Tag Archives: Serve Like Jesus

Relational Ministry?

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Why do we say ministry is based on relationships when most of the time we offer events? Share on X


Over the years I have asked this question to many pastors, non-profit leaders and volunteers who are involved in the lives of those they serve. The usual response is “Oh…we have a great relationship with our clients.”

I often ask them to tell me about it and here are several things often included in the list:

  • I know them and their kids
  • I stop by their house on a regular basis
  • I know where they work
  • I know what they like and don’t like
  • I know what they struggle with
  • I have their number in my cell phone
  • I just love our clients

In the loosest definition…that technically is a relationship, but that’s not a real relationship…that’s just information. You know as much about them as you can find out about any celebrity on the internet.

We have to understand that having all this information makes it a one-way relationship at best and using the term “our clients” might even be give you a little insight into the truth about this.

Let’s reverse a few of these questions to find out if you have an actual relationship.

  • Do they know your family and your kids?
  • Do they stop by your home on a regular basis?
  • Do they know your cell phone number?
  • Do they know what you struggle with?

If you haven’t figured it out by now, real relationships are a two-way street. A relationship shows a connection between two or more parties. But if you know all this information about them and they know nothing about you, the connections are different. You are not equal in the relationship.

To be perfectly honest, if you were saying all these things about a celebrity instead of your client, we might be hearing your story on the news because you might just be in line for a restraining order as a stalker.

Relationships are hard and can get messy. Relationships include people sharing life together, something that is sadly missing in today’s society. After 15 years on the front lines of ministry I understand the need for boundaries and having time to recoup, but I need that from my own family once in a while.

Maybe it’s time we change the way we live out relationships in ministry and see what kind of amazing transformation can take place.

Treating the Symptom Never Ends the Struggle

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783 million people lack access to safe, sanitary water.

I was recently doing some work around the house and had the radio on and heard a commercial for an organization that is trying to address this crisis. I was surprised and encouraged because of what I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear a famous person make an appeal. I didn’t hear that for the cost of a cup of coffee I could provide a case of water for a family on the other side of the world and I didn’t hear about their efforts to load up planes and boats and take bottles of water to villages in third world countries.

Nope, I didn’t hear any of that. What did I hear that encouraged me?

I heard about a group that is actually working to end this crisis by helping people gain permanent access to clean water. I was impressed as I listened to the commercial because they were trying to create “sustainable solutions” to this crisis that claims the lives of millions of people.

Why don’t we deal with other social issues in this same manner? Why do we consistently treat the symptoms instead of providing sustainable solutions for those we serve? People being thirsty is only a symptom of the real problem, which is lack of access to safe, clean water. Many of our ministries treat other symptoms, but treating the symptoms never ends the struggle.

While we must meet the immediate need and provide assistance with our ministry resources, these efforts are lacking. God calls us to do more.

God calls us to provide life and healing in the lives of those we serve. Share on X

The real work is in providing long-term, sustainable change.

Yes, we absolutely must provide a box of food for a hungry family or help a single mother with a light bill, but that’s not  that’s not the long-term solution and that’s not where we end. We have to take the next step and provide sustainable solutions. Let’s help them gain the resources, opportunity and instruction necessary to find employment and then let’s walk with them in relationships and help them overcome their struggles.

How about a job’s ministry attached to the food program? What about getting business owners in your church or community to take a chance on someone who doesn’t have the greatest work history and then work with that employer and their new employee to help them build a new work history.

If you are interested in learning more about creating sustainable change in the lives of those you serve, there are a few options as you move forward.

  1. Begin by ordering your copy of Breaking the Broken and learning more about God’s plan to provide life and healing to the poor and hurting.
  2. Contact us and learn how we can help your church or organization develop specific solutions to address the needs of the least, the lonely and the lost in your community.
  3. Click here and join us for the Sustainable Change Conference 2017.

If we really want to “serve like Jesus” then we need to provide sustainable change, because, like I said, Treating the symptom never ends the struggle Share on X.

FAQ 4 – What’s wrong with Social Justice?

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Debunking the Myth of Social Justice

“The Bible is all about social justice…it’s talked about from the beginning to the end.” That was the comment the gentleman made. He had come by the booth several times, stood several feet away and read our info from a distance. He didn’t want to engage in conversation, but certainly wanted me to know his position.

His statement is similar to a question I have received from several people. What’s wrong with social justice? To find the answer, let’s turn to Page 78 in Breaking the Broken.

The subtitle of Breaking the Broken is “Debunking the Myth of Social Justice.” There are certain aspects of social justice that are good, but there are many that are not. The good part of social justice is found in the dignity of every human being. We are all created equal. Those who preach social justice believe we all have the right to gain the resources, opportunity, and instruction necessary to meet our basic needs, but these are not new teachings. They are straight out of Scripture and are laid as the groundwork for social justice. Unfortunately, as the theory of social justice has evolved, it has begun to go against God’s plan for humanity.

