Greg Boyd - Gods Heart for the Poor

5/12/2018 Greg Boyd - Gods Heart for the Poor - slidepdf.com

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/greg-boyd-gods-heart-for-the-poor 1/12

God'sHeartforthePoor10/11/2009

GregBoyd

Howareyoualldoingtonight?Well,incaseyouforgotthatyouliveinMinnesota,Mother

Natureisheretoremindyou.Inlightofallthatniceweather,nowit'spaybacktime.ThelawofKarmaonweatherisgettingeven,soburr.Wokeupthismorningandlookedoutthewindow,

sawthatwhitestuff,andIwent"No."Hereweare.Hey,anothersixmonthsanditwillbeover

with,sojusthunkerdown.

Well,Ireallyencourageyoutothinkaboutthatmentoringprogramthatwehave.Thebest

education,thebestlifeskillscomeone-on-oneandthat'swhatthekingdomisallabout,so

reallytakethatseriously.Also,thatbudgetingonthepovertylinesimulationthingisreally,for

some,goingtobeaneye-openingexercise.Now,someofyouarealreadybudgetingonthat,I

imagine,butifyou'renot,it'sreallygoodtoenterintowhatitistoliveatthatlevel.SoI

encourageyoutosignupforthat.Ihavemywintermughereasisappropriate.Seethelittle

Christmastreethere?SoI'mgettingintotheseason.Also,mywifeinsiststhatsomeonegave

meashotoftestosteronethislastweekbecauseI'vebeenwatchingsports.I'maman'sman

now.WatchedthePackers.Thatwasgreat.AndwatchedtheTwinswinthatfinalgame.That

wasgreat.Thelasttwonightshavenotbeensogreat,sowearegoingtoprayacurseuponthe

Yankeesstartingrightnow.I'veneverlikedthem.I'msorry.Theyhaveunsurpassableworth,

buttheyjustbuytheirwaytovictory.Thereoughttobealawagainstthat.

Okay.Focusnow.We'retalkingaboutCompassionbyCommand.Thisisoursecondinthe

series.Thismessageisentitled"God'sHeartforthePoor."Itcouldbesubtitled"KnowWho

YourRealEnemyIs,"because,asIsaidbefore,thetitlesandthecontentsdon'talwaysmatch

becausethetitlesweregivenalongtimeago.We,lastweek,lookedatMicahchaptersix,verse

eight,wheretheauthorsays,"WhatdoestheLordrequireofyoubutthisonething,thatisto

actjustlyandtolovemercyandtowalkhumblywithyourGod.That'swhattheLordrequires."

AsIsortofanticipated,Igotalittlepushbackfromafewfolkswhowerejustalittleconcerned

abouttheword"require"there,becausetheythoughtthattosaythatGodrequiresthisofus

makesitsoundasifImaybefallingintowhatsometimesiscalledworksrighteousnessorworks

salvation,theideathattherearesomethingsthatarerequiredofustobesaved.Andsowhattheyheardwasthewaywegetsavedisbyactingjustly,lovingmercy,andwalkinghumblywith

ourGod,andthatseemstobecontrarytotheNewTestamentteaching,certainlycontraryto

thewaymostconservativeEvangelicalChristianshaveinterpretedtheNewTestament,because

thereitseemstheBibleissayingwe'resavedcompletelybygraceapartfromworks.Theclassic

textonthisisEphesianschaptertwo,andIjustwanttostartbydivingintothis.Thisisavery

importantpoint,Ithinkveryfrequentlymisunderstoodpoint.Ephesianschapter2wherePaul



saysthis:Hesays,"Foritisbygracethatyou'vebeensavedthroughfaith."It'sbygrace,andit's

throughfaith.That'showyou'resaved."Andthisisnotofyourselves,itisagiftofGod."Grace

isagift.Salvationisagift."Notbyworks,sothatnoonecanboast."It'sagift.Itisgrace.

ReceiveitjustbyputtingyourtrustinChristabsolutely.That'swhynoonecanboastorfeel

proudofholdingtherightbeliefsorofbeingontheinsidecluborbeingsavedoranythingofthesort.It'snotbyworkssothatnoonecanboast.But,see,it'ssortofthestandard,atleast

modernwesternEvangelicalinterpretationofthatverse,that'stakentomeanifIbelieve,ifI

believeintellectuallythatJesusChristisLordanddiedformysins,well,thenIescapehell.

That'showtheyinterpretbeingsavedbygracethroughfaith.IfIjustbelieveinJesus,thenI'm

rescuedfromhellandmaybethere'ssomethingsIshoulddo,thatwouldbenicetodo,goodto

do,I'msupposedtodo,butit'snotessentialforsalvation.It'snotpartofthebottomline.It

won'tdisqualifymefromhell,andsoImightgetaroundthatornot;but,fortunately,Iknow

thatI'msavedwhetherthereareanyofthoseniceworksthereornot.

