Ministering Mightily

February 23, 2025 Background Scripture: Matthew 25 Lesson Passage: Matthew 25:31- 46 For too long, many have considered attendance at Worship Service, Bible Study, and Sunday School as behavior that serves God. If you include giving tithes and offering while attending those, then many believe their ministry is complete! We believe we have done what God requires of us. We truly believe we have worshiped and obeyed God while honoring Jesus Christ. We even repeat the lyrics, "Only what you do for Christ will last." But do we know what it means to do something for Christ? How do we do something for an invisible God that will satisfy Him? Is attending religious services and giving money liberally sufficient to meet God's expectation of His children? Jesus provides the clarity we need to answer this in today's lesson. In fact, Jesus bluntly stated what one must do to ensure it is done for Him, "Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." This statement is both the heart of today's lesson and the heart of the gospel message, God wants His children to take accountability for the welfare of people we encounter in life. This is what Jesus demonstrated during His three years of ministry prior to His arrest, crucifixion, death, and resurrection. And this is what Jesus succinctly stated to His disciples after they asked Him concerning the sign of His return at the end of the age. Our Background Scripture shares some insight concerning what Christians should expect when Jesus returns. First, Jesus shared with them two parables about the importance of being watchful for His return. When He returns, He will sit on the glorious throne of the kingdom of heaven here on earth. He will separate the righteous from the unrighteous. Then Jesus will pronounce eternal life in the kingdom for the righteous and everlasting punishment as judgment for the unrighteous. The only criteria used to determine which group a person would be in will be how each person had treated the needy in the society in which they lived. This is consistent with what Jesus had been teaching them and demonstrating. All the Law is summed up in two commandments: love for God and love for one's fellowman. Love for God is based on reciprocation; we love God because He first loved us. Love for one's fellowman is an act of benevolence that is motivated by the need of the person. This type of love is not an act of reciprocation. We should not expect anything in return. It is enough to know that someone's burden has been relieved or eliminated by an act of kindness. When it is left at that point, then God will reward the doer. If anything is received in return, including flattery remarks that are desired or boasting about the deeds that were done, then we have received our reward. It is worth noting that the reason for the Lord's judgment says nothing about one's love for God. Again, the only criteria given was the treatment of the "least of these His brethren". Jesus clearly communicated that He personally identifies with the "least of these His brethren". Jesus was born into this world as one of the least of these in His society. He feels their pain, and He feels the relief also that is provided to them. Whatever treatment befalls persons who are considered the least in their society, Jesus takes it personally. Ministry that is directed towards providing relief for the hungry, thirsty, imprisoned, socially isolated, and naked is synonymous with serving the Lord, or minist1Y to Jesus. It is interesting that the people identified in the text as righteous appear to be unaware that what they did for the least was all that was expected of them. James wrote, "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." Through this effort we can minister mightily! Robert C. Hudson February 13, 2025

Living Lastly

February 16, 2025 Background Scripture: Matthew 19:16 - 30 Lesson Passage: Matthew 19:16 - 30 Salvation is personal. We sometimes think that is obvious, but it is not. What God requires of us as part of our spiritual growth is also personal. It is rare that a Christian experiences a "one size fits all" beyond accepting Jesus as our personal savior. Our lesson shares another example of this. When Jesus responded to the young man who asked Him about eternal life, He included a criterion that He did not require of the men He called to be His disciples. Jesus instructed that young man to go sell his possessions, give to the poor, and then come follow Him. According to the gospel accounts, Jesus simply told His disciples to follow Him. And we know they kept their possessions because they continued to fish with their boats and nets after being called by Jesus—and even after Jesus was crucified! So, Jesus' instructions to the young man are certainly not "one size fits all" when it comes to following Him. So why was the young man given the additional criterion before following Jesus? The answer can be seen in his response to Jesus' instructions. His spiritual handicap was not in the wealth he possessed. He was spiritually handicapped because his wealth possessed him. I have seen enough in my lifetime to be convinced that most of us have more than we have the capacity to manage. And yet we continue to gather and hoard as though we will live in this world forever. The more worldly material we gather, the more focused we become on it and not on the needs of others around us. Following Jesus requires us to become more focused on the needs of people we encounter on the journey through life. That's what Jesus did. Jesus went to people who had physical and spiritual needs. Sometimes He would address their physical needs first, and sometimes He would address their spiritual needs first. As we study the gospel accounts, Jesus always appeared to be sensitive to the needs of individuals and the crowds that followed Him. Jesus described His behavior as the kingdom of heaven having come to earth. Put another way, Jesus was giving a glimpse of the future kingdom that many were aspiring to enter. Part of the preparation for the kingdom of heaven includes living according to its spiritual laws and principles now. If we are focused more on living in this world than leaving it, then it is reasonable to surround ourselves with the comfort and excesses of this world. If we are more focused on living in another place, then we should prepare ourselves for it, This is not done to the exclusion of living in this world but rather looking at living in this world in its proper context. Life in this world is temporary. This is not to suggest that we should seek to live here purposely in poverty. Owning material wealth is not a sin. We can use the things of this world to serve others who are living without them. But when the things of this world cause us to avoid people in need of worldly things, then we have misguided priorities. Again, consider the examples I cited earlier about how Jesus responded to those who follow Him. People who understood readily made the adjustments required of them. Zacchaeus, a publican, publicly proclaimed that he would give half his goods to the poor and restore fourfold whatever he had taken fraudulently. He did this after having dined with Jesus. In our lesson, Jesus did not tell the young man who approached Him to give "everything" he had to the poor. He told him to sell what he had and "give to the poor". He was a young man with great wealth. That's a heavy burden for a young person to bear in a world obsessed with worldly goods, He was not bearing it well. God had burdened his heart with the need for salvation. That burden brought him to the right person, Jesus. However, he made the wrong decision. He walked away from Jesus. He chose to live in this world temporarily as though it was for eternity. Robert C. Hudson February 1, 2025