Meeting Real Needs

Dedication

There is a two-fold purpose for this baby dedication ceremony:

The first purpose relates to the parents. They are pledging themselves to train and disciple their children to fear God and love His Word.

Moses gave this admonition to the parents in Israel which you can find in Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 ESV

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

The second purpose is for Benjamin Linares-Tobar to recognize that he is truly God’s possession—God’s child.

Psalm 127 NKJV

Laboring and Prospering with the Lord A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. … Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

Parents

Salvador and Cecilia, do you commit, by God’s grace, to help Benjamin know God as his Father and to grow up in faith? Do you dedicate yourselves to do as the Bible commands, to “raise up your child” to follow Christ? Do you promise to give him every spiritual advantage in your home, your church and Christian education? And do you dedicate yourselves to Benjamin to share all his good times and bad times, and to love him always?

Members

Will you, members of Benjamin’s spiritual family, give him every opportunity to grow in Jesus and become a good citizen of this world and the next?

Prayer … Blessing

May the Lord bless Benjamin and keep him. May the Lord lift up His face and shine upon him and give him peace.

Big Idea of the Sermon

Ministering to needs is what happens when compassion becomes personal and love becomes practical.

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Introduction

The past couple of weeks we’ve been looking at our Mission and Vision and exploring how they connect with Christ’s Method Alone.

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We first saw Jesus mingle—entering ordinary spaces like Zacchaeus’ home.

We saw Jesus show sympathy—listening with patience and compassion, like He did with the woman at the well.

Today we come to the moment where compassion becomes practical. Where the proverbial rubber meets the road in real relationships.

Turn in your Bibles this morning to the book of Mark, chapter 1.

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Jesus had just started his ministry. As he passed by the Sea of Galilee he picked up Simon and Andrew and called them to follow him. Then they picked up James and John a little further down the beach. In Mark 1 verse 21 we’re told that they went to Capernaum and it was the Sabbath day so they entered a Synagogue and Jesus taught there. Everyone was amazed at what he was teaching because He taught with authority, not like the priests and rabbis of his day. He even cast out a demon from someone.

Jump down to verse 29 where we find our story for today.

I. Jesus Shows Up in Ordinary Space

Mark 1:29 HCSB

As soon as they left the synagogue, they went into Simon and Andrew’s house with James and John.

I want you to pay attention to the context of this story. It’s not a church. It’s not a big crowd. It’s Jesus hanging out with his new friends… IN THEIR HOME.

Christ’s Method was to be with people in their ordinary spaces. Yes, in church, but also in their home, at their work, around town, in the shops, or wherever people gathered.

When we are hanging out with people in their real life and we have our ears open to listen with compassion to know and care about their heart, then we’re going to come face-to-face with need.

I had the privilege of doing some continuing education training up in Spokane with the other pastors in our conference. One of the breakout sessions was the Serve One More conference initiative led by Richie Brower. If you know Richie, you know he’s a man of action. I’m going to tell a few of his stories today and I want to start with one from Ellensburg.

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Richie was working with the church in Ellensburg and they wanted to find out how they could help their community. He wasn’t sure what kind of reception a church-guy would get in a very progressive college town, but he called and they were able to set up an appointment with the mayor. He had told the secretary that he represented a church with about 50 people and that he wanted to see how they could help the city. When the time came for their zoom call, the Mayor was there with four or five other officials from the city. Mayor Rich used to be a firefighter and so he knew all the needs. He started going down the list of things he’s seen from college student needs to homelessness and more. Most of what the city told Richie was beyond the scope or ability of a small church to help with, but it was obvious that the city was thrilled that a local church was interested in contributing to the health and wellbeing of the community. They came up with some ways the church could assist, but then Richie asked a different question.

Not about a long-term partnership, but a short-term big idea: “what needs do you have that a group of 200 volunteers could do in a day?” It’s a question that most cities he’s worked with have been baffled by. Towns have come up with all sorts of ideas like planting trees along a trail development project, or beautifying a run-down section of city businesses by scraping and then repainting the trim or cleaning sidewalks.

When Ellensburg came up with an idea, Richie worked with the local church, some nearby schools, and the conference pathfinder club to show up in a big way on one day.

Being there. Showing up. And listening with compassion is the first step to understanding the need.