KevinCallaghanwasourcarepastorhere,hadateachingthatIwenttolastSaturdaynightat

thisoneplace,andhewastalkingaboutthistheology,andheusedagreatanalogy.Hesaidthis

theologyiskindoflike--hecalleditaTitanictheology.You'reontheTitanic,andit'ssinking,

andtheimportantthingwhentheTitanicissinkingisthatyou'vegottograbalifeboat,you've

gottogetoneofthoserafts.Andsothisis,kindof,howsalvationisthoughtaboutherein

Westernculture.It'severyoneoutforthemselves.It'skindofsave-your-own-butttheology.I

gottogetmealifeboat.Igottogetinthelifeboat,thelifeboatofJesusChrist.Hallelujah.God

givesittomebygrace.I'mgoingtogetinthatlifeboat,trytogetsomeotherpeopleinthat

lifeboat,buttheTitanicitselfisgoingtosink.And,ifyouthinkaboutit,thattheology,thatway

of,kindof,construingthingsis,really,quiteprofoundlyselfcentered.I'moutforme.Iwantto

savemyownbehind.Itisveryindividualistic.It'saboutmegettinginthatlifeboatand,of

course,becauseIlovecertainpeopleI'lltrytogettheminthelifeboat,aswell.AndtheTitanic

itself,well,that'sjust,kindof,goingdownthetubessothere'snotmuchconcernaboutthat.

It'sveryselfcentered,veryindividualistic.It'salsoveryconvenientbecauseyoucouldcometo

theconclusionthat,iftheTitanicissinking,andthat'skindoftheearthandthewholecreation

thing,thenitreallydoesn'tmatterwhatwedowiththeearthandthewholecreationthing.I

mean,youknow,ifI'massuredofalifeboat,thenIcanwaituntiltheveryendtogetinthat

lifeboat.AndifI'minfirstclassandyou'reinlastclass,well,thenwhocaresbecausethiswhole

thingissinking.SoI'mnotgoingtofeelverymuchconvictionofthefactthatI'minfirstclass

eatingmycaviarwhileyou'redownthereinlastclassinthebottomoftheboat,youknow,

workinglikeslaveskeepingtheenginerunningorsomethingofthesort.No,theTitanicis

sinking.Theimportantthingisthateveryonefindstheirlifeboat.Soit'sveryconvenient

becausenowIcanenjoymylifehereandallofitsextrabenefitsthatIhappentobeblessed

withanddon'thavetofeelmuchconvictionaboutthepoorfolksaslongasweofferthemthe

lifeboat,andanythingbeyondthatcomesacrossasworksalvation.Now,here'sthething.That



interpretation,thatwayofconstruingsalvationbygracethroughfaith,there'sanumberof

problemswithit.Butthemainoneisitignoresthenextverse.Itignoresthenextverse.Look

whathappenswhenyoureaditincontext."Foritisbygracethatyouhavebeensavedthrough

faith."Hallelujah."Andthisisnotofyourselves,it'sagiftofGod."Hallelujah."Notbyworks,so

thatnoonecanboast."Hallelujah.Butnowlookat:"ForweareGod'shandiwork,createdinChristJesustodogoodworks,whichGodpreparedinadvanceforustodo."Kindofrefrains

thingsalittlebit.Theword"for"there,"gar"inGreek,isgiven,sortof,thereasonwhythetwo

previousversesweresayingwhattheysaid.Thereasonwhywe'resavedbygracethroughfaith

sonoonecanboastisbecauseweareGod'shandiwork,andwe'recreatedforgoodworks.

We'renotsavedbyworksbutwearesavedforworks.Thereasonwhywe'resavedistodothe

worksthatwewerecreatedtodo.AndthenGodsaysthere,hesaysthattheworkshe

preparedinadvance.Now,whathe'sgettingatthereisthis:Fromthestart,fromthe

foundation,inadvance,thiswastheplanthatweweregoingtobeGod'shandiwork,thatwe

weregoingtobemadeintheimageofGod.Thiswastheplanfromthestart,andweare,now,ourjobdescriptionwastoreceivehisfullnessoflifeandthentomanifestthatfullnessoflife

backtoGod,toeachother,totheanimalkingdomandtotheearth.Now,wefell,andwe

sinned,andwecameintotheprincipalitiesandthepowerswhichhadincapacitatedourability

todothat.Butthereasonwhywe'resaved,thereasonwhyJesusChristcamedownandsaves

usbygracethroughfaithsothatnoonecanboastissothatnowwecanrecoverthatoriginal

designandbegintoliveoutwhatitmeanstobeGod'shandiworkmadeintheimageofGod,

begintolivelifethewayGodwantedustolivelife.Hesavedusforthesegoodworks.Thegood

worksareaboutactingjustly.Thegoodworksareaboutshowingcompassionandshowing

mercy.ThegoodworksareaboutwalkinghumblywithourGod.We'renotsavedbydoing

thosethings,butwe'resavedinordertodothosethings.Youcan'tseparatethetwo.Whatit

meansisthatthepurposeofsalvationisnottograbontoalifeboatwhiletheTitanicissinking.

