Wednesday: Caring for the Community
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 10th of April 2024
The early Christian church grew not only because its members preached the gospel but also because they lived the gospel. Believers modeled the ministry of Christ who “went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people” (Matthew 4:23, NKJV). Jesus deeply cared for people, and so did the New Testament church. It was this unselfish love and commitment to meeting human needs combined with sharing the good news of the gospel in the Holy Spirit’s power that made such an impact on the world in the early centuries of the Christian church.
Read Acts 2:44-47, Acts 3:6-9, and Acts 6:1-7. Although circumstances vary, what principles can we learn from these passages about authentic Christianity?
Image © Lars Justinen at Goodsalt.com
These New Testament believers followed the model of Christ, who as Peter expressed was “ ‘anointed . . . with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him’ ” (Acts 10:38, NKJV). Christ’s church was His body on earth, and it, too, in these early centuries, expressed Christ’s sacrificial love and concern for hurting, broken humanity. These believers were living examples of Christ’s compassion.
In the great controversy raging in the universe, the devil wants to deface the image of God in humanity. The purpose of the gospel is to restore the image of God in humanity. This restoration includes physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing.
In John 10:10, Jesus reveals His plan for each one of us.
“ ‘The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly’ ” (NKJV). He longs for us to be physically healthy, mentally alert, emotionally stable, and spiritually whole.
This is especially true in the light of His promised return. This world is facing an enormous crisis. Jesus’ own predictions in Matthew 24:1-51 and Luke 21:1-38 foretell catastrophic conditions on the earth before His return. When Christ touches us with His healing grace, we long to touch others with the touch of Christ so that they can be made whole. Jesus sends us out into a broken world as ambassadors for Christ to touch others with His love. New Testament Christianity was characterized by the Christians’ love for one another and their communities.
Discuss: What role does the church have in cooperating with Christ in proving Satan’s charges wrong?
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Could somebody help me understand how the lesson today develops the thematic concern of the whole plot of the quarter's lesson?
I see the plot of the quarter's lessons as the war between Christ and Satan - Christ's government of self-renouncing love vs Satan's government of self-exaltation (see Isaiah 14:13, 14).
Christ modeled a life of service to humanity, while Satan urges people to do things and get things to advance self and they are "worth it," as in so many commercials.
This week's lesson is right on point with the title of 'The Central Issue: Love or Selfishness?' And Wednesday's lesson focuses on one way of serving as Christ did "Caring for the Community."
I'm afraid that if we do not "get" this lesson and practice it, all our knowledge about "the mark of the beast" and "end-time events" is useless, because Christ will say, "I never knew you." (See Matt 7:23 and Matt. 25:31-46)
It's a challenge for all of us.
In my College days, I spent a couple of summer vacations boarding with an uncle and aunt in a country town where I worked in the local concrete pipe factory. My uncle was the Seventh-day Adventist minister to a congregation that consisted largely of farming families and sleeper-cutters. (Those were the days when the railways used wooden sleepers.)
Sabbath lunch was held in my Uncle's house and most of the families brought their own lunches and ate with us. It was during this time when in the course of conversation you would hear that Old Bert was doing poorly, and the Smith family were having a hard time lately with medical bills. There was of course a lot of banter and one or two individuals looked down their noses at the lack of spiritual discussion so soon after the sermon on Sabbath.
But during the week Old Bert had a visitor with a loaf of fresh bread and a casserole. The Smith family went to the pharmacist to find that their "on-hold" medications had been paid for. These church folk had good ears. They listened to the prayers of others and they acted as God's hands. The concrete pipe factory had a Christmas break and I could not earn money for my college fees during that time. Suddenly I had two weeks work on a dairy farm from a farmer who had heard my prayer.
My uncle's idea of a Bible study was to watch the tennis on someone else's TV and to have a wee prayer at the end of the game. (He did not own a TV set himself) He became their friend and shared in their activities. He showed compassion when they were dying.
Most of you know that one of my favourite passages is:
Love is the only meaningful weapon we have in this battle between good and evil. I sometimes think of that when we are in full flight on some doctrinal issue and we are trying to define what we believe on the nature of the Godhead, the place of women in the church, or how to define the edges of the Sabbath in geo-temporally challenging places.
We take refuge in our knowledge and understanding of scripture and forget that accumulating knowledge and understanding is useless if we do not apply it, and learn to love one another.
We just don't need to be spiritual people only, in order to bring people to JESUS. We also needs to be caring people, loving people, helpful people and compassionate people.
That's what I learn in today's S.S Lesson.
The answer to evil's strategy is always LOVE. And that's basically what the world is missing: LOVE. Christ came to show the Universe what God's LOVE is capable of. Do I show the same or at least some resemblance of it?
A God of love who sent His Son into the world to exemplify how we treat, encourage, reach out to others, is the take home of today's lesson.
What about? "If we don't 'get' this lesson, all our knowledge of Biblical events and prophecy will be to no avail."
I do believe that for Christ to say I never knew you, it is when our heart consistently rejects a personal relationship with Christ. The rejoicing is: we can't fail if we turn to Him in prayer, with praise, blessing, seeking Him by crying out to Him with our troubles and supplications, asking for forgiveness and repentive heart, with a contrite and humble spirit.
Psalm 34:1
Psalm 34:4
Psalm 34:6
Psalm 34:17
Psalm 86:5
Psalm 34:18
One other tip Simeon Ogutu. God is in the business of fixing heart's if we let Him. He can even fix the heart that persistantly rejects a relationship with Him. Ask and it will be given unto us. 🙏
Ezekiel 36:26-27
Psalm 51:7
Psalm 51:10
John 15:7
Yes service to our community is an expression of our love for Christ. And without that love, we become as sounding brass and clanging cymbal.
1 Corinthians 13:1
Love covers a multitude of sins. We are to love others to Jesus Christ. Being our brothers keeper and showing mercy is one way of conquering good over evil. Let’s model Christ’s character and live a life pleasing to our Creator.
Have a wonderful Wednesday in Jesus
”They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—“
Acts of the Apostles 2:46 NLT
Fellowship meals at church were never meant to replace inviting people into your home.
I don't know if I'm the only one who feels love is lost in the church today...worshipers are busy pleasing the pastors in the name of "meeting goals" while they care less about a neighbor who may be lacking something..What can be done about this?
If we feel love is lost in the church today, we need to ensure that we are loving. Fill the darkness with light. It starts with us.