Real Ministry
37. Then the righteous shall answer Him saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and fed You, or thirsty and gave You drink?”
38. “When did we see You a stranger and took You in? or naked and clothed You?”
39. “Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and came and ministered to You?”
40. And the King shall answer and say to them, “In as much as you have done it for the least of these My brethren, you have done it unto Me.”
Matthew 25:37-40
Why Can’t WE See Jesus in the Need?
There is a tendency nowadays to call ministry anything that can raise money or draw a crowd. Jesus had an entirely different concept of ministry or service when He shared this Word with His Disciples. Not only does our Lord assign these needs as Heaven’s priorities, He identifies Himself in the need. “I was hungry … I was thirsty … I was a stranger … I was naked … I was sick … and I was in prison.” Jesus refers to Himself needing those things. Interestingly, the Church does not generally associate the need of the person with the Person of Christ. When we see the needy, we don’t necessarily see Jesus.
Why can’t we see Jesus in the need? I believe there are a couple of reasons for this blindness. First, we have to deal with the attitude or belief that those in need are somehow the “less fortunate.” I’ve heard people use that phrase in prayers, and I have even caught myself using the phrase “less fortunate.” It may have a spiritual spin if we say, “but by the Grace of God, there go I.” The fact is the lack of things, the abundance of things, nor situations have anything to do with the worth of the soul. If we are to engage in real ministry that represents Jesus, we must get rid of the “I’m blessed-you’re not” attitude.
Why can’t we see Jesus in the need? Another reason is that we are stuck in the cycle of “needing to be rescued.” Rather than learning to live the life of an overcomer, many Christians settle with the life of the victim. In other words, some see Jesus as the One who follows them around for the sole purpose of getting them out of trouble. It reminds us of the movie ‘Groundhog Day’ starring Bill Murray. Like that news reporter, many are stuck on that repeat cycle of “need God, call God, get God, need God.” The same routine repeats itself. That is the life of the one who constantly needs to be rescued. Don’t get me wrong, we all need the Lord. What we are talking about is recognizing the needs of others and how to serve them. Jesus wants us to be witnesses of the Kingdom’s Power and vessels filled with His Grace. Even if we do need God, we can still be about our Father’s business.
There is another factor that impacts our ability to see Jesus in the need. It is the desire to be a solo-hero. Some approach ministry as if the entire program depended on them and their abilities. The super-Christian model of ministry does more to drive others away from serving rather than taking advantage of the opportunities that the Lord sends. In order for ministry to be real it has to involve others. Lone Rangers do more harm than good in the Body of Christ. Make note of the text, Then the righteous shall answer Him saying, “Lord, when did WE see You hungry …
Not to belabor the point, but the next factor that must be addressed. It is the need to label personal beliefs and practices as “ministry.” Some people say, the Lord gave me a bowling ministry, or a basketball ministry, or a fashion show ministry rather than saying those are the things that you enjoy. There may not be anything wrong with those activities except for the fact that you are calling them Jesus’ ministry when they are really not His ministry. Jesus clearly states that ministry is based needs that He identifies with.
Living in the country, you learn to make use of things (to recycle) in order to save more and better utilize things. For instance, if we bought flour in a hundred pound cloth bag, we did not throw the bag away after the flour was used up. The cloth bag was recycled to make sheets and pillowcases. My Grandmother would take old coffee cans and use them to save bacon grease. Imagine thinking that the coffee cans still had coffee in them. Here us the point. Those original things no longer occupied the container. On the farm, that recycle and relabel process worked quite well, but relabeling does not work for ministry. You cannot stick a Jesus label on stuff you like or use and call it ministry.
The final item that we’ll explore as reasons why people cannot see Jesus in the needs of others is preoccupation with ceremony. I call this too much Church Stuff. Much like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, people in our day have developed Church customs and practices that take up a lot of time but accomplish very little for the Kingdom of God. They call it ministry, but it is really religious ceremony and mere entertainment. As a matter of fact, the term “Christian entertainment” is really an admission that people are doing something else other than meeting a need. Please don’t get me wrong, I think it is wonderful for a Christian to write songs, books, and perform. It think it is wonderful that we have ceremonies in Church or recognize certain customs. But we cannot declare those things to be ministry unless it is serving. Jesus said to the righteous in these verses, “You were serving when I needed you and where I needed you.”