ThepurposeofsalvationistosavetheTitanicfromsinking.Godlovestheearth.He'snever

givenuponit,thisrealestate.He'snotgoingtosurrenderrealestatetotheenemy.He's

promisedtomakeanewheavenandanewearthandsalvationincludesthewholething.We're

savedinordertoberestoredasthecaptainsofthisshipandstartsteeringtheshiptheway

Godwantsustosteerthisship.Itmeansthatthepurposeofsalvationisforustoparticipatein

God'sfullnessoflife,todancewiththetriuneGodthewayhehasalwayswantedustodance

withhim,astoreflecthischaractertoeachotherandtotheanimalkingdomandtotheearth,

tostarttakingcareofthisTitanic,ifyouwill;whichiswhyeverythingisencompassedbythe

kingdomofGod.Everythingisencompassedbysalvation.Itinvolveseverything.Itmeanswe're

savedtostartactingjustly,administeringhisjusticeandconfrontingoppressionandloving

compassionandwalkinghumblywithourGod;which,ofcourse,includesasacentralpiece,

giventhatGod3,000timesintheBiblementionscomingagainstgreedandoppressionand

sidingwiththepoor,itincludesasacentralcomponentlivingjustly,actingmercifully.It



includesasacentralcomponentlivinginrightrelationshipwiththepoor,peoplefromother

socialandeconomicstates.Itmeansstartingtolivewithequityandstartingtolivegenerously.

ItmeanslivinglifethewayGodwantsustolivelife.That'swhywe'resaved.Wedon'tgetsaved

bydoingthosethings.But,ifthatfullnessoflifeisthere,thoseworkswillstarttobethere.

That'swhyJamessaidthatfaithwithoutworksisdead.Now,let'saskthisquestion.Whatkeeps

usfromdoingthat?Whydowenotlivethatwaymore?Or,evenmorefundamentally,wecan

askthisquestion:Whatkeepspeopleinpoverty?Onthatquestion,thereisaveryunique

kingdomperspectivethatIwantusalltoget.TheBiblehasauniquewayoflookingatthisthat

isnotsharedbythebroadercultureandsoimportantthatwegettheuniquekingdom

perspective.Inthebroaderculture,whenitcomestothinkingaboutpovertyissuesandwhenit

comestothinkingaboutanyissues,inthenaturalwayofthinkingaboutthings,welookat

everythingthroughthegridofourknowledgeofgoodandevil,throughthegridofour

judgments.Thearroganceofthinkingthatweknowthingsthatwereallydon'tknow,that'sthe

rootsinoftheBible,eatingfromthetreeoftheknowledgeofgoodandevil.Sowecomeatthis

throughourjudgmentsandthat'swhy,invariably,peoplethinkonthisissue,onpovertyand

everyotherissue,thatifonlywecouldblametherightpeople,youknow,kindofaccusethe

rightpeople,well,thenwewillsolvethisproblem.Andthere'salltheseaccusationsthatIsaid

lastweek.Theaffluentthinkthatonlyifthosepoorfolkswouldjuststartworkingmoreand

havelesskidsoutofwedlockandblah,blah,blah,well,thentheywouldn'tbepoor.Andthe

poorlookatthewealthyandsayifonlytheywouldn'ttakeupmorethantheirfairshareand

wouldn'thoardthoseresources,thentheworldwouldbefair.Andthere'sallthese

accusations.ThemostfundamentaldrivingsinoftheBibleisthinkingyoucanfixtheworld

throughaccusation,butitonlyfurtherbreakstheworld.And,ofcourse,thatgetscarriedover

intopolitics.Everyoneisgoingtofixtheworldthroughtheirpoliticalideals.Yeah,we'vegotthe

rightideasandifonlythosedog-on,stupidotherpeoplewouldnot,youknow,iftheycared

aboutthepoor,well,thentheywouldsupportourplan,andtheotherfolksaresayingifonly

youcaredaboutthepoor,thenyouwouldn'tbeopposingourplan.Andthenthere'sallthese

accusationsaboutyoudon'treallycareforthepoorandthisfightingbackandforthand

whatnot,anditgoesonandonandonandon.Inthemeantime,theissuenevergetsfixed.The

world'swayofapproachingpovertyandallotherissuesalwaysinvolvesanus/them,an

us/themsortofpolarity.Idon'tknowifyou'venoticedthatornot.YoufindrightintheBible,

Genesis3,assoonastheyfall,assoonastheysin,theystarttryingtocovertheirtracksby

accusingoneother.That'swhythey'reeatingofthetreeoftheknowledgeofgoodandevil.It's

theiraccusations.It'stheirjudgments.Us/them.Andwe'realways,ofcourse,therightones,

thegoodoneswhoreallycare.They'realwaysthenasty,eviloneswhodon'tcare.Andonlyif

wecouldwinandsquashthem,well,thentheworldwillbeabetterplace,andwe'llridthe

worldofpoverty.But,see,accordingtotheBible,theproblemofpovertyandmostothersocial

problemsaremuchdeeperthananypoliticalprogram'severgoingtofix.Infact,they'redeeper



thananyhumaningenuityisgoingtofix.AndI'mnottryingtosaythatpoliticalprogramsare

completelyunimportant,butIamheretotellyouthattheycan,eventhebest,eventhe

brightest,eventhewisest,whichare,ofcourse,mineare,probably,onlygoingtoputadentin

theproblem,whichissomething,butit'snotgoingtoridtheworldofthisproblem.

