[Ezekiel Bathfire]

When Christ said, “Mar 14:6 And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.
Mar 14:7 For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.”

He spoke of the inevitability of the poor – poverty and the poor cannot be abolished. Some idiots try, but they never try hard enough, nor do they try in any way that is effective. And we have to ask ourselves, “Why is this?”

It is my invariable opinion that when something is “This way”, it is because it is God’s Plan. In the same way that God gave us eyes to see his glories, ears that we may hear his word, and lips that we might tell others, He gave us the poor too.

We can see that everything in the world has a purpose, and to remove it would cause disaster! If we were to remove disease, the place would be overrun with stupid, poor people. If everyone got free food, farmers, grocers, truckers, meat-packers would be out of work and then where would hedge fund managers be?

It is in this light that I examine

“The Function of the Poor in a Christian World.”

1. The poor are there to do the dangerous, dirty, dead-end, temporary/seasonal, under paid undignified, menial jobs. Cleaning sewers, supermarket checkouts, picking cotton – that sort of thing. Nobody is going to do these things in heaven, so why should the True Christian do them now when God gave us the poor?

2. They subsidize the activities of the normal True Christian: domestics, tourist guides, hotel and staff, etc. Nobody wants to pay outrageous prices for these services, so the poor do them.

3 They act as guinea-pigs for testing drugs. Their diseases are treated with "innovative treatments" and if they work and are safe, the normal True Christian can benefit as an adjunct to prayer. They get a few dollars for their blood, etc.

4. They create jobs for the professions who service the poor such as the police and prison officers, prostitutes, pawn shops, the army, etc. Now normally, you don’t want many of these, but, if you do, it is the poor who keep them available and in business.

5. They buy good nobody else wants and thus prolong the life of these things - day-old bread, second-hand clothes, automobiles and they occupy buildings that are falling apart. This means that you get a better return on your investments.

6. They are the base-line of morality. This is remarkably important. They are proof that morality is absolute and thus must have come from God’s Word. The poor can be identified and punished as alleged or real deviants in order to uphold morality. When it comes to hard work, thrift, honesty, and monogamy, the normal True Christian may need examples and must therefore have people as examples of the lazy, spendthrift, dishonest, and promiscuous.

(The advantage here is that the poor lack the power to attempt change these perceptions – but that is because the perceptions are true.)

7. An often overlooked function is the poor's cultural contribution. They gave the normal True Christian The Blues, Country and Western, Spirituals, etc. And more than that, you need not actually get close to poor people to enjoy these things. They also serve as folk heroes to liberals - the hobo, the cowboy, the miner, the hipster, etc,. They are perfect examples of how anyone can become President if they work hard - it is simply that these people do not.

8. The poor are a confirmation that you are not poor. Someone has to be at the bottom and, in America where anyone can be a normal True Christian, the poor provide a measuring rod for status comparison. Are you richer than someone who is poor? Then you’re not poor, and that’s good. (It must be remarked that even the poor look down on poorer people, so we need not feel guilty when we look down on them without needing to ascertain the level of poverty.)

9. The poor provide the stepping stone for the American Dream: many a poor person has risen out of the mire of poverty by providing goods and services to his fellow poor. Slum landlords, drug dealers, numbers racket, prostitutes, i.e. mostly immigrants, spring to mind.

10 The poor help keep the normal True Christian busy. Society uses the poor as clients of settlement houses, beneficiaries of charities set up by the normal True Christian to demonstrate the way that God has blessed them.

11. Despite rarely taking part in politics, the poor stabilze the political process. Republicans, knowing Christ's Words, ignore them. Demoncrats attempt to obtain "street-cred" by saying that they help them - the poor have to vote Demoncrat as they have no other home for their vote. In truth, the Demoncrats are interested in keeping the poor poor because if they became rich, they'd vote the right way.

12 The poor are necessary for a laissez-faire economy – the economy of the Bible. A laissez-faire economy accepts the poor as men who are inferior, degenerate, and unwilling to work and thus must accept charity and welfare. The moral turpitude of the poor moderates any reason to go against God’s Plan and eliminate poverty or have sympathy. As a bonus, the poor can be dissuaded from wanting to receive any welfare as they know that anyone who gets benefits or charity is lazy, spendthrift, dishonest, etc.

If you are reading this, you have access to the internet – poor people do not. You may show your gratitude to God by making a donation that reflects the Blessings He has given you.

[Johny Joe Hold]

Excellent analysis, Pastor Bathfire. I find it annoying when this lady at the Freehold Senior Center goads me with, "You Christians don't care about the poor."

