How to Neighbor: Part 3 - "Empowering the Poor" with Craig Groeschel - Life.Church

Empowering the Poor

Scripture References

Primary text

• Matthew 25:40
• Luke 4

Other references

• Proverbs 19:17
• 1 John 3:17-18

Overview

Poverty is more than a lack of money; it is the pain of brokenness, shame, and hopelessness. Jesus came announcing “good news to the poor,” and He calls His church to embody that news by empowering—not merely assisting—people in need. Pastor Craig lays out a practical path: understand poverty’s root, remember that Jesus is the Savior, and engage the poor through serving, relating, and reaching out.

Main Points

Poverty’s true nature

• Most Americans define poverty as missing material things; surveys of 60,000 low-income people reveal they experience poverty as shame, fear, humiliation, worthlessness, and hopelessness—a mindset, not a price tag.
• All poverty springs from brokenness:
  • broken relationship with God (sin),
  • broken view of self (no sense of worth or ability),
  • broken relationships with others (needs go unmet).
• Because everyone carries some form of brokenness, “all of us are poor in some way.”

Jesus: the answer to brokenness

• Luke 4: Jesus declares He is anointed to bring good news to the poor, freedom to captives, sight to the blind, and favor to the oppressed.
• Christ heals the brokenhearted and binds up wounds; our task is to channel His power, not replace it.

Serve, don’t save

• “Jesus is the answer; we are the servants.”
• Two complementary ways to serve:
  • Relief – immediate, short-term aid during or right after a crisis (food, shelter, medical care).
  • Restoration – long-term relationship that rebuilds wholeness after the headlines fade (housing, education, community rebuilding).
• Give strategically: prayerfully pre-decide time and money so help is proactive rather than reactive (e.g., Life.Church’s Relief & Restoration fund).

Illustration: Well-intentioned T-shirt giveaway to village children undercut three local women who made their living sewing shirts—help given without understanding hurt their economy.

Relate, don’t rescue

• “Those who are hurting are not projects you help. They are people you love.”

• Effective help starts by asking, “What do you need, and how can we work with you to achieve it?”
• Never do for someone what they can do for themselves; partnership preserves dignity and builds ownership.
  Story: LifeGroup overwhelmed a family with Christmas gifts; the father sat humiliated, feeling announced incapable of providing—good intentions that shamed rather than empowered.

Reach out, never down

• We divide people into “those who need help” and “those who offer help,” but we are both.
• Reaching out means coming alongside as fellow strugglers, acknowledging our own poverty while sharing what God has given.
  Story: After helping widow Cheryl manage finances, Pastor Craig’s family later leaned on her wisdom for parenting and marriage—mutual giving and receiving.

Key Truths

• Poverty is rooted in brokenness of relationship with God, self, and others—not merely in material lack.
• Jesus alone saves; the church serves as His conduit.
• Relief addresses crises quickly; restoration walks with people toward long-term wholeness.
• Helping that ignores dignity or local context can harm the very people we wish to bless.
• Every believer is both a giver and a receiver; we reach out as equals, not as heroes.

Response

• Examine your giving and volunteering; create a prayer-driven, proactive plan that balances relief and restoration.
• Before offering help, ask individuals or communities what they truly need and how you can partner.
• Refuse to do for others what they can do for themselves; instead, equip and walk with them.
• Identify reputable local ministries (Life.Church community partners) and invest your time, skills, and resources there.
• Remember your own areas of poverty; stay open to receive counsel, care, and support from those you serve.

Closing

Pastor Craig invited the church to live their calling as the hope of the world—serving with Jesus’ hands and heart until the poor step into their God-given potential. Thousands committed to become intentional, prayerful neighbors who provide both relief and restoration.

“We freely give and we freely receive—and that is how we love one another.”

Prayer

Craig prayed that God would give His people eyes to see needs, hearts to care, and wisdom to serve as conduits of Jesus’ power—meeting physical and spiritual poverty so that many step into new life in Christ.

Resources

• Book: When Helping Hurts
• YouVersion reading plan: “How to Neighbor”