Lesson 07.5 - Discussion on Ministering to Those In Need

Introduction
  1. Welcome to our Wednesday night discussion on those in need.  We want to dig in a little more to what we talked about on Sunday.
  2. Just to recap, on Sunday we talked about ministering to those in need and trying to get a Biblical perspective on it.

Back through Sunday

  1. Sunday we discussed several critical points as it relates to thinking Biblically about this critical topic of those in need.
  2. We looked at how Jesus brought out the importance of a vertical relationship and a horizontal relationship.  In Luke 10, Jesus talked about the important concept of loving the Lord with everything we have, and also loving our neighbor as ourselves.
    1. Jesus brought out these two critical relationships - our vertical relationship with God himself that should be deepening and growing.
    2. But we also have a horizontal relationship with other people.
  3. We saw how Jesus’ ministry involved not just preaching, although that was part of it, but also ministering to very real needs in the form of physical needs people had.
  4. We looked at James 2, and how James talked about how James dismissed those who said they had faith but didn’t really effectively minister by meeting physical needs.
  5. And we saw how Paul agreed on this point in Galatians 2, with him saying that meeting physical needs was exactly what he wanted to do.
  6. We focused particularly on how a gospel-focused view of life creates a right focus.
    1. If we come back to the gospel, we remember that we were in desperate need before God stepped in to address the situation we were in.
    2. He brought us back before we were cleaned up and before we were aware of our sin, and in the same way, we should be reaching out in the same way to thsoe around us, before they necessarily get cleaned up or appear to be “ok.”

Proper Motivations

  1. When we think about issues related to ministries of mercy, however, we often get confused about the motivation for why we’re doing what we’re doing.
  2. First, we tend to think that assistance should only go to those who truly deserve it.
    1. But if that’s the case, do we truly have a ministry of mercy?
    2. Is mercy ever limited to those who deserve it?
      1. In Luke 6:34-36, Jesus is speaking and says: “And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.”
        1. Jesus is talking about the way that people tend to treat others who are like them.
        2. If you lend money, only because you plan to get something back, that’s not that unusual.  That’s the normal way people do things.
        3. Even sinners, people who have no changed heart, do things that way - they lend, expecting something in return.
        4. But then Jesus continues in verse 35, telling us something opposite - completely different from the normal way that every human being would approach something:
      2. “But [about to tell you something different] love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again [hoping for nothing in return]; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest”
        1. Then Jesus tells us why we are to love our enemies - why our lives are to be different than the people around us.
        2. God is our example - we’re children of the highest, because:
      3. “for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
    3. Did you catch that?  God is merciful and kind to the ungrateful and to evil people.
      1. He provides mercy to people who don’t deserve it at all.
      2. He sends rain when people are disobedient - he still gives them water to drink.
      3. God provides food for people who never realize that he is the one who gave it to them.
        1. Or people who think either they did it themselves or think some fake god gave it to them.
    4. So in providing mercy, Jesus instructs us to be like God - showing mercy even to people who don’t deserve it at all.
  3. Second thing about motivation for providing mercy and ministry: people who are motivated by moral living instead of by heart changed by the gospel often have a hard time showing true mercy.
    1. What I mean by that is this - if you think you are the one responsible for making yourself into a good person, you’ll look at other people in need with the attitude of “I worked really hard to get here, and so can anyone else - let’s see some results from you!”
    2. But this fails to recognize how God really works in our hearts.
      1. Again, it’s not moral living that earns you favor with God.
    3. A Christian recognizes that I’m only where I am because of grace and mercy, and I stand equal with everyone else, even the worst sinner.
    4. So grace helps us understand that Jesus has given us a gift - it’s not something we earned.
      1. Because it’s a gift, we understand that he makes the same gift available to every other person who is ready to receive it.
      2. Grace is a beautiful thing, but it destroys human effort - we can’t earn this gift, and as a result, we share grace with other people because they can’t earn it either.
  4. Third point is that proper motivation for giving is not guilt.
    1. We touched on this briefly on Sunday, but talking about how you eat steak and drive two cars while the world is starving can be very effective at creating a lot of guilt in the hearts of people.
      1. It’s also a super-successful fundraising tactic.
      2. For those of you who have ever watched Idol Gives Back or any other telethon, there’s an element of “these people don’t have nearly what you have, but you go to Starbucks every day.”
      3. It’s very effective at getting money from people.
    2. So a Scriptural motivation for responding to needs is the gospel, not guilt.
      1. The motivation we have is that we have been given a free gift in the Lord Jesus.
      2. Because we have been given so much, we then give to others.
      3. It’s not because we feel guilty, but rather because of what we have been given in the grace and love of the Lord Jesus.

