Do unto Others . . . .

Helping Others

This came in my email today from David Wilkerson’s church in New York.

“We should not have to travel past our own neighbourhood to have the greatest kind of revival imaginable. God says that if we will deal our bread to the hungry, bring the poor into our house, cover the naked, and give of our own soul to the starving and suffering, He will guide us and provide for us continually. We will be like a well-watered garden — a spring whose waters never fail.” (see Isaiah 58:10-11 – “If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness,  and your night will become like the noonday.  The Lord will guide you always;  he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”). “God is telling us, "Focus on helping others! Reach out to the poor and hurting, and I will answer you, guide you, and satisfy you. You will be a spring of life to others and your blessings will never fail." “

I can only speak for our own church, but this became a priority for us about a year ago. Pastor was literally weeping because he had met a homeless man whom he could do nothing for in terms of putting a roof over his head. The man was, he said, ‘too scared even to come in to the church’. This divinely appointed meeting, in our church car park, sparked a new ministry in which my wife and I are now heavily involved.

We live in a small town, 15,000 population, in a rural part of Middle England. I suppose it is reasonably well off and the people are generally polite and friendly. You don’t just ‘pop in’ to the shops for a pint of milk. You stop and have a chat with someone, quite often a complete stranger.

So this man’s advent on to our own doorstep was quite an eye-opener. He was one of several who slept rough locally – we had never come across them before. He begged and scrounged money; he was really good at the sob-story; and he consumed any food offered at a prodigious speed. He was often the worse for wear on drink although we never did see him touch drugs. He was one of God’s lost children.  We felt he was sent as a test from God. Were we/Are we prepared to walk the walk with such as these? Would we/could we bring them back to God?

Over the following year we learned a great deal about looking after God’s lost sheep and this has, indeed, spurred us to start a proper ‘rescue the wounded’ ministry called Sanctuary. As Heidi Baker puts it so eloquently, we minister to the one in front of us. It was and is God’s call on us. It doesn’t take up very much of our time either although it exhausts us emotionally. But God is good and we always sleep well, never taking others problems to bed with us – that was something we quickly learned.

I really have not told you any of this for any reason other than to bring and give any glory to God, and to encourage others to follow the same call. We have been well supported by Pastor and by our leadership team.

So, at this point you may be saying, "I'd like to be compassionate, to help the needy. How can I make a change?"  I can only tell you that God will answer this prayer: "Lord, I see all the human need around me. I know that the only Jesus my town may ever see is the one they will see through me and my church. God, You are going to have to direct me. I'm ready with my money, my house, my time, so show me where to go, Lord." I can really promise you that God will bring those needs to your doorstep.

So – how about it?