Infact,Ijustreadthistwoweeksago,inthelast50yearswherewe'vehadsomuchthinking

aboutdomesticpovertyandtheissuesthatcreateitandglobalpovertyandthere'sbeenso

muchthinkingandsomuch,youknow,ourbestintellectsareappliedtothis.Inthose50years,

thegulfbetweentheaffluentwhohavetheirneedsmetandthepoorestwhodon't,about25

percentofthepopulation,hasgrownfourfold.InAmerica,it'sgrownlikethreefoldinthelast

25years,thegulfbetweentherichandthepoor.We'renotfixingtheproblem.Theproblemis,

actually,gettingworse,whichoughtto,atleast,tipGod'speopleoffthatmaybetheproblemis

deeperthanwhateventhewisestofideascanfix.TheBibleteachesthattheproblemof

povertyandeveryothersocialproblemisnot,andhere'stheuniquekingdomperspective,is

not,primarily,aproblemwithpeople.Peoplemakechoices,andthey'remorallyresponsible,

andthey'vegot,youknow,theyhavetoownuptothat,butthefundamentalproblemisnot

people,smartpeople,dumbpeople,wisepeople,uncaringpeople.Theproblem,most

fundamentally,isthatthisworldisoppressed.We'reundertheinfluenceofprincipalitiesand

powersthatweourselvesinvitedinintothisworldbackintheAdamandEvedays,andweare

oppressed.There'ssomethingbiggerthanourselvesthatisatworkhere.Itsaysthisin

Ephesianschaptersix.Here'swhatPaulsays,incrediblyimportantverse."Forourstruggle,"this

wouldincludethestruggleaboutpovertyandresponsibilitywithwealth,"thestruggleisnot

againstfleshandbloodbutagainsttherulers,againsttheauthorities,againstthepowersofthis

darkworldandagainstthespiritualforcesofevilintheheavenlyrealms."That'swhereourreal

struggleis.Thisworld,asitnowis,isundertheinfluenceofforcesofevilthatholdusin

bondageandholdallofcreation,tosomedegree,inbondage,andwearestillmorally

responsibleagents,weneedtoownuptowhatwedo.Itdoesn'tworktosaythedevilmade

medoitbecausehedidn't.NeitherGodnorthedeviltakesawayyourfreewill,butweare

undertheinfluenceofevilandthat,toalargedegree,holdsusinbondageandit'snotjustour

ownindividualheartsthatisinbondagetoevil,buttherearesystematicstructuralaspectsof

societyasawholethatareundertheseprincipalitiesandpowers,andoneofthethingsthese

principalitiesandpowersdoistheyplayusoffagainstoneanotherbyoureatingofthetreeof

knowledgeofgoodandevil,andwemakeeachothertheproblemwhichdeflectsusfromthem

beingtheproblem,sowedon'tworktogethertofightthem,weendupfightingoneanother,

andtheylaughallthewaytothebank.

It'salittlebitlikethis.WhenIwasineighthgrade,IhadagoodfriendnamedRocky.Idon't

evenknowifthatwashisrealnameorifthatisjustwhatwecalledhim.Itwasbeforethe

Rockyseries.HisnamewasRocky,andheandIweregoodfriends.Wegotinalotoftrouble



together.Youknow,Iwasawildeighthgrader,hewasawildeighthgrader,soweweregood

buddies.But,atsomepoint,westartedjustlikelockinghorns.Westartedfightingoneanother.

I'mnotquiteevensurewhy.Ithinkitstartedwithafoodfight.Irememberwehadthishuge

foodfightinthecafeteria.Andwewerealwaysflickingstuffatoneanother,butsomething

happenedwhereitallofasuddenbecamethis,kindof,Ihavetooneupyou,andpeoplestartlooking,watching.Andthen,youknow,someonehadto,youknow,endthisthingwiththe

biggestpieceoffoodthrown,anditjustgotcrazytothepointwhereheandIwerejustfinding

everyone'smealandwe'rethrowingitatoneanother,anditwasnolongerfun.Itkindofgot

outofcontrol,andeveryoneisthereeggingusonandsomethinghappenedwiththat,wegot

broughtintotheprincipalandallsortsofproblems,butthatwasnormal.But,afterthat,we

startedlikediggingateachotherinthehallway,behindeachother'sbacks,andtherewas

somethinglike--there'salittleanimosityinourrelationship.Weplayedonthesamefootball

team,andwestartedtakingcheaphitsatoneanother,andthere,kindof,startedtobethis

aggravationthatwasthere.Somekidsnoticedit,andthisisjuniorhigh,thisisthejungle,andsotheystartedegginguson.Hey,didyouhearwhatRockysaidaboutyou?Rocky,didyouhear

whatGregBoydsaidaboutyou?Andtheysaid,yououghttofighthim,andtheystartpushing

ustowardsthefight.And,atsomepointattheendofafootballpractice,Idon'tknowhowit

happened,westartedthrowingpunchesatoneanotheranditturnedintoanout-and-out

brawl.MeandRocky,weusedtobelikebestfriends.AndIremember,evenwhilewe're

pulverizingoneanother,I'mthinkingtomyself,Idon'twanttodothis,Ilikehim.Buttherewas

thissenseoffateorinevitability,wehavetodothis,liketwoanimalsinthecage,thisanimal

fightorsomethingwiththecrowdaroundusegginguson,we'rebothtryingtosaveface.ButI

reallydidn'twanttodoit.Itlookedlikeitwasaboutusbut,really,itwasaboutthesystem,this

juniorhighsystem.Thecoachcameandbrokeusup,andweendedupgoingtotheprincipal's

office,again.Andtheprincipalissaying,whatisthis,Ithoughtyouguyswerefriendsandblah,