Today, social justice focuses more on giving and distributing than it does on gaining and creating. It seeks to provide preferential treatment for certain groups by forcing a “just” outcome, but who gets to decide what’s “just”? Social justice creates top-heavy systems run by distant, detached people who are more concerned with rules and regulations than what is best for those being served. Social justice is reduced to a transaction. The benefits of social justice are a myth and do not exist.

Now this may appear to have taken a political turn, but trust me, this isn’t political. It’s biblical. I don’t trust the government to have any answers for the poor. I look to God for real answers. God created things to work a certain way, and I am opposed to anything that goes against His plan and systems.

God says we should not deny justice to the poor, but we are also not to give preferential treatment to the poor, which often is the goal of social justice.

“You must not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked to be a malicious witness. You must not follow a crowd in wrongdoing. Do not testify in a lawsuit and go along with a crowd to pervert justice. Do not show favoritism to a poor person in his lawsuit. If you come across your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you lying helpless under its load, and you want to refrain from helping it, you must help with it. You must not deny justice to a poor person among you in his lawsuit.”
(Exod. 23:1-6)

God calls for justice for everyone, but God wants more than social justice. God’s plan provides restorative justice. Restorative justice is always better than social justice. God’s plan provides what is best for every person involved: those who are rich and comfortable, and those who are poor and hurting.

The last point from this passage is the call for family members to care for their own and not have them be a burden on the church. Helping people who are able to help themselves takes vital resources that could be used for others who are truly in need. This hurts those served and those serving and creates frustration, distrust, and antagonism. God calls us to help the poor, but we are to help in the proper way. Share on X God’s plan provides what is best for everyone involved. The antagonism and frustration that drives wedges between us can be eliminated. Now we need to learn the difference between those who are truly in need and those who should be caring for themselves.

FAQ 2 – Why Would You Qualify People?

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Not Approved“Why would you qualify people? The Bible doesn’t tell us to do that! Jesus helped everyone.” These are some of the things I’ve heard during conversations about effectively ministering to the poor. I find the belief that Jesus never qualified people before helping an interesting idea…one that doesn’t have a lot of Biblical support. First we know that Jesus didn’t have to qualify anybody because, unlike us, He already knew their motivation, but there are a couple of times when Jesus did question people before He healed them.

Jesus asked “What do you want me to do for you?” with two blind men in Matt 20 and 1 blind man in Mark 10. Now it’s possible that these are the same instance, but there are a couple of interesting things to note about this exchange.

  1. Jesus asked what they wanted.
    • He didn’t need to ask. I believe Jesus was publicly checking their motives.
  2. Jesus made the blind come to him.
    • He didn’t walk over to them. He made them come to Him.

Now let’s look at a time when Jesus was really hard on people. The Bible doesn’t say they were poor, but He had fed them the day before. It’s found in John 6. Let’s set it up:

  • Jesus feeds the 5,000
  • Jesus goes to the mountain alone
  • The 12 leave in a boat
  • Jesus walks on water
  • The people find out that Jesus has gone to Capernaum
  • A “crowd” of people go and find Him

Jesus qualifies them…or should I say disqualifies them

  • They weren’t coming because they believed
  • They only wanted Jesus because their belly was full
  • They even bring up the manna that the Israelites were fed in the desert
  • They weren’t willing to follow Him as their savior
  • Jesus told them the hard truth
  • They walked away

Jesus didn’t chase the people down and try to convince them to follow Him. He knew their self-serving motives and He let them go.

Jesus didn't chase people down and try to convince them to follow Him. Share on X

There are a several passages where Paul tells us the right way to live and qualifies people. Let’s look at a couple.

1 Timothy 5

  • Only “genuine widows” should be cared for by the church
  • If someone doesn’t take care of their own family they are worse than an unbeliever
  • Refuse to provide long-term support for younger widows

1 Thess. 4 – These are things that are considered walking properly and they display brotherly love.

  • Lead a quiet life
  • Mind your own business
  • Work with your own hands

And we certainly can’t forget 2 Thess. 3 where Paul “Commands in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” that a man who is not willing to work should not eat.

Next time we’ll take on the question “why is work so important?”

Until then, can you think of other passages in the Bible where people were qualified before receiving help?

FAQ 1 – What about Jesus Feeding the 5,000?

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As I travel around the country speaking, and equipping churches to renew broken lives, there are some Frequently Asked Questions that I receive. I am going to take the next few posts to answer some of these F.A.Q.’s, beginning with the following question:

“What about Jesus feeding the 4,000 and the 5,000?
Doesn’t that show that Jesus wants us to feed the poor?”

