Reaching Those In Need

-By Marc Estes
www.marcestes.com

The world is filled with people who have immense needs. It is my firm conviction that one of the greatest ways to preach the good news to a dead and dying world is through meeting their needs and touching them at their point of brokenness. In the gospels, Jesus models this approach by reaching out to people’s needs on forty-six different occasions before ever opening His mouth with a gospel message. He may have been on to something?

It says in 1 John 3:16-19, “We know what real love is because Christ gave us his life for us…Dear children, let us stop saying we love each; let us really show it by our actions.” John is trying to communicate a fundamental point that is missing in the lives of many Christians and many churches today; demonstration precludes proclamation!

It was Christ’s dying on the cross that validated His ministry and ultimately the gospel’s power and affect on humanity. The same applies to sharing the gospel. What validates our proclamation to a needy world is our willingness to meet them at their point of need, just as the guy in the ditch who was touched by the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).

In addition to our actions, we must make the motive behind our actions, compassion. It is important that we reach out and show action to our words, but they too are in vain with out genuine love, care and concern for the person you are attempting to reach.

Let us make love our great aim, and SHOW a world the love of Christ as we proclaim the good news. The end result will be many people coming to Christ as a result of your sacrifice and love.