"Doin Good."

MESSAGE GAL: 6: 1-9. . DOING GOOD.

“ARE YOU DOIN GOOD?” ….. “I DON’T MEAN ARE YOU DOIN GOOD YOURSELF PERSONALLY”…. “BUT ARE YOU DOIN GOOD TO OTHERS?”

AS CHRISTIANS WE ARE CALLED TO BE DOIN GOOD WHICH WILL INVOLVE MINISTERING TO OTHERS IN A DIVERSITY OF WAYS…….. MEETING NOT ONLY PRACTICAL NEEDS AND ALLEVIATING SUFFERING AND PEOPLE IN HORRIBLE CIRCUMSTANCES BUT ALSO MINISTERING TO THE SPIRITUAL NEEDS OF ONE ANOTHER AND THOSE AROUND US BY CONFRONTING SIN, PREACHING CHRIST, TEACHING THE WORD, BUILDING OTHERS UP , BRINGING LOVE GRACE AND TRUTH TO IMPACT ON THE LIVES OF OURSELVES AND OTHERS.

• IT WAS JOHN WESLEY WHO ONCE SAID, "DO ALL THE GOOD YOU CAN, BY ALL THE MEANS YOU CAN, IN ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN, IN ALL THE PLACES YOU CAN, AT ALL THE TIMES YOU CAN, TO ALL THE PEOPLE YOU CAN, AS LONG AS EVER YOU CAN."

I BELIEVE THAT IS A FAIR ASSEMENT OF WHAT WE ARE CALLED TO DO AS CHRISTIANS, "DO ALL THE GOOD YOU CAN, BY ALL THE MEANS YOU CAN, IN ALL THE WAYS YOU CAN, IN ALL THE PLACES YOU CAN, AT ALL THE TIMES YOU CAN, TO ALL THE PEOPLE YOU CAN, AS LONG AS EVER YOU CAN." I BELIEVE IT’S A FAR ASSESSMENT OF WHAT SAMARITANS PURSE ENDEAVORS TO DO, LISTEN TO SIMON BARRINGTON DIRECTOR IN THE UK OF SAMARITANS PURSE…….

"OUR APPROACH TO MISSION AND DEVELOPMENT IS TO BOTH PROCLAIM AND LIVE OUT THE GOSPEL IN PRACTICE WHERE EVER WE GO. TO FOLLOW JESUS EXAMPLE OF MINISTERING TO THE WHOLE PERSON: BODY, SOUL AND CIRCUMSTANCE.

WHETHER PEOPLE LIKE TO CALL THIS ‘INTEGRAL MISSION’, ‘HOLISTIC MISSION’ OR JUST BEING A CHRISTIAN, WHAT MATTERS IS THAT EVERYONE WHO COMES INTO CONTACT WITH SAMARITANS PURSE AND THE CHURCHES WE WORK WITH ARE TOUCHED BY OUR LOVING GOD. THAT TOUCH MAY COME IN THE FORM OF ACCESS TO SAFE WATER, AS PRACTICAL CARE FOR SOMEONE AFFECTED BY HIV AND AIDS, OR IT MIGHT BE SPIRITUAL SUPPORT THROUGH FELLOWSHIP AND PRAYER. THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT SAMARITANS PURSE IS SEEING PEOPLE IMPACTED IN ALL THESE WAYS AND MORE."

SAMARITIANS PURSE IS DOIN GOOD, IT IS MEETING SPIRITUAL AND PRACTICAL NEEDS IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST AND SO I WHOLEHEARTEDLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO REALLY GET BEHIND THIS WORK OF OPERATION SHOE BOX IN 2009 AS IT IS SIMPLY ONE WAY YOU CAN BE DOIN GOOD AND IMPACTING THE LIVES OF OTHERS FOR GOOD. BUT THE CALL PLACED UPON US IS TO BE DOIN GOOD IN A DIVERSITY OF WAYS …

• LET’S READ GAL 6:1 -9.

HERE THE APOSTLE PAUL IS ADDRESSING THE CHURCHES IN GALATIA FOUDED ON PAULS 1ST MISSIONARY JOURNEY THE CHURCHES INCLUDED (ICONIUM LYSTRA DERBE ) IN CHAPTER 6. THE APOSTLE PAUL ENCOURAGES BELIEVERS TO BE DOIN GOOD! THE CALL GOES OUT ON A NUMBER OF LEVELS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF DEALING WITH SIN AMONGST THEM (1-5) IS DOIN GOOD. SUPPORTING OUR LEADERS FINANCIALLY (6 -8) IS DOIN GOOD AND GOOD WORKS TOWARDS OTHERS ESPECIALLY BELIEVERS (9-10) IS DOIN GOOD .

THESE CHARACTERISTICS ARE TO BE SEEN INTERACTING WITHIN THE COMMUNITY OF CHRISTIANS WITH SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE AND ENCOURAGEMENT AND HELP, WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE LOCAL CHURCH WITH FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR CHURCH LEADERS AND GOOD WORKS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE WIDER CHRISTIAN AND NON CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY. PAUL SEES ALL THIS SIMPLY AS A NATURAL FRUIT OF BEING A GENUINE CHRISTIAN, A NATURAL FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. FLOWING NATURALLY OUT OF OUR LOVE FOR GOD, OUR LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER AND OUR LOVE FOR OUR NEIGHBOUR TOO.

WE ARE NOT CALLED TO DO GOOD FOR GOOD WORKS SAKE, OUT OF DUTY OR BECAUSE WE SEE A DANGLING CARROT AS REWARD AT THE END OF IT, OR BECAUSE OF WHAT OTHER MIGHT THINK OF US, BECAUSE WE SHOULD BE DOING GOOD EVEN WHEN NO-ONE NOTICES. BECAUSE AT THE PROPER TIME YOU WILL REAP AN HARVEST IF WE DO NOT GIVE UP, BECAUSE IT IS GOD WHO NOTICES AND IT IS GOD WHO WILL REWARD YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO FOR HIM.

1. DOIN GOOD..... TO ONE ANOTHER AS BELIEVERS. V1 - 2.

a) BE CONCERNED ABOUT SIN V1

THE FIRST WAY WE CAN BE “DOIN GOOD” IS BY HELPING OUR BROTHERS/SISTER WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH SIN. WHEN A BROTHER /SISTER IS CAUGHT IN SIN THE LOVING THING IS NOT JUST TO ACCEPT IT OR TO IