155. Rock Goes The Gospel - BB King and Eric Clapton "Help The Poor"

Riding with the King is a blues album by Eric Clapton and B.B. King that was released in 2000. It was their first collaborative album and won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. The album reached number one on Billboard's Top Blues Albums and was certified 2× Multi-Platinum in the United States. Riding with the King was also released on a DVD-Audio in higher resolution and with a 5.1 surround sound mix in 2000.  The album was generally well received by reviewers, although some felt that it could have been better, and that the sound on the CD was too polished for a blues album.

"Help the poor" is a track about needed the love of another like you need air to breathe, or water to drink, It's a cry out for love. For someone to care for you. the song is a blues lament and like all blues laments it focuses on a lost love.

Help the poor
Won't you help for me?
I need help from you, baby
Need it desperately
I need you so much, I need your care
Need all the loving, baby, you can spare
Help the poor
Oh, baby, won't you help for me?

Say you will
Say you'll help me on
I can't make it no longer
In this world alone
Baby, I'm begging with tears in my eyes
For your love, don't you realize
I need help
Oh baby, help for me

You are my inspiration
Baby, that make me be a king
But if you don't come to my rescue
I couldn't ever be anything

Hey, help the poor
Won't you help for me?
Have a heart, won't you baby?
Listen to my plea
Oh, I lost my courage till I found you
You've got what it takes, baby, to pull me through
Help the poor
Oh baby, won't you help for me?

You are my inspiration
Baby, that make me be a king
But if you don't come to my rescue
I couldn't ever be anything

Help the poor
Won't you help for me?
Have a heart, won't you baby?
Listen to my plea
Oh, I lost my courage till I found you
If that what it takes, baby, to pull me through
Help the poor
Oh baby, help for me

In this mornings devotion we will be looking into The Acts of the Apostles and chapter 2. In this chapter we see the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the after effects of the ministry of the Spirit in individuals.

 Acts Two was characterized by four types of activities. Acts 2:42 says that the believers were devoted to these four activities. The verb here (προσκαρτερέω) has the idea of being busy with something, or even “to persist”  The word appears twice in this paragraph, in verse 46 the community is daily worshiping in the temple and sharing meals together.

First, they devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles (διδαχή). This instruction is for new converts who may not have heard Jesus teach. The apostles are witnesses passing along the things which they have seen and heard. It is entirely possible that the apostles had common set of instruction which they regularly passed along to new converts. If this is the case, then there was a basic body of tradition within months of the death of Jesus which could be called the “teaching of the apostles.”

Second, they devoted themselves to fellowship (κοινωνία). Since this word has the connotation of sharing common, this is likely an allusion to the communal life described in the next verses  At the very least this includes alms and care for the poor. I would suggest that many of those who needed assistance were Diaspora pilgrims who accepted the message of Jesus and remained in Jerusalem rather than to return home after Pentecost.

Third, they devoted themselves to “breaking of bread.” While this phrase can be used of sharing a meal together, it is likely that Luke is describing the community as celebrating some form of communion. In Luke 21:19 the same words are used as Jesus takes bread and breaks it. In Luke 24:35 it is used for the resurrected Jesus breaking bread as two disciples realized who he was. I think that Jesus’ practice of common meals was the foundation for this practice — they all ate and drank together as one group.

Fourth, they devoted themselves to prayers. Since the Greek is plural this is plausibly a reference to daily prayers in the Temple. It would not be unusual for Jewish men to go to the Temple several times a day to pray, so the community continues to worship at the Temple regularly. In fact, Acts 2:46 indicates that the disciples met in both private homes and in the Temple. This likely put them into contact with other observant Jews who would then be introduced to Jesus as Messiah.

Looking after the Poor, Devoting energy to care for those who have needs, We have already looked how this early church devoted themselves to the fellowship. It went further and had further impact. The community sold property, pooled resources, and distributed these funds to the poor. Giving to the poor is a standard description of Christian community, but “living in common” only appears here in Acts 2. There is nothing which makes me think the Antioch church was pooling resources, nor does Paul give any such instruction to his churches.

The fact that these earliest believers are devoted to these activities daily is also unique in the apostolic period. There is no other group of believers who appear to have left their jobs to devote themselves to spiritual activity. In 1-2 Thessalonians Paul seems to instruct the members of the church to not retire from daily life and be constantly devoted to ministry. 2 Thess 3:11-12 specifically tells people to go out and get jobs so that they are not a burden.

"Help the poor" seems to be the watchword for the early church not so much focused like BB King and Eric Clapton song on an individual but focused in the hearts and lives of the early church on a great multitude of people in the city. This work would keep growing for the early church and would bring with it it's own demands as it always does.