blah,blah.And,whileweweretalkingtohim,westarted,kindof,laughingaboutit.Weare

friends,whatarewedoing?Thisisreallydumb.Thiswasreallydumb.Whydidwedothis?And

we,inourownlittleeighthgradeways,cametorealizethereasonwedidithadnothingtodo

withoneanother.Wecouldhavetalkedthroughourissuesandweweredoingitrightthen,but

itwasthesystemthatwaspushingusinthisdirection,andwecouldn'tfightthesystem.Sowe

decidedthereintheprincipal'sofficethatweweregoingtobefriendsandweweren'tgoingto

digatoneanother,we'regoingtorelatetooneanotherdifferentlyandweweretogethergoing

tofightthesystem,becauseweknewthatassoonaswewalkedoutoftheprincipal'soffice

therewouldbekidstheresaying,hey,Gregreallywhippedyou,you'dbettergetevenor,hey,

Rockyreallybeatyouup,you'dbettergeteven.Soweagreedtosayitwaskindofadrawand

thatwe'rebothtoughguysandwebothwonandwebothlostandblah,blah,blah.See,

togetherwecanfightthesystembutwecouldn'tdoitalone.Thatis,Ithink,howthepowers,

theprincipalitiesandpowers,theforcesofevilplayus.Theyplayusoffagainstoneanother



anditissostupid,ifwecouldjuststepoutofthesystemandlookatit.I'mwhiteandyou're

black,andallofasuddenthere'ssomethinginthesystemthatsayswe'resupposedtobe

suspiciousofoneanother,maybeevenblameoneanotherforsociety'sproblems,maybeeven

makeoneanothertheenemy.I'mrepublican,you'redemocratorI'mdemocratandyou're

republican,orwhatever,andallofasuddenbecauseofthatI'mgoingtosuspectthatmaybeyourfaithisn'tgenuine,maybeyoudon'treallycareaboutthepoor,maybeyoureallyaren'ton

boardwiththeGospelandsoonandsoon.It'sstupid.Theyplayusoffagainstoneanother.I'm

American,you'reIranianandbecauseofthatourcountriesarekindofinconflictsonow,allof

asudden,I'mgoingtolookatyou--Imaybedon'tevenknowyou,butnowI'mgoingtolookat

youwithsuspicionbecausesomebodyuptheresaysI'msupposedtobesuspiciousaboutyou.

We'rebeingplayedbythesystem.Infact,itcanbethecasethatifyou'refromacountrythat

mycountryishavingproblemswith,allofasudden,ifI'moftherightageandundertheright

circumstance,ifsomeonetellsmetoshootyou,I'llshootyou.Why?Idon'tknowyouor

anything,butI'mjustsupposedtodoit.Infact,Iwouldarguethatwaristhequintessentialexpressionofthewaythepowersplayusoffoneanother.Becausemybosshasaproblemwith

yourbossandthere'ssomekindofconflictgoingonhereandbecauseofwhereIwasbornand

howIwasconditionedtothink,I'mgoingtoshootatyouandbecauseofwhereyouwereborn

andhowyouwereconditionedtothink,you'regoingtoshootatmeand,probably,sincewe're

both18to22yearsold,mostofthetime,wedon'thaveaclueaboutwhat'sreallygoingon.

Wedon'tknowwhywe'rekillingeachother,butthisisjustwhatyoudo.BlaisePascalsaid,one

ofmyfavoritequotes,hesaid:"Cananythingbestupiderthanthatamanhastherighttokill

mebecausehelivesontheothersideofariverandhisrulerhasaquarrelwithmine,thoughI

havenotquarreledwithhim?"Yeah,thatisprettystupidwhenyouthinkaboutit.Thepowers

playusoffoneanother.Andthesamethinghappenswhenitcomestotherichandthepoor

andthoseinthemiddle,wegetplayedoffoneanother.Itstartsbythefactthatthesystemis

setupunjustly.Aswesaidlastweek,thesystem,undertheinfluenceofthepowers,it

arbitrarilyprivilegessomeanddisadvantagesothers.Justbyvirtueofthefactthatmyancestors

cameoverhereandconqueredsomepeopleandyadayadayada,byvirtueofmygenderand

byvirtueofmyskincolorandbyvirtueofmyheritage,I'vegotprivilegesthatothersdon't

have,andbyvirtueofthefactthatyou'reoneoftheonesmyancestorsconquered,yougetto

liveinareservationandIgettoliveinaniceneighborhoodwhereverIwant.See,thatalready

ispartofthesystem.Andthenthepowerscomeinwiththejudgmentsaboutthat,theclass

judgments.Younastyrichpeople,youlazypoorpeople.Andthatthendividesussowedon't

workatsolvingthisissue.Rather,welookateachotherthroughsuspicion.Andthepowers

furtherdivideushavingjudgmentsabouthowtofixtheproblem.Myideasarebetterthanyour

ideas.Yourideasarestupidandifyoudon'tagreewithmyideas,thenthere'ssomethingwrong

withyou.Andsonowweendupwithallthesejudgmentsandnoone,really,isdoingmuchthat

fixesthesystem.Rather,thegulfcontinuestogrow.We'rebeingplayedbythepowers.Ireally



believeit'stimeon,thisissueandoneveryissue,thatwewakeuptotherealityofwhothereal

enemyis.Wakeuptotherealitythatwearebeingplayed.Theforcesareusinganunjust

systemtodehumanizeeveryone,richandpoor.Thepowersuseanunjustsystemto

dehumanizethepoorbyreducingthemtoasubhumanlevelofexistencewheretheylivehand

tomouth;that'snothowhumansweresupposedtolive.Wheresomeliveonthestreetwithoutahome;that'snothowhumansweresupposedtolive.Wheretheyliveinfearofbeing

evictedfromanunjustlandlordatanymoment;that'snothowhumansweremeanttolive.

