There is one word in the Holy Bible that I have rarely, if ever, heard preached about—outcasts. Used sparingly by God, it carries deep significance. In Jeremiah 30:17, God defines an outcast as "[someone] whom no man seeketh after." And that's precisely what an outcast is—someone forgotten by the majority of the community, someone overlooked. They are the forgotten ones.
People may see the outcast, but they don't give much thought to them. For eleven years, my heart has been bent toward helping the forgotten ones of the earth. Whether it's orphans living in orphanages, destitute people surviving near garbage dumps, or women, girls, and boys ensnared by the ropes of sex trafficking—my heart breaks for them. Society may call them "prostitutes," but I see them as souls in desperate need of compassion. I also think of youngsters, pressured by an unjust life, who turn to gangs for survival. All of these are forgotten ones, hidden in plain sight.
I think about the millions of immigrants traveling across nations, seeking a better life. They, too, are outcasts, forgotten by their governments and often unwelcome in foreign lands. Even within the Christian community, they are frequently treated as outcasts.
Yes, many people give money to ministries like mine to support these individuals trapped in lifestyles they'd rather not live. But so few rise up from the comforts of their own lives to truly engage with and care for the outcast. They write checks but don't extend their hands.
Where are the Christians who open their homes to just one immigrant? Where are those who would shelter even one of the 391,000 orphans in America, one of the millions of homeless, or one woman rescued from trafficking? These individuals are not just statistics; they are souls in need of love, healing, and compassionate redemption.
To me, God gives us outcasts to reveal our sins. The church preaches "love thy neighbor," but too often, we fall into hypocrisy. If we genuinely believed in loving our neighbors, we wouldn't have the extent of issues we see with sex-trafficking, homelessness, orphans, gangs, and immigration. If we truly loved our neighbors—the ones living in dire situations near us—we would open our lives, our resources, and our homes. We would realize that God blesses us not to hoard those blessings but to share them abundantly.
If America were indeed a Christian nation, we wouldn't have millions of homeless and hundreds of thousands of orphans, because there would be an abundance of Christian citizens seeking out whom they can help. They would use their homes and resources to lift the outcast from the depths of despair into a rich and blessed life. Oh, how I pray for this vision! This would be true revival—a revival not just of preaching Christ but of living His love through our actions. But so far, it seems like only a dream.
Outcasts have always existed, and they always will. There will always be someone battered by the storms of life, lying alone on the streets. There will always be children entrapped in the horrors of sex trafficking, forced to do unspeakable things in the shadows of our communities. There will always be immigrants wandering, searching for a better life. And there will always be youngsters emerging from poverty, broken homes, and limited education who are coerced into joining gangs as a means of survival. There will always be outcasts.
A Call to Action: Will You Answer?
Outcasts will always be with us. They are a constant presence in our broken world—a world that often ignores the suffering of the least among us. But as followers of Jesus Christ, we cannot turn a blind eye. We cannot simply preach about love while withholding it in our actions.
The outcasts of today—whether they are the gangs, homeless, orphans, immigrants, or victims of trafficking—are a test of our faith. They are a call from God to step out of our comfort zones and into the lives of those who desperately need the love of Christ.
So, I challenge you today—what will you do? Will you walk past the outcasts as the world does? Or will you stop, seek them out, and offer them the hope and love they've been denied? Revival begins when we take up this call, not just in words but in action. True change starts with one step: opening your life—your home, your resources, your heart.
Don't wait for someone else to act. You can make a difference in the life of an outcast today.
RETURN TO ALL BLOGS
People may see the outcast, but they don't give much thought to them. For eleven years, my heart has been bent toward helping the forgotten ones of the earth. Whether it's orphans living in orphanages, destitute people surviving near garbage dumps, or women, girls, and boys ensnared by the ropes of sex trafficking—my heart breaks for them. Society may call them "prostitutes," but I see them as souls in desperate need of compassion. I also think of youngsters, pressured by an unjust life, who turn to gangs for survival. All of these are forgotten ones, hidden in plain sight.
I think about the millions of immigrants traveling across nations, seeking a better life. They, too, are outcasts, forgotten by their governments and often unwelcome in foreign lands. Even within the Christian community, they are frequently treated as outcasts.
Yes, many people give money to ministries like mine to support these individuals trapped in lifestyles they'd rather not live. But so few rise up from the comforts of their own lives to truly engage with and care for the outcast. They write checks but don't extend their hands.
Where are the Christians who open their homes to just one immigrant? Where are those who would shelter even one of the 391,000 orphans in America, one of the millions of homeless, or one woman rescued from trafficking? These individuals are not just statistics; they are souls in need of love, healing, and compassionate redemption.
To me, God gives us outcasts to reveal our sins. The church preaches "love thy neighbor," but too often, we fall into hypocrisy. If we genuinely believed in loving our neighbors, we wouldn't have the extent of issues we see with sex-trafficking, homelessness, orphans, gangs, and immigration. If we truly loved our neighbors—the ones living in dire situations near us—we would open our lives, our resources, and our homes. We would realize that God blesses us not to hoard those blessings but to share them abundantly.
If America were indeed a Christian nation, we wouldn't have millions of homeless and hundreds of thousands of orphans, because there would be an abundance of Christian citizens seeking out whom they can help. They would use their homes and resources to lift the outcast from the depths of despair into a rich and blessed life. Oh, how I pray for this vision! This would be true revival—a revival not just of preaching Christ but of living His love through our actions. But so far, it seems like only a dream.
Outcasts have always existed, and they always will. There will always be someone battered by the storms of life, lying alone on the streets. There will always be children entrapped in the horrors of sex trafficking, forced to do unspeakable things in the shadows of our communities. There will always be immigrants wandering, searching for a better life. And there will always be youngsters emerging from poverty, broken homes, and limited education who are coerced into joining gangs as a means of survival. There will always be outcasts.
A Call to Action: Will You Answer?
Outcasts will always be with us. They are a constant presence in our broken world—a world that often ignores the suffering of the least among us. But as followers of Jesus Christ, we cannot turn a blind eye. We cannot simply preach about love while withholding it in our actions.
The outcasts of today—whether they are the gangs, homeless, orphans, immigrants, or victims of trafficking—are a test of our faith. They are a call from God to step out of our comfort zones and into the lives of those who desperately need the love of Christ.
So, I challenge you today—what will you do? Will you walk past the outcasts as the world does? Or will you stop, seek them out, and offer them the hope and love they've been denied? Revival begins when we take up this call, not just in words but in action. True change starts with one step: opening your life—your home, your resources, your heart.
Don't wait for someone else to act. You can make a difference in the life of an outcast today.
RETURN TO ALL BLOGS