We do care that they carry out their appropriate place in society--taking care of we the prosperous people. Yes, when they do not work and try to take our money through welfare we object. We object partly because they are no longer serving us but also because their own self respect suffers. When they are serving us it is a win win situation.

[Dr. Anthony J. Toole]

Originally Posted by Johny Joe Hold

Yes, when they do not work and try to take our money through welfare we object. We object partly because they are no longer serving us but also because their own self respect suffers.

Maybe in return for welfare they could do something actually useful like investigating Joe Biden's son. But oh no the Democrats would object. They'd rather they sit on their hands and enjoy a warm trickle of wealth flowing down on them from above and raising everyones' boats (those that have a boat anyway).

[Ezekiel Bathfire]

Originally Posted by Johny Joe Hold

Excellent analysis, Pastor Bathfire. I find it annoying when this lady at the Freehold Senior Center goads me with, "You Christians don't care about the poor."

The idea of God being at our beck and call is regrettably common, even among those who have had a lifetime to read the Bible. The proposition is not at all supported by Scripture. The Ruler of the Universe is not there to help us - He is there to carry out His Plan and we are His servants. It is not for the servant to question or correct the Master when the Master has already provided all we need.

We do care that they carry out their appropriate place in society--taking care of we the prosperous people. Yes, when they do not work and try to take our money through welfare we object. We object partly because they are no longer serving us but also because their own self respect suffers. When they are serving us it is a win win situation.

I did consider that a small pool of poor might be enough, but this tends to fail as quite a large number of poor are required to keep general wages to a reasonable level. At my meat-packing concern, I have reduced wages when the cost have threatened shareholder profits, and the majority seem to understand this as they do not leave - those that do can be replaced from this pool of the unemployed.


The point here is "The Greater Good": it is more important that all God's Children people get cheap meat than that one or two are paid more than the going rate.

[Cranky Old Man]

Originally Posted by Ezekiel Bathfire

The poor are there to do the dangerous, dirty, dead-end, temporary/seasonal, under paid undignified, menial jobs. Cleaning sewers, supermarket checkouts, picking cotton – that sort of thing. Nobody is going to do these things in heaven, so why should the True Christian do them now when God gave us the poor?

Amen to that! And after Jesus kills them their bodies should be used to fill up potholes and their families should work even harder to pick up the slack.

Amazing how the Fake News Media helped by the Do Nothing Democrats keep claiming the poor are "victims" instead of blaming the poor for refusing to simply become rich. It's as if they haven't even heard of Bitcoin.

As Proverbs 14:31 teaches us, the poor shouldn't be oppressed but they should be put to work until they die so they go to Heaven (or Hell if they voted for Hillary Clinton) faster.

[MitzaLizalor]

Originally Posted by Ezekiel Bathfire

2. Subsidize the activities or the normal True Christian: domestics, tourist guides, hotel and staff, etc. Nobody wants to pay outrageous prices for these services, so the poor do them.

To what extent should immigration be encouraged to satisfy this demand? Many donor nations are not Christian and it's possible that they could start voting. I've often suspected that social liberals promote the interests of such groups to get more votes and bring down The Church. Am I mistaken?

[Jeb Stuart Thurmond]

Thank you. You have proved that not only will the poor always be with us, but that the poor SHOULD always be with us.

I remember the last time I said "It's easy to be generous with other people's money".

A liberal replied with "That's the whole point! The world needs more generosity, not less, so of course we should organize things that make generosity easier. Thousands of years of charity never put a dent in poverty, yet a generation or two of liberalization - of easy generosity - and now there's 3 billion middle class people in the world."

I didn't have a response at the time, but now I do.

[Johny Joe Hold]

A thread like this illustrates the idealism that is central to the mission of Landover Baptist Church. Instead of just accepting things as they are, we are passionate about how they should be.

The poor have a perfectly respectable place in our society, to be poor. As our economy grows and those at the top become more wealthy the poor can look with pride at their contribution to this wealth.

All the Democratic politicians have some perverted idea we can make the poor better off by making the rich worse off. No. The poor should make the rich better off.

[Ezekiel Bathfire]

Originally Posted by Johny Joe Hold

A thread like this illustrates the idealism that is central to the mission of Landover Baptist Church. Instead of just accepting things as they are, we are passionate about how they should be.

The poor have a perfectly respectable place in our society, to be poor. As our economy grows and those at the top become more wealthy the poor can look with pride at their contribution to this wealth.

