How the Common Misunderstanding of the Gospel Actually Hurts the Poor

What did Jesus do for the poor? Well, we know that not every thing He did was written down (John 21:25), but, from Matthew 11:5, we know one thing He did for the poor - He preached the gospel to them. The Sabbath School lesson rightly says that things like war, famine, sickness, and crime, among other things, cause poverty. And what does the gospel do to these things? Well, if received and put into practice, it will be the end of them. Basically, where there is selfishness, lust, greed, and gluttony – or any sin - there will always be these problems. Providing for the temporal needs of the poor is good, but it wont put an end to the cause of poverty: sin. The gospel is the only thing that will make a difference in any of these areas, because the gospel puts an end to sin. This is why giving to the gospel ministry, and getting the message of the gospel to the world (and living by it – putting it into practice ourselves), is the most beneficial thing we can do for the poor and for everyone. Sounds simple enough, and it is in reality. But it also draws attention to a massive problem - the fact that the world doesn't understand the gospel message, and this is because most Christians don't understand it either - in fact, they misunderstand it. Today we look at the three angels' messages, which is justification by faith - the everlasting gospel, and check our understanding of what exactly this message is all about - and how it can truly put an end to poverty once and for all. For further study -  "Understanding the 1888 Message: Rejected Then, Accept It Now" by Analiza Guzman: http://www.bdsda.com/understanding-the-1888-message-rejected-then-accept-it-now/ "Forsaking Possessions: Jesus' Teaching Explained:" https://youtu.be/2TLl0AiFtME "The Second Tithe and the Worthy Poor:" https://youtu.be/g7bhHd80FWs "The Storehouse and the Messenger of the Covenant:" https://youtu.be/FhCEsV0-pSI Sabbath School Q1 2023: Managing for the Master - Week 7, "Unto the Least of These" A Branch Davidian Seventh-Day Adventist perspective on the Sabbath School lesson.  www.bdsda.com Email us at [email protected] for comments and literature requests.