It is quite okay to be a singer and enjoy or to be an author and enjoy, but you cannot call it ministry if there is no service connection. I’ve written some songs and a book, but I’m not an entertainer or an author. I’m a Christian and as a Christian, I must respond to the needs of people. If the song keeps someone from committing suicide, that’s not entertainment, that is ministry because God met a need. If the book touches someone’s heart and they turn to Christ, that is not entertainment, that is ministry. Our goal is not to entertain but to help people or teach them culture – the goal is to meet a need as we serve Jesus. When you make entertainment the goal, then you become more interested in other things like fame and fortune.
How did we get so far from “real ministry?” Why can’t we recognize that Jesus is in the Need? Notice, these are the righteous asking Jesus a question. Then the righteous shall answer Him saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry …?” I believe there are lesson we need to heed if we are to see Jesus in the Need.
Seeing Jesus in the Need
If we are to see Jesus in the needs of others, the very first thing is to take the focus off of self. Focus on self includes self-service, self-recognition, and selfish gain. Meeting a need means just that. The focus must be on the King. The King shall answer and say to them, “In as much as you have done it for the least of these My brethren, you have done it unto Me.” With the right focus on the Lord, believers will see clearly how to do the work that is assigned by Jesus. This focus on the Lord prevents believers from falling victim to critics and know-it-alls. The right focus forces you to have compassion on the needs of others and not only that, but to identify with them as brethren. Jesus said, these are My relatives and kinfolk that you are helping. If you they are related to Jesus, the focus will force you to realize that they are your relatives also. Do you see Jesus?
You will not only see Jesus in your focus, you will also see Jesus in the service itself. You and I need to care about what we do. That person receiving the service could have been and perhaps should have been you. In some cases, it was you. Now you are doing this because you were once that person in need. Jesus takes it further by saying “change the face of the person you are serving.” Instead of seeing the person – see Jesus. Transpose the face of Jesus onto the people that you help. How does that help you? It helps you in that you want to give your best for Jesus. It helps you in that you want to do it with joy rather than obligation. It helps you when you see the face of Jesus, because you realize that His face inspires you for service. The words of Apostle Paul come to mind. What ever you do in word or deed (service), do everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. Colossians 3:17. Do you see Jesus now?
Yes, it is possible to see Jesus in your focus and in your service, but it is also powerful to see Jesus in you. Something powerful happens when you turn the person in need to your own personal need. Something awesome happens when the focus turns totally to Jesus rather than depending on your strength. If you see Jesus in the person with the need and you also see the Jesus in you, God provides His abundant resources to meet the need according to His Riches in Glory by Christ Jesus. So often we fail in service because we think the need is dependent on what we possess. The need does not depend on what we possess but rather on what we can access.
I have worked for companies that have sent me on assignments to perform certain tasks or job duties. Those companies would always remind me that my expenses were covered by the company as long as I was conducting company business. Let us be reminded that we are on Kingdom business. The King does not expect us to meet the needs and conduct real ministry without His resources. Let me tell you that if you get into legal trouble meeting needs, you have the Best Lawyer, Jesus Christ. He settled the case involving sin versus the people of God. He successfully argued the case involving the Devil versus our authority over him and our property recovery. Remember we have an Advocate (Lawyer) with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
Not only do we have a Lawyer, but we also have a King that supplies us with the resources of His Kingdom. All the gold of the Kingdom is His and to whosoever He wills to give it. All the silver belongs to Him. All the diamonds, including the ones that are yet to be discovered, belong to the King. Why, because our King is the King of Kings. All the riches of the other Kings also belong to Him. The earth belongs to the Lord and everything in it. Psalm 24:1. So do not feel that meeting the need is beyond your resources because Heaven is backing you.
Not only is Jesus the King of all and Perfect Lawyer; if you should get weak or get injured while serving in the ministry, you have the Perfect Doctor. While regular physicians can do well with your body, Jesus is the Healer of your soul. Here is the best part – all His services are free of charge, no insurance required, and no appointment is needed. So, why aren’t you serving Him?
If you get tired while serving in ministry, He says “come unto Me and rest.” If you get lonely while serving in ministry, He says “I Am with you always.” If you get confused, or weak, or weary, we are reminded that Jesus “supplies ALL our need according to His riches in Glory.” He is our very present Help in trouble. Jesus is our Anchor in the time of storm. As you go to meet the needs of others, you can rest assured that you are meeting needs because of God’s Goodness and Mercy. You my friend, will always be successful in real ministry because you see Jesus in others and see Jesus in your own life. Do you see Jesus?