Black Rock Seventh-day Adventist Church

Money isn't everything. It's in the Bible, Proverbs 13:7-8, TLB. "Some rich people are poor, and some poor people have great wealth! Being kidnapped and held for ransom never worries the poor man!"

While the world may honor the rich—don't be surprised if God honors the poor. It's in the Bible, James 2:5, TLB. "Listen to me, dear brothers: God has chosen poor people to be rich in faith, and the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs, for that is the gift God has promised to all those who love Him."

We should be eager to help the poor. It's in the Bible, Galatians 2:10, TLB. "The only thing they did suggest was that we must always remember to help the poor, and I, too, was eager for that."

Ignoring the needy is a sin. It's in the Bible, Amos 5:12, TLB. "For many and great are your sins. I know them all so well. You are the enemies of everything good; you take bribes; you refuse justice to the poor."

Helping the poor brings God's blessing. It's in the Bible, Psalm 41:1, TLB. "God blesses those who are kind to the poor. He helps them out of their troubles."

We honor God by caring for the poor. It's in the Bible, Proverbs 14:31, TLB. "Anyone who oppresses the poor is insulting God who made them. To help the poor is to honor God."

The church should help to support the poor who have no families. It's in the Bible, I Timothy 5:5-6, TLB. "The church should care for widows who are poor and alone in the world, if they are looking to God for His help and spending much time in prayer; but not if they are spending their time running around gossiping, seeking only pleasure and thus ruining their souls."

God promises great rewards for those who help the poor. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 58:7-11, TLB. "I want you to share your food with the hungry and bring right into your own homes those who are helpless, poor, and destitute. Clothe those who are cold and don't hide from relatives who need your help. If you do these things, God will shed His own glorious light upon you. He will heal you; your godliness will lead you forward, and goodness will be a shield from behind… .Feed the hungry! Help those in trouble! Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you shall be as bright as day. And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy you with all good things, and keep you healthy too."

We are to act on behalf of the poor. It's in the Bible, Amos 5:24, TLB. "I want to see a mighty flood of justice—a torrent of doing good."