Doing Good 3. One of our local proverbs says, “When hunger has entered someone, nothing else can enter” another says, “A hungry man is an angry man”. Apostle James implied the same thing when he said it is better to give food to someone who is hungry than to preach to them (James 2:14-17MSG)
And nowadays, we have such outrageous things happening all around us, people professing faith without works. The proof of your faith is in your meeting tangible needs, not speaking spiritual jargons and deep teachings. If your teaching does not bring about physical effects in people’s lives, it is outrageous nonsense.
It is easy to focus on the teaching of Christ and of the early church and sidestep how they prioritize provision for those that lacked. According to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, people only can pursue higher-level needs once their lower-level needs have been met. Jesus recognised that for the ‘Good News’ to stay in people’s minds, their physical needs must be met.
To do good we also must address basic needs like Christ did;
- Have the mentality of a solution provider: this is the mentality that Jesus had, He was conscious of the anointing that was over His life and we also are similarly anointed. So we must have the consciousness that we are anointed and we are solution providers. (Luke 4:18-19NLT)
- All of us have been called into the ministry of healing, not just healing of the physical body but healing of the mind, the heart, financial healing. (John 9:5 NLT) While you are here in this world, you are the light of your community, and you must walk in that consciousness. Regardless of the situation that you are confronting personally, you are a solution provider.
Sermon excerpt from Sunday sermon by Pastor Boye Oloyede – Sunday, August 20, 2023
Watch this sermon here
