Our verse in 2013 was
Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom - Luke 12:32
We focused on the Kingdom of God. We studied nature, principles and responsibilities in the Kingdom of God. We had a series of Bible studies that focused on the teachings of our Lord from the parables. We will continue the Kingdom theme and focus on Kingdom Dynamics.
Definition of Dynamics:
- The branch of mechanics concerned with the motion of bodies under the action of forces. The branch of any science in which forces or changes are considered.
- Chemical dynamics - The forces or properties that stimulate growth, development, or change within a system or process.
Scripture Passages: Isaiah 58: 1- 12, Matthew 25
We are saved to portray Jesus to the world.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them - Ephesians 2:8–10
The first church practiced this:
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:14–17
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Acts 4:32-35
The early church grew and people were coming to Jesus because the witness of Christians was so captivating validating the message of Jesus Christ. Jesus said "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 5:16
Good Works Are a Witness: 300 years after the resurrection, the third-century Roman Emperor Julian was aghast at how quickly Christianity was spreading through Asia Minor. As emperor, he actively opposed the message of Christianity, so it was incredibly frustrating to him to see major urban centers become hotbeds for new converts to Jesus Christ. When surveying the reasons this was happening, he wrote, "It is disgraceful that, when no Jew ever has to beg, and the impious Galileans [Julian’s term for Christians] support not only their own poor but ours as well, all men see that our people lack aid from us," or basically, "The Jews take care of the Jews, and the Greeks take care of the Greeks, but the Christians, not only do they take care of themselves, but the Jews and Greeks as well!"
For whom much is given much is expected - Luke 12:48
Bill Gates quoted this in 2011 when he donated more than 50% of his wealth to charity ($28 billion); "Our faith and relationship with God needs to go beyond the basics of going to church and personal relationship with God."
Why do we need to care for the disadvantaged?
It is God’s plan for the human race
God’s wish is that man, takes care of his own. Cain and Abel story, God expected that Cain take care of Abel. He expected that he is indeed his brother’s keeper. Read Isaiah 11:6-9. He wants us to be like Him. We are to be transformed into the image of Christ.
We see the life of Jesus on earth.
Matthew -ch9: 35-36 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
The present training for our future inheritance.
2 Timothy 2: 11-13 if we endure, we will also reign with him. We need to continue his work now so that we may reign with him.
Jesus taught this:
Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Who is my neighbor?
We fall into the limitation that some time we should only take care of our own people. This is a challenge to look beyond ourselves and our immediate friends and family. From the Good Samaritan story, our neighbor is anyone in need.
Conclusion:
Sometimes it is easy for us to just focus on evangelism and outreach. We neglect God’s intent for the citizens of His kingdom that is “taking care of each other”.
The kingdom of God is truly at hand when we all turn into little images of Christ, loving and helping each other, living in harmony. Let us open our eyes and see. There are opportunities all around and we will be accountable to God if we don’t act! - Deuteronomy 15:7-11
There are a number of opportunities for us to invest in the lives of people in need. A number of our brothers are actively involved in this ministry. As a fellowship we want to take the opportunities presented to us to extend the kingdom of God.