Category Archives: Benevolence – Caring

Training Category: People Helping Ministry

All believers are called to come alongside of other people to help in time of need. Check out: Reasons to Help

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Gal. 6:10)

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Heb. 13:16)

Yet, there will be those who, by virtue of their spiritual gifting, should focus their time, energy, and resources into helping ministries above and beyond that of other believers.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working but the same God works all of them in all men. (1 Cor. 12:4-6)

Spiritual Gifts Those Involved in People Helping Ministries Might Have:

Click on links below to learn more about the various ways to help people using the different spiritual gifts.

Exhortation:

• counseling
• crisis intervention
• support groups

Mercy:

• comforting those who grieve
• providing relief assistance

Service:

• assisting people with their physical needs

Giving:

• provide finances or material goods to assist those with physical needs
• help in time of crisis

Hospitality:

• visiting the sick or shut-in

As people with these spiritual gifts come along side of others to help in practical ways, showing the compassion and love of Christ to those in need, they must realize that sometimes in addition to “deeds” of kindness, what people need is for someone to simply “be” there with them. People helpers would therefore do well to sharpen their listening skills regardless of what role they take in helping others.

Some people may not have the primary people helping spiritual gifts but may nonetheless have a passion toward these areas or toward people in need. They could fulfill leadership or administrative roles within these ministries. They could be teaching and training others to do the work. They could be praying for the ministry. These believers may not be in regular contact with the people in need but still hold integral roles in this kind of ministry.

The People Helping Ministry Manual includes the above content plus a simple spiritual gifts test that assesses only the gifts primarily used in a people helping ministry … the five spiritual gifts mentioned above. You’ll also find definitions for each of these gifts with possible uses in this kind of ministry.

Sometimes an atmosphere develops within a church where you need to look like you have it all together to appear spiritual. People can sometimes feel like others will judge them as having sin in their lives if they don’t appear “blessed.” The truth is, however, that loss, disaster, and hardship can hit anyone … those walking close to the Lord and those out of fellowship with Him (Matt. 5:45).

Two Ways to Help People Release Their Fear or Pride in Asking for Help

1. We need to build environments within our churches where people feel safe to be honest. Part of that is understanding God’s design for the church as one of interdependence as seen in all those one another passages of Scripture.

2. We need to make our life together more about the Lord than ourselves. When the focus is on Him, we become humbled rather than proud. Remember Isaiah’s experience of going into the throne room of God. His response was woe is me (Isa. 6). In a place of humility before God we realize that we are no better than the next person. We all stand in need of grace.

Perhaps you are not in a position to do something about the overall state of your church but it has to begin somewhere. Are you a safe person for people to be around? In other words, can people honestly share with you without feeling judged or demeaned? As much as lies within you, are you extending yourself to others in love and compassion? Are you exemplifying a life of both grace and truth? Are you being authentic / honest about your own needs? Are you taking time to get to know people in your sphere of influence? Are you observant of those around you? Are you taking initiative to ask people what is happening in their lives?

Sometimes we don’t know because we don’t ask. Some people who appear too proud to say something are just waiting, hoping somebody will notice, hoping somebody will ask, hoping somebody out there cares. If we wait for people in need to come to us, it just may not happen. We need to take initiative and step into their lives as they will allow us to do so. Of course, if people remain closed, we can’t force our help on them. But, we certainly can pray for them.

Check out the People Helping Ministry online training, and ministry manual, for different ways you might be able to help others.

Learning to do good and share sounds like a kid thing. I remember, when teaching a children’s class, the struggle they often had when there was only a limited number of items of a kind and they had no choice but to share. What about times they had choices?

We adults have learned some social graces we might not have had as children but if we are honest, we still struggle to do good and share, particularly in situations where it isn’t required.

Do not forget to do good and share with others.

The command in Hebrews 13:16 to not forget to do good and share is applicable to all of us. Such an exhortation suggests we might be prone to neglecting to do good and share with others. Think about how easy it can be to get caught up in the busyness of our own lives that we become oblivious to the needs of others. We might not intend to be so self-absorbed but it happens.

If you are someone heavily involved in ministry, perhaps you are tired of all the neediness out there or maybe you don’t want to extend yourself beyond what you are already doing. The reminder still applies and is further substantiated in verses like Galatians 6:9-10 — “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

What It Means to Do Good and Share with Others:

Since this is a two-fold command, we would do well to consider the meaning of each command.

To do good literally means to do well, to be beneficent. This could take on many forms of kindness toward others. Our goodness emulates the character of a good God (Matt. 5:45-46; 3 Jn. 1:11). And so, in being good to others, we are being His hands and feet in extending His love and compassion toward others. Further, Jesus said “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” and “whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (Matt. 25:34-46). Jesus takes the way we treat others personally. Being good toward others is a means of serving Him, not just the person in front of us.

