Monday, February 18, 2008

"Are My Needs Being Met?"

I'm a little weary of the mindset that says that the number one thing to look for in a church or Bible study group is, "Are my needs being met?" Obviously, that should be a factor sometimes, but not numero uno every time. When Hudson Taylor labored alone in China as a missionary for all those years, was it because they were meeting his needs?
At one time, my wife and I were part of a Bible study group that was--how do I say it?--needy. The leader and his wife had their act together, but the rest of the group consisted of a man with a plethora of health problems whose wife died some months earlier, another man who was unemployed while his wife had just lost her mother and whose father and brother were battling mental illness and drug addiction, and the dear elderly woman who was nearly blind and nearly deaf. We did not attend those meetings because they were fun or fulfilling. We went to be a blessing.
The greatest missionary of all, the Lord Jesus Christ, left the honor, glory, and riches of Heaven to hang out with sinners, the sick, and hypocrites. He did it, not for any immediate kicks, but "for the joy set before Him." That joy was knowing that we would become His bride, His Church. He did it for love.

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