Oppressing the Poor

God has always been an avenger of the poor against those who have oppressed them. And how can you become great in the world unless you oppress the others? We are to be servants in God’s kingdom in order to help the poor—those who are poor in spirit and poor in themselves. Rulers have always subdued the poor. Jesus was the servant of the poor in order to teach them to serve others as He had served them. The condescending, detestable love that is shown to the poor is an abomination to God and to His true followers. A serving love comes from heaven; a condescending love comes from Satan. Satan says, “I will be like the Most High.” He also wants to dole out grace and love, but since it goes against his nature to do it as a servant, he has to do it as a ruler.

What is the state of affairs among God’s children? Do we discover that some of them oppress the poor? Do we find that some people like to have the best places at the table and like to be called “Rabbi,” those who with a severe, self-important expression want to rule over the assemblies with their gaze? If someone comes dressed in fine clothes, is affluent, has great influence among people, is well educated and conducts himself impeccably, he will most often be received with the same external polish with which he has conducted himself with nice pleasantries being exchanged under the guise of many beautiful platitudes. If a poor man comes who seeks guidance concerning a question affecting his life, he is dealt with as quickly as possible. If there is a righteous man, he will give justice to the oppressed. See what is written in Job 36:5-7. “Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding. He does not preserve the life of the wicked, but gives justice to the oppressed.” Who gives justice to the oppressed in the congregations in these days? He who is impartial and does not despise anyone. The one who wants to be great inclines to those who are greater—to those with a reputation—in order to further his personal advancement, doing it only so that he can raise his throne above the others whom he has oppressed. When a person cannot be great in the world he tries to be great among God’s children—spiritually great. The person who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker. Prov. 14:31. There is no glory with a poor person that can add glory to the one who wants to be great.

The poor person being cowed in many different ways means that he has also been robbed of spiritual nourishment. In a church everyone has a right to serve and grow in the ministry according to the grace that God gives, so that they all might be made perfect to serve one another. Everyone shall advance. However, in the denominations they do not serve according to the grace that God gives for the ministry; on the contrary, they rule according to the orders they receive either from the State or from other authorities. And in the “free assemblies” (not in church) this same state of affairs is also prevalent. Souls can only be nourished by going in and out and finding pasture. Jesus’ food was to do the Father’s will; He sat by Jacob’s well and nourished a soul. It is food for a soul to nourish others just as much as it is food to receive from God. However, when someone monopolizes the right to feed the others, then the others are being robbed of access to food by going in and out. We are each other’s members, and as such we are to live in and by each other in the body of Christ, bound together by the aid every one can give to the others. Everyone must have the nourishment they need so they can grow up in all things into Him who is the Head. When one individual has a monopoly on everything, you know what he is going to say and do. If the sheep were to receive abundant food, they would increase and become strong in the Lord; then those who want to be lord would be in a bad position. Satan’s cardinal rule: I will raise my throne above the stars of heaven, is evident in many ways. Spiritual aristocrats exercise a terrible spiritual tyranny. The greater the ignorance and bondage, the greater the power they exercise.

Paul says that we shall grow up in all things “into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” Eph. 4:15-16. We see that God metes out the share of everyone’s work, and each person shall live by his work. The one who hinders a person from obtaining his right in the church of God resists God. Let us care for one another, not displacing one another from the place that God has given to each one. The eye will not benefit from the ear being removed. Every member needs the other members.

When those who are poor—poor in their spirit—grow strong in grace, the requirements of life itself will become evident in the church, and those who are rich in their spirit, in their experiences because of their age, etc., (all this they compress in their mind as assumed worthiness) will fall by the wayside of their own accord, for power is broken where there is no one to rule over. Those who “have a reputation” and “are great” in the church can only rule by keeping the poor and the small in ignorance. If they are thoroughly instructed in the truth that leads to godliness, they would possibly become like their teachers in Christ—become like their master, in that sense of the word. Therefore access to the source of light is often closed, for light creates character—clear-thinking, independent souls in Christ Jesus. In former days, Jesus had to fight against those who took away the key of knowledge. Luke 11:52. Throughout the ages, Satan has allowed some people to take the key of knowledge. Jesus says, “You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.” In these days we have those who have entered in up to a certain point, but they have stopped; now they are hindering others from entering in further, for if others entered in further, they would lose their power. In God’s kingdom it is light that rules during the day, but since people are afraid to lose power and care more for preserving it than for the sheep, they stand in the way of all light that surpasses their own. There are many examples of this in real life. Take note, and you will discover that many leaders go around with a key of knowledge. Perhaps you admire this leader, but you are kept in such ignorance that you do not see that he is keeping you away from a deeper life.

However, God has never given a certain class a monopoly of either possessing or receiving the greatest light in the church. Everyone is equally entitled to light and ministry according to the grace that God gives to each one. But even though the ministries vary, they all have the right to grow up to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ where they are.

As long as the heir is a child, there is no difference between him and a slave. However, the child must not be robbed of his nourishment so that he always remains a child and a slave; he must not always be crippled and crushed by spiritual aristocrats and always be kept in an emotional state, playing child-like games. When the child receives nourishment, he will make himself free from the guardianship and the yoke of bondage; and being free from all, he desires to make himself the servant of all. When a soul attains to the state of manhood in Christ, he is apprehended by the serious laws of everlasting life; he desires to take on the form of a servant because of an inner longing. The intoxication by feelings vanishes, and life’s game is exchanged for the strict requirements of seriousness. A personality in Christ is awakened. Now he is in the full strength of his manhood; his hand is full of God’s seed in order to sow it in the church. That is where his field is, but is there room for him? There was no problem while Jesus revealed Himself to him, but trouble arose when Jesus’ form of a servant formed in him. Many a zealous soul has had to leave because there was no room for him in the assembly. Many a servant has become discontented because of this autocratic, spiritual tyranny. This has resulted in a struggle, and quite often those who were zealous have left in the heat of the battle. Year after year this is how assemblies may swarm like beehives, but it is not right to swarm like this.

When one of the poor should be spoken to by one who is highly regarded, and the poor man dares to have another opinion, he is right away viewed as if he were a dangerous fellow, someone who has gone astray. It is as if they said, “Do you dare to have an opinion of your own?” Poor sheep who are whipped in under other people’s opinions; and if an independent opinion should be aired, it has to be suppressed or cut off like a wild shoot. All personality is often suppressed so that one becomes a spiritual slave of people. It is high time that those who are small shake off the yoke; they have been oppressed far too long in their spirit because of ignorance. We don’t need anyone in God’s kingdom to raise spiritual cripples. We need strong souls in Christ Jesus—sheep who have horns with which to defend themselves and wool with which to warm themselves.

We truly need a thorough cleansing from Satan’s tyrannical power over the poor. Small birds sing best. Large birds are usually birds of prey. They rob the small ones of opportunities and pastures; afterwards they foolishly boast of how many they can gather around “themselves.”