To share comes from the Greek word koinonia which we usually translate as fellowship, pertaining to what we share in common. We often think of fellowship as verbal sharing but it is so much more as confirmed in Romans 12:13 — “Share (koinoneo) with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” When we truly understand our spiritual bonds in Jesus, that which we share in common, making us members of one another (Rom. 12:5), we should be more open to sharing on the physical level as well. The early church obviously got this connection as we read in Acts 4:32 that “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.”

Why Doing Good and Sharing is Important:

When we give of our time and resources and are willing get out of our comfort zones or be inconvenienced to help others, we bless God — “for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Heb. 13:16). Why? His Son sacrificed His life for us. When we turn around and share with others sacrificially, we honor Him.

Hebrews 13:16 begins “AND do not forget to do good and share with others” which would connect it to verse 15 — “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.” Doing good and sharing with others is a form of worshiping God. We worship not just with our lips but also by actions that please Him. Further, when others see our good deeds, we are letting our light shine, causing them to also “glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

• Training People Helping Ministry
• Resources for People Helping Ministry
• People Helping Ministry Manual

Sometimes it seems easier to close our eyes to all the pain and sorrow around us. Certainly it can be more convenient for us to ignore what we see. And, it is more comfortable to not let ourselves feel for people and respond to their needs.

But, is compassion, for the believer, optional? If we want to be Christ-like, then we must answer no, that it is not optional. We must both feel compassion and respond, as we saw in a previous post.

If we get beyond the example of Jesus, we will find Scripture, like Colossians 3:12-14, that lets us know that compassion is more than an option.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Why Compassion Must be Seen as More Than an Option:

1. Compassion is an identifying mark of belonging to God, who is “the Father of compassion and God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3).

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people”

Compassion is not reserved for people with the spiritual gift of mercy. Rather, if you are one of His, you are to be compassionate regardless of gifting, personality, or background.

“clothe yourselves with compassion”

Compassion is something that is outwardly manifested, something we put on that others around us can see and thereby know that we belong to Him.

Also Read:  Consideration & Compassion Showcase God’s Love for People

2. Compassion is the logical reaction to who we are in Him and His love toward us.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved”

We are set apart to live according to God’s standards and to love as He loves. He is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Cor. 1:3-4). Compassion can’t help but grow out of holiness and knowing how much we are loved by God.

3. Compassion is commanded which means it is not an option.

“clothe yourselves with compassion”

We must be intentional about putting on compassion. We don’t wait until we “feel” moved or when it is convenient or comfortable for us.

4. Compassion is an expression of love, the Greatest Commandment.

“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Compassion, along with kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness helps define love as seen in 1 Corinthians 13. If we are going to fulfill the Greatest Commandment, we must be clothed with compassion.

For more:

• People Helping Ministry Training
• People Helping Ministry Resources

People helping ministry sometimes gets labeled as a compassion ministry.

But, what is compassion?

If we were to do a word study in Scripture, we would find that English translations sometimes use the Hebrew word “racham” and the Greek words “oiktirmos” and “splanchna.” All of these words refer to the inward parts, specifically the bowels or the heart, seen as the seat of emotion. Hence, we read of having a “heart of compassion” or “bowels of mercy” depending on the translation. Different versions interchange compassion, mercy, and pity.

Hence, we might conclude that compassion is a feeling we have toward someone. But, if we look at Jesus to define compassion, we will conclude that compassion is more than a feeling.

Observations about Being Compassionate Using Jesus as our Example

People did not have to bring their needs to Jesus for Him to have compassion on them, although sometimes that is what happened. In many of the recorded cases of Jesus having compassion, we read that He reacted in response to what He saw.

• Are we seeing the people around us with the same eyes as Jesus?
• Are we proactive based on our observations or do we reserve our compassion for those who come to us with a need?

Varying needs invoked compassion within Jesus, both physical and spiritual. Though Jesus “came to seek and to save the lost” (Lk. 19:10), He genuinely cared about the whole person. He didn’t simply address the physical needs to tap into the spiritual. In the case of the feeding of the multitude (Mk. 15:32), He had already been teaching them for three days. He was, at that point, simply concerned for their physical well being as they traveled home.

• Are we authentic in our concern for others or somewhat manipulative?
• Are we unconditional in our concern for others or do we tend to put stipulations on people?

Some sort of action followed Jesus’ compassion. He saw the need, felt compassion, and then responded.

• Are we more than talk, not just saying we care about people, but backing up our words with what we are able to do?
• Are we moved enough inwardly that we can’t help but outwardly express it?

The response depended on the need. Jesus did not slap a spiritual bandaid on every need. If the people were physically hungry, he fed them. If they were sick, he healed them. In regard to spiritual needs, he pointed to prayer in one case but taught the people in another passage.

• Are we willing to give people what they need in the moment or do they have to first jump through spiritual hoops?
• Are we flexible enough to adapt to needs or so locked in to procedures and programs that we miss what is truly needed?

 How Christ-like are you?

For more:

• People Helping Ministry Training
• People Helping Ministry Resources