Matthew records Jesus’ own glorious picture of Himself as King, welcoming His children into His kingdom in the last day (25:31-46). The sheep have been separated from the goats, and Jesus commends His sheep for their God glorifying ministry and service.
That service is described in terms of feeding and clothing the hungry and poor, visiting the sick and those in prison, and taking in the homeless. It is a vital part of Gospel outreach, for Jesus explains: ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.’
In commending His children for these practical works of service, Jesus was underlining the vital truth that our words of witness and testimony to the saving grace of Christ must be backed up and reinforced by the way in which we treat our fellow men – especially the poor and the needy! The Gospel is to be proclaimed in both word and deed!
The Crisis Response Ministry has been integral to SGA’s work from the beginning. The earliest visits to communist Eastern Europe through the Iron Curtain were designed to bring spiritual encouragement and help to believers, and also to provide for essential needs. Former General Director, Trevor Harris, used to speak of taking the Gospel ‘wrapped up in a sandwich’!
The greatest need of all is to hear and obey the Gospel call to repentance and new life in Christ, but it is very difficult for those who are painfully hungry, or ravaged by thirst, or lacking life’s essentials, to focus on and give attention to words, no matter how crucially important those words may be.
Jesus cared for ‘the whole man’. He addressed physical and material needs. He brought the good news of the Kingdom by word and deed, and He instructs us to do the same.
Jesus cared for ‘the whole man’. He addressed physical and material needs. He brought the good news of the Kingdom by word and deed, and He instructs us to do the same.
Over the years SGA workers and missionaries have witnessed lives being transformed, even communities being transformed, by the ‘Gospel wrapped in a sandwich’. Barriers have been dismantled and opportunities won through works of kindness and mercy, to share the Bread of Life with many who otherwise would not hear or would not listen. Healing and nourishment have been brought to spiritually needy hearts.
Practical caring ministry has helped provide a seed bed for the sowing of the Gospel, and a harvest has and is being produced to the glory of Christ.
SGA ministers through word and deed in these projects: the uniqueness of Hope Centres in Central Asia, the provision made for conflict widows in Ukraine, ministry to boys and girls and young people through the day camp ministry in Moldova – and much more.
The massive relief efforts in the Ukrainian war situation continue to need our prayerful and generous financial and practical support, and our continued intercession for God’s intervention, and an end to the senseless waste of both Russian and Ukrainian lives.
Stand with us, please, in all of these challenging but invaluable efforts to win souls for Christ and to see our Lord’s Church being built and strengthened in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Far East Russia.