A few weeks ago, we learned about how to be more effective in inviting people to receive Jesus’ salvation. The keys were prayer, fighting the right fight, and serving others.
Serving the needs of others makes a tremendous impact in their lives. We are reminded again that it was this act of Jesus that caused the news about Him to spread so quickly and so widely wherever He went. It was Him ministering to the needs of the people, which is just another word for serving, that caught people’s attention. It was these needs that were met that resulted in miracles. Healings, deliverances, feeding of thousands, raising the dead, and so much more!
Why is kindness shown toward a stranger so impactful?
Whether it is pushing someone’s shopping cart for them or paying for their order or holding the door for them or putting some quarters in Aldi shopping carts or just a smile or compliment; a simple act of kindness to serve the needs of others is so impactful! All of these are ways to minister to others.
I think that some of the reasons for this impact is because you know nothing about that person; whether good or bad. In some cases, you don’t even get to meet the person that you are serving. They did nothing at all to earn that kind act from us. It is completely undeserved kindness and goodness received.
These random acts of kindness are even more impactful when we do them in Jesus’ name. When we do them to express the love and kindness and goodness of God through our lives toward others.
One day, while Jesus and His disciples were out ministering, serving the needs of others, John saw someone else doing it, too. He was offended by it.
Mark 9:38-41
38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.
Any follower of Jesus who gives even a cup of water in Jesus’ name will be rewarded.
It’s easy for us to get caught up on that one big thing that we are supposed to do or the one thing that we are supposed to be. We don’t want to miss God’s will for our lives!
However, God’s will for us consists of a lifetime lived in ministering. It is in a life bowed down so that God’s power and authority and love and glory can be poured out through it. It is in a life lived in service to those around them. God’s will for us is found not in any one big thing, but in countless little things.
Why are these little things so significant and impactful?
They are acts that pour out God’s GRACE!
1 Peter 4:7-11
7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
We are stewards of God’s grace found in its various forms. One of the manifest forms of God’s grace are spiritual gifts. These spiritual gifts are given TO us FOR others. They equip us to be able to meet the needs of others in ways that we could never do on our own.
It’s easy for us to focus on the miracle-working power gifts such as healing and deliverance, but ALL of the gifts of the Spirit are valuable and impactful to reach people with the love of Christ.
1 Peter 4:10
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Instead of focusing in on the things that we, ourselves, lack in life, or the things that we can’t do let’s shift our focus on the things that we DO have or what we CAN do. When we faithfully steward whatever we have to serve others, God sends and releases others to meet our needs.
Proverbs 11:25
A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.
The Kingdom principal is not that those who have lots will prosper and be refreshed.
The Kingdom principal is that those who are GENEROUS with whatever they have will prosper; whoever refreshes OTHERS will be themselves refreshed.
Jesus taught:
Luke 16:10-12 (NLT)
10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?
God is looking not for those with riches or wealth to make a difference in this world. God is looking for people who are faithful. God is looking for people who are honest. Whether they have little or much doesn’t matter. God is looking for faithful, honest people who can be entrusted with true, Heavenly riches!
Faithful stewards of God’s GRACE in its various forms. What is grace, though?
Mercy is not getting what we do deserve.
Due to our sin, we deserve Hell.
Mercy is that we are forgiven and not treated as our sins deserve.
Mercy is that we deserve punishment, but it is withheld from us.
Mercy is good, but grace is infinitely better!
Grace is getting what we do not deserve.
We were dead in our transgressions, but we are given new, eternal life.
We are guilty, but are given forgiveness.
We are cursed, but blessed beyond it.
Our sins stained us as red as scarlet, but we are given a robe that makes us white as snow.
We are unclean, but are invited to come boldly before God’s throne of GRACE!
It is God’s grace that extends mercy to us.
Even mercy is a form of God’s grace!
There are many worldly definitions of grace. They range from being elegant, charming, acting with ease, being considerate or thoughtful, special favor or approval, a temporary exemption, and so on.
