People ask me all the time, “Micah are you a humanitarian or an evangelist?”

They probe to see if I am in the “care for the body” camp or “concern for the soul” club. In time I began to respond with a question of my own, “Do you drink water or eat food?”

As followers of Christ living in a polorizing age it is easy to become “either or” people. In times like these we must remember that we are led by a “both and God.” The Christ we follow came “to seek and save that which is lost” and called us “to speak up for the poor and helpless.” It is He who invites us to join Him in meeting needs AND feeding souls.

I admit that poverty is complicated, what is not, however, is discerning if God wants us to serve the poor. He is clear on that, and when we respond He Takes Notice.

Proverbs 19:17 “If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord— and he will repay you!”

Acts 10:31 “He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God!”

- Micah McElveen