"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matt 25:31-40
These verses tell us that gives first importance in his church to the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the prisoner, the naked, and the strangers
1. The poor. The primary purpose of the church is to meet spiritual hunger. But the physical hunger is our responsibility as well. There are those who cannot afford a decent meal or decent clothes.
2. The sick. Hospitals can be the loneliest places in the world, yet after the first rush of visitors, the sick are often ignored. Our goal is to give a hight priority to the sick and shut-in
3. The prisoner. No kind of ministry means more to the Lord than prison ministry. Nowhere are people more open to receiving the Gospel than in prison.
4. The stranger.
Do newcomers feel at home? Do they have a place to stay? Are they making friends? Do they understand our music and our customs? These are the questions we need to ask, not just whether or not the people we have, and will always have, are comfortable. A good host bends over backwards for his guests. A good church makes the newcomer feel at home.
We believe that these people stand in for God on this world. We as a church feel an obligation to care for them first. |