Types of Ministries

  1. There are several types of ways that we can meet the needs of people that are in need around us.
    1. Let me also add that you can easily give away everything without being wise about how you give.  Everything about ministry involves lots of wisdom as well - part of the advantage of working with other believers together as a church.
  2. Tim Keller identifies three main types.
    1. First, we can provide Relief - that is direct aid to meet physical, material, or social needs for people.
      1. This is generally immediate help - someone needs food, housing, or companionship.  It’s the intervention type of assistance.
    2. Second type is Development - this is ministries that bring someone or a community to self-sufficiency.
      1. So this can be a program of education - helping someone get job skills or learn about cooking or any variety of other things.
    3. Third thing is Reform - changing social structures that aggravate or cause poverty.
      1. This can be working for social reform, such as fighting racism or class discrimination.
      2. This can be working to build houses for Habitat for Humanity, changing the situation in urban projects.
  3. So those are the primary ways we can reach out to those in need.

What ministries do you know that for:

  1. So to start off the discussion, I want us to explore whether or not what types of ministries y’all are aware of in our area for people in various categories.
    1. So what types of ministries are you aware of for:
      1. Those who are hungry?
        1. Food pantry at church
        2. Christmas food drives
      2. Homeless people?
        1. Ministries in Atlanta
        2. MUST ministries in Marietta?
      3. Single women who are expecting a baby?
        1. Cobb Pregnancy Services
    2. What other groups are have needs that you know of ministries in the Atlanta area?

How should we go about ministering to:

  1. So let’s think about ministry - Relief, Development, Reform - how can we minister to these groups?
    1. Single women who are expecting a baby?
      1. What kinds of needs do they have?
        1. Shelter
        2. Adoption
        3. Monetary help
      2. How can the church meet those needs?
    2. AIDS Orphans
      1. What kinds of needs do they have?
      2. How can the church meet those needs?
    3. People in prison
      1. What kinds of needs do they have?
      2. How can the church meet those needs?
    4. Sex trafficking victims
      1. Teens brought into this country or kidnapped for prostitution
      2. What kinds of needs do they have?
      3. How can the church meet those needs?

Group that are hard to minister to (outcasts):

  1. The church has traditionally ministered in a big way to those who are the outcasts of society.
    1. So Christian missionaries were the only ones who could go as missionaries to leper colonies when leprosy was such a problem.
    2. Christians ministered to slaves long before anyone was willing to take that step.
  2. One person has noted that every society has one unforgivable sin.
    1. In our society, that is probably sex offenses against children is probably (and understandably) the most unforgivable sin today.
    2. Child molestation preys on the most innocent members of society.
  3. Christianity Today magazine did a large story recently on the challenge these people bring to the church.
    1. What about people who have done their time, served their prison sentence, and while they were there, came to know the Lord.
    2. They’ve served their prison time, they’ve repented and now come wanting to be part of our church.
  4. What do we do?
    1. Molestation is one of those crimes that people tend to go back to.
    2. But can Jesus redeem and forgive even these kinds of sins?
  5. If we’re serious about ministry, what in the world does this look like?

Motivation for all ministry

  1. Ok, good discussion y’all.  I’m trying to get us some things to talk about that will make us all think - things without easy answers, and things that we really have to focus on a Scriptural perspective and figure out how to walk with the Lord in these things.
  2. It’s not easy.  But the Lord will lead us as we seek to walk in a way that glorifies him.
    1. Remember - focus for ministry is on what we have been given.  When we understand the gift and grace that has been poured out on us, we’ll be ready to give a gift and grace to people who would otherwise be undeserving.
  3. Let’s close in prayer.