I think that every believer and follower of Jesus Christ should participate at least once in their lifetime in an outreach program to the poor. It is definitely an eye opener.

It means giving up the comforts of the familiar — perhaps a cushy bed, a hot water shower, and a gourmet kitchen. And for the clean freak, this will definitely be a challenge.

Matthew 8:19-20 reads,
Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

I understand that not everyone is called to be a missionary to the poor, but how do we develop the compassion that Jesus had if we do not walk as He walked? In His ministry on earth, Jesus surrounded Himself with the poor and the sick. Yes, He was invited to rich people’s homes, and even in the homes of the powerful elite, but that was not His daily routine. And until one actually experiences being surrounded by smelly streets, homes without furniture, or cooking by fire in ill-equipped homes, we cannot truly appreciate the heart of Jesus. He loves them all.

For the second time in three years, I joined students of the Calvary Chapel Bible College Dumaguete in their outreach to the Badjao and Ati tribes in Bohol, Philippines. How quickly I had forgotten the realities of their way of living. It is humbling and embarrassing to admit that that would not be my choice of living life. And that’s the thing — most of them do not have a choice. I am sure that such would not be their preferred way of life either.

Jesus came to give a message of hope to all peoples. This fallen earth, where some achieve worldly success and some do not, is but a temporary dwelling place. It is our spiritual destiny that really matters. We would not even have poverty, drunkenness, hunger, crime, and illnesses if not for the sinful rebellion of man against the sovereign God. Humanity’s rejection of God is the very reason all these negative things happen, and yet many blame it all on Him. People need God. People need hope.

I am not in any way better off than other believers simply because I’ve joined an outreach. Instead, it shows me that I have a long way to go in terms of being like Jesus. But I am thankful that He allows me to grow, and that He continues to work in me, so that I will be more like Him.