Unto Me?

"...insasmuch as you did it unto one of the least of these My brethren, you did it unto Me." (Matthew 25: 40) 

One of the ministries that Jesus called His church to, is the ministry to the needy. When I think of ministry, I think of the church through Jesus Christ, meeting needs.

It is a ministry to the hungry, the thirsty, to strangers, to those who need clothing, to the sick, to those in prison, etc.

But the question comes, who is to get the credit for this ministry?
Well another question needs to be asked to answer the first question: Whose ministry is it? With a loud emphatic voice we say: "It's Jesus' ministry!" It is Jesus' ministry, that He wants to do through us; but in so many churches, there are Christians that act as if, this ministry, and any other type of service of the church, belongs to them. And it has to be done their way, or no way!

Yes, there are those in the church, who are like little dictators, instead of servants for the Lord Jesus Christ. And when we talk about Christian leadership, those who are in Christian leadership, are to be in charge, but at the same time, they are to maintain a servant's heart, and a humble spirit.

Whatever we do in the Church of Jesus Christ, it is never to be...unto us, but it is to be...unto Christ! "And whatever you do, do it heartily, as unto to the Lord, and not to men.." (Colossians 3:23) 

We are to be like Christ in our attitude towards our Christian walk, and service. When I think about who I belong to, and who I serve, it excites me to be able to be apart of a life and ministry, that is productive, fulfilling, and eternal. GP

 Photo: geralt / 15207 images - CCO Creative Commons - Free for commercial use - No attribution required - www.pixabay.com

Look Out Your Window

"Do you not say, "There are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, "for they are white unto harvest!" (John 4:35) 

In the area I am residing in at this time, the harvest is over. The farmers are now on vacation, or they are busy preparing for next year's crop.

What would happen if (when the harvest was beginning) all the farmers just came, and met together, and talked about harvesting the crops, but never got out there, and got it done? There would be no income for the coming year. As devastating as that would be, I think about the church, and how we gather together, week after week, and we involve ourselves in church activities (which is necessary) but yet we neglect to be involved in the greatest work of all. The harvest of souls.

We can have such an inward, preoccupied, perspective on church matters, that we fail to look out our window, to the world, and see the needs that exist around us. So many people are walking without the Lord Jesus Christ in their lives. We have Him in our lives, but we fail to share Him with others.

I remember growing up on the farm, and of all the work that needed to be done, the harvest of the crops, was the greatest work of all. The work that we spent the most time on.

There are so many needs today! Are we as a church looking out our window, and seeing what we can accomplish through the Lord Jesus Christ. It's time to not only look out the window, but it's time to get out the door, and get some kingdom work done for the Lord! GP

 Photo - StockSnap /28434 images - CCO Creative Commons - Free for commercial use - No attribution required - www.pixabay.com

Out-Reach

"...Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." (Matthew 25:40b)

 In that great day of separation of the sheep and the goats. A separation of the faithful and the unfaithful. Jesus will call the faithful to join Him, with the heavenly Father, to the inherited kingdom, that was prepared for them, from the foundation of the world.

In that great day, Jesus identifies Himself with those who were ministered to. The hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and those in prison.

It is evident what the Lord's priority was, and is, and what His purpose is for us. We are to be involved in ministry on His behalf. To me, it is the Gospel in action. In our ministry to others, we show the love of the Savior, who gave His life to minister to the world. Jesus came to meet the world's greatest need. The need to have our sin debt forgiven. And Jesus did that on the cross of Calvary.

We can add to the list of ways that we can minister on behalf of our Lord. And when we talk about "out-reach" I see the members of the body of Christ, being equipped by the leaders of the church, to minister the Gospel message, through the good deeds that we do. We are to show the love of the Savior, and share how Jesus, can save those who are lost in sin. Like Jesus, we teach by example, and by sharing the Word of God.

 The First word in the great commission is "Go". It's vital that we leave our comfort zones, and go to the places of need, and begin a ministry of "out-reach" on behalf of Him. To those in our world, that we will have contact with, it is a matter of eternal life and death. GP

 Leroy_Skalstad /49 images - CCO Public Domain - Free for commercial use - No attribution required - www.pixabay.com

Honoring God's Plan

"Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence." (1 Timothy 2:11-12) 

The roles of men and women in the church today, are very controversial. But I believe that men have placed women in a tough spot, in the church. I believe wholeheartedly that man is to be the spiritual leader in the home, as well as the church. Woman is to be man's helpmate, as stated in (Genesis 2:18)

But men are not stepping up to the plate in regard to their leadership responsibilities. When the pursuits of the world, take men away from their responsibilities, both in the home and in the church, someone must rise to the occasion. How many women have had to assume the role of spiritual leadership, when in Scripture their role is to be the helper God intended.

It seems that what the Apostle Paul says here in our text is course, and chauvinistic. He may have been addressing a specific problem that was going on there in Ephesus. But Paul knew the important work and influence that women have in the faith. He reminded Timothy of who influenced him concerning his faith (2 Timothy 1:5)

God has a plan for men and women in the home and in ministry. When men and women work together to align themselves with God's will, that is when God's purposes will be accomplished for us, and for the world.
Photo by stockimages. Published on 13 October 2013 Stock photo - Image ID: 100209432 www.freedigitalphotos.net