On Wednesday Night, September 2^nd , we will discuss “Helping the Poor.”  Anyone who has ever attended church very much has heard the story of the “Good Samaritan.”  Caring for the poor, the sick, the elderly, and the oppressed is part of the Christian ethic. We all know that we are supposed to help those in need. When this is preached or taught at church, we all say “Amen.”

But then it’s Monday – and we see the man standing on the side of the road with his thumb out needing a ride – or – the woman with 2 children standing in the grocery store parking lot with a sign that says “need food” -or- the panhandler on the street asking for a dollar. What do you do?   The easy answer is be a Good Samaritan and help this person. But there is another voice (based on experience) that says “he may hurt you” or “she will use the money for drugs… alcohol.. etc.”

Shortly after I moved to this area, there was a news story of a local Youth Pastor who stopped to give a man and a woman a ride. They proceeded to shoot him, kill him, steal his money, and hijack his car.

How can we obey the commandments of Jesus to help people in need when we are surrounded by people who will deceive you about their real needs and take advantage of your generosity?

So, to prepare for our discussion – you are driving into Gainesville and you see a poorly dressed man on the side of the road holding a sign that says-

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