Wheretheywonderiftheyhavetoputtheirkidsinthefostercarebecausetheycan'taffordto

feedthem;that'snothowhumanswereevermeanttolive.Thepowersandthesystem

dehumanizethepoorbyreducingthemtoasystemthat'sbeneathhumandignity;that'snot

howhumansweremeanttolive.Butthepowersalsodehumanize,useanunjustsystemto

dehumanizetheaffluent.Andthisiswhatweneedtosee.Reduceustoasubhumanlevelof

existencebymakingus,really,reducingustobrainwashedmicewhoareperpetuallyonthe

consumeristictreadmillchasingtheproverbialcheeseoftheAmericandream;that'snothowhumansweremeanttolive.Workingsomuchwedon't,really,havequalitytimewithourkids

orwithourspouseorwithourfriendsorwithourmissionalcommunities;that'snothow

humansweremeanttolive.Underthestressofmaintainingallthestuffthatwehave:The

house,thecar,thecabin,whatever,allthestressoftryingtobalancethat;that'snothow

humansweremeanttolive.We'reinbondagetothepowers,brainwashedtobeperpetually

chargingthings,perpetuallychasingafterthings,perpetuallyshopping,perpetuallythinkingwe

needmore;that'snothowhumansweremeanttolive.Lackingtimeeventowork,havesoul

workwherewedevelopourselvesspirituallyandasmorecompletehumanbeings,spending

timewithourLordbecausewe'retoobusydoingotherthings,chasingthecheese;that'snot

howhumansweremeanttolive.Robbedofthejoyoflivingasimplelife,anextravagantly

generouslife;that'snothowhumansweremeanttolive.Thepowersareplayingus.

Dehumanizingonegroupbecausetheyhavetoolittle,dehumanizinganothergroupbecause

theyhavetoomuch,inflictinguswithjudgmentsthatkeepusfromworkingtogethertofight

themandtofixtheproblem.

Itistime,Ibelieve,forGod'speopletotellthesystemtokissoff.It'stimeforGod'speopleto

wakeuptowhatisgoingon.Itlookslikeit'saboutus,butit'sbiggerthanus.We'vegottoknow

whotherealenemyis.It'stimetowagewaragainstthepowers,andwedothatbyrefusingto

makeotherhumanbeingstheenemy.Ephesians6:12,"Ifit'sgotfleshandblood,it'snotthe

enemy."Ifit'sgotfleshandblood,it'ssomeonethatJesusdiedfor,whichmeansit'ssomeone

we'resupposedtobefightingforandagainstthepowers.Itdoesn'tmatterwhetherthey're

democrateorrepublican.Itdoesn'tmatterwhetherthey'reAmericanorIranianorNorth

Korean.Itdoesn'tmatterwhetherthey'restraightorwhetherthey'regay.Itdoesn'tmatter

whetherthey'reliberalorconservative.Ifit'sgotfleshandblood,itisnottheenemy.Rather,

it'ssomeonewe'retobefightingfor.Andthewaywedothatisbyrefusingtomakethemthe



enemy.Thewaywedothatis,rather,byinsistingonlovingthem,evenifwedisagreewith

them,andservingthemanddoinggoodtothemasourLordcommandsus.Ifit'sgotfleshand

blood,it'snottheenemy.So,also,itdoesn'tmatterwhetherthepersonisrichorpoor;they're

nottheenemy.Doesn'tmatterwhethertheyliveinamansionorwhetherthey'rehomeless,

whetherthey'reinagatedcommunityorlivinginaninner-cityghetto,theyarenottheenemy,andthere'snoroletoplayinbringingjudgmentstothat.Rather,thewaywedowarfareagainst

therealenemyisbyrefusingtomakethemtheenemy,collapsingourjudgmentsandasking

thequestionhowcanwetogetherresistthesystem,fightthesystem,rageatthemachine,

whichissopollutedwiththeprincipalitiesandpowers.

Whatweneedtounderstandisthatthewaywestruggleagainsttheprincipalitiesandpowers

isnotjustbychangingorbeliefs.That'sapre-requisitebutchangingbeliefsinandofthemself,

