The heart of endPoverty.org is to reach out to the very poor in a way that demonstrates God’s love while empowering the needy to free themselves from poverty. The biblical basis for such work is strong and pervasive in Scripture. Selected passages follow, presenting principles calling God’s people to care for the poor.  

Love

When Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment, his response was clear:  

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.  Matthew 22:37-40 NIV 

The apostle John elaborated on what it means to love your neighbor:

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.  1 John 3:16-19 NIV 

Faith

If we think of faith in Christ as an intellectual assent or a set of beliefs held only in the mind, James, the brother of Jesus, summarily dispossesses us of that idea. He emphasizes the active nature of faith in a passage that is strikingly parallel to the 1 John 3 passage cited above. Faith, like love, compels us to respond to human need:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.  James 3:14-17 NIV 

Honor to God

Service to the poor is not only of benefit to those being served (and to those who are serving), but it brings honor to God.

He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.  Proverbs 14:31 NIV 

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  Matthew 5:16 NIV 

Jesus Christ’s Association with the Poor

Jesus spent much of his life on earth seeking out the poor, the needy and the outcasts of society. He so closely associated with the destitute that he told his disciples that the way they relate to the hungry, the poor and even prisoners is the way he considers them to be relating to him.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

“Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'”  Matthew 25:35-40 NIV 

Righteous Living

As a part of doing what is right, God’s people are called to care for the poor.  

The righteous care about justice for the poor,
but the wicked have no such concern.  Proverbs 29:7 NIV 

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.

Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy."   Proverbs 31:8,9 NIV

Blessing for Those Who Care for the Poor  

A generous man will himself be blessed,
for he shares his food with the poor.  Proverbs 22:9 NIV

He who gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.  Proverbs 28:27 NIV

Conclusion

God’s call to care for the poor and the oppressed is clear in Scripture. The staff of endPoverty.org starts each day with a time of prayer, asking God that we will be usable tools in His hands, cooperating with the work of His Spirit in ministering to the needy. We seek to incorporate God’s call to serve the poor in all we do.