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Real ministry doesn’t start with a strategy—it starts with showing up.

II. A Need Is Shared, Not Demanded

Keep reading in Mark 1 verse 30:

Mark 1:30 HCSB

Simon’s mother-in-law was lying in bed with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.

Listening with compassion is important. It’s the only way that we get to know the heart-thirst of someone. But knowing someone that deeply takes time, and most of the time we’ll have all kinds of opportunities to help people with a “felt” need that they can easily tell us about.

In this case, Simon’s mother was sick with a fever. They just “told him about her.” Maybe they thought he could heal her, or maybe they were just telling him about their life because he was the kind of guy who cared.

Have you heard about the Hierarchy of Needs?

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In 1943 the psychologist, Abraham Maslow, suggested that there is a hierarchy to human need.

The first and most basic needs are those that have to do with physical necessities: Air, water, food, shelter, clothing, and sleep.

If your physical needs have been met then you can think about the next level—safety. Health and wellbeing, stability, financial security, and personal security. If you had to choose between being safe and eating, what would you choose? You’d choose food every day of the week. Guaranteed. If you had to choose between financial security and getting your children out of the cold rain tonight, what would you choose? You’d choose shelter from the rain even if it cost all you have and more.

If your physical needs have been met and you feel safe and secure, then the next level of needs is Love and Belonging. This is the need for friendship and community and romance and affection and family. It doesn’t matter if you’re homeless and hungry, everyone FEELS the need for love and belonging. But if your basic needs aren’t met then you will sacrifice love and belonging for the more essential things.

Above love and belonging Maslow put esteem and self actualization. These are the needs for recognition, competence and respect.

Maslow wasn’t trying to get at theology, but what his observations about human nature reveal is that we can’t appeal to the higher needs if someone is suffering more basic needs. If your body is wracked with sickness and you can’t get out of bed, then it won’t help if someone comes to offer you training so you can get a better job. The need for wellness comes before the need for increased competence.

This is true of spiritual things as well, with a caveat. If you ask someone to follow Jesus when they’re struggling to get food or keep shelter, then they will feel like you’re being disingenuous. You’re acting like you’d like to help them—like you really care—but how is knowing Jesus going to feed their grumbling tummy or solve the problem of safety or shelter?

And this is where the caveat comes in. You see, Jesus promises to help with those things. He absolutely loves and cares for and provides for people. And he does it in miraculous ways. At least, they are miraculous to the person who was praying and trusting in God to provide. But the mechanism God uses is very tangible—he uses people like you and me. Many people don’t know Jesus well enough to know to ask. All they see is a need in front of them and someone who is offering to help. If we only care about their spiritual needs which are up there with love and belonging and esteem, then many people think we don’t care about them at all. It’s like our scripture reading said,

James 2:15–16 HCSB

If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?

This is why we see ourselves as Jesus’ body:

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We are Christ’s Hands, Feet and Heart in Tri Cities.

When Jesus decides to work a miracle, we want to be the mechanism through which he works. When someone prayers for His help, we want to be His hands and Feet and Heart to answer that prayer.

When people feel safe with us and know we care, they will share their needs with us.

III. Jesus Responds Immediately and Personally

Let’s keep reading in Mark 1 verse 31

Mark 1:31 HCSB

So He went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up….

Jesus:

Goes to her

Touches her

Lifts her up

No sermon. No conditions. No delay.

This is ministering to needs in its purest form.

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Richie told the story of the Malden fire. In 2020 a fire blazed through the grass and trees of northeast Washington consuming 80% of the structures in the town of Malden. City structures and businesses and houses were all burned to the ground. Richie asked the pathfinders if they could come together and help and then went to meet with the city leaders to figure out how they could best contribute to their need. The man he met was Mayor Dan. He was really feeling the weight of having to rebuild an entire town from ashes. At the end of his meeting he and Cindy, the pathfinder leader who was with him, recognized Dan’s burden and asked if they could pray for him. He agreed and every time Richie has seen him since then Dan reminds him about that prayer. It wasn’t anything special, just a “God please help dan” kind of prayer, but it has been an anchor in Dan’s life ever since.

