The Christian's Closet

We are Taking a One Week Break from Matthew to Talk about Something Very Exciting

If You Don’t Already Know, the Elders Have Allowed Our Ladies with an Open Heart Class to Start a New Local Mission Work

Typically, Christians Tend to Think of Mission Work as Something Far Away that You Send Money to…

But Don’t Actually Have to Get Your Hands Dirty

But this is a Local Mission Work that will be Funded by this Congregation and Worked by this Congregation

This Local Mission Work is Called “The Christian’s Closet”

The Lesson this Morning is Going to be Both a Sermon and an Explanation of What this New Mission Work is All about

What is the Christian’s Closet?

The Christian’s Closet is a Second-Hand Shop Where Everything is Free

We Tried Something for 2 Years Called “The Gospel Giveaway”

We Would Take Donations from People of Clothes and Things They No Longer Need or Want

Then We Would Have the Annual Gospel Giveaway and Invite People from Our Community to Come and Take Whatever They Need

But Now the LWAOH Have Renamed, Revamped, and Better Organized this Work

It will be Available Monthly Instead of Yearly

It will Have a Permanent Location in Our Windham Building

It will be Funded by the Contribution Just Like All of the Foreign Mission Works We Support

The Funding is for Racks, Shelves, and Clothing and Supplies that We Want to Provide for People that Aren’t Second-Hand

Why Take On This Mission Work?

There are Several Reasons We Believe The Christian’s Closet Will be Beneficial:

1. It Will Help Those of Our Community Who are Less Fortunate or in Need

If We Don’t Care about the Needs of Those Around Us, then We Shouldn’t Call Ourselves Christians at All

John the Baptizer Came to Prepare the People for the Kingdom of Jesus

Luke 3:11 (NASB)

And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”

In Order to be a Person Prepared for the Kingdom of God, You Must Care for the Needs of Others

And Jesus Himself Taught…

Matthew 25:34–36 (NASB)

“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’”

To Inherit the Kingdom of King Jesus, One of the Things We Must Do is Care for Those in Need

One of the Greatest of Kingdom Ethics is Loving and Caring for Others

God has Always Desired for His People to Treat Others in this Way

You’ll Find this All Throughout the Law and Prophets

The People of Isaiah’s Day Expected God to be Happy with Them and Bless Them Since They Performed Their Religious Rituals…

But God Tells Them What He Truly Wants from Them

Isaiah 58:6–7 (NASB)

“Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke? Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”

All Throughout the Prophets, We See How God Didn’t Desire Their Worship When it was Separated from Doing Justice and Taking Care of Those in Need

God Expects Us to be Helping Those in Need Around Us

The Christian’s Closet will be a Way for Us to Do that by Showing Compassion and Love to Our Community

2. It Will Be a Resource for Our Siblings in Christ Who are in Need

This was the Objective of Paul and Barnabas’ First Journey Together

They Were Taking Funds from the Congregation in Antioch to the Congregation in Jerusalem to Help Them in Their Time of Need

Paul Also Mentions in Several of His Letters that He is Gathering Help from Other Churches to Provide for Needy Christians

A Huge Responsibility of the Church was to Take Care of Their Own

Christians Would Often Sacrifice Some of Their Own Possessions and Money so Their Siblings in Need Would be Taken Care of

Acts 2:44–45 (NASB)

And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.

I’ve Gotten the Feeling from Some Christians that We Ought to Help People Outside the Church But Not Those Within it

That’s About the Silliest Things I’ve Ever Heard

The Church was to Be a Family that Provides for Each Other

Galatians 6:10 (NASB)

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

We’ve Had, Have, and Will Continue to Have Siblings in the Church Who are in Need

And the Christian’s Closet Provides Us an Effective Way to Help

The Christian’s Closet will Always be Open to Our Members to Browse for Whatever They Need

3. It Will Give Us Opportunities to Reach the Lost In Our Community with the Gospel

This Congregation Doesn’t Have a Regular Collective Evangelical Effort to Reach the Lost in Our Community

But with the Christian’s Closet, We Will

In the Past, Both Gospel Giveaways Brought Dozens of People in Our Community to Us

With the Better Organization and Frequency of the Christian’s Closet, We will be Able to Meet and Communicate with Hundreds

Some of You Maybe Thinking, “Yeah, but How Successful will this Work be? How Many Baptisms will We See from this?”

