“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me. ‘” Mathew 25:40.
I remember my wife recounting something that happened to us some years ago. She was taking care of our niece Savannah who was just a couple years old at the time. She decided to take her out to a store for a little time away from the house, so I drove them there and watched over Savannah while she was looking around. They had already selected the items they were going to purchase and were waiting in line to pay when this lady walked up to them and said hello.
Now, this lady was unlike anyone else in the store. She was dirty, unkempt, and wore old and worn out clothing. She had several missing teeth, and you could definitely see the pain of a hard life in her face. Both Linda and Savannah looked at her and responded with “Hello!” Everyone around them edged slowly away from this woman, but little Savannah had a great big smile and reached out to her from the shopping cart to give her a hug. The lady looked down at Savannah, and with a smile on her face, asked Linda if she could hug her for a moment. Linda was in a quandary, but felt this would be a good thing, so she consented. The lady then leaned over to Savannah who still had her arms stretched out and wrapped her arms around the lady and gave her a huge hug. As Linda watched, she saw the eyes of the lady close as peace and joy came over her. After a minute, she stood back up and with the smile still on her face, said something like, “Thank you, I really needed that.” She then turned around slowly and walked out the door.
When you talk to many people about what ministry is, you hear words like preaching, teaching, counseling, and prayer. And I will not minimize these. But when you look in the gospel of Matthew, you see what really matters to Jesus. Not that preaching, counseling and prayer are not ministry, but simple things we do for others mean as much, if not more in the grand scheme of things. Let’s look at the parable of the sheep and the goats and see what Jesus had to say about ministry. First, let’s read it.
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation 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; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to 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? ‘And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’ “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46.
Here is the list He gave to the disciples and ultimately to us as well:
- Giving food to the hungry
- Giving water to the thirsty
- Welcoming a stranger
- Giving clothes to people who desperately need them
- Visiting the sick and the imprisoned.
These five things may not sound like much, but they mean the world to those who do not have food, water, ample clothing, a friend to stand beside, or visits when they are sick or imprisoned. When you give a starving person something to eat or a thirsty person something to drink, you have met a basic need in their life, nutrition, fluids, and fellowship. Without these basic necessities people could die or get very sick. And spending time with them takes away loneliness they may be experiencing. Also, you are showing your love for them when you desire to meet their needs. Is this not what ministry should look like? Showing love and meeting needs? I say this is the most basic idea of ministry. When you give someone food and water who have no means of providing it for themselves, you are showing the love of God through these deeds. When you give a naked person clothing, you are taking away the shame they have had to endure. No one wants to be naked or wearing shredded clothing in front of a watching world, unless there is something seriously wrong with them. You are showing again how much you care for them by removing the ridicule and shame they are experiencing. In many cases, you are giving them a means to go out and have some self-worth by being able to fend for themselves.
And who doesn’t want to have company when they are sick or imprisoned? I love to have someone around when I am not feeling well. Even if it is to just provide fluids when I am thirsty, or someone with whom I can talk with. It is nice to have someone remind me of my medication and ensure I am drinking enough fluids. As an example, after an eye surgery I needed, I was blind for forty days, and because my wife was a school teacher, her mother stayed with me at my home to meet my needs until I was able to see again. And if we end up in a prison, we find ourselves in a very lonely place. People desire someone to bring sanity to their existence. It can be a very lonely place, and a break in the monotony is always welcome. I do not speculate on this, I had a friend who spent many years in prison, and he told me this often as we talked.
And when a stranger enters into your group and you introduce yourself and let them know they are welcome, it opens the doors to new friendships for someone who may not have many friends, if any at all. Maybe they are new to the area, or they have been lonely and in need of someone who cares about who they are, and desires to spend time with them. We have no idea what they have gone through or what their needs are. However, if we never welcome them, we may never know how hard their life is.
These are all examples of ministry, and there are so many more I could mention here. For example, like little Savannah in the opening paragraph where a hug and a smile meant so much to that lady in the store. Also, giving someone something they absolutely need but cannot get, such as a car or a place to live. Teaching a person how they can get financially stable and then helping them through the process. Standing with someone who has lost a loved one. or simply offering your assistance in moving a piano. These are practical things, but they are very much ministry, just as much as preaching, teaching, counseling and praying. They may be small things to us, but they may be huge for those who need help.
And even more important than this, Christ sees us as showing who we really are. Someone who preaches and teaches can hide their lack of spirituality behind their public persona. There was a paster in the Atlanta area who had seen His church grow incredibly big, and whom the congregation felt delivered great messages each week, only to find out He was living a non-holy life while bringing in a huge income. When you love someone enough to meet their needs by sacrificing what you have for them, be it money, time, or support. and are not doing it for show or gain, that shows the reality of your Christian walk. If you are only willing to do the “big’ things, and not do, or even think to do the small stuff, that shows a lack of true love for the brethren. And what did Christ say to those who did these things? He said,
”Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40.
And conversely, to those who did not, He said,
“Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” Matthew 25:45.
He said as we aid those, or refuse to aid those in need, we have done the same to Christ. For He accounts us His brothers and sisters. And He judges the sheep and the goats by what they did or did not do and passes judgment accordingly. Does this show salvation based on our works? No! But He is demonstrating if we show love to others in small ways; giving a cup of water, some food, a set of clothes, or companionship, we are living as we truly are; no masks or deception. We are true ministers. And if we are ministering to those in this world, we are ministering to Christ. Just as when a doctor mends my broken arm, he is tending to me.
Just because we do not teach or preach in the church, or lead the congregation in worship, or hold the position of Elder or Deacon, does not mean we are not ministers. Moreover, ministry is not exclusively done within the local church or as a function of the local churches. In going out and meeting the needs of people, you are as much, if not more, true ministers. Giving a sandwich to a starving man is just as important as preaching at a Church service. Visiting sick people ministers just as much as counseling someone who is struggling with hard issues. Do not fall into the trap of separating those things done within the church walls as ministry, while those things done outside the Church body as merely good deeds. If you simply smile at someone who is struggling in life while encouraging and helping them, and it brightens their day, you have accomplished as much, if not more, then the man who preaches a message to a group of gang members. You see, the idea here is love.
Basically, loving others in the small ways that reach to the heart of people in need is an act of ministry. Everything is ministry that helps those in need, because when you show someone love, no matter how trivial to you it is, you have ministered greatly to that person, and also to Christ. The smallest need met is as great as the largest. And God will remember all acts of ministry you perform.
Therefore, as little Savannah, at such a young age, reached out to this lady who was rejected by practically everyone else and showed her love and acceptance, we also need to keep our eyes open and our spirits in tune with God to do all we can to minister to those who need us. Remember, the smallest of all seeds produce one of the largest trees. So, do not forget the small stuff, because it may have the biggest impact on the lives of those we reach out to.
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