So Dan shared a few things and within 10 days of the fire Pathfinders were there helping clean up. The need was there and the pathfinders quickly carved out time to help. There have been several times that the local church and pathfinders and Upper Columbia Academy have helped in Malden. They raised money, they rebuild a city park, they cleaned up debre, and they landscaped several new houses that the Amish built for the community.

The Pathfinders were priviileged to be asked to be the first after the fire to raise the American Flag in the Malden city center.

They heard about a need, they went there, and they raised them up.

The timing might not always be convenient, and the work might get you dirty, but helping people in a time of need is worth doing.

Jesus doesn’t wait until it’s efficient—He responds when it’s needed.

IV. Ministering to Needs Restores Dignity, Not Dependency

Now notice what happened after Jesus raised her up. Still in verse 31:

Mark 1:31 HCSB

…The fever left her, and she began to serve them.

It’s Jesus, so of course she was healed. But pay attention to what she does—she served them.

Her service was not obligation—it was restoration. Jesus returned her to life, purpose and community.

Ministering to needs doesn’t make people smaller—it helps them stand again. It elevates a person’s dignity.

You’ve heard the saying, “Hurt people, hurt people?” Well, it’s also true that when love lifts people up, they often turn around and lift others up too.

V. One Act of Compassion Opens the Door to Many

Keep reading in verses 32-24 of Mark chapter 1:

Mark 1:32–34 HCSB

When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all those who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. The whole town was assembled at the door, and He healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. …

Quiet service to someone’s need often becomes a public witness. We don’t have to promote ourselves. The word spreads that “those are good people. They help.”

Love travels fast.

Richie told another story about the town of Tekoa. The Upper Columbia Academy principal asked Richie if he would help them adopt Tekoa as a mission project. He knew someone in the town and started to ask the questions about what a group of young people might be able to do. It started with cleaning up an old brick path and included a dumpster a roof for an older veteran and more. You’d be surprised what a group of a hundred people can do in a short period. This video tells some of that story:

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I love the quote from that young man who talked about being touched by Jesus and how you “want other people to taste that goodness…. you can’t help but share it.”

In the last two messages I’ve pointed out that fact that we can’t be effective at our mission to take the gospel to the world unless we prioritize relationships with the people around us rather than the product of the message we have to share.

In order for people to care about what we want to tell them about the gospel, they need to have confidence in us. They need to see us as credible witnesses of truth.

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We don’t build credibility by talking louder—we build credibility by loving well.

You might be tempted to look at the statistics—Jesus healed one person and then the whole town wanted to be healed. What happens if we help someone? Will we be obligated to help everyone?

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I was 11 years old in the summer of 1992 when hurricane Andrew hit the souther tip of Florida. The Adventist Community Services team in the Kentucky/Tennessee conference organized a group of people to help. A couple dozen volunteers drove down along with the conference’s disaster relief semi trailer.

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It was a disaster zone. The church that we were based out of was condemned because the hurricane picked up the roof of its sanctuary and set it back down again like a giant hand picking up the top of a lego set. The wing with the classrooms and the fellowship hall was still in tact so we used that as a place to sleep and eat and load up the semi trailer with clothes and food for the worst hit area; the city of Homestead. The government was dropping piles of canned goods and clothes from the backs of Chinook Helicopters because they couldn’t get help over land. But piles of clothes get moldy quick in the August heat and rain. So, that wasn’t very helpful. When people saw us taking clothes that were presorted by size with toiletries and food, they started to show up to help. We came with as much stuff as we could cary, but it was a drop in the bucket. As soon as people heard that we were driving into homestead they showed up to help. The FBI gave us a 7 car escort that stopped all the traffic at intersections and showed us the way to get there. Semi trucks from all over the country showed up at our church to drop off bottles of water, clothes and food. Within a few days we were a distribution hub for assistance in the region.

When we help someone, we often gain a helper. The more we help the less it costs because the burden is shared by an ever-widening circle of helpers.

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If you spend a Wednesday morning next door at our own Community Services food bank you’ll find out how true this is. Our church budget includes several thousand dollars to help our community services team run a food bank and a diaper bank. But if that was all they had to rely on for funding, we’d be able to serve a very small group of people. But because we have stepped out with our limited resources, others are willing to help. We have financial support for over $100,000 of food aid and our contribution to that is only a small percentage. We provide a space, cover the cost of vehicles and transportation and utilities, and then the majority of the funding comes from outside our church. We have a small team of helpers that are from our church, but people from all around see the need and come to help us serve. Every other week Tri City Adventist School’s upper graders come to help out for a couple hours. We have neighbors from around this church that help. Other churches have partnered with us. Our Community Services director is a member of the Richland Adventist church. Some people come from the Kennewick church. We even have mormon missionaries that are assigned to help us every week. They like to say its the best ministry they get to do each week.

