Our community seems to have had a difficult week in some way or another. There are always people who make bad decisions and people who suffer. Likewise, there will always be people who are in need. When at the home of Simon Peter a woman approach Jesus with some very expensive perfume and poured it on his head. His disciples did not like this gesture and were upset thinking that she wasted it saying that it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. In response Jesus rebuked them saying what the woman had done honored Him. He elaborates further saying “You will always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” Speaking of the fact that he would not always be with them physically but the poor will always have a need. This verse reminds me that the primary responsibility of the church is not to PHYSICALLY take care of the poor but to make sure to SPIRITUALLY take care of everyone we can. We have an obligation to make an impact the best we can with the resources we have.
I often think, “What kind of IMPACT can we at North Heights Church of Christ make on our community around us. Here’s a thought.
Invest: We can invest in relationship with people. Its one thing to ask how someone is doing and quickly hear their answer and move on. It’s another thing to spend time hearing and understanding how someone is coping, struggling, celebrating, learning, working, loving, and making it from day to day. We need to INVEST in the lives of people around us if we want to effectively help people in a SPIRITUAL way.
Minister: We can minister to the needs of people. The opportunities to serve people both in the spiritual and physical ways of our community are numerous. We can provide emotional support, spiritual guidance, and practical assistance like the good Samaritan man who came across a man who had been robbed (Luke 10:25-37).
Pray: We can pray for and with people. The power of prayer can unite people across our community. The next time someone shares something pray with them. If they tell you about a temptation, pray right there in the moment. If they tell you about a struggle they are facing, pray right there in the moment. If they tell you about something praiseworthy, pray right there in the moment. Imagine the impact we could have if we decided to pray with people all over our community at ball games, schools, grocery stores, banks, hospitals, and barbershops and beauty solons.
Act: We can act accordingly to the need instead of telling people to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps or sitting on our hands. We could make such a difference in lives if we actively engages with people offering help, and service to people in desperate need. What if we stopped saying “Someone else will help them.” and instead began saying, “I will help them.” and then got up and to actually do the word instead of always hearing it? Seems biblical (James 1:22).
Connect: We can connect with people even if we don’t know them. Look for ways to find common ground. This is counter culture in our world today where Satan seeks to expose more and more ways to divide us. Politics, sports, schools, religious, and economic divisions are obvious but imagine if we began to expose ways to unite us and find areas where we are the same. The church has the opportunity to be a light in a dark world especially in this way. I’m not saying we tolerate sin or evil, but we can tolerate people and groups for the sake of peace. Jesus says,” By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Not only are we to show our love to each other but we are to love others and with that counter cultural love people will know that we follow Jesus.
Teach: We can teach others the truths of God’s ways. Our goal is not just to be a good people in an evil world to make life better while we are on earth. Our goal is to teach people the gospel to make eternal life a reality for people here on this earth. This requires us to not just care about people but teach them how to obey God. I’ve heard it said, “People will not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” While this is true we must not always stop at caring for people and then never get to the heart of the gospel. We must get to the point; the gospel point (You should read the book by Larry West). Yes we should care and since we do we care enough to teach.
Let’s be encouraged to make an IMPACT in our community. They need it; we need it!
For the Lord,
Alex Mills