The Fast God Has Chosen

[ChristB4us]

Are we in trouble when we fast for our pleasure?  What is the fast God has chosen?

Isaiah 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. 2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. 3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. 4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high. 

5 Is it such a fast that I have chosen? a day for a man to afflict his soul? is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?

6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? 

7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 

8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. 

[R. Hartono]

43 minutes ago, ChristB4us said:

7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 

8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward. 

There is no free bread for the poor people at the church but verses are free of charge.

[ChristB4us]

3 minutes ago, R. Hartono said:

There is no free bread for the poor people at the church but verses are free of charge.

If poor people are a regular at the church, pray that God will raise up cheerful givers to give them some bread/food to take home.

1 Corinthians 12:25 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. 26 And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Course, in these days, how can anyone tell who is in need unless they say they are starving or obviously in poor apparel that they may perish depending on the weather outside for why some clothes should be donated too... by cheerful givers.

[R. Hartono]

9 hours ago, ChristB4us said:

Course, in these days, how can anyone tell who is in need unless they say they are starving or obviously in poor apparel

Why make it difficult for the poor to ask for help ? 

There is a wellknown buddhist charity office in this city, all they do is to welcome poor people to their office and ask people to fill in registration form for survey. Their house will be visited with kindness. They provide help for poor house repair, medical support, educational support or monthly aid. They don't give much, you cannot cheat them. 

The church only build expensive palace style building. Never discuss poverty issue. Preaching Salvation quoting verses.

 

[FJK]

44 minutes ago, R. Hartono said:

The church only build expensive palace style building. Never discuss poverty issue. Preaching Salvation quoting verses.

 

Some Churches do, many others do not.  More has been done by Churches in this country and the rest of the world to address poverty and desperation than any other organizations, either religious or secular.

Consider William Booth and the Salvation Army for an example, and all the thousands and thousands of smaller churches conducting all sorts of missionary work and relief efforts, to improve the lives of the most extreme of the downtrodden and poverty stricken throughout the world in places you never hear those in high places ever even mentioning, much less expressing any concern over.

[R. Hartono]

10 minutes ago, FJK said:

 

Some Churches do, many others do not.  More has been done by Churches in this country and the rest of the world to address poverty and desperation than any other organizations, either religious or secular.

Consider William Booth and the Salvation Army for an example, and all the thousands and thousands of smaller churches conducting all sorts of missionary work and relief efforts, to improve the lives of the most extreme of the downtrodden and poverty stricken throughout the world in places you never hear those in high places ever even mentioning, much less expressing any concern over.

Look at the streets, prostitutes and homeless and beggars everywhere. 

[FJK]

2 minutes ago, R. Hartono said:

Look at the streets, prostitutes and homeless and beggars everywhere. 

They're there, for the most part, because they have no place else in today's world.  The unintended consequences, in America, of well meaning government programs such as "urban renewal" of past decades that only gentrified or remade along economic (tax revenue increasing) lines the "Skid Row" areas they used to live in and squeezed them out of the only lifestyle available to them without considering they had no place else to go.

I hear no one even considering this issue in any manner that will again give these squeezed out people at least some marginally productive place in our society, one that at least them have the dignity of being able to work and support themselves in some kind of satisfying life without the burden of being unwanted in the world around them.

There will be no productive discussions of this, only discussions about how to get rid of them and push them somewhere else, or at least keep them out of sight, not how to make room for them in the modern world they no longer fit into because they've been squeezed out of it.

 

[R. Hartono]

6 minutes ago, FJK said:

They're there, for the most part, because they have no place else in today's world.  The unintended consequences, in America, of well meaning government programs such as "urban renewal" of past decades that only gentrified or remade along economic (tax revenue increasing) lines the "Skid Row" areas they used to live in and squeezed them out of the only lifestyle available to them without considering they had no place else to go.

I hear no one even considering this issue in any manner that will again give these squeezed out people at least some marginally productive place in our society, one that at least them have the dignity of being able to work and support themselves in some kind of satisfying life without the burden of being unwanted in the world around them.

There will be no productive discussions of this, only discussions about how to get rid of them and push them somewhere else, or at least keep them out of sight, not how to make room for them in the modern world they no longer fit into because they've been squeezed out of it.

 

If the US spend all military budget for people prosperity there wont be any robbers or thieves or prostitutes, homeless, beggars on the streets.

[FJK]

3 minutes ago, R. Hartono said:

If the US spend all military budget for people prosperity there wont be any robbers or thieves or prostitutes, homeless, beggars on the streets.

It doesn't even have to do that, it just needs to get out of people's way as they try to find a place for themselves in the world and quit eliminating the choices available to them.

[Alive]

4 minutes ago, FJK said:

It doesn't even have to do that, it just needs to get out of people's way as they try to find a place for themselves in the world and quit eliminating the choices available to them.

Back in the 70’s, I read a white paper, the subject of which was the matriarchal society in the US inner cities. The study showed conclusively that the welfare system was the cause. Young men and fathers stopped working and taking family responisibilities. This left the mothers to carry the load and over time these poor folks learned having more babies meant more money, etc.

Decades later, it is an expansive system. With time and opportunity on their hands, the boys and men found other things to do.