Someone who serves alongside us is more likely to also join us in following Jesus.

When we see a need and offer to help, it’s often a good idea to ask someone to join us—even if they’re not part of our church. Maybe especially if they’re not part of our church.

VI. Ministering to Needs Without an Agenda

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Jesus healed knowing:

Some wouldn’t follow Him

Some would misunderstand Him

Some would leave later

And He still healed people.

We don’t serve because we want people to join our church or even because we want them to know Jesus. We serve because it is the right thing to do. Because that’s what Jesus did.

I’ve heard people consider the food bank and ask, “have we had any baptisms from the people we serve?” The honest answer is that, to my knowledge, there haven’t been any baptisms from our clients. But that’s not why we serve.

We serve because we love. And when we love well, people will follow. Maybe not the people we serve. Maybe not in quickly. But we must love regardless of the outcome, because God is love and all who worship God will love too.

Our Mission is this:

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We exist to be disciples of Jesus who develop new relationships, share Christ’s love, and celebrated transformed lives.

We don’t ignore the desire to see people’s lives transformed, but our mission is intentional to not suggest that we can do the transforming. When a person’s basic needs are met, their hearts and minds can be opened to the beauty and love of God. That’s when they can experience true transformation. The drunken become sober. The hateful become loving. The indolent and lazy develop purpose and competence. God transforms them. And we get to celebrate as we see our friends and neighbors facing life with new enthusiasm, faith and love.

Conclusion

Some of the most Christlike moments in our lives will never happen on a platform preaching a sermon or door-to-door handing out literature.

They’ll happen in kitchens.

In living rooms.

In driveways and disaster zones.

When Jesus took Peter’s mother-in-law by the hand, He didn’t just heal her fever. He showed us what love looks like when it’s close enough to touch.

The Conference is offering 400 people a $100 grant to show someone outside these church walls what love looks like. It’s an initiative called Kingdom Assignments. Anyone can do this—kids or adults. The idea is that you look around you and find a need. Then ask God if that’s His Kingdom assignment for you. If He impresses you to take it on, then with a little seed money from Kingdom Assignments, show some love and help with that need.

A few years ago The Church in the Valley in Langley, British Columbia gave 30 $100 bills to members of the congregation challenging them to use is to do an act of kindness to someone outside the walls of their church. One young lady knew about Emily, a little girl that was receiving treatment for leukemia in Vancouver, and she determined to use that $100 to raise at least $15,000 to help the family in their challenging circumstances. Here’s a video about what her young adult Sabbath School class did:

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Can you imagine playing soccer for 24 hours—in the rain!? The enthusiasm of those kids was so contagious and the Spirit of God was working. In spite of the rain lots of people still showed up to play and lots of people pitched in to help. Their goal was $15,000 but they raised $21,000. That $100 seed money was transformed into a day of friendship making and fun, and they were able to give $20,000 to the family in need.

If you have a kingdom assignment and need some seed money to get your mission off the ground just go to serveonemore.org/kingdom to make a request. And if you have a service idea that needs a little oomph behind it, please let me know. There are always resources for good ideas.

Speaking of resources… We often have requests for emergency financial assistance, or for help with a project that someone is not able to do themselves or pay someone to do. When we do these projects we take it out of our benevolent fund. Right now there is one of our members whose house has siding that is falling apart. She needs some new T1-11 siding and some paint and her park’s management has given her a timeline to finish that in. We’re planning on pulling together a team of workers—and our pathfinders if we can arrange it—to do a little carpentry and painting. If you’d like to help with that project, please let me know. And if you have the funds to help, please mark an offering envelope with the word Benevolent, or give online and find our Benevolent fund category.

You may not be able to meet every need.

But you can meet one.

One more act of kindness. One more person lifted up. One more moment where love becomes visible.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Do you want to follow Jesus? If you do, please stand with me and sing our theme song, The Jesus Way