As Christians … We Help People ... Go To HeavenSample

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Go to Heaven ...

As Christians ... we help people. That’s a good place to stop, right? Well, lots of folks do stop there, but God doesn’t mean for us to. You may be fearful to take the next step or overly mindful of risking offense. But Christians ... should be helping people ... go to heaven.

Sure, there are times when we “plant seeds” that someone else will water; but the ultimate goal of our help should be eternal, not temporal. First, we must meet the felt need. But we shouldn’t stop there. We should take the risk and say, “I helped you today because Jesus has helped me so much. He wants to help you, too, more than this coat or sack of groceries can. Can I tell you about Jesus, and how you can know Him?” If he or she says a big fat no, then say thank you and that you will pray for him or her. (Then do it.) If the person says yes, then the aid you gave has prepared him or her to hear more about why you helped. Tell the story of how you trusted Jesus, and invite the person to do the same.

One of the most vibrant ministries of our church is a center with a clothes closet and a food pantry. With Scotty Sanders at the wheel, this center has won local honors for its above-and-beyond service. One award declared our ministry to be the best food pantry in the city, secular or religious.

What happens at the clothes closet and food pantry? A church member greets folks who come to the center and helps them shop with dignity for what they need, and then he or she helps the person assemble a bag of groceries. Another volunteer shares the plan of salvation. Some folks say, “Thanks but no thanks,” and that’s okay. But others—more than 1,000 people a year—enter the kingdom of God because someone demonstrated the love of God to them through temporal things and then told them how they could be eternally saved. Tens of thousands are in heaven today because before they took their last breath on this earth, a Christian helped them and loved them enough to tell them why.

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Some people just want to preach and some just want to serve. We need both serving and preaching! The combination of the two brings real, lasting impact!

 You can get Gregg Matte’s book by clicking on Finding God's Will.