Randy Alcorn: Potential Future Needsand Actual Present Needs

We must ask, “If Christ were on the other side of the street, or the city, or the other side of the world, and he was hungry, thirsty, and helpless, or imprisoned for his faith, would we help him?” Any professing Christian would have to say yes. But we mustn’t forget what Christ himself says in Matthew 25: He is in our neighborhood, community, city, country, and across the world, in the form of poor and needy people—and especially in those who are persecuted for their faith. The rich man who passed by poor Lazarus is condemned not for a specific act of exploitation but for his lack of concern and assistance for a man in need (Luke 16:19-31)…

We are to love our neighbors as ourselves. If we or our children were hungry, would we take something out of our retirement program to feed them? If so, why wouldn’t we consider doing this for our neighbor’s children? Are we truly obeying the command to love our neighbor as ourselves if we’re storing up money for potential future needs when our neighbor is laboring today under actual present needs?

Randy Alcorn in Money, Possessions, and Eternity (Carol Stream: Tyndale House, 2003) 224, 230, 334. Download the book in PDF form freely here. And enjoy the header photos this week from Trinity College, Bristol, where I did my Ph.D. in New Testament.

This is the fifth of seven posts from this book at this time. Special thanks to Courtney Markley for collaborating with me to identify key quotes from this great book. If you missed the back story on these posts, go back and read the post on 18 October 2026.

In my international travels, I see a lot of poverty. And, sadly, in every culture, I witness the human tendency to think that the poor or needy people are someone else’s problem.

We live like the rich man and ignore Lazarus at the doorstep. And, it is not surprising that the name Lazarus means “God has helped” because humans have a tendency not to help.

I want to give you an opportunity to remember the poor and suffering today. I return to Ukraine in December for my fourth trip since the conflict escalated in 2022.

As the war is across the world, or “over there,” people tend to forget about those who are suffering, displaced, and facing winter with spotty power and insufficient food.

Such people are receptive to the gospel because the first thing they say is, “I can’t believe you came. Nobody comes.” God has put it on my heart to go. I want to show great love. In the words of Jesus, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

And I am not going alone. I am going with a dear brother, Milan, from Czech Republic. He grew up in Soviet times and even served in the Soviet army. It was called Czechoslovakia at the time.

While serving as a soldier, he was put in jail for his faith. He recounts that as his most fruitful time of ministry. Fellow soldiers wanted to know what he believed that was worth more than his freedom. He would remind them that he was free, free from his sins and that they were slaves.

We have two others on our team who are Ukrainian, Sasha and Mykola. We will meet up with them in the West in Lviv, deliver help and hope to undisclosed locations in the East and loop back to the West.

To see our team and learn more about this trip—Ukraine Project: Help and Hope—click here.

The trip is sponsored by CTU Global from 2-10 December 2026. CTU stands for Christ to the Unchurched. We are praying to take at least $25,000 in aid. To date, God has supplied $18,113.20.

There's still an opportunity for you to deliver help and hope. To make a gift by credit card, click here to go to the CTU global website. Click the blue give button to give and be sure to write "Project: Ukraine" in the "add a note" section.

Reply to this email if you want to make a gift from another channel, such as a donor advised fund. I can help facilitate your sharing in this way.

When you give to help those who have “actual present needs” today from money you have stored up for “potential future needs” you can be confident that just as God helped Lazarus, God will help you when your time of need comes!

That’s the whole point of the parable in Luke 16:19-31. Read it and help "Lazarus" while you have a chance.