Opening
Consider opening by praying over the upcoming Block Party and For Lynchburg week. Pray for people to know that God cares about their physical needs and so does Waymaker.Church. Pray that they understand that they have even deeper needs than their physical ones. Pray that God moves in ways that He has been preparing already. Pray for where God would have you serve and care for our community.
Overview
There are many reasons that we don’t assist others in their need. Often we are too busy or we think helping requires money and we don’t have any extra. We might not know that needs exist and sometimes we just don’t care. However, when we are indifferent to the needs around us it communicates to the world that we are nothing like Jesus. Jesus spent His life seeing and meeting the needs of the people around Him.
Jesus makes a way for us so that we can make a way for others. We look the most like Jesus when we meet the needs of those around us. We are loved by God and that love should spill over from our lives into the lives of those around us. Stanley Hauerwas said, “The difference between followers of Jesus and those who do not know Jesus is that those who have seen Jesus no longer have any excuse to avoid ‘the least of these.’”
Discussion Questions
- Does this teaching reframe service in your life?
- Where in your community could you regularly invest your time and energy over the next few months?
Practice
Matthew 25 31 “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. 34 “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 creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ 37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ 41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ 44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ 45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ 46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
Prayerfully read the Scripture passage out loud. How does this passage make you feel? If you are uncomfortable and unsettled, set aside some space for silence to ask God to reveal what in the passage makes you uncomfortable and what He has for you in this passage. Share what God shows you with the group.
This passage is counter-intuitive to what most of us have been taught growing up in church. Go read James 2:14-26 aloud and compare and contrast the two passages. What does our life reveal about what we actually believe?
Practice for the week
Set aside two ten minute periods of time in the next week to pray about where God would have you invest in your local community and listen for His responses.
Closing
Pray for a faith that is deep enough to compel your group members (and our church) to live differently in response to what God has done for us.