thatdoesn'tdoanything.Itjustchangedyourbelief.Youfightthesystemandthepowers

behindthesystembychanginghowyoulive.Weweresavedforthegoodworks.Wechange

howwelive.RockyandIhadtodecidetorelatetogetherdifferently.Wehadtoagreeonwhat

weweregoingtosayandwhatwe'renotgoingtosayandhowwe'regoingtotreateachother

inpublicandthingslikethat,andthat'stheonlywaywecouldfightthatsystem.Itwouldn't

havedoneanygoodifwewouldhave,intheprincipal'soffice,decidedwe'regoingtoreconcile

andthenwegooutandtalkthesmackweweretalking,allowingthefriendstoeggusonto

anotherfight.Invariably,wewouldhaveendedupinthesameplacewewere.Now,whatit

means,whatitmeanstoreconcileisyoudecidetolivedifferently.Youtalkdifferently,you

operatedifferently.Thesamewayitwoulddonogoodwhatsoevertosay,becausetheBible

tellsyouto,Ihavenoflesh-and-bloodenemy.No,Idon't.Butthenyoupickupagunandshoot

themjustbecauseyourcommanderinchieftellsyouto.No.Whatitmeans,whatitmeansto

havenoflesh-and-bloodenemyisthatyoudon'tshootthem.Whatitmeansisthatyou'd

ratherobeyJesusandsayIwilllovethemandIwilldogoodtothem,Iwillblessthem

regardlessofwhattheydotome.Andthat'showwefightthepowers,byrefusingtomake

enemiesoffellowhumans.ItdoesnogoodwhatsoevertosayIamreconciledwithpeopleof

otherethnicitiesifyoucontinuetoliveinisolationfromthemandyou'resurroundedbyfolks

whojustlooklikeyouandtalklikeyouandwearthesameclothesyoudo.Itdoesn'tdoany

goodtosayyou'rereconciledwithpeopleofotherethnicitiesifyou'realwaysgoingtoinsiston

yourownculturalpreferencesonwhereyoueat,whatmusicyoulistentoandwhereyougoto

churchandwhatworshipyou'llparticipatein.Itdoesn'tdoanygoodtosaythatyou're

reconciledwithotherpeopleofotherracesifyoustillharborsuspicionsaboutthemanddon't

collapseyourjudgmentsandtreatthemasindividuals.Itdoesn'tdoanygoodtosaythatyou

reconcilewithpeopleofotherethnicitiesifyoudon'tliveinwaysthatconfrontracialinjustice.

Whatitmeanstobereconciledisthatyoulivedifferently.Andthewaythatwefightthe

powersthatfuelracismisbybuildingbridges,byrefusingtoliveinisolation,bycollapsingour

judgments,byrefusingtocaveintoourculturalpreferences,byrefusingtowalkthewaywe've



alwayswalkedbut,rather,tobuildrelationshipswithpeoplewholookdifferentthanusand

weardifferentclothesthanusandthen,together,we'refightingthepowersthatareplayingus

offoneanother.Andit'sthesamethingwithpovertyandtheaffluent.Itdoesn'tdoanygoodto

saywe'regoingtoactjustlyandlovemercyifwecontinuetoharborthejudgmentsthatwe

haveaboutwhythosepeoplearepoor,nah,theyjustneedtoworkmoreandhavelesssex.Orwhythosepeoplearerich.They'rejustgreedyandthey'rejusthoardingstuff,thatwe'rejust

playingoffoneanother,we'resuccumbingtothepowersandnothingwillbedoneinthe

churchorinthebroadersociety.Itdoesn'tdoanygoodfortheaffluenttocontinuetoact

unjustly.Youcansaythatyou'reactingjustlyandloveandcompassion,butifyoucontinueto

actunjustlyandhoardresourcesandcashinonthegoodluckthatyou'vegot,beingbornintoa

systemthatadvantagesyou,well,thenwhatgoodisthat?That'swhatJamesistalkingabout.

Whatgoodisitifyousayyou'rewarmandwellfedbutyoudon'tdoanything?

Folks,tofightthepowers,theaffluentandthepoorneedtoagreetogethertocollapseallof

ourjudgments,towalkhumblywithourGod,andtoliveinwaysandrelateinwaysthatwill

alleviateinjusticeanddemonstratecompassion.Tofightthepowers,theaffluentandthepoor

needtoagreetogetherthatwe'regoingtofightthesystem,we'regoingtorebelagainstthe

powersthataredehumanizingbothofus.Weneedtowakeuptoday.Weneedtorealizethat

we'reunderbondage.ThosethathavegottheAmericandream,that'sgotitsownformof

bondage.See,thewaytheworlddoesit,itthinksthatthewayyouhelpthepoorisbyhelping

themfulfilltheAmericandream.TheAmericandreamisjustanothertradeyouridol,tradeyour

bondage.Thewaywegetfreeisbybothofusrealizingthatwe'rebothtrappedinasystem

that'snotreallybenefittinganyofus,notifyou'reakingdomperson.Andwe,together,are

goingtofightthat.Andthisishowwearebothliberated.Itrequiresusworkingtogether

againstthesystemtobeliberated.Thepoorareliberatedfromthebondageofhavingtoolittle.

Theaffluentliberatedfromthebondageofhavingtoomuch.Thepoorhelptheaffluentby

gettingthemfreefromthesubhumanexistenceoflivinghandandmouth.Thepoorhelpthe

affluentbyhelpingthemgetoutofthatbondagetothesystem.Theaffluenthelpthepoorby

offeringresourcesandnotgivinghandouts,whichsimplyfurtherentrenches,insomeways

hurtsmore.But,rather,byhavingrelationshipsthatempowerthemtobegintomoveoutof

thatkindofsubhumanlevelofexistencewherethey'relivinghandtomouth,worriedabout

beingevictedattheturnofthearbitrarydecisionofsomelandlord.Wehavetodoittogether.

And,folks,whenwedothistogether,thisiswhatsalvationbygracethroughfaithlookslike.

