does the Bible say about giving money to beggars?
Proverbs 19:17 says “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done.” Deuteronomy 15:11 says “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, 'You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.
God’s Warning: 7 Types of People You Must Not Help
What does the Bible say about helping people in need?
“Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.” “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Contrary to popular belief, giving money to homeless people is okay. Yes, the official stance of the homeless services sector is: don't give money to panhandlers. Instead, they recommend money be given to them to help end homelessness.
14 Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. 15 And be careful that when you get on each other's nerves you don't snap at each other.
Preventing Exploitation: Giving money directly to beggars can sometimes perpetuate a cycle of dependency and exploitation. In some cases, beggars are part of organized rackets where the money collected is taken by others, and the beggars themselves see little benefit.
The reason the Bible talks so much about homelessness is because homelessness is not the way it's supposed to be. God wants us to be at home because he designed us to be at home. Homelessness is a picture of what happens when we rebel against him—after all, the first eviction was God's doing.
Jesus's heart went out to the poor man; he touched his ravaged face and cured him. The homeless leper no longer had to sleep rough but could now return to his home and family.
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
21 Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor. 21 It is a sin to belittle one's neighbor; blessed are those who help the poor. 21 It's criminal to ignore a neighbor in need, but compassion for the poor - what a blessing!
What does the Bible say about helping people who don't help themselves?
One of the powerful ways that God shows care for the disadvantages is by making it a priority for his people to help them. Leviticus 25:35: “If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you.”
In summary, while it is not always a sin to fail to help someone in need, it is good to be generous here on earth as much as possible so that God will repay us with eternal life in heaven.
What does God say about helping people that don't deserve it?
Luke 6:35a “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back…” Acts 20:35b “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Matthew 5:42 “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”
Romans 12:13 – “Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” 1 Peter 4:9 – “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” Hebrews 13:2 – “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; * only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, * but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
In a time of great concern and fear, the nations surrounding Israel sought strength in idols, reflecting a common human tendency to rely on the created rather than the Creator.
17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. 17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. 17 In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don't do it, that, for you, is evil.
In summary, the Gospels indicate that Jesus assumed the practice of tithing and related almsgiving. He did not abolish them, just as He said, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17).
Your giving should be: 1) regular, 2) participatory, 3) intentional, 4) proportional, 5) anticipatory, 6) effective, and 7) accountable. These seven principles are timeless principles for Christian giving applicable to all churches at all times.
In Luke 6:38 Jesus says, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full.” You won't have less, is what He's saying. “Pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap.
Salvation Army. The Salvation Army is a Christian Church and charity. They work with some of the most disadvantaged people in our communities. These include homeless people, older people, unemployed people, those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction, victims of human trafficking and major emergencies.