This question is often asked by people who are struggling with the idea that God calls us to do more than just meet the immediate need. And while I appreciate this line of thought, we have to be careful not to take these two isolated instances out of context and use them to support systematic feeding programs.

Let’s look at the two passages and see what they have in common and how they are different from our feeding programs today.

Let’s start with the feeding of the 5,000. This is found in Matt 14, Mark 6, Luke 9 and John 6. Feel free to read them.

What was the situation when Jesus fed the 5,000?

  • Jesus was heading to an uninhabited area
  • People ran around the Sea of Galilee and beat Jesus to where He landed
  • Jesus spent the day healing people
  • There was no other food available
  • Feeding them was a necessity

What about the feeding of the 4,000? Found in Matt 15, Mark 8

  • Jesus was up on a mountain (remote area)
  • They had been with Jesus for 3 days
  • Jesus spent his time healing people
  • It was physically dangerous to send them home on an empty stomach
  • There was no other food available
  • Feeding them was a necessity,

These two passages have a lot of things in common, but the question is: do the people our feeding programs serve mirror those who Jesus fed?

  • Are they in a remote area?
  • Are they giving up their time and energies to be near Christ?
  • Are they there, or bringing their loved ones, to be healed?
  • Is there no other option for people to get food?
  • Are they physically in danger if they don’t eat?

As we look at these two instances, it becomes pretty clear that Jesus was not creating a model for feeding programs. Now think about this. When Jesus healed someone, He opened the door for them to work and care for their families.

While it is necessary to meet the immediate need, Jesus was not using Himself as an example for feeding the poor. In fact, there is no evidence in Scripture that the people he fed were even poor.

What other programs or services do we provide that stop short of restoring the poor because they only meet the immediate need?

Next time we will look at a second F.A.Q. I get asked regularly. Why do you qualify people before you serve them? Jesus didn’t do that.

Do you want to learn more about God’s plan to restore hurting people? Click here to order your copy of Breaking the Broken.

Finding Purpose in the Poor

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Purpose in the PoorSeveral years ago, Rick Warren wrote a book which had a major impact on our society. People ran to stores to buy it. He was featured on news programs, talk shows and his face graced the cover of magazines. His book became the topic of Sunday School Classes, Life Groups, Men’s and Women’s small group studies, and retreats. His book is still in the top 50 list of all-time best-selling books.

Why did this book take the country by storm? Why did more than 30 million of us buy it? People put other books aside and even took days off of work to read this one. What did he share that was so important? Was it a fail-safe secret to financial success or a guaranteed method for raising our children?

No. He showed us that there is a reason we are here. He led us to find something bigger than ourselves, something that motivated us to get out of bed every morning. We found significance. We discovered we were put here for a reason. We learned our lives were not a series of random events; we were created with a purpose.

If finding our purpose is so important, why don’t we want to provide that same opportunity to those we serve? Isn’t it important for them to discover their purpose? Don’t they deserve the privilege of getting out of bed every morning knowing they were created in the image of God for a reason, or is that only for us? Either we don’t see they have purpose or we don’t care that they have one. It has to be one or the other. If we see their purpose, then we must help them work towards that purpose. Our service has to provide more. No one’s purpose is to stand in line for a box of food.

To read more, click here to order your copy of Breaking The Broken.

God Made Noah Work

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NoahMost of our Christian service to the poor is based on giving and not equipping. I’m not sure why we have taken this approach because that is not the example we see in Scripture. God always made man do everything that was within his abilities. God always required man to work to care for his own needs. There were no hand-outs in God’s Plan. Below is a short example of God’s requirement when a hand-out would have been much easier.

In Genesis 6, we read that mankind had grown wicked and all their schemes were evil all the time. God was fed up. He decided He was going to destroy all living things from the face of the earth. He was going to wipe the plate clean and start over, but not completely. There was one man that God would save.

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God. (Gen. 6:8-9 HCSB)

God would start over with Noah, but how did God do this? He flooded the entire earth and destroyed every living thing, but saved Noah and his family. God could have made it easy on Noah. He could have had Noah go into the woods, where he would find a big boat that was filled with all the food and supplies he would need. The boat would have been completely ready to go. All Noah would need to do is load up and ride out the storm.

God could have had all the tools drop-shipped to Noah’s front porch. He could have had the materials delivered to the side yard. That’s the way it happened in the Hollywood movie, but that is not what God did. God worked within the Plan that He had established in the garden. Noah had to do the work himself.

If you are interested in learning more about God’s Plan to restore the hurting, click here to order your copy of Breaking the Broken today.

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