Spiritually speaking, grace is defined by Webster’s dictionary as God’s unmerited assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification. It’s the Greek word charis where we get the English word charisma. Another way of thinking of it is:
God’s
Riches
At
Christ’s
Expense
Jesus owed nothing as He, God-in-the-flesh, lived a sinless life. He then paid the price that we all owe by giving His life on the cross. He was raised again to life and given all power and authority and the name above every name in Heaven or on Earth. He then chooses to freely give it all to us who simply place their faith in Him and the work that He accomplished on our behalf.
God’s riches at Christ’s expense. Grace cannot be earned; only freely given. This requires humility on our part understanding that we do not deserve it.
Proverbs 3:34/James 4:6 (TPT)
God resists you when you are proud but continually pours out grace when you are humble.
Oh to get washed clean and swept away by God’s grace-flood! To keep the grace flowing, we need only to remain humble. We need only to continually remember that since we do not earn God’s grace, we do not also forfeit to receive it by sinning.
Now, to clarify, this is not an excuse to sin. In fact, to sin is to act in pride thinking that we know better than God. God’s response to our sin is His grace freely offering up to us forgiveness and a second chance.
Paul wrote all about this in Romans to bring truth and clarity to their confusion on this topic. To summarize it, he wrote:
Romans 5:20-21, Romans 6:1-2;13-14
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
God’s grace does not decrease in our lives because of our sin. However, when we realize the rich value of God’s grace that has been freely given to us, it should motivate us to overcome sin. In fact, God’s grace empowers us to choose not to sin.
God’s grace motivates us to not want to sin. It changes our desires and the things that we hunger and thirst for. God’s grace leads us to repentance.
Effective evangelism is freely pouring out on others the grace that we have freely received from God.
Which is more effective at leading people to Christ at a pride festival?
Holding up banners condemning people to hell and calling out their sin?
OR
Handing them a free bottle of water?
Which offends and builds barriers?
Which blesses and bridges chasms?
Proverbs 18:19 (TPT)
It is easier to conquer a strong city than to win back a friend whom you’ve offended. Their walls go up, making it nearly impossible to win them back.
Which did Jesus clearly ask us to do in His word?
Give a cup of water in His name or announce people’s sin to everyone else in His name?
Sin is still sin as God is the One whom defines it. How does He respond to us and our sin? While we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us. While we were yet sinners, think of all of the goodness and mercy and patience and kindness that He poured out to us while we deserved none of it.
Let’s be grace-givers! It is God’s grace that leads us to repentance and motivates us to be holy. It is realizing how sinful we are, what we truly deserve, and also what God freely pours out into our lives instead.
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; was blind, but now I see.
Jesus said:
Matthew 5:43-48
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
It takes the grace of God to be able to live this out. It’s nothing that we can do on our own. It requires us to humble ourselves and to allow God’s grace to flow through our lives into the lives of our neighbors and enemies alike; into the lives of those who love us and hate us alike; into the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ and the lost alike.
John 1:16-17
16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Grace for grace.
Under the old covenant, God graced us with the law. It was a free gift that informed His people what was wrong to do. It was a whole lot like those signs held up at a pride festival that inform people that their lifestyles are sinful. The law also provided a way to make sacrifices to pay the price for that sin; to atone for it.
What it did not do was provide a way for people to be empowered and better able to live rightly. It brought more shame and condemnation than joy and peace. It was good, but did not typically produce goodness. It was God’s grace, but there was a better form of God’s grace that was coming to fulfill it!
Jesus came and lived out the law perfectly. He showed us how to live our lives rightly. He did not come to eliminate the law as if though there were something wrong with it, He came to fulfill it. Jesus said:
Matthew 5:17
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Out of Jesus’ fullness, He provides for us all grace for grace.
Romans 8:3
For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.
We can’t live rightly on our own just in our flesh. By the grace of God, however, we are empowered to live our best lives! We are empowered to overcome sin by God’s amazing grace!
When we serve the needs of those around us, we pour God’s grace out into their lives. This is why a simple act of kindness can be so impactful and life-transforming when we do it in Jesus’ name!
So, let’s have some fun with God’s grace! In humility, let’s keep that grace flood flowing into our lives and through our lives as we look for ways to serve the people around us every day! Simple acts of kindness expressed toward anyone and everyone as a way to be a faithful steward of God’s grace! God’s grace transforming lives through our lives!