James 2:15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who needs food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well” – but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17 So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all – it is dead and useless.
Right now, at this very moment, there are so many people who are hurting in this world. I could show you places in the world that have no clean water and in your heart, you would feel compassion. I could show you places where children are eating out of the dump and you would be broken inside. I could introduce you to homeless men who are strung out on addictions and your emotions would be tugged at. I could take you into a single mothers home without furniture to sit on and you would feel shocked. And I could even introduce you to teenagers who are hungry everyday when they go to school and you would be angered at their parents.
All of these opportunities, all of these chances for men and women who pursue faith to make a difference. Listen, feeling compassion, brokenness, or anger will not change the world. At some point, your pursuit of real faith in Jesus Christ must minister to the needs of those God brings into your life. It is not enough to see the hungry, the homelessness, the poor and do nothing. As James says in this passage, “what good does that do?”
We must become men and women not only of faith, but of action. We have to dream big dreams that will change the lives of other, but then we must take action. We must give love, give money, and give our time to help those in need.
Jesus said it this way when he was speaking of our responsibility to help others in Matthew 25…
37 “…‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “…‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Real Faith is more than a feeling!
Love it and I pray that the family of Real Church, including me, will catch the seed you cast this sunday and let it grow to love those in actions that make a difference. I am thanking God in advance for the kitchen He is going to build and the meals, physical and spiritual, that will feed thousands! My God is able to take a vision He placed in a heart something tangible for Kingdom use!