valuable - meeting needs
Water cooler conversation:
What was your biggest win this week? What was your biggest challenge?
If you suddenly found yourself with a million dollars you had to give away, to whom or what would you donate the money?
Unpack the Message:
EXPECTATION CHURCH EXISTS SO THAT PEOPLE FAR FROM GOD WILL EXPERIENCE FAITH IN CHRIST.
This week we unpack our core value, MEETING NEEDS.
MEETING NEEDS reveals the integrity of the mission
Meeting needs follows the example of Jesus who met both the physical and spiritual needs of those He encountered. It’s not enough to say we care about someone - they need to see tangible evidence of that care and compassion. In Galatians 2, Paul addresses the church at Galatia which had become embroiled in the false teaching of the Judaizers. These Jewish converts to Christianity were strict adherents to the Mosaic law, teaching that Gentiles who converted to Christianity had to follow the law as well as accept Christ in order to be saved. Paul rebukes them for following this false gospel and reminds them that salvation is through faith in Christ alone. The church leaders see God using Paul to preach the gospel and lend their support to his continued ministry to the Gentiles, asking that he continue to meet the needs of the poor.
Meeting Needs Proves God’s Commission
As believers in Christ, it’s tempting to focus on the Great Commission, as if evangelism is our only responsibility. However, loving our neighbors through meeting their needs is also vitally important to Jesus. In Matthew 25:35-36, 40, we read “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me … Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Experiencing the love of Christ through our actions prepares people to hear the gospel through our words. Caring for the poor, the sick, and the hungry catalyzes the Great Commission.
Meeting Needs Alleviates Suffering
Jesus paid the price for our sin at Calvary, defeating death. Because of His sacrifice, we are no longer condemned to suffer through eternity in hell. Focusing solely on the spiritual and not the physical needs of those around us is contrary to the way Jesus conducted His ministry while here on earth. People don’t want to hear how much we care; they want to see it. If we want them to see the life-changing power of the gospel in action, we must meet their immediate needs to help them rise above their current circumstances.
Meeting Needs Promotes Unity
Paul raised funds to support those recovering from the famine through his missionary travels. Everywhere he went, he invited the local church to participate in the greater work by sharing in another’s suffering and helping to meet their needs. Likewise, by caring for those around us, we follow his example of feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, and ministering to a broken world just as Jesus did.
Meeting Needs Demonstrates Concern
President Theodore Roosevelt once said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” By aligning meeting needs with the Great Commission, we move from sympathy to empathy and from benevolence into kingdom work. Jesus met people where they were - fishermen, Pharisees, prostitutes, tax collectors, laborers - and saw them as lost souls in need of a savior. He collected from both those with a little and those with a lot to care for those who had nothing.
Discuss the statement, “Christian giving is not so much a matter of helping the poor as it is of identifying with them and embracing their poverty as our own. Disciples of Jesus are not called to be saviors of the poor but sharers with them.” Focus on the Family
How does meeting needs promote unity within the church?
Why do we mean when we say aligning meeting needs with the Great Commission, we move from sympathy to empathy and benevolence into kingdom work?
What did Paul say about a Christian’s social responsibility? What responsibility do believers have toward each other? (Galatians 6:10)
Think of those you know who are in need. Are you more compassionate toward some than toward others? What keeps you from being compassionate toward them?
What’s the difference between compassion and empathy?
Who is the most caring and compassionate person you know? What makes you feel that way about them? How can you become more like them?
Has there been a time when someone has shown caring and compassion to you? Describe the situation and how that person’s caring and compassion impacted your life and faith.
Make a Move:
Ask yourself, “What am I doing to meet needs in my community?” If you can’t point to something, go to ecnow.info for inspiration.
Prayer Prompt:
God, I know that You want Your children to meet the needs of those who are struggling. Sometimes I have failed to help others as You would like me to, and I repent for my lack of compassion. I know there are so many in need of kindness, Lord. Please open my heart and fill it with Your compassion for Your children. Guide me on how I should reach out and love the less fortunate so that Your love shines through me. Thank you for meeting my needs and so many of my wants. Cultivate a heart of gratitude in me. Amen