MISSION POSSIBLE -PART 3 “THE TOWEL”
EFFECTIVE EVANGELISM BEGINS WHEN WE SEE NEEDS THROUGH EYES OF LOVE
Romans 12:9-13, “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.”
Paul knew that people would not simply listen to his words, they watched his actions to see if he lived out what he preached. Jesus calls believers to love as He loved, to really love them through our actions, which shows our genuine affection. We cannot really love if we are not paying attention to those people with whom we are sharing the Gospel. People experience our love when we are able to see and meet their needs before they even have time to ask.
Galatians 5:13-14, “For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
People who live in freedom have spiritual eyes and use the vision God gives them to see needs that others have. When we look at Paul and how much time he spent imprisoned it would be easy to think that he was not living in freedom. Paul knew true freedom came through repentance of his sin, turning to God and walking out his faith every day. His freedom in Christ meant lack of worry for his own temporal comforts which allowed his focus to shift outward to see and meet the needs of others.
1 Samuel 12:24, “But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you.”
We see Samuel reminding the Israelites to faithfully serve the Lord and remember all He had done for them. Let this be a reminder for us as well. God sent Jesus to save and redeem us, to give us freedom. One way we can place our gratitude on display is to faithfully see and meet the needs of others as we walk out the Great Commission.
Deuteronomy 15:10-11, “Give generously to the poor, not grudgingly, for the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor and with other Israelites in need.”
God blesses us so that we are able to bless others. This is nothing new under the sun. As Israel was preparing to enter the promised land God made sure to have Moses remind them that there would always be the poor among them, but it was His plan for the people to meet each other’s needs. His desire is for us to do the same. We are not called to meet every need, but to be so in tune with the Holy Spirit that when He calls, we act.
SPIRITUAL EYES CANNOT BE DEVELOPED WITHOUT AN INTIMACY WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. IF WE DO NOT SPEND TIME GETTING TO KNOW THE THINGS THAT GOD LOVES AND GROWING IN KNOWLEDGE OF HIS LOVE AND HOW TO SHARE IT, THEN IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO DEVELOP SPIRITUAL EYES THAT HELP US TO SEE THINGS AS GOD SEES THEM. LET US ASK HIM TO HELP IMPROVE OUR SIGHT.
1 John 3:17-18, “If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.”
How we respond to the needs of others tells the world around us if our words carry weight. Let us be careful to follow John’s guidance and not merely say that we love each other, but put it into practice as we show the truth of our love by our actions.
PUTTING THIS INTO PRACTICE
As we have seen in some of the passages above, God uses His children to be physical representations of His love here on earth. We are called to love like Jesus, to be holy as He was holy, to share the good news of how very much we are loved that His blood was shed to save us.
Read 1 Peter 1:13-25.
Sincere love. What does that look like to you? Can you think of some ways that you can put it into practice? How does this translate into seeing the needs of others? Are you good at seeing the needs of others, or is this an area of your faith where you need help? Write out your thoughts and discuss them in your small group and come up with ways to encourage each other to grow in seeing the need.
Is there an example of needs being seen in your own life? What kind of impact did that have on you? If you were not a believer, did that help lay the framework for accepting the truth of the Gospel? What other thoughts do you have about this passage? Now read all of 1 Peter 1 and sit with how this hope is what we put on display when we live our lives as Peter challenges us to live in verses 13-25. Journal what the Holy Spirit is impressing upon you after you read this and if you are given steps to take, share them with someone who can hold you accountable and then do them.
Seeing and meeting the needs of those around us goes so much deeper than we might initially think. It is a multi-faceted challenge that we have been given as we share the good news of Jesus.
Off the top of your head, can you think of ways that the above statements are true — take some time to really sit with this question before you write something down. Write down your thoughts, then ask God to expand your way of thinking.
Read Matthew 25:35-46. How does this passage shed light on what was asked above? Did you happen to think along these lines for your answers or does this passage help to open your eyes to the importance of seeing and meeting the needs of others? What are some other thoughts or even questions that come to mind with this passage? Discuss with your small group.
We are not called to give so that we get. Our giving, our seeing, and meeting, is genuine when it comes from the overflow of gratitude for all that has already been done for us and given to us. It is not always easy to express gratitude as we are called to do. Life is hard. If you are in the thick of it today, take some time to journal a prayer to God, asking Him to help you be more aware of all the blessings He has provided; asking Him to help you to live out Matthew 25:35-46 more fully this next week and beyond.
We are instructed in many passages in Scripture to let our lights shine. One way that we do that is by being sensitive to the needs of others as we see through our spiritual eyes. Let us continue to develop spiritual vision so we can recognize the opportunities that are brought across our path.
Can you think of at least two passages in Scripture that talk about being the light? Write them down and what each passage means to you about letting your light shine. Discuss with your small group.
Read Philippians 2:1-18. Now re-read verses 3-4. What is this passage speaking to you about being a light and also about having spiritual vision? Do you struggle with the phrase “thinking of others as better than yourselves?” If this part is hard for you, take some time to really consider what Paul is saying through this, maybe read it in a different version or read commentary on it. We are not called to belittle ourselves, but to have the mind of Christ and serve others as He served His disciples out of love. Discuss with your small group.
Select one passage of Scripture either from the message (sermon notes available on the Anchor app) or from Deep Dive that made an impact upon you. Write it down, post it where you can see it daily and commit to memorizing it. Take a minute to ask God what He wants you to glean from that passage, and then when He answers, step out in obedience as you walk boldly in His call for your life.
