Wednesday, February 17, 2010

What Homeless People are Rejecting and What they are Looking For

In heaven, God's dwelling place, part of the city at least has pavers made of gold, gates made of pearls, floor-tiles made of sapphire, and the city is set in the midst of the Paradise of God. God also placed gold In Eden - the botanical garden which God planted to become man's original home: and the gold, we are told, was "good". In process of time, had it not been for the fall, man might have turned parts of Eden into a replica of God's dwelling place in heaven. Adam might have eventually desired to build this for God, so that God's daily visits to him in the garden might be as pleasant as His own dwelling-place in heaven.

After the fall, God sought to restore again to man a picture of how life was meant to be. He showed Moses a vision of His dwelling-place in heaven, and instructed him to build a tabernacle modelled exactly after what he'd seen. Mankind was meant to have a God who lived with him. So Moses built the tabernacle - paved with gold inside and out and draped in ornate tapestry.

God also gave Israel, through Moses, a societal system that could have elevated His people above all nations round about. It was a system rich in its work ethic, in its recognition of private-property rights, in its condoning of profit - while at the same time restricting usury. It included no prison-sytem and no social-welfare payments. Viable alternatives for both were provided, which required no redistribution of wealth. The family-unit and all human relationships were protected. The means of obtaining righteousness was central to the whole system. God was included in every area of society. The whole system could be summumed-up in one word: love, love for God and love for one's fellow-man.

That's what the homeless man on the street is looking for: he's looking for the whole package-deal, not just part of it. Certainly, he no longer feels satisfied by profiting from hard work alone if he remains devoid of loving-relationships. But neither does his immediate need of loving-relationships mean that he has forever lost his innate God-given appreciation for the type of profit that comes from honest work: he was, after all, made for both. And it is a relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, that restores the promise of all of those things, especially at His coming.

When a homeless person joins our church's Transformation program, they find God, righteousness, and meaningful relationships. But they also get to live in a well-apportioned house complete with detached self-contained units, swimming-pool, wide-screen TVs, jet-skii, gym, top-class meals, all within walking-distance to the beach, they get to drive around in a variety of comfortable vehicles while participating in various work-experience programs, they have reserved seating in a 6-million dollar building in the heart of Surfers Paradise every Sunday. The opportunity is even being developed right now for graduating residents to participate in profit-sharing businesses. It takes only a short time before the once-homeless person is seen standing in the front row of church, praising God with all of his heart, wearing his suit and tie or his favorite clothes, enjoying every aspect of his improved life. Hallelujah! A lot of his opportunity came because other people believed it is moral to go out there and engage in profit-making businesses which enable them to make the donations which make Transformation Ministries possible. It's a package deal - God and capitalism.

1 comment:

samantha in the sky said...

Amazing! good life both in earth and after earth! The latter looks better though.I hope and pray that the transformation ministries reach every corner of the world.
In Jesus, no one is homeless! Nice blog John.:) God Bless you!