The more I read and study Scripture, the more I see that God truly does things differently than we do. I heard this statement that pretty well sums it up: “If you want to know what the will of God is, look at what the world would do naturally, and do the opposite.” God truly does things completely upside down from how we normally would do things. Serving people is among them.
Since the history of civilization there have been rulers and servants. I know this is a strange concept to us as Americans, but in the bulk of the world’s nations in history, the role of the common people is to serve their rulers. Because they have titles and honor, they “deserve” our praise. But God doesn’t go for popularity or seeking the opinions of men. When Jesus came to this earth, He didn’t come to be proclaimed king over Judah, even though He had the legal right to do so. Instead, He came to serve, and He taught us how to serve.
In Matthew 25, among Jesus’ final parables, Jesus describes the final judgment where the sheep and goats will be separated; where the legit and the fakes will be revealed. One of the tests that will be used is how we treat those whom God has chosen. Who has God chosen? The weak, the poor, the desolate, the isolated, the widow, the homeless, and all those who the world rejects. Jesus makes a key statement here: “If you did this to the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me.” If you took care of God’s people, you took care of God. If you didn’t take care of them, you weren’t out to serve God. Plain and simple.
Jesus gave five examples of how to serve Him: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, give clothes to the naked, help the sick, and visit the imprisoned. Now, Jesus also told Judas that the poor would always be with him when Judas sought to get Mary’s jar of perfume to sell so he could get some of the money. Jesus isn’t saying to solve the world’s hunger problem.
Take notice that Jesus never once made any social reform. There are a lot of political talking points regarding immigration today that take these verses and say we have to welcome all these people into our country because if we don’t, we aren’t serving Christ. This is not what Jesus said at all. He did NOT say, “Rome, it is your responsibility to serve my poor.” That was never the government’s job. It is the church’s job. To illustrate this issue, I’ll address something going on in my backyard.
I live just outside the city limits of El Paso, Texas. On the street I take to get out, there is an immigration center for unaccompanied youth being built. This center is supposed to house up to 500 kids who did not come with parents or relatives and need to be processed before knowing whether to send them with relatives or send them back. This place is literally about a mile from my house. I really don’t care about what the political answer should be, though I’ve already seen the protestors. It’s rather comical because the street it’s on is rather empty. It’s mostly truck drivers from the quarries. But my first reaction was not what the world would think: “Oh no, they are invading my neighborhood. They are going to destroy everything. Stop child prisons! Stop environmental racism (yes, that was a protest sign)!” Those people have no clue what they are protesting or why. They are just reacting to what the media told them to respond to. But here was my response: “What can I do? I live a mile away. I have to drive past it to get out of my house. What can I do?”
I have no idea what I can do about this place or how to serve these kids. I am a teacher so maybe I can provide some tutoring. Maybe with some training, I can help with placement tests for those likely to stay in the U.S. to find out what grade level the kid should be in. My Spanish is not great, but maybe I can do something. As it is a government facility, I would likely need to get some kind of clearance or permission. I have no idea if I can do anything. But my first reaction was: “What can I do?” And that thought has not gone away in the past few months since I first heard about it.
This could be like David Wilkerson. Not many people think about what got him started in the youth gang ministry of New York City as a tiny (literally) pastor from a town of nowhere Pennsylvania. He saw an article about seven gang members who were on trial for the murder of a disabled boy. He had no clue what he was going to do, but he sensed he had to do something. He went to the court and after one session, he sought to approach the judge, totally clueless about the tension in the room. Everyone thought he was about to jump the judge. He got a picture taken and the newspaper posted a not so accurate or pleasant story about a pastor invading the court. Wilkerson never did get to make any contact with the boys he had a burden for. However, that incident gave him credence with the gangs because he too was seen as an “unfriendly” with the police. And with me, I may not be able to do anything at this facility. I am not planning on doing anything stupid, but maybe it will open a door to something I couldn’t imagine doing at the school I am currently at. I don’t know, but I do know this: until God shuts the door, it is something I am going to have to investigate.
What is my motive for this? Ultimately, it is doing what Christ commanded in this passage in Matthew 25. It is Christ speaking through me saying, “I want to do something, and I am inviting you to come with me.” What is Christ calling you to do? These are God’s people. These are the ones He cherishes. It is impossible to love God and not love those He loves. The kids coming to this facility have had difficult experiences. The government stats indicate that about ¼ of them are being trafficked. And here in El Paso/Juarez, child prostitution is the #1 money maker next to drugs. Sex, alcohol, and drugs are the spiritual strongholds of this area and one only needs to drive the highways to see all the clubs to witness it. That’s without addressing the heavy levels of the occult and witchcraft in the area. Yet, at my school, and at this facility, this is the world my students have grown up in. God is doing something in my heart about all this. I don’t know where He is taking me, but I know for sure that God is placing me where I am to be His hands and His feet to the least of these. And if I do not follow Him on it, it could be one of the greatest mistakes I could ever make. If I do follow Him, it will be filled with hardships and challenges, but the reward will be something I cannot even fathom.
What is God calling you to do to serve Him? What can you be doing right now?
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