All the Democratic politicians have some perverted idea we can make the poor better off by making the rich worse off. No. The poor should make the rich better off.

The English poet, John Milton, was cursed by God with blindness in his 20s. Milton was a True Christian and understood that God's actions were, in fact, an honor - God was using him to show how powerful He is (Joh:9:3)


The sonnet goes thus:

When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodg'd with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide;
"Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"
I fondly ask.But Patience to prevent
That murmur, soon replies: "God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts; who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o'er land and ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait."

If we render this into Modern American, we have:

When I think about being blind
Before I've lived half my life
[and I think about] My ability [as a poet], which The Lord commands me I should not hide, (Matthew 25:14-30)
Seemed to be useless to me, even though my soul wishes me
To use it to serve God and thus explain
My actions, because otherwise God will return on Judgement Day and complain about me;

"Would God want a day's labor from me in darkness?"
I fondly ask myself. But my Faith, in order to prevent such a mistake,
Corrects this idea by quickly saying "God does not need
Either a man's work or the talents He has given him; Whoever best
puts up with God's trivial demands, they are the best servants. He is
Like a King (or a President). Thousands, whenever he asks, rush
And do, tirelessly, that which He requires anywhere in the world:
[And so we can conclude] They also serve who only stand and wait."

You can see that Milton was inspired by God to do nothing much. And, in some ways, this is a poem of Prophecy: For is not "They also serve who only stand and wait." also the prediction of welfare lines?

God even has a reason for welfare lines! He is truly amazing!

[MitzaLizalor]

The idea that we can make the poor better off by making the rich worse off suggests a community fund to make up for the shortcomings within society, as a social liberal would describe it – in their eyes a type of atonement. It's not a new idea, even if they follow a debased version of it excluding plague prophylaxis but instead turning to physicians for remedy after the fact.

The Bible does mention common funds but they are never controlled by a headcount except insofar as contributions are concerned. And unlike the socialist idea where everyone pays in a different amount (according to their means) God spells out a very different assessment method.

Exodus 30:12c-16 When thou numberest them, that there be no plague among them when thou numberest them, this they shall give: Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary; an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD. Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls.

Communists seek to replace God with doctrinaire institutions and to drive a wedge in wherever His Perfect Ideas bind us together, to drive us apart. They don't declare themselves to be Marxists or Stalinists at first or even use words like "commie" and "collective-ownership-of-the-means-of-production" but we know that's what they mean. The rich giving more and the poor giving less (to support their profane redemption scheme) is a dead give-away.

The Bible also explains that poor people can sometimes be lifted up, even to great riches or other forms of influence as a conduit for God's blessings to reach others. God can just bless people directly of course but sometimes chooses individuals to be His instruments in exactly the way Mother Teresa was not.

I Samuel 2:6-8 The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The LORD maketh poor and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.

Making rich people poor, or lining them up and shooting them for that matter, just makes everyone worse off.

[I Man Rastafari]

Greetings!

As President Barak Obama said- White folk's greed runs a world in need. The truth is that the reason there are so many poor people is that white people steal all the money and every kind of thing from the Black and Brown and Yellow and Red people who are the true owners of the world. And the Eskimos too but I am uncertain as to what color they are. Once proper reparations are paid from the monies stolen from the people of color there will be no poverty and everyone will live happily ever after.

Jah Guide!
Trevor

[Dr. Anthony J. Toole]

Trevor, listen boy. The rich could empty their coffers giving "reparations" to the poor tomorrow and within a year it would all be back in our hands, frittered away on lottery tickets, red baseball caps, 40 oz malt liquor and chicken wings. You know it and I know it. The hand out will never be enough so why bother?

[MitzaLizalor]

Right there. A perfect example.

To whom should the monies be forwarded? Surely it's not for the exploiters themselves to determine. Magnanimity dictates that recipients are best suited to establish channels of disbursement for themselves and for one another. Anything else would be odious paternalism.

King Alpha surely knows where the need is most urgent, the funds have been made available, all that's needed is to submit a reparation plan O Fari.

The real question here is whether I Man applied for his 25 million? It's been paid out in "reparations" for the self determined channels of disbursement to disburse and although they're not channels I'd think likely to be effective, it's not for me to judge.

Amos 3:3-4 Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Will a lion roar in the forest, when he hath no prey? Will a young lion cry out of his den, if he have taken nothing?

That no amount ever paid would ever be adequate or even considered a payment at all is the only conclusion here. We get quite a lot of roaring these days; God let's us know the cause is having taken something. Lions however are not noted for building. Who supplied England with Range Rovers? No-one: they built them themselves.

