Becoming Neighbors
Matthew 22:36-40

“Almsgiving is mammon’s perversion of giving. It affirms the superiority of the giver, binds the recipient, demands gratitude, humiliates him and reduces him to a lower state than he had before.” - Jacques Ellul

Progression of one-way giving
	Give once = appreciation
	Give twice = anticipation
	Give three times = expectation
	Give four times = entitlement
	Give five times = dependency

Crisis or chronic?
	A crisis need demands emergency intervention.
	An earthquake, tsunami, famine, war - stop the bleeding

	A chronic need requires development.
	Rebuilding homes, restarting businesses, rebuilding infrastructure - strengthening capacity

	Address a crisis need with a crisis intervention, and lives are saved.
	Doctors & medical supplies to treat the wounded, food & water to feed the starving, tents to 
	shelter the refugees

	Address a chronic need with a crisis intervention, and people are harmed.
	Dependency increases, work ethic erodes, dignity diminishes
	
An oath for helpers
	I will never do for others what they can do for themselves.
	I will limit one-way giving to crises and seek always to find ways for legitimate exchange.
	I will empower by hiring, lending, and investing, and offer gifts sparingly as incentives to reinforce 	
	achievements.
	I will put the interests of the poor above my own (or organization) self-interest even when it
	means setting aside my own agenda.
	I will listen carefully for spoken and unspoken needs (knowing that many clues may be hidden)
	Above all, to the best of my ability, I will do no harm.