In the last issue you were asked the question, "Are you reaching or preaching?" Along with the question, you were issued a challenge to reach out to the needy. Now let us spend some time talking about the how and why of a practical outreach.

There is a verse that speaks more eloquently than anything I can say about reaching out to the needy:"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10). As you consider doing good to all men_Christian and non-Christian_remember that people have physical and emotional needs, as well as spiritual. If you are truly going to reach out personally and touch people’s lives, you need to do more than just recite to them the "truth" that you know they need. The tax collectors and other sinners in Jesus’ day had no lack of people telling them how bad they were and preaching to them the cure prescribed by the religious doctors of the day. There was something lacking, though_the medicine was not meeting the needs of the people.

There is no question that God’s medicine is effective, but we must be effective in administering it. You can’t cure heart disease by rubbing liniment on the patient’s chest. To relieve some of the suffering that is so common in this world, you will have to be involved with the people who are suffering. Don’t expect to change the whole world, or make the world a better place in which to live. That will never happen. Bring your doing good down to the person-to-person level. Instead of quickly passing by on the other side, reach out to that person in trouble and help him out of the ditch.

Before you launch out into reaching, though, there is one thing that you have to get straight. What are your objectives in reaching out? Your goal is certainly to help people, but you need to be more specific than that. Charitable organizations can help people with physical needs, and psychologists can help with emotional needs. But only Christ and His body, the Church, are able to help people with all three types of needs – physical, emotional, and spiritual. Simply stated, I think that the goal of a Christian outreach must be:

… to become more like Christ.

There are many phrases that fit on the front of that goal. Here are three that I suggest are appropriate:

For you … to become more like Christ.

For me … to become more like Christ.

For each of us … to become more like Christ. That goal covers it all. Whether the need is physical, emotional, or spiritual. Whether the person is saved or unsaved. Whoever you are, whatever you are, or wherever you are

. . .TO BECOME MORE LIKE CHRIST. Write it on a piece of paper, burn it into your mind, engrave it on your heart; then go and do the following:(1) meet people’s needs, and (2) do what you can.

Meet People’s Needs

When you meet people’s needs you are tilling the ground to prepare it for God’s seed. The more you soften up the ground, the greater the probability that the seed will fall on good ground. Often we just want to hurry up and get the seed planted. We go around willy-nilly throwing seed, never considering that it might be better if we did some plowing first. If, by chance, some of the seed does take root, then we try to make the plants grow faster by yanking on the tender shoots.

Tilling the ground means that the first need you may have to meet is not the need you see as most important, but the need that they feel most acutely. Remember that people really have three-dimensional needs:physical, emotional, and spiritual. Approach these needs in the same way you peel an onion. Start with the outside layer, the need they feel the most, and work your way in to the innermost need. After these outer layers have been taken care of, you may find an opportunity to give them something even more precious and valuable_something for the spirit.

Let us take a minute now to consider the three aspects of need_physical, emotional, and spiritual. These needs correspond to the three components that make up every living person_body, soul, and spirit. Each of us has needs in these three areas, and each of us is subject to problems in all three.

Body. Our body, of course, is that part of us which interacts with the world around us. The body sees, hears, feels, tastes, and smells. The needs of the body are simple_food, water, air, light, warmth, and good health. Ministering to a person’s physical needs may not appear to be directly related to helping someone become more like Jesus Christ. Does it seem that way to you? Tell me, then, how many children have been saved after they starved to death? Also, why did Jesus spend so much time restoring sight to the blind, healing the lame, curing the sick, feeding the multitudes? If you would become more like Jesus Christ, how is it that physical needs deserve less of your attention than He gave them?

Soul. The soul is the seat of our emotions. Our thoughts, our feelings, and our intellect emanate from the soul. Our soul is also our internal "computer" where logic is applied, reasoning is done, and decisions are made. We all know from experience that it is not enough just to have our physical needs met. Man is a personal being, and he has emotional needs that must be met if he is to function properly as a person. How can anyone become more like Jesus Christ when he is feeling depressed, discouraged, or rejected? Jesus did not stop at just meeting people’s physical needs. He ministered to their emotional needs as well. In John 11 we find Him weeping over the death of Lazarus. In several places in the Gospels we read how the tax gatherers and sinners found no help from the Pharisees, but in Jesus they found a friend who accepted them in spite of what they were. Many other examples of Jesus’ compassion for people and their emotional needs can be found in any of the Gospels. If you would become more like Jesus Christ, do people’s emotional needs deserve less of your attention than He gave them?

Spirit. When man was created, God placed in him a spirit that made him unique and gave him the image of God. It is our spirit that communicates with God and relates to Him. Our spirit controls our conscience, insight, sensitivity, and creativity. From our spirit flows our comprehension of God, and our motivation to follow and serve Him. It is in the area of spiritual needs where the Christian alone can help. Charitable organizations may help meet physical needs, psychiatrists can address emotional needs, but only God can heal the spirit.

