By Rev. Rusty Weller
      A pastor’s heart is touched, and he welcomes a homeless person into his parsonage for a hot meal and a needed night of rest. What do members of his congregation think?
     A: "Good for you, pastor, for opening your home to the less fortunate."
     B: "Thank you for helping ‘the least’ and thus serving Jesus."
     C: "You’re crazy as a loon for risking your life and our property, and we’re calling a special business meeting to stop this from happening again!"
     Too many pastors have experienced C as the answer, because no good deed goes unpunished these days.
     There was a time when church doors were invitingly open so people could find reverent refuge. Forget to lock the door some Sunday evening, though, and members of many churches are upset about the lack of security, as if God’s protection isn’t anything compared to their little lock.
     Instead of keeping out undesirables, our churches ought to be emergency rooms where people, who are hurting spiritually, emotionally and financially, can confidently turn for help. That’s what Jesus expects of us as His body, isn’t it?
     God is love and commands His people to love our neighbors as ourselves. We don’t have to fake it either, just obediently let Him show His love through us.
     There was a time in America when church members fed the hungry, sheltered the homeless and helped the hopeless of their community. No need for ministries or agencies to handle such tasks back then.
     Attitudes in the church today, however, demonstrate how far off God’s mark we’ve strayed. Consider these examples:
    * Seeing a ragged stranger duck off the highway into the church’s side door on a hot summer day, a pastor hurries to help with food, water and prayer. But the head deacon stops him, flashing a revolver and saying, "We know how to handle his kind."
     * An unemployed woman with three hungry kids calls a church Sunday morning, asking for milk. Not knowing her, members decline to contribute. A visiting pastor leaves Sunday school for the grocery store, using money paid for that day’s sermons.
    * A pastor serves as a high-ranking official for a major evangelistic denomination, helping other churches reach people for Jesus. Yet he proudly announces: "I’m not going to let any spike-haired, nose-ring-wearing young punks in my church’s youth group!"
     The sad thing is, you know even worse episodes, don’t you?
     Deny refreshment to the ragged stranger, "the least" in some people’s eyes, and you deny Jesus Himself. The Bible states it’s a sin to withhold good things, such as milk and food. And how are we ever going to get young people to come to Christ if we require them to clean up first.
     Yet you hear people say, "Don’t give him any money because he’ll just spend it on ____." (Fill in the blank with booze or drugs or cigarettes.) People also say, "God helps those who help themselves," as a reason for not offering their assistance.
Jesus -- not government or even charitable efforts -- is the answer to our society’s every problem and concern. Based on that truth, it comes down to this:
     Do we, as born-again Christians, believe (1) God is in control and knows what He is doing, and (2) Jesus still transforms sinners into saints if we will but give Him the chance.
     Boldly acting on those beliefs, we’ll open our church doors, hearts and pockets to any God sends our way. And His blessings will flow as souls are saved and lives made right.