Loving a Homeless Neighbor...

bèlla said:

Love him most of all. When people are broken and in a dark place it's difficult to see beyond it. They can't fathom a better tomorrow. That's where you come in. You have to see their beauty beyond the shards and who they could be in a different state. And believe it and convey the same without wavering.

Love covers a multitude of sins. Not certain ones. Everything. The timing is God's domain. The loving is ours. Praying 1 Corinthians 13 with the person in mind is powerful.

My love for X is patient.
My love for X is kind.
And so on.

~bella

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Sketcher said:

That's a tough call. A former roommate of mine once put up a couple of guys (not at the same time) who had been in trouble with the law and were down on their luck. One was homeless in part due to drug use, the other had gotten out of jail and was on an ankle monitor and had gotten himself kicked out of where he had been staying. In both cases, things did not end well, and this is one reason why he is a former roommate. While it's an obvious way to meet a practical need, it's high risk. It can be used to reach people and do them good, but YMMV and before this step is taken, count the cost. It may cost them both their relationship with each other.

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1rreducibly Complex said:

Their negative state of affairs is usually due to their hearts being filled with lies. Influencing them into making bad decisions.

All you can do is pray they make a personal choice to value truth (God) over lies (Satan). So that things change for the better.

Aside from that, there's nothing you can do to help them. They'll continue to believe in lies and make choices based on lies. Which will lead to them destroying everything and everyone around them. On the path of self destruction.

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Lukaris said:

Maybe ask him if he would be truly willing to seek help from a Christian charity like the Salvation Army? Also, maybe send a donation to the charity to help them help others if this person accepts the help.

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Sketcher said:

I should probably follow up with this that in the case of the second of the two of them, he went back to jail - but through that experience, my roommate met someone else who was getting out and more ready to change his life. My roommate had an off-and-on lawn business, and he employed that other guy for a while, and that arrangement was more productive, though I don't know how it ended.

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philadelphos said:

Initially, it sounds like a good samaritan scenario to go the extra mile above and beyond for someone who needs help desperately (robbed), but it's a little complicated here (robber). Your bros mate sounds like the fellon, thus it's more of a thief on the cross case, he needs to repent, turn to God and re-direct his life trajectory. Change. His unwillingness to "try to seek restitution" is a bad sign (lost cause). I sympathise but only God can change a man's heart, to show him his sin and heal him. You can perhaps educate him briefly and point him in the right direction.

IME helping others especially when legal matters are involved much is already out of my hands and in the hands of the court (privacy, secrecy, personal choice, mistakes, etc). Beyond my power to help, recognising authorities and hierarchies are appointed by God. "Give to Caesar what is Caesars", akin to honouring thy mother and father.

The obvious:

1) Homeless > Give him a home. Do you have room? Do your neighbours?
2) Jobless > Give him a job. Know anyone who needs work done?
3) Court stuff: Out of your hands unless your in the legal field
4) Believer/Unbeliever discrimination: Love is classless.

The commandment is to love your neighbour as yourself, regardless of denomination, Jew or Gentile, belief or unbelief. Christ taught of a 'Good Samaritan' (an outsider). The "best love" is love itself, in this case "charity". The principle is if you have $2, give 1 away.

Lk 3:11 He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
1 Tim 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart

Hospitality is quality for bishops (or elders?), food and shelter. Copying our Father who is Lord of Hosts.

1 Tim 3 "to be blameless... and given to hospitality"
Heb 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.

5) "Sharing the Gospel leading to salvation and eternal life": Not wrong (per Mary vs Martha case -- "living by every word that comes from the mouth of God") but it's religious cheap talk in this case, typical evangelical hypocrisy, sanctimonious piety. The bloke needs actual help, probably an older male role model to show him HOW to fix his life. Deeds vs words.

Mark 9:41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

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philadelphos said:

People will always discriminate one thing or another, "Your problem, not ours" mentality, blind to the fact that society is one big family as all are related, back to Babylon and Noah. There's collective responsibility in that sense. Community. No matter how different or unimaginable someone else's life is to yours, we all have to realise that anyone can fall into a bad way, including yourself. e.g. family breakdown, financial hardship, legal battles, insurance problems, accident, injury, health issues, etc. Things can accumulate suddenly. -- Nobody wakes up and chooses to have major life problems. It happens over time, one bad decision to another. And many are born into difficulty.

As someone who's been in his shoes I can tell you that IF he repents and sees the light and IF God turns his life around this kind of man will go places and learn things, exceptional things, like Moses. The bigger the fall, the bigger the rebound. 'Normal people' however who judge and discriminate are actually the ones to pity, being lukewarm, trapped in a bubble of complacency. Dead water. Also, anything you do for him during this time he will remember for life. Remember that. -- It's a time of testing. And for him it's a life lesson, taught early: The value of life, shelter, sanity, stability, etc. Things only God can provide, eternally. The wealthy and established get fat and forget this.

Lk 15:7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

1 Chron 29:15 For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.

Js 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

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SeventhFisherofMen said:

@Aabbie James Help the person without endangering yourself. If your brother has some extra food from a meal feel free to give that, only what they can afford without overextending, but this is only short term.

In all honesty once you show and tell them The Love of Christ some practical methods of help are directing them towards services. Just sit and be honest with the man like, "I want to help you find services, I want to teach you to fish so you can get your own fish so to speak."

Just know that whatever you do God sees and will help I promise, but don't be down if things don't work out if that happens it's not your fault.

In short keep praying keep helping in the extent that is practical but don't over-stress or blame yourself if things don't workout. I know God will help but they need to be willing to accept help and do what they can too it's not all your brother's responsibility to fully change his friends life. He is planting seeds already by how he's treating his friend maybe others will come along and help plant other seeds and water what is already planted. It is The Lord who makes it grow.

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