Since January 1, 2008 I have been leading outreach ministry and events. There are two main things that I have learned during this time:
NUMERO UNO
The first thing is just how amazingly awesome it is to bless someone in need, and how fulfilling and satisfying it is to know that you are making a difference. When you take the words of the Bible seriously when it says, “Go into all the world and make disciples” nothing can compare to the feeling you get from fulfilling your purpose on this earth.
We have gone to the nursing homes, prisons, poor, widows, and to the streets to minister and to be arms of love and compassion to those in need. I have made many memories that i am sure i will never forget. One particular comes to mind. We had just had a birthday party for Ms. Dorothy Strouse at the nursing home. She was one of our close friends we made there. As it was time to leave she made the usual rounds of giving us all our kisses and telling us how much she loved us all and how sweet we are. lol. She’s told us multiple times that we are her adopted children. She’s so sweet. Anyways, as we were leaving she walked with us all the way to the security ward door holding our hands. She told us how much she hated to see us go. As we walked through the door to go she began to cry and blow kisses at us. The last thing we saw as the door closed behind us was Miss Dorothy standing there crying and looking pitiful blowing kisses at us and waving good bye.
Nothing i could say here could accurately describe what i felt at that moment.
That it is one of those things you can only understand through experience. You can’t experience it through someone else.
Another time in the nursing home we were visiting one of our friends and she began to tell us how badly her back was hurting. She was strapped to her chair and was unable to sit up comfortably. We tried to help her up but couldn’t, so we asked if we could pray for her. She said yes. We began to pray for her commanding the pain to leave. Right in the middle of our prayer she began to “hoot and holler” exclaiming “It’s working! It’s working! The pain is gone! The pain is gone!” After that she was fine and has been fine ever since. Before we prayed for her she had been in and out of the hospital constantly always staying sick. After we prayed for her she has not been sick once since. I asked her how she liked not being sick anymore and she told me she didn’t like it because they don’t let her stay in bed as much anymore. lol.
Another time we prayed for a lady that was completely immobile (if that’s a word) and next time we came back she was out and about in the cafeteria! Again, these are things that you have to experience in order to truly understand how they make you feel. Watching men in the prison weep as the Lord moves on their heart, handing a bowl of food to a hungry person at the care center, the compassion of Christ as you stay with a homeless man through the night, the relief of a widow when you tell her you’re going to fix her mower and mow her lawn for her: All these things are things I have experienced that I can not explain to you with mere words. You have to experience it. Which leads me to my next point.
NUMERO DOS
The second thing I learned is how ridiculously hard it has been to get Bible believing, church going Christians to get motivated about outreach. I’m not saying everyone is like that, because they aren’t, but far too many of them are.
People get stuck in their rut and routines and either don’t know how, or don’t want to get out of them. The ones that don’t know how are ok, because you can show them. Its the ones that don’t want to get out of their routine that are in trouble.
The bible says in James 1:26-27 “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
I would like to focus on the part ” . . . Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress. . .”
Going to church is not the end all of being Christian. In fact that is just the very beginning! We go to the church to get built up and fed so that we can then go out to the world and feed them. We have to start taking the Bible seriously and actually do what it says. The only reason we were still left on earth after we got saved is so that we can get more people saved.
When was the last time you witnessed to someone? What about went out of your way to show the love of Christ to someone? Is there an outreach program at your church? If there is, get involved! It is what you are here for. The great commission was given to all of us. It is all of our responsibility. No one is excluded. So if you’re not making disciples (or at least attempting to) then you are missing out on a very large portion of your purpose! Nothing can describe the feeling you get when you know that you are accomplishing the work of the Lord.
I encourage you to do something out of the ordinary to show someone the love of Christ today. One thing I have trained our church to do is this. Next time your checking out at a grocery store or gas station ask the person checking you out what their favorite soft drink is. When they tell you reach over and buy one. Then give it to them and tell them that you are working on learning how to show the love of Christ to the people around you.
When you do that it opens a door. You win their heart before you confront their mind. A small act of kindness nudges a person closer to God, often in a profound way as it bypasses ones mental defenses. It may lead to an opportunity to witness, or maybe just an opportunity to make an imprint in someones mind of the kindness of Christians. Either way, you have nudged them closer to salvation. Remember, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. The whole “bible track instead of a tip” type stuff just shows a lack of respect and honor for that person. Please don’t do things like that.
Check out www.servantevangelism.com for more.
Here are a few pictures from the Benton Care Center.
Here we are getting prepared to serve the hungry and homeless at the Care Center.
Some of them stay for the service and get ministered to. Here Bob Lloyd is preaching.
This lady is really sweet and always makes cake for us.
This lady is a hoot. She calls me sweet heart and always tells me that i’m attractive. lol.
This guy just rocks. I felt a connection with him since my first time there.
the two guys that run the place. Both are amazing men of God!
Continue the great service you do.