Where is Jesus? Is He the least of these?

Do we notice the "least of these?"

I have always thought that the least of these was our children or that the phrase only meant children. As I watched the movie "Thin Red Line" last week and saw the terror and fear on almost all of the faces, I remembered that we are called God's children. And there are so many lost children. Their faces are everywhere in our worlds if we just look at them.

Look at the faces. Can you see the fear? People do not know where they are going. Maybe even you will admit a little or a lot of fear. Maybe you are not really following Jesus and you are lost. Like Peter Pan's children, many, many are captured by Captain Hook. If we are following Jesus we are sent to rescue the lost. We cannot save them but we run and get them and take them to Jesus.

Acts 10:38 in the message says, "Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him."
Who are they....really?

Matthew 25:40 Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me - you did it to me.'

Matthew 25:45

"Then He will answer them, `Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'

How would we react if Jesus walked in to our community?

Maybe He does in the faces all around us?

Do we see Him in the faces of our world? Can we connect with the least of these, love them, and show them Jesus' love today?

Acts 2:42-47 says, " They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. Everyone around was in awe - all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met. They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.

Praying for our Church?
Are we caring for the least of these? Are we caring for those around us beaten down by the devil? Do we notice the loneliness and pain in our neighbor's faces? Do we see Jesus when we look into the faces? Do we, like Jesus, bring healing to others? We are in a mission field; a war zone fraught with lost and lonely children. I pray you have an impact today. I pray you have courage and that the kingdom family is growing around you because of your sacrifice?

Newsletter:

Dear Fellow Sojourners,

We want to begin by saying that if we are your spam and you would like to removed from our emailing list please let us know. It has become a reality that we now have so much spam in our lives, the clutter of our busyness, that email has become as annoying as solicitation phone calls. We hope we are adding and not detracting from your walk with Jesus.

At Journey, We Have Some Simple Goals...

Don't forget...Our Vision is Jesus

We want to encourage you to keep your eyes on Him minute by minute. You life will be changed. Maybe that is what scripture calls us to do when it says "Pray without ceasing".

How do We Do this Vision?

How do we live this vision? How do we do it in everyday life? We suggest a simple plan.

Strategy # 1; we study the Bible. Read it because you want to; not because you have to. If you are seeking God by some kind of internal law that says you are "bad" if you do not read today, then maybe you should pray instead of read today. Guilt is just plain silly when you are looking at Jesus.

If you come to the Bible with a demand in your heart that "God must supply an answer to my anguish; an answer to my dilemma", then you are reading the Bible no differently that reading any of the "fix it" books in the many Christian "marketing for profit" stores.

Read the Bible for delight. Read it for fun. Read it our of curiosity. Read it because you want to find a nugget of gold. Read it because it is great way to get closer to your real daddy; your Abba.

The second strategy, study the Bible with friends; in community, in koinonea, in intimate community, not shallow community. Do not read it like a text book. Talk about the Bible with people. Talk about what you have read that confuses you, frustrates you, makes you feel inadequate, makes you cry, and dare I say, makes you laugh. You are not bringing your whole heart to the reading of scripture unless it makes you laugh at times.

The third strategy; pray without ceasing. Our third strategy for sticking to our vision of Jesus; of seeing Him in our mind's eye minute, second by second as if we have to look around Him to see anything else, is to teach and/or encourage you to pray without ceasing. TEST YOUR HEART

As I think of who we are in our church and in our city and our country of rich Americans, which of these does the local church do well and which do we not do well? Maybe we should take a poll? Or maybe we should be honest before God. I have my opinion; what is yours for you and your church; for our church?