Tuesday, September 5, 2017

See The Need

Hello.  Remember me? No?  Well.  I’m back.

There’s a lot of talk right now about strangers and ministers. So, who is a stranger?  Who is a minister? What should I do? Jesus answered these questions Himself.  He did not use a parable.  His meaning wasn’t veiled for the disciples only. Jesus said

Matthew 25:31-46
31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
His message is pretty clear.  He said it more simply to Peter when He said ‘if you love me, feed my sheep.’

As Believers, we don’t have the luxury of discrimination.  God gave His Son for the whole world, while we were yet sinners as the saying goes.  He didn’t send His Son for those who already loved Him.  He sent His Son that the whole world; past, present and future generations might return to Him. And He said He would do the sorting, not us.

So, whom do we serve?  We serve God.  How do we serve Him?  When we ‘do it to the least of these'.  Who is supposed to do the work?  Isn’t that work for a minister?  Yes.  To minister is to serve.  If you serve God, you’re a minister and this is work we must do.

As we move forward in our belief, we have to come to a point where we accept Jesus as Lord as well as Savior.  He has to be more than a rescue plan; He has to be sovereign in this life as well as the next.  We have to start learning that picking up our cross means denying what we want to do.  We literally must put down our prejudices, our plans, our life and submit ourselves as a living sacrifice to God.

The sacrifice doesn’t get to choose how it’s used.  It just makes itself available.
We know the strangers.  If we’ve confessed Christ, and see a need, we are obliged to act.  If you see then need, then you were the minister sent to that situation.  That’s why you’re seeing it.

Romans 12:1

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
If you're looking for a church home in Atlanta metro area, please consider visiting us.
Fellowship Church 
455 GA Hwy 138 W Jonesboro, GA 30238
Disciples Class - Tuesdays at 7:00 PM
Sunday School - Sundays at 10:00 AM
Morning Worship - Sundays at 11:30 AM

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