"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7:21-23
The will of the Lord is defined in his teachings and the way Jesus lived his life on this earth. He has called us to minister to the poor, the broken and the weary. Over the past few weeks Jesus has changed, convicted and inspired me to step outside the box of my mediocre Christian life, where full time ministry becomes a lifestyle and not a weekend part time job. Studying the teachings of Jesus has been an eye opener as they have inspired me to be more like him. No longer can I sit on the sidelines and be content to become fat in the presence of the Lord and not be willing to help those who are in desperate need all around me!
In the past I was a part time minister maybe not even part time, mostly non-existent. I have been so consumed with my own feelings and what God was or wasn't doing in my life. I can remember many a night crying to God, "why aren't you using me? and why have you left me behind?" What selfish ramblings this must have been to the Lord. I was so consumed with myself that I forgot to really read what the word of the Lord was actually telling me to do. It is not enough to just come to church and love God but we have a responsibility to reach the hurting, hungry, and broken lost all around us.
My Testimony For The Last Month
Over the past few months God has been telling me to step outside of myself and have faith. If I am willing to step out in faith, then He is faithful to supply my needs. I decided to reach out and help in the City of Detroit this past weekend. Detroit is a hurting, hungry, naked city and they are desperate for God even though most of them don't know it. I was humbled and honored to be able to spend my day witnessing and showing love and compassion with a block party. It changed how I viewed the city. No longer only see dirt and filth but now I see a people who are crying out and seeking help. Many of them don't know they need God but you can see the longing in their eyes.
(Ladies I witnessed to in Detroit)
Today I met John. He was walking the streets on Washtenaw Ave, a busy intersection in town. He was carrying two large garbage bags full of bottles to be returned. God told me to stop him and give him the bottles in my car. I drove along until I was able to catch up with him in the enterprise rental car parking lot. I asked him if I could give him some bottles. He was very grateful. I blogged previously about driving the streets of Ann Arbor for hours looking for homeless people to help and how that I had given out bottled water, snacks and hygiene items. I still had some bags in my trunk and I asked John if he would like the items. He said he would but that he couldn't carry them and the bags of bottles to the grocery store a mile or so up the road. I said, "John, would you like me to give you a ride to the grocery store?" He was very humbled and gladly took the ride. I learned about compassion today. I was not scared today as I was the first time. God gave me a peace about it. I was able to drive John to the store and then give him the bag of needs. It is not I but the Lord and I am humbled that he trusted me to use me today. Every time you walk through a door God trusts you more and more to do his work!
What do we need to do and how do we incite change?
1) We must seek after the will of God diligently in our lives and then he will open our eyes to see outside of our own problems. We must be praying and fasting. For if we are not then we are not ever going to seek out his will for ministry in our lives. If we are not seeking to find direction we will never find it. How often do we only see ourselves? "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Matthew 7:7-8
2) Once we have sought his will in our lives the scriptures and what Jesus taught in the gospels will make more sense. We will then understand better and take the command as a literal command for our personal lives. The golden rule is a law and a command from the Lord. "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." Matthew 7:12
It's not enough to talk about doing unto others as you'd have them done unto you! This scripture is not talking about petty squabbles in the church or whether or not so and so was nice to you. This is a physical command from the Lord. You must meet the physical need before the spiritual need can be met. People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. It's an old saying in the church but the saying holds more true as the urgency is drawing us more in these last days.
3) If you were naked would you not want to be clothed ? If you were hungry would you not want to be fed? If you were homeless would you not want shelter? If you were seeking the gospel would you not want to be told? These are the things Jesus lived and taught in his ministry. If you do not do these commands then you are none of his:
Judgement Day
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left." Matthew 25:31-33
The Right Hand
"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 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 ye 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 thee 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." Matthew 25:34-40
These People Need Jesus!
The Left Hand
"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." Matthew 25:41-46
Conclusion
Now we understand what we must do so now how do we change? We must be willing to go to where the people are hurting. "...Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." Luke 14:21-23 My eyes have been opened and now I know that the church cannot be content inside its four walls. I am compelled to step outside my comfort zone box! No longer will God allow me to be content with ministry as a part time weekend job. It is a lifestyle and I must incite change in myself and those around me.
We must return to old time Pentecost. The days of tent revivals and meeting people on the streets. We have to get out of the mentality that we only have to give God Sunday and then we will be OK. We must we willing to do what we have never done. We must be willing to GO when he says GO and stop when he says STOP! We must fine tune our relationship with God. We must be listening to his voice by prayer and fasting. I am honored and truly humbled that God has desired to use my talents. I am blessed and highly favored of the Lord! Are you willing to set aside the part time job and be willing to live a full time life for the Lord?
These People Need Jesus!
Solid Rock Church of Detroit Block Party August 11, 2012
