CARE FOR THE BRETHREN
Memorise: But my God shall supply all
your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
Apostle Paul in the Bible reading for today, teaches
us one missing ingredient of true discipleship in today’s contemporary church;
which is the ministry of care. Despite the great anointing with which Apostle
Paul was ministering to both Jews and Gentiles, it is amazing to read that the
ministry of care was not absent from his vacation as a preacher of the gospel.
It is also interesting to note that the lives of the early apostles of Jesus
Christ were not only in alignment with the teachings of Jesus Christ but were
also in alignment with the teachings of Jesus Christ but were also in alignment
with their own teachings. Jesus Christ taught that his followers should be
hospitable, kind heated and generous. He said to us in Matthew 10:42 that:
“And whosoever
shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in
the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his
reward.”
He exemplified this when He insisted on feeding the
crowd that had been with Him for so long, contrary to the suggestions of His
disciples that they be dismissed with empty stomachs. He made sure the crowd
was fed before they were dispersed (Matthew 14:15-19). In Matthew 25:35-40 the
Lord further enunciated this principle saying:
“For I was an
hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was
thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and
he clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto
me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an
hungred, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and
gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and
clothed thee? Or when saw we the sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And
the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye
have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto
me.”
In the light of these witnesses, children of God must
therefore engage in the ministry of care along with any other ministries that
they may have been called into. This makes our calling a complete and perfect
one. The needy amongst us should be given consideration as our primary target
of ministration on practical giving.
Action Point
Set up a care-giving department in your
local assembly for the purpose of meeting the needs of those who lack one thing
or the other.
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