Where Is Your Faith, Peoples?

Why What They Preach is Not What They Do?

We see the lights, we hear the carols, and we watch the leaders of our churches stand behind pulpits talking about the “spirit of giving.” But as someone looking from the outside in—or from the sidewalk up—I have to ask: Where is your faith, people?
Specifically, I’m looking at the leaders. The ones who hold the keys to the storehouses. Why is there such a profound fear of actually giving?

The Fear of Losing Control

It seems there is a belief that if you give a homeless person a real home, or the actual financial means to change their life, you lose power. There is a comfort in “chip junk”—giving away the leftovers, the thrift-store scraps, and the cheap trinkets that don’t actually change a person’s circumstances.
Giving junk allows you to keep the hierarchy. It keeps the “helper” on top and the “needy” on the bottom. But wasn’t the message of Jesus the exact opposite?
What Happened to the Teachings of Christ?
Jesus didn’t say, “Give them your crumbs so you can keep your kingdom.” To the rich and powerful he said:

“​”Jesus answered, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'”

~ Matthew 19:21

If a needy person asks you to help, when you do have excessive resources and you are authorized to help, why don’t you?

“‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’”

~ Matthew 25:45

Following God means not being scared to lose your worldly possessions. It means trusting that when you let go of the money, the buildings, and the control, you are making room for a miracle.

We are Not Stupid; We are Just Homeless

There is a common misconception that homeless people can’t be trusted with resources. But the truth is, sharing actual wealth—instead of spending it on “programs” that yield nothing but more red tape—could solve the problem.
Why won’t you let Jesus take the lead? If you truly believe in the power of Christ, why are you clutching your bank accounts so tightly? Miracles happen when we stop trying to control the outcome and start practicing the radical, “irresponsible” generosity that Jesus modeled.
It’s time to stop giving us junk and start giving us a chance.

What meaningful could you do today?

This is a deeply personal and convicting conclusion. It highlights the difference between “temporary relief” (which often serves the ego of the giver) and “restoring the person” (which fulfills the command of Christ).

I do not stay in one place. During my 14 years of homelessness, I have had to travel to find safety, food, and the resources to survive. Along this road, I have shared my ideas and my testimony of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Even though I was needy, I did not have fear. I trusted God and I trusted His people—the people I thought were in the churches I joined.
But while many were not ashamed to take from me, the return has been empty. When I ask for real help now, I am met with blame. They say, “We helped you a lot… we cannot do it forever.” But providing a hotel room for a few months while reporting to my family that donated for me “I am fine” is not help—it is a temporary mask. Real help would be restoring my own resources and independence.
I am calling on the leaders to stop pretending and start acting as Jesus Christ would act:

• Open the Empty Temples: Stop letting the Houses of the Lord sit empty and locked. Open the doors of the churches to provide safe space and responsibility for those who have none.
• Share Real Housing: Move past the “cheap junk” of temporary vouchers and start sharing actual homes and stable environments where miracles can happen.
• Trust the Needy with Responsibility: I know better than anyone what to do with my money and my life. Stop managing me and start empowering me if you want to help.

The Word of God is Clear:

The Bible tells us that if we turn away the needy, we turn away Christ Himself:

“Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” (Matthew 25:44-45)

 

The Book of Mormon echoes this command with even more directness, warning those who look down on the poor:

“For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.” (Mormon 8:37)

And it reminds us that we are all beggars before God:
“For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have… And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask… O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye possess one to another.” (Mosiah 4:19, 21)

It is time for the leaders to let go of their fear of losing control. Stop giving me and other needy the “gift” of a temporary room just to quiet your conscience. Give us the tools and resources to restore our lives. If you have the faith you claim to have, show it by your works.

Merry Christmas!

This Christmas, do not settle for the comfort of a simple donation. Give a voice to the truth. Share this post and add your own story of where you have seen the doors of the “Holy” closed to the humble. If you belong to a congregation, send this to your Pastor, your Bishop, or your Board today. Do not ask for a program; demand a plan. Ask them: “When will we stop maintaining a monument and start doing the radical work of Jesus Christ?”

​To my brothers and sisters who are homeless or struggling to survive: Stand with me. We are tired of being “managed” as a problem to be solved. We are ready to be recognized as brothers and sisters in Christ.

​Contact your local ministry today. Ask them why their doors remain locked and their bank accounts remain full while their neighbors are freezing—not just from the bitter weather, but from the emotional distress of being ignored by the very people who claim to represent God.

​Let the Word of God judge our actions:

​“He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.” (Proverbs 14:21)

​The Book of Mormon warns those who prioritize the “fine apparel” of their buildings over the human beings outside:

​“Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?” (Mormon 8:39)

​It is time for the Church to choose: Will you be a fortress of rules, or the Fold of the Good Shepherd? Open the doors. Share the substance. Let Jesus lead.