Matt Barlow

CAP changes lives, now & into eternity. Jesus calls us to represent his heart to the poor, summed up in his manifesto: Not just recounting what Isaiah saw, but fulfilling it.
It’s happening
The Spirit of the Lord is on me..
To preach good news to the POOR
Freedom for the prisoners
And release the oppressed & proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

I’m here to do this! To release the oppressed.
He has predestined us to be confirmed to the likeness of his Son. He says If you are going to follow me, you are to be like me. Shout loud & clear.
The poor need to be set free. There has to be room for them, in your house, round your table & in your finances. How do we do this?
Well the biggest cause of relational & social breakdown is debt. And it’s hidden. You don’t see it, they don’t wear a sign around their neck announcing it.
We have a consumeristic, keep up with the Jones, ‘I’m worth it’ culture. Debt & finance issues are ripping the nation apart. As a country, we are nearly as bad as individuals at this as governments are. The Uk hold 2/3 of the credit card debt in Europe.
Borrowing isn’t necessarily bad. But then a change happens & you can’t pay it back, you’re in trouble. A new baby? A drop in salary? Redundancy? 74% of those CAP help are so stressed they are at the Drs.
Every third family will have a member who considered suicide. Utter hopelessness, nowhere to turn. 1 in 20 will have attempted to commit suicide.

Matt then interviewed Phil, who CAP helped through the process of being made bankrupt.

CAP visit someone in their own home. Keep the creditors from the door, help them build a budget. Do whatever needs to be done. They don’t pay off people’s debts but stand in the gap between those being oppressed and those who they owe money to. And they do it through a local church. Offering prayer, inviting them to church. Average of 50 new people saved every day, nationally.

So…

Could you be on the team? Go & visit.

Give to CAP? (50% of our Christmas offering this year will help us fund this work).