Call to action: We need to step it up.

[Andrew77]

On April 5th, the BBC released a documentary called "Greece's Haven Hotel".

Without getting too detailed, it's about a hotel that went bankrupt during the economic crash, and while abandoned, the immigrants trapped in Greece, quietly occupied the hotel, and turned it into a usable accommodations for immigrants.

However, one story in the middle of the program, knocked my breath out.

Space in the hotel is limited, and as a result women with children are taken more than men, even if they are married. You can't have 4 women in a room, and one with her husband.

So they tracked down the man who was sleeping out in a park.

They talked to the man, separated from his wife and children at the hotel, who said that they came to Greece from Iran. Why? Because he and his wife, both converted to Christianity, and the authorities in Iran put a death sentence on both of them.

I froze.... What are we, the church, doing? Why is our brother, sleeping in a park, away from his family?

Now I get it with some things. Helping people actually in Iran, is super hard. Helping people in Syria is super hard. Helping people in some of these crazy places across the world, that is super difficult. I understand how it is hard to help people in remote hostile places.

This is GREECE..... Are you telling me that the Church of Jesus Christ, can not help a man and his family in GREECE?! Where is the church? This man is under a death sentence for the name of Jesus Christ, and the people of Jesus Christ, can't even provide him and his family a place to stay in Greece?? It's not like we need to first get permission from the Royalty of Saudi Arabia. This is a western country in Europe, and our brother is stuck sleeping in a park away from his family!

I have a real big problem with that.

I have been on this forum long enough to know that we have enough international members posting on here, that someone knows someone in Greece, or a church in Greece, and you send them to find this man, and any other of our brothers sleeping on park benches, and get them a place to stay.

Matthew 25:36-40

Right? Do we believe that, or not? Someone here, knows someone who can help that man, and other men in that situation. It's not the government's job to take care of our Christian brothers, it is OUR job. We need to step it up. This is not right, and the Lord will not ignore it, if we do nothing.

 

[MartyF]

I've never seen this person - nor do I know his name.

I believe you are reading the scripture incorrectly.

You need to take care of those near you before everyone else.

Those who are your neighbors, those you pass by, those you see.

Don't offer to pull the speck out of one person's eye when you have a log in your own eye.

The BBC is the perfect example of this. They run a tear-jerk story about a location over a thousand miles away in another country while they literally ignored thousands of girls getting raped in their own country - in their own neighborhood!

There are tons of Christians who need help and are being persecuted in such places as California.

There are aid organizations for persecuted Christians in other countries - I would suggest supporting these before trying to run down and try to save, quite possibly, the only Christian family to make it out of Iran. It is more likely that you will be duped into giving money to a con-artist.

Look around yourself first. Then look across the railroad tracks. Then look around your state, your neighboring state, your country. And then, the rest of the world. The great commission gives this order of importance as well.

Do not be so quick to condemn the Christians in Greece. They only recently have shaken off Muslim rule.

 

[Andrew77]

I've never seen this person - nor do I know his name.

I believe you are reading the scripture incorrectly.

You need to take care of those near you before everyone else.

Those who are your neighbors, those you pass by, those you see.

Don't offer to pull the speck out of one person's eye when you have a log in your own eye.

The BBC is the perfect example of this. They run a tear-jerk story about a location over a thousand miles away in another country while they literally ignored thousands of girls getting raped in their own country - in their own neighborhood!

There are tons of Christians who need help and are being persecuted in such places as California.

There are aid organizations for persecuted Christians in other countries - I would suggest supporting these before trying to run down and try to save, quite possibly, the only Christian family to make it out of Iran. It is more likely that you will be duped into giving money to a con-artist.

Look around yourself first. Then look across the railroad tracks. Then look around your state, your neighboring state, your country. And then, the rest of the world. The great commission gives this order of importance as well.

Do not be so quick to condemn the Christians in Greece. They only recently have shaken off Muslim rule.

I'm not condemning anyone. Nor have I not supported people that are here now. There is no log in my own eye. Not on this issue. Not even close.

I do see a difference between someone in the US that refuses to work, and a person with a death sentence from Iran, because he invoked the name of Jesus Christ our lord.

Now if you want to judge me over that.... I don't care. Honestly I truly do not care. Anyone can work. There are plenty of jobs. Get one, and work it.

Meet the man who makes $100K a year begging by pretending to be mentally handicapped | Daily Mail Online

This happens all the time. ALL.... THE... TIME. Homeless people in the US are not usually victims, they are simply parasites. They don't want to work, and thus don't.

This person I'm talking about is not lazy. He's a Christian, who was turned into the authorities by their own parents, and end up fleeing for their life. And no, he is not the "only family" to escape Iran. My parents church, had a woman show up from Iran. We don't need excuses for non-action, we just need action.

And lastly, being duped... is not the risk. Not acting, is the risk. Which would you like to be? The guy who in faith and belief, gave money to someone thinking he was helping one of G-d's children? Or the guy who out of fear of being duped, did nothing to help someone who turned out really was part of G-d's family?

Actually forget which you would rather be.... which one do you think G-d is going to honor?

The irony is you are more likely to be duped by a 'homeless' person here in the US.

And about the BBC, and sex trafficking.

The BBC is a bunch of Pagans. I don't care what the pagans do. Christians are not supposed to be basing what they do, on the actions of the pagans. Yeah, the Greek Government needs to do more.... that's not our deal. What we do, is our deal. Yes, the UK government needs to do more about sex trafficking. That's not our our deal. What we do is our deal.

It is ironic you mention this, because I live this out in my life. I currently support 3 different charities. One helps women in sex trafficking. Another is a shelter for abused women. And the last is an international that goes into dangerous countries to help people. I also have helped out on the weekends at the local shelter.

I'm not asking anyone to do anything I have not done.

What is blowing my mind, is that here is a guy inside a western country, and he's sleeping on a park bench, specifically because of the name of Jesus. This is not right.

If you don't want to help... fine. I'm not mad at anyone. I'm saying someone on this forum, knows someone in Greece, and can get any of our Christian brothers, off the street. If that report was from my city, I'd be contacting the pastor of my church, right now. Or the local shelter. Or one of the charities I support.

 

[GodIsAlwaysNear]

God bless each and every soul.

 

[Debp]

Friend, MartyF, I live in California and do not know what you mean about persecution of Christians here. If you are talking about liberals and liberal churches, ok, we have that. But no one is threatening us with bodily harm or death for our faith.

We Christians in the USA have it very easy compared to alot of places in the world. We should be very thankful for that.

 

[lovefirst36]

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