If that Question has Entered Your Mind, I Hope to Change Your Mind on What a Successful Mission Work is

Was Jesus’ Only Mission to Save Souls?

Or was Jesus’ Mission Multi-Faceted?

Did Jesus Only Help Those Who He Knew Would Become One of His Followers?

If Our Main Idea of a Successful Ministry is the Number of Baptisms it Produces, then We Have a Different Idea than Jesus

Let’s Look at Jesus’ Ministry and Learn a Few Lessons from Him on How to Have a Successful Mission/Ministry

At One Point in His Ministry, Over 5,000 People Followed Him Out into the Wilderness

Matthew and Mark Tell Us that When He Saw Them, He was Moved with Compassion for Them

Lesson #1: Be Compassionate Toward Others

Develop a Heart Within Yourself to See the Needs of Others and Want to Help

Luke 9:11 (NASB)

But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.

Lesson #2: Teach & Help

His Compassion Led Him to Teach Them about His Kingdom

This Involved Teaching the Good News God Ruling Over His People Grace, Mercy, and Forgiveness

But it Also Involved Teaching about the Amazing Community of People that the Kingdom is Made Up of and How to Become a Part of it

His Compassion Also Led Him to Help with Their Needs

Then He Saw Their Need for Food and Turned 5 Loaves of Bread and 2 Fish into a Meal for an Army

But Then We Read Something Odd in John’s Account

Jesus Hides from the Multitude and Even Walks on Water to Get Away from Them

When They Cross the Sea to Meet Back Up with Him, He Starts Telling Them Things that are Hard for Them to Understand

John 6:64 (NASB)

“But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.

John 6:66 (NASB)

As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.

Lesson #3: Have Compassion On, Teach, and Help Others Regardless of the Outcome

Jesus Knew from the Very Start Which Ones Didn’t Truly Believe in Him

And He Knew that They Would No Longer Follow Him Afterwards

And Yet He Taught Them, Healed Them, and Fed Them Nonetheless

We See the Same Thing When Jesus was Washing the Disciples’ Feet

He Washed the Feet of Judas Iscariot Moments Before Judas Would Leave to Betray Him

Having Compassion on and Serving Others Cannot be About Getting Something in Return

Luke 6:34–35 (NASB)

“If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

Jesus Helped the Needy Regardless of if They Would Choose to Make Him Their King

And Jesus Taught Us to Do the Same

So True Successful Mission Work is Not About Racking Up a Bunch of Baptisms

Though We Hope and Pray that Our Work will Lead People to the Grace of Jesus...

Truly Successful Christian Ministry is Having Compassion on and Serving Those in Need

4. It Will Give Glory to Our God

Everything We Do Ought to be Done with that Motivation

Matthew 5:16 (NASB)

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Our Works Ought to Point People to Who God Truly is

And We See Who God Truly is in the Person of Jesus

He is a God Who Loves to Help the Needy

The Early Church was Known for Their Benevolence, Compassion, and Love

But Nowadays, the Church Looks More like the Pharisees Who Wanted to Separate Themselves from the Rest of the World

We Want to be Known as a Church Who Truly Loves Our Neighbors and Community

We Want to be Known as a Church Who Practices What We Preach

We Want to be Known as a Church Who Tries to Live Our Lives Like Jesus

And When We Do that, God is the One Who will be Glorified

How You Can Help:

There are Many Areas in Which Each Person in this Congregation Could Find a Place in Helping this Mission Work be All that it can be

Volunteer to help organize items​

Donate used items & hangers​

Donate new underwear & hygiene products​

Help with heavy lifting & repair work​

Volunteer on days we are open to the public​

Help us advertise on Facebook​

Help us send cards to those who come shop​

Share ideas to improve this work​

Pray for success​

Or Talk to Norah and Ask Her What You can Do to Help

I Believe that this Work will Do Wonderful Things for this Congregation

But that’s Not What it’s About

It’s About Helping People

The Mission Verse of this Work is 1 John 4:19

1 John 4:19 (NASB)

We love, because He first loved us.