Friday, August 21
“Many have no faith in God and have lost confidence in man. But they appreciate acts of sympathy and helpfulness. As they see one with no inducement of earthly praise or compensation coming to their homes, ministering to the sick, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, comforting the sad, and tenderly pointing all to Him of whose love and pity the human worker is but the messenger — as they see this, their hearts are touched. Gratitude springs up. Faith is kindled. They see that God cares for them, and they are prepared to listen as His Word is opened.” Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 145
The unselfish ministry of Jesus opens hearts, breaks down prejudice, and creates a receptivity for the gospel. The church is the body of Christ meeting needs in love everywhere. Christ sends us out into our communities to make a difference in His name. Though certainly, we need to be careful about being contaminated by the world (and that is a very real and dangerous threat to our church), we still must learn to reach the people where they are and to be used by God, who wants to take them from where they are and bring them to where they should be.
Discussion Questions:
1. Why is the compassionate ministry of Christ so powerful in breaking down prejudice and opening people up to hear spiritual truths? Try to imagine how much more effective our witness as a people would be were we to reflect the same selfless concern for others as Jesus did.
2. Think about a time when you said something that might have been true, correct, even needed — but you said it wrongly, that is, with a bad tone or attitude. What did you learn from that experience that could help you not to do it again, such as waiting until you calm down before speaking, or the like?
3. Dwell more on the idea that even all the people healed or even raised from the dead would eventually die. What should that tell us about how we ought to be conducting our outreach and ministry to those around us?
4. What types of ministries can your church launch in your community that you are not currently doing?
5. How can we create spiritual opportunities for seekers through our felt-need ministries?