[handmaiden]

Dear Esteemed Brother Bathfire:

That really was an inspiring sermon/post. I, too, have often recalled the words of Our Lord and Savior informing us that we will always have the poor with us. And yet, I never understood the purpose behind God's Plan for them so well.


Of course, poverty cannot be eliminated! God said that the poor will always be with us and they will. Attempts to get rid of poverty are like actions to rid the world of evil without letting Jesus up on His steed.


Democrats try to get rid of sin by calling sin "not sin". They have changed nothing; instead, they rename it.


The poor will remain poor as long as God remains on His throne. When He leaves to come back to earth a second time as His own Son, then the poor will be dead or provided with the riches of Heaven, but it will always be God's call.

[MitzaLizalor]

Originally Posted by handmaiden

Democrats try to get rid of sin by calling sin "not sin". They have changed nothing; instead, they rename it.

Excellent point. How many things have been renamed over the centuries? I'm thinking of the last 2 or 3 centuries really but any other centuries would do. Fortunately we have a consistent reference point – from a.very–reliable source.

Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

[Johny Joe Hold]

For those of us here at Landover Baptist Church, society's 1%, there is an obligation to make poor people feel better about their lot in life. One place we can help is with Uber drivers.

If you don't read the Wall Street Journal you may not be aware the the Uber company is losing billions of dollars each year. That is unfortunate because sometimes I like to just tap the Uber app in my phone and have a car appear instantly. But, I don't want to pay much for this.

That is why the poor should consider themselves important. Uber drivers often live in their cars because they can't afford an apartment. I don't want to pay more for an Uber ride and the company is losing money. The only way to make the Uber system work is keeping the drivers poor.

There was a popular song in the early 2,000's written for Uber drivers, "I Love You Just the Way You Are." You Uber drivers out there, keep up the good work.

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2019/11...fying-workers/

[Brother Gonzalez]

Well, poor people are always asking for money, but what have they given? Quid pro quo is word very used in this days. But not for the reasons it should be. Quid pro quo: I will give you some money, but you have to give back something.

Uber drivers are poor because they want to. They could be working more and sleeping less, they could be working more days a week. Have free time? Look for another productive thing to do.
They all want to be rich without working for it. If working 14 hours a day is not enough, the work 16 or 18. Unless you are lazy.


Think of Trump: as a world leader, his job is 24/7. Your average Uber driver is sleeping at 2AM in New York while Donald is already calling leaders from the other side of the world, where is 9AM already, to ask for very normal and very regular things, just business as usual. Poor president from shithole country wants something, Donald says ok but give back something in return. THAT is a healthy way of having a relation with poor people. Not saying Donald has asked for something, because he did not, but in any case, that would be an ideal situation.

[MitzaLizalor]

Sometimes wretches suffer indignity not because they sinned in a previous life

John 9:1-3 As Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

but for a lesson to be made clear. This is not a boy born blind or a youth but an adult. Allowing for an age around that of Jesus we'd have 3 or 4 decades of indignity, a little charity, perhaps some teasing, a dog bite or two; who knows? He was made blind to suffer for a reason, so that others would see the works of God. One such group was the Pharisees. They interrogated this wretched (but now sighted) man and decided — GET THIS — that Jesus was a sinner. Wow!

Their conclusion was that Jesus should be murdered. The man himself didn't mince words and didn't proclaim Christ. The message was not for him: it was for others. The man did express surprise that the Pharisees would have questions at all under the circumstances but they doubled down, contradicting Jesus outright

John 9:34 [The Pharisees] answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sinsv.s. and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

This man was not rich. Yet his life thitherto was not without function. He was poor, blind, wretched and forlorn. All alone in darkness so that others (except the Pharisees) would see how fantastic Christ Jesus really was. And still is. Today.

[Johny Joe Hold]

Poor people are such as asset in a Christian world. Here at Landover Baptist, we want our members in church, not going around town digging in dumpsters for cans and bottles to sell.

But someone needs to pick up that stuff. That's where poor people become valuable. While LBC members are enjoying coffee after the sermon, poor people are hustling for 5 cent cans. Good for them.

[Basilissa]

I never fully understood the purpose of the poor, but now I get it. Someone has to go to the store, pick up my groceries, and deliver them to me. They have to be able to do so very cheaply, and they have to be easily replaceable if they get sick or something.

Thank you Jesus for the poor - they are truly a God's gift in these turbulent times!