Those who are lost in their sins have a spirit which is dead and only spiritual rebirth can make them a whole person. An unsaved person cannot become like Jesus Christ until her or his spirit is brought back to life. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can revive the dead, but you can help bring that person to Christ. This has to be your ultimate objective when you reach out to the unsaved.
Don’t forget the Christian, either. Those of us who are saved have spiritual needs, too. We all go through low points in our spiritual life where help is needed. Don’t assume that your Christian friend or acquaintance has the spiritual "muscle" to get through the tough times. Just because a person is a Christian doesn’t mean that she or he does not need help with spiritual problems. If you would become more like Jesus Christ and help your sister or brother to do the same, is there any need that is unworthy of your help?

Body, soul, and spirit. Although they are separate entities, they interrelate and interact in such a way that they practically cannot be separated. Therefore, when you set out to help others to become more like Jesus Christ, you cannot neglect any aspect of potential need. The question that you need to ask yourself is:How do the needy see their problems? What are their first priorities when it comes to resolving problems? Perhaps their physical or emotional problems are shouting so loud that they cannot hear you preaching to them about their spiritual needs. Whether they are saved or unsaved, you have to work your way down through the layers of need to reach the root problem. Only after the outer layers are peeled away can the innermost ills be treated.

For example, your unsaved acquaintance probably has heard it all before_how she/he is a sinner and needs a Saviour. But what she/he really needs right now is something to eat, a place to sleep, a friend to talk to, help with the kids, or a word of comfort. If you meet that immediate need, perhaps little by little, as the pressure is relieved, as the hurt is eased, priorities may change and new needs_spiritual needs_may be felt. Her/his interest in what you have to give materially or emotionally may shift to what you have spiritually. Now the ground is ready for planting the good seed.

Your Christian friend already has a Saviour, but that does not mean there is no need. Is her or his physical need undeserving of your attention? James didn’t think so when he wrote his Epistle. Are Christians exempt from emotional problems? No way! Financial problems, family problems, marital problems, school problems, work problems, health problems, depression, anxiety, fear, and loneliness are no respecter of persons. One or more of these difficulties has visited each one of us. Did you get as much help and support from your fellow Christians as you needed or wanted? Are you giving as much help as you can to people who are suffering with these problems?

Do What You Can

"I’m not ready to serve," I hear someone say. "God hasn’t revealed His will for my life yet."

"As soon as God shows me the needs He wants me to meet, I’m ready to do what I can," another is saying. "Right now I don’t know anybody who is really needy."

"But I’m not sure of my gift," pleads a third. "I certainly don’t want to take things into my own hands. That would be doing things in the power of the flesh and that is no good."

If you have said or felt anything like this, you can be sure that it was the voice of Satan giving you a convenient excuse. There is no gift (except the gift of eternal life) required to reach out to people. This is something that we are all called to do. You have been left in this world to continue the work of service that Jesus began. He has done the hard work_the work that only He could do_by dying on the cross to meet the demands of a just God. He has left the easy work for you. And He has demonstrated how it should be done. What could be easier?

Do what you can. Are you waiting for guidance? If you are, let me ask you if you’ve ever tried to steer a car that was standing still. Turn the steering wheel all you want and the car doesn’t even begin to change directions. Are you like the stationary car, rooted to the spot by indecision or apathy? Then start your engine, step on the gas, and start moving. Don’t expect God to do that part for you. He won’t force you to act any more than He forced you to accept the free gift of salvation. He wants willing servants, not obedient robots. If you don’t know how to get started, keep reading. A little later we will be discussing some ways that you can overcome the inertia of inactivity.

Do what you can. Each of us is a unique individual, with unique abilities. God has given you a gift and He has given you a role to fulfill in His Church. Not everyone can be a pastor, but you can be a friend. Not everyone can give great speeches, but you can listen to someone’s problems. Not everyone can teach the deep principles of Scripture, but you can give a word of encouragement. Not everyone is called to serve the Lord in the mission field, but you are called to do the Lord’s work.

Do what you can. There is no substitute for personal involvement. Giving your money is nice, it’s necessary, but it’s not sufficient. You must give of yourself. Don’t send someone else to do the work that God has sent you to do. Do you know someone who needs help or counsel? Then go to them and help them. Don’t send money or a message through an intermediary. Worse yet, don’t give them help or counsel in the form of whispers behind their back! Sure, if you get personally involved you may feel the sting of personal rejection, but no one said that serving the Lord was going to be easy.

Do what you can. If you haven’t been doing too much reaching out to others, you may not know where or how to start. Begin by doing what you can. There is no minimum education, experience, or financial requirements. You don’t need to know a certain amount of Scripture, be experienced in Christian outreach, or have money to donate to the needy. All you need is a willingness to do what you can. It may not be much, but even the little things count_sometimes more than the big things. When all of the little things are piled one on top of the other, they add up to a mountain of help. Be a friend, call on the phone, write a note, tell them you are thinking about them. Do the little things and the big things will take care of themselves.

In the next issue we shall conclude this series on "Reaching or Preaching?" by looking at some specific, practical ways that you can touch the lives of others. You may be surprised to see how personally the Lord Jesus takes the subject of helping the needy. In addition, we shall talk about some of the unpleasant side effects that your outreach may have and how you must be prepared for the consequences.