The addiction is the idolatry of the streets. You spend your life trying to get the thing that will meet your cravings. Every dollar goes to worship of the addiction. Every idol promises comfort but eventually leads you farther and farther down a destructive road. People with addiction need the freedom that only Christ can bring.
3. They know about God.
“Marvin” came to me late one winter afternoon a few years back, dressed in his Army surplus jacket and black beanie cap. His face was dirty and his eyes had that certain look that let me know that he had been out there for a while. He was courteous and he shook my hand. He told me that he represented a group of people who were staying just outside our fences. Our city was trying to get them to move away from our block. He came asking for my help.
“Pastor, do you know why we stay close to this Mission?”
I shook my head.
“We stay here because we know that God is in this place, and it’s safe if we stay close. We know he’ll take care of us.”
After his plea and my offer to take him in and get him help, which he declined, I learned something that I had never considered. The people on the streets have heard about God. Some, like Marvin, have grown up in church. They are not “unreached” people. Unfortunately, they have a skewed impression of God. Marvin believed that God’s protection was because of the proximity to the mission.
I have had many encounters with homeless people who were expecting a “genie in the bottle” kind of God, a God who would instantly ease their pain and give them their three wishes. But that is not the God of the Bible, so they turn away. Some, like Frank and Big John, have a lot of head knowledge about the Bible but have had little in the way of real, personal experience with God.
If you are looking to reach out to the homeless, I would recommend starting with a local shelter and getting to know the people there. Learn their faces and their stories. When you have gained their trust, you can talk to them about the real God who is not the cause of the pain of their past or the idol that they have to chase. God wants so much for them to turn to him for the security and peace they so desperately need.
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”’ (Matt. 25:40)
Jeff Chaves is a freelance writer and pastor. He has been married to Peggy for more than 32 years, and they have four children. He is on staff at Northpointe Community Church in Las Vegas, Nevada.