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 25:40 (KJV)
As a young believer, I joined the Y’s (Young Women) Ministry of my local church immediately after I was accepted into membership. The Scripture quoted above was used by the department, therefore, it was memorised. I did not understand what it meant at first, but as I continue to mature in my Christian walk the meaning was revealed and I began to apply it to everyday living. Everyone in our neighbourhood knows that my husband and I are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, they know ‘Pastor’ and ‘sister’ live here, they know ‘brother’ and ‘sister’ live here. Because of this awareness, we have to live pleasing lives in the sight of God and man. We also have to be conduits of service and ministry, offering help when needed. We began shining our lights in the community with simple greetings: ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’, ‘how are you doing?’ The door was opened for all who need help to come and receive.
We demonstrate care and concern in different ways, we try to keep in tune with what is happening in the lives of the people in our community. Therefore it behoves us to extend condolences to families who would have lost loved ones, attend funeral services, give care packages as needed; when a crisis occurs, intervene, give counsel and advice when requests are made, and visit and pray for the sick, among other things. “We have to” must be a phrase in our vocabulary as believers because we must evangelise in words as well as actions.
Simple acts of kindness have earned us the respect we need to further engage the community with the Gospel of Christ and invite the neighbours to church. Every seed planted in their lives will grow as they yield themselves to the Lord Jesus Christ.
So what is the key point from all that has been said? Simply put I would say, “Evangelism in action is vital, don’t just preach, but reach”.
Read: Matthew 25:33-45; 1 Peter 3:15; Mark 12:31; Matthew 5:15-16
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 44:1-12; Luke 13:31-35; Luke 14:1-14; Deuteronomy 15; Deuteronomy 16:1-20
