non profit

[NITE OWL]

Do you think the church is following God's Word by being a non-profit organization?

[EricH]

I don't think you could make a strong case either way. The way I view it as a pastor in the US is that it is great that the goverment is granting us tax exemptions as a non-profit. But if I was asked to be disobedient to God to keep that status, I would give up the status!

Edited April 29, 2005 by pastoreric

[Ovedya]

Why wouldn't it be?

[irishcowboy]

if the law of the land says it is ok, then it does not go against God, unless as was said, it makes what we are doing disobeying God...

God ccomes first.

mike

[NITE OWL]

The United States is one of the richest industrialized nations in the world. It boasts a population of 80 million plus christians. ( I got those numbers from christian radio ) That's a lot of christians. Even if it was only half that, it's still a lot.

The churches range in size from tiny one room buildings to auditoriums that seat 60 thousand plus people. They all have one thing in common.

"Last one out lock the door".

Oh one more thing. The United States also has the largest population of homeless families.

I live on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin. It gets cold here in the winter. During the winter months there are between 3 and 5 thousand children under the age of 15 sleeping in the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul. There are approx. one thousand churches in the metro and surrounding areas. All these churches in a radius of about 50 to 75 miles. And they all lock their doors.

I don't get it. I thought one of the missions of the church was to serve those who are less fortunate? I don't mean to sound harsh but it blows me away to think that the government lets the church keep all that money and hardly any good comes out of it.

I know there are churches out there that are doing great things for their community but they are far and in between.

Read Matt. 25:45

When you lock the doors of a church you lock the doors on Christ. How many angels do you suppose are turned away each day? Doesn't the church realize that God is watching?

The church wants all these tax exemptions and a separation of church and state, yet they leave it up to government social programs to do the work of God.

It should not be like that. What is so precious inside those buildings that even Christ isn't allowed in? Not everyone who is homeless chooses that life style.

This homeless issue is a big deal to me. I don't know why it weighs so heavy on my heart but it does.

"You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. You shall love your neighbor as yourself".

That's all we have to do. If you do that, everything else will fall into place.

I got alittle off track here and I apologize but I really don't see the church doing the work of God.

Just my opinion.

[Leonard]

Remember Brother Nite Owl; the people who MAKE A LIVING off of government grants, and charitable contributions to 'serve the homeless' are the ones who give us such statistics as the United States having 'the most homeless', and '3,000 to 5,000 homeless children under 15' sleeping on the streets of Minneapolis/St Paul! I do NOT believe them for one second.

The 'largest population of homeless families' is in America? Have they considered Zimbabwe??? The people who bring us these statistics have a FINANCIAL STAKE in making everybody think the sky is falling. Same with Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and other 'race pimps' of the NAACP, the 'Global Warming' environmental loonies, and every other wacko outfit that has found out they can live high on the hog through government grants!

If you are truly concerned about the homeless do what I helped do in Phoenix: We started printing a few thousand copies a week of a brief (16 pages at first) newspaper featuring political writing and local news (mostly about the homeless). We called it the Grapevine, and we took bundles of these papers and gave them to homeless folks to sell for 50 cents a pop. Most people in their autos just gave them a dollar and said 'Keep the change.'

Soon other homeless folks wanted the papers and we were printing up 50,000 copies a week, advertizers were buying some space, but early on it was not enough to pay for the printing and delivery costs, after putting in over $160,000 of a private benefactor's money, we told our vendors we were going to have to start charging them $10.00 per bundle of 50 papers, just to pay for our costs. This worked out fine, as they generally made AT LEAST $50 per bundle, and our guys (1980's dollars, now...) were making an average of about $35 per day. This enabled them, after just a couple of days, to rent a cheap 'weekly rate' motel room, get showered, buy some decent clothes, and go look for real work! Every week we had some of our vendors who had gotten jobs and moved off the streets! They even wrote articles thanking the Grapevine, and its purchasers for making it possible for them!

Further, the CRIME RATE DROPPED in every neighborhood where the Grapevine appeared. I guess since they had some honestly earned pocket money, they didn't feel they had to do petty thefts any more, and they gained back their self respect!

All the while, the phony 'hand-wringers' were being interviewed on TV, and begging for government grants because there were '5,000 homeless people on the streets of Phoenix right now, and at least 10,000 in the winter!' I can tell you, WE WENT LOOKING FOR THE HOMELESS. I knew all their haunts, the little cheap cafes, and charity dining halls they ate at, their favorite clumps of bushes to sleep under....and if there were "5,000" of them, then I'm the Caliph of Baghdad!

So don't believe the 'statistics' of these greedy mountebancs who just want to use the government to pick your pockets. Instead, if you're really concerned, START A GRAPEVINE!

[NITE OWL]

Maybe the numbers are inflated but I've seen it. Every year the news does a story about the plight of the homeless. A local church used to let them sleep on their door step. Sub zero temps with wind chills that dip to 20 to 30 below zero and sometimes lower and all the church can do is to let them sleep on their doorstep.

In my eyes that's not doing God's work. If it is, then Christ died for nothing.

Even if there was only one person who had nowhere to go, that's still to many.

As far as homeless families in other parts of the world, their situations are the result of wars and natural disasters. The homeless in this country are that way because nobody cares.

Christ said if you do it to them you do it to Me.

I guess what I'm trying to get across here is that the church is not doing it's job. I use the homeless situation as just one example. The list is endless.

You have to remember that when Christ was here, He didn't go after the government. He went after the religious leaders. Scribes and Pharisees. Look around. Are you so blind that you can not see? Are we so wrapped up in having that we forget about giving? Look at that picture of Christ that most of you have. Is that your god? The image itself goes against scripture.

Forget the homeless for just one second and take a good look at the church. Does it really reflect the Word of God? Would Christ turn His back on the less fortunate? Do you really think Christ was all about appearance? If He was here do you think He would need a million dollar building to present His message? Would He wear expensive suits and live in a million dollar home?

Look around. What do you see?

Scribes and Pharisees.

Read Matt. chapter 23.

Open your eyes, see what's there. Look at how the Word is blasphemed. His teaching's are put aside and watered down because some believe it is too harsh.

The blind leading the blind.