Today we read 2 Samuel 15 & 16, Psalm 32, and Matthew 25.
The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats is primarily a story to tell us that if we are saved children of God that we will know the voice of God and be an active part in the works of God until He comes. Salvation is not based on works, but if there is salvation, there will be a Kingdom Work Ethic. I do not believe that the jobs or ministries that Christ lists are a comprehensive list of what we are to do in ministry. Having said that, I want to make sure that I am a part of all of them.
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, - FBC has an active food ministry through which we give a bag of groceries, including a fresh loaf of bread, to any family in need on the 3rd Tuesday night of each month. We also pray with them and give them the opportunity to receive Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. God has richly blessed this ministry as we serve hundreds of families a year.
I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me- Years ago a man came to the ER at our local hospital suffering from low blood sugar and hardly able to talk. He asked for a minister and I went to talk to him. I had a hard time communicating with him. Finally, I understood the problem...he had the worst speech impediment that I had ever heard. He stuttered horribly. Having suffered from speech problems as a child, I am sensitive to any difficulty one has in communicating, so we worked through it together. He was traveling through (a transient) and needed a good night's rest. He was a Christian but wanted to have his own copy of the Bible. We put him in the local hotel for the night, gave him some money to eat, and promised a Bible. Later that afternoon, I went back to the hotel to give Him the Bible and he was hand washing his clothes in the sink and hanging them on lamps or anywhere else he could to dry them. When he opened the door, he was freshly showered and with clean clothes on, he looked so refreshed. God just burned it in my heart. Later that week the church got a washer and dryer and we bought a change of clothes for various sizes. Now when such a guy comes through, we will wash his clothes and give him a new set as well.
I was sick and you visited me- FBC has a wonderful Free Medical Clinic that is opened monthly and we provide spiritual counsel, prayers of support, and much needed medical care and prescriptions that would otherwise not be available to them. I also spend much of the average week visiting hospitals or sick folk. It is a great door of ministry to walk through.
I was in prison and you came to me.- Some of the greatest times I have had in ministry have been preaching in prisons or visiting those in jail.
Keep this in mind. Matthew 25.40- And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
What we do, we do for The Lord. We don't get into who needs it or not, or who deserves it. We simply give it. Let God iron out the details.
Find a way to serve today. Hey, contact us! We could use you.
No comments:
Post a Comment