19 Jan 06 113768172299786498
I’ve had Matthew 25 on my mind a lot recently. You know how it is when out of the blue a particular Bible verse just pops into your head and you can’t shake it? Sort of like when you hear a song from Air Supply or Barney - you go to extreme lengths to extricate that song from your head.
In the end, with a Bible text that is, hopefully you give in and start listening to what God is trying to tell you. “Ok God, I’m listening,” I say as I wait to understand why these verses will not leave my mind.
Matthew 25:35-40 (NCV) I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your house. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then the good people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you alone and away from home and invite you into our house? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?’ Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my people here, you also did for me.’
This is not a description of the ministries a church should have in order to truly be a church. I’ll save that discussion for another time. This is a description of the kind of people we need to be as followers of Jesus Christ.
Does my path regularly cross someone in need? I need to help them. Does someone I meet need food? I need to feed them. Does someone need medical attention? I need to help care for them. Does someone need to know they are not alone? I need to be there for them.
Will it be hard? Sometimes yes sometimes no. Will their be risk? Maybe, maybe not. Will my gift be appreciated? Yes and no. Will my gift be wasted or misused? Perhaps, but that’s not really my concern.
We can talk about the kind of church we need to be and the kind of programs we need to have until Jesus returns. I wonder if somehow our programs and ministries have occupied our time so much, have worn us out so much that we have not the strength or resources to respond with genuine simplicity to others.
I will make no significant impact in the lives of others unless I begin to view each person as Jesus and serve them as I would serve Jesus.
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Funny how your thought processes and Greg’s have somewhat overlapped today. I talked and talked in my comments in his blog, so I’ll just say to you, good thoughts, and I agree totally. I believe it’s really all about how we treat people…..if we treat them as Christ would, sharing the love He has so freely shared with us.
Good points. You asked good questions with “Does my path‚Ķ” If our path doesn’t cross the kinds of needful people mentioned in Mt 25, then we are definitely on the wrong path.
Before reading your post, I’d just pasted Luke 14.12 into my Sunday sermon where Jesus orders the Jews to invite the poor, sick and blind to their tables. And then he finishes with those beautiful words: You will be happy‚Ķ You will be rewarded‚Ķ
Memo: Don’t read Randy’s challenging thoughts before going to work. First I was nearly braodsided by a red light runner, then ended up behind someone who thought it necessary to go 10 miles UNDER the speed limit.
NOT GOOD.
May I please have an exemption, just for today?
A very convicting passage, that Matthew 25. Stewardship and preparation, hence Budget/Finance Committees.
I haven’t quite figured out how to loosen the virtual death-grip which the notion of fiduciary responsibility often has on a congregation’s spending. Ok, perhaps that’s an exaggeration. But I get the feeling that those–over whose hands, heads and hearts we pray every time we take up an offering–with spending authority fear congregational resprisals if something doesn’t produce a measurable return (on investment). This isn’t necessarily a good benchmark for the use of the congregation’s avaialbe funds.
One method for changing that approach is dropping the tendency to embrace the following equation:
good businessman = good elder/deacon.
…and serve them as Jesus would.
Your post kicked me in the spiritual hiney today. Thanks a lot.
And, no, good businessman does not equal good deacon. But I can’t figure out how to fire any of them.
Maybe we need to take the “in” out of “institutional” activity and replace it with the word “out?” Would that be “out-stitutional?” Programs tend to focus our energies inward instead of outward as in the Matt. 25 model.
Wow! what a challenge to us all to be Jesus to our world. Thanks Randy for the reminder!
I am part of the neighborhood outreach ministry at Vandelia Church of Christ in Lubbock, Tx. We feed hundreds of people each week, tutor kids after school, clothe, pay light bills, pay rent, fix cars, and miriad little things for poor people in our neighborhood. It gets overwhelming sometimes.
Like you I had a verse stuck in my head. (I feel your pain - I know what you mean about Air Supply - for me the worst is Wake Me Up Before You Go Go) Sorry, I probably just stuck that demon possessed song in your brain huh? I repent!!!
Anyway, in Mark 6:37, just at the point where the disciples get concerned about how long 5000 men have gone with out food and telling Jesus to send them away, Jesus says, “You give them something to eat.” It sticks with me. I am not going to try to unpack it here, but I hear ya - man.
Well, that’s my bite anyway.
Many blessings…