WK 50. POVERTY AND WEALTH CREATION - WHAT IS POVERTY?

POVERTY AND WEALTH CREATION

In the minds of the international community, Africa is associated with poverty, disease, famine, malnutrition and all those things that dehumanize us. There is evidence to support this thinking. Africa and poverty are almost becoming synonymous.

However, the Bible has a lot to teach on the causes of poverty and how to get out of it.

It is therefore a contradiction that the Church is often described as vibrant in Africa and yet her people are engulfed in abject poverty. The next series of topics is meant to raise the awareness of what the Bible teaches on the issue.

In a subsequent edition, we shall delve deeper into the issue.
Christianity in Africa cannot ignore the reality of poverty among her people.

WHAT IS POVERTY?

KEY VERSE: Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
1 THESSALONIANS 4:11, 12

SCRIPTURE LESSON: PROVERBS 30:7-9
7 “Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD’ Or I may become poor and teal, and so dishonor the name of my God.

INRODUCTION
Poverty is a word that is commonly heard these days at both national and international fora. The politicians are always talking about alleviation poverty. Indeed, the major thrust of the NPP Government’s economic policy for 2001 – 2004 was referred to as the Poverty Alleviation Strategy. Other governments have drawn up similar programmes.

When policies are put in place which are supposed to be harsh, the poor in society are given some way out to survive. The NDC government had PAMSCAD to help the poor and quite recently the NPP has put in place a programme where cash donations are given to those identified as poor and vulnerable.

The number of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) that have arisen both locally and externally with programmes to help the poor keeps on increasing. On the international scene, our continent Africa is classified as the poorest, and we are almost getting to the point where Africa is becoming synonymous with Poverty.

A number of questions arise for anyone who is concerned about the issues. The include the following:

6. Are governments and politicians paying lip service to helping our people get out of poverty?
7. Can we put our hope in the so-called international community, made up of governments, NGO’s bodies of the United Nations and others to help get us out of poverty?
8. Does the Church have the capacity and ability through its Development and Relief services to get us out of poverty?
9. What is our Christian responsibility towards the poor?
10. The most crucial question is what can the individual who is poor do to get out of poverty?

This week we shall focus our attention on the last three questions.

EXPOSITION
2. Who is poor?
We shall answer the question from three viewpoints.
e. Maslow’s levels of needs.
Human beings have needs and Abraham Maslow developed one of the most useful descriptions of human needs. He proposed five levels (hierarchy) of needs.
vi. Physiological Needs – These are the basics in life or the necessities of life such as food, water, clothing, shelter and health. Only after at least the minimal satisfaction of the basics, do people move on to the next higher level.
vii. Safety and Security Needs – The concern here is how the basic necessities can be assured for the future. For example, does the person have a regular job or source of income that can be used to cater for future needs. Is there a job security? What about retirement benefits and similar such concerns.
viii. Social Needs – After the first two levels have been met, this level which concerns friendship, a sense of belonging and satisfaction, interaction with other people becomes important. In our context for example, people will be concerned about funerals and other social gatherings and their involvement in them.
ix. Ego, Status and Esteem Needs – These are expressed in an individuals’ desire for achievement, for confidence to face the world, for independence etc. Here, people are concerned about other people’s opinion about them and it includes desire for prestige, status, recognition, attention and appreciation.
x. Self-actualization – It is the highest level of human needs. At this level, people work not just to make more money, to have more friends, to be respected but because they want to fulfill their God-given potential. They devote their energies to developing their creative potential.

Not everybody gets through to the highest level, but to live with dignity, at least the first three levels must be satisfied. Therefore if people cannot have the basic necessities of life, then they are poor indeed.

f. Paul’s Teachings:-
In some of his letters, the Apostle Paul gave the following pieces of advice on the need for us to at least satisfy the basic necessities of life.
iv. “Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives” (Tit 3:14, emphasis mine)
v. .Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody” (1Th. 4:11 & 12, emphasis mine)
vi. “We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anybody’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, labouring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you” (2The. 3:7 &8. emphasis mine).
In these exhortations, Paul makes it clear that the Christian must not be poor and should be able to at least provide for the basic necessities of life.

g. Agur’s Prayer
Our scripture passage (Pr. 30:7-9) is a prayer of Agur to God. In this prayer, Agur describes the undesirability of poverty, and its consequences. It may cause the child of God to do things that dishonour God.

h. “The poor you will always have with you…” (Mark 14:7)
Some people interpret this statement of Jesus as endorsement of poverty. Nothing can be far from the truth. The context is that a woman identified as Mary Magdalene showed her appreciation for what Jesus had done in her life by pouring an expensive perfume of Jesus. Some people then criticized this action, and if they cared more for the poor said the perfume could have been sold and the money used for the poor. Jesus was surprised why this beautiful act of appreciation by the woman was being criticized. So he quoted a Mosaic instruction, which urged God’s people to be concerned about the less fortunate.
“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be open acts of appreciation to those who deserve them.
“The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me” Jesus told them.

Conclusion
Poverty in our part of the world is real. Many people lack the basic necessities of life. The following actions to remove poverty are proposed.
• Our governments must put up realistic policies that can get our people out of poverty.
• The international community has a responsibility to help us implement policies that can get us out of poverty rather than giving us hand-outs
• The church must not only provide means to help the poor, but must play an advocacy role for good policies for the poor by our governments and other stakeholders.
• The church must institute regular teachings based on the Word of God and on attitudinal changes that can get us out of poverty.
• Instead of the “Prosperity Gospel”, let the church practice the “Poverty-Alleviation Gospel”, and show how the freedom Jesus brings should get our people out of poverty.
• Individual poor must pray Agur’s prayer and work towards getting out of poverty.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
6. Relate the scripture lesson to the theme for today.
7. Where would you place the majority of members in your church or community, on Maslow’s five levels of needs?
8. “Give us this day our daily bread”, how do you think the Church and especially your local congregation can help those who lack the basic necessities of life get out of their poverty?
9. A number of people criticize the so-called Prosperity Gospel propagated by some churches and preachers.
(c) In the face of the poverty that is prevalent among our people, do you think such messages are irrelevant?
(d) What do you identify to be the weakness in the approach used by these preachers and how can they be corrected.
10. How can Africa get out of the dependency syndrome and live the decent life which Agur and Paul spoke about? What is the place of the Word of God in this?

BIBLE LESSON APPLICATION
4. Where have you personally reached on Maslow’s five levels of human needs?
5. As the year draws to a close, make it your resolution to move to the next level on the hierarchy.
6. Draw plans to implement your decision.

Commit your resolution and plans to God in prayer.

DAILY BIBLE READINGS
Monday Proverbs 22:20-22 Don’t Exploit the Poor
Tuesday Proverbs 19:16-17 Be Kind to the Poor
Wednesday 2Corinthians 8:6-9 Excel in the Grace of Giving
Thursday 1Samuel 2:7-10 The Lord Exalts the Poor
Friday Proverbs 28:1-4 Don’t Oppress the Poor
Saturday Luke 22:1-4 Money Can Lead you Astray
Sunday Ecclesiastes 5:13-15 Naked We Came