Now,tothatdegree,we'relivingthewayGodcreatedustolive.We'redoingthewarfarethat

Godcreatedustodo.We'relivinginwaysthatmanifestjusticeandshowcompassion.Tofight

thepowers,weneedoneanother.It'snotaboutthrowingmoneyatsomeoneorsomethingor

someprogramtoalleviateyourguilt.That'showIthinkalotoffolksthinkaboutit.Those

emergencysituationswherealltheyneedisyourmoney,that'sfine.That'sfine.Butthelong-

termthinghasgottobesomethingmorethanthat.Ijuststartedreadingabookyesterday



called"WhenHelpingHurts."It'sbyStevenCorbettandBrianFikkert.Reallygoodbook.And

howsometimesthewayswethinkaregoingtohelp,justbythrowingourresourcesatfolks,

tryingtogetthemupmoretoourlevelsowefeellessguilty,howsometimesthatbackfires.

Whatisneededisdeeperthanthat.Whatisneededisagenuinebridge,onthisandsomany

otherissues,abridgethatconnectsuswithpeoplewhoareinadifferentsocio-economicstratathanweare.Andthatrunsbothways.Notjustonepatronizingwayfromwewhohavethe

resourcestothosepeoplewhodon't.No.Itrunsbothwayswherewehelpthepoor,thepoor

helpusbecausewe'rebothinbondage,andwebothneedtoidentifywhotherealenemyis.

Andit'snoteachother.No.Therealenemyarethepowersthatfuelanunjustsystemthatkeep

usallinbondage.It'saboutrelationships.It'sabouttheawarenessthatweallneedone

another.Now,maybeyou'reaskingthequestion,well,whatdoIdo,then?WhatdoIdo?I'm

livingoutthereinNorthOaks,Ijustdon'tseepeoplewhoarepoor,Idon'tseepeoplewhoare

differentthanme,butthat'swhereIfeelcalledtolive.Look,that'sagood,legitimatequestion.

Letmesaytwothingsaboutitinclosing.

Oneis,we'llbegettingtothatalittlebitmoreasthisthingunfolds,asthisseminar,thisseries

unfolds.Butthecrucialthingisthis:Here'sthefirstofthetwothings.Iwanttoencouragefolks,

anactionstep,togetthatprayerjournalandstartprayingthroughthescripturethatdealswith

thepoorandthegreedyandthingsofthatsortbecauseithastobeinternalized,it'sgottobe

partofourheart.Oneofthereasonswedon'tseewhatwecandoisbecauseit'snotreallypart

ofourheart.It's,sortof,asupposed-torulethatgetslodgedrightthere.Okay,I'msupposedto

dothis,butit'snotreallyinyourheart.Anduntilsomethinggetsinyourheart,youdon'thave

wisdomaboutit.Whenwecaninternalizethisandreallypray,God,giveusyourheartforthe

poor,I'mtalkingtotheaffluentnow,then,whatthatdoesisitbeginstochangethewayyou

lookattheworld.Itchangesyourperspectiveonthings.Youstarttonoticethingsyoudidn't

noticebefore.And,withthat,willcomeawisdom.Therewillbeawisdomthere.Youwillstart

toseethingsyoudidn'tseebefore,anditwillbecome,maybe,cleartoyouhowyou're

supposedtoliveinawaythatmanifestsjusticeandcompassion.Butit'sgottogetinternalized

first.

SoIencourageyoutogetthatprayerjournalandinternalizeitandprayoverthis,meditateon

this,talkaboutitwithyourfriends,yourspouse,yourchildren,yourkingdomcommunityand

internalizethis.Asecondthing,Iwilljustthrowoutthere,isthis.We'regoingtobehavingthisconferenceOctober30th,Fridayevening,andthenforaboutsixhoursonSaturday,andwe

haveworkshops,abunchofworkshopsthatarejustpractical,how-tostuff,andIwantto

encourageyoualltoregisterforthat.It'sgoingtogobeyondwhatwecandohereinasermon

series.Getitontheinside,realizewhotherealenemyisandcommittolivingagainstthe

powers.



Letmeprayhere,andIwanttoasktheprayerteamstocomeforward.Ifyou'rehereandhave

anyneedwhatsoeveryou'dliketohaveprayerfor,Iencourageyoutocomeforwardandpray

withthesefolks.

Letmeendwiththis.Father,fortoolongwehaveeatenfromthetreeoftheknowledgeof

goodandevilandallowedthepowerstoplayusoffagainstoneanother.Freeus,freeus,free

us,freeus,freeus,freeus.Freeus,God,toliveasyourhandiwork,intheimageofGod,doing

thegoodworksthatyou'vecreatedustodo.Freeus,LordGod,tolooklikeJesus,lovelike

Jesus,servelikeJesus,thinklikeJesus,seelikeJesus,relatelikeJesus.Freeus,LordGod,to

moveoutofourcomfortzonesandbuildrelationshipswithpeoplewhoaredifferentthanus,

God,thatwemaylearn,thatwemaybenefit,thatwemaybeexpanded,thatwe,together,

maybefreed.WepraythesethingsinJesus'name,andallthepeoplesaidAmen.Godblessyou

guys.Gooutandbuildthekingdom.

Greg Boyd - Gods Heart for the Poor

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