"For when I was hungry 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. I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me."
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is Wednesday, meaning it is Salvation Wednesday on our line. The day we pray for the unsaved and try our very best to lead them to Jesus to be saved. Please remember, we cannot save a soul, that is the work of Jesus and Jesus alone, but He needs our help to bring in the unsaved. The harvest is ripe, but the workers are few, and we need to be a worker.
Please note, yesterday I asked you to pray for the family of Brian who was killed in Afghanistan. Please pray for the Pennsylvania 131st from Upper Dauphin County Pennsylvania. A very small area of little towns and their unit was hit, names have not been released but three warriors are dead and three are injured, I ask you to pray for all the families who have people in the military and extra prayers for those who lost loved ones, not just here but in the whole war effort.
Helping Others, Day 3: Matthew 25:35 - "For when I was hungry 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. 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison and you came to visit me." (NIV)
Yesterday I asked you, who in the story about the "Good Samarian" would be your neighbor?Remember we had two who passed by the robbers, the one who was robbed, the Samarian, and the Innkeeper. So who is your neighbor if this happened today? Here is my answer, what Jesus laid on my heart. Some of this answer you will find in today's scriptures. All of them are our neighbors. Let's start with who caused the problem, the robbers. I was in prison and you came to visit me. Now the ones who passed by. To me, these folks would not be saved, in love with Jesus, and those are the ones we really need won for Jesus. Then there is the one who was robbed, and again back to the scripture. I was sick and you looked after me. How about the Innkeeper? From the scripture, I needed clothes and you clothed me. Remember the robbers stripped the man clean. Now how about the Samarian, and that one should be easy. It should be you and me, brothers and sisters, and someone we surely want on our team when we head to the fields of harvest...
Yesterday I also said we would be talking today about talking feet. Now I had one thing in mind on this, but did receive some other really nice things. One of those from Rob Campbell will be after my closing, please take time to read it. AND MAYBE LEARN FROM IT. From our scripture today. "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat." Sometimes we get all excited about praying for people and will do something like this. Dear Father in heaven, there is a family down the street that are poor and really need to have something to eat, will you please help them. In Jesus name, Amen.
And maybe that is where you end it. And while God hears your prayers He also uses all of us to help answer the prayers. Does He still work His wonderful hands over all things and remember it is He who makes things grow, He sends the rain, the sun and provided the earth, but He also made the farmer, and others who work the food up. However, if you get lost in the woods and know what you are doing, you could find lots to eat. Berries, nuts, maybe a rabbit or two, a bird, snake, you could live out there and you could find a stream to drink from. But let me get back on subject and talk about this prayer, and this poor family down the street you are praying for. Ready.
Let your feet talk for you... Our Ministry Partner, Pamela Bower, years ago made this statement, "We need to put feet on our prayers", and what it means is just this. You are praying for a family who has very little to eat, you pray and do nothing else, or you pray and then go get a five pound sack of potatoes, and maybe some soup and things and put it on their porch. Which did the most good, folks? Again, God has timed the message perfectly. Last evening and again tonight I am going to a peewee football camp and picking up food for the needy. These folks are helping to answer prayers I sent up by feeding the hungry, but we in Carry The Light Food Pantry are putting feet on our prayers by going out and gathering it up. Food did come in very slowly last night, a sign of times, maybe, or a sign that we need to do a lot of work in the harvest field... What do I mean by that? Well, each person who brought in food got a ticket to win a nice motorbike. One can or a bag of food got you one ticket. (Motorbike was donated to the football camp.) You could tell those who wanted to help the needy and those who just wanted to win the motorbike. Some would bring a bag, some would bring one can. Two years ago we got nearly a ton of food from the camp, we gave one ticket for each piece of food. While I would love to have this group to preach to for a week and talk on giving, I am not beyond doing some begging when it comes to helping those who need food. And let me tell you that no one has ever been turned away without food.
So, dear brothers and sisters, a big part of loving your neighbors and helping others is seeing they get prayed over, brought to Jesus for salvation, and of course we need to feed them and clothe them. How are you helping others, and what about your church, what are they doing for others?
Dear Father in Heaven, please help us to get those feet on our prayers and get working for You, in feeding, clothing and most of all in Salvation through Jesus... We have work to do for You, take away our hurts and pains so we can work even harder for You. Help us in all we do, keep You in our minds so that our bottom line is always backed by You. Help us to repent and be healed in Your name, I pray. Amen.
Now remember to read on about how people used over 60 walking feet to help others... This, folks, is indeed a great way of sharing your blessings. You say you have nothing to give others, how about giving yourself as these folks have done? We have friends who have done just that for us. Be blessed, keep sharing and know I love ya. Pastor Dan.
From Rob Campbell...
"Talking with our feet! Newport Assembly rents the Newport High school auditorium to hold church each Sunday. So we used our "feet" and got a work list for the outside of the schools from the school district. A crew of around thirty people or sixty feet weeded the flower beds, trimmed bushes, put all new playground mulch and flower bed mulch at the school. They are sending us a new list to be done this Saturday. So instead of us grumbling about our taxes and the school, we put our "feet" to work to help and hopefully show a good positive Christian example for the community."
Dan - Keep the good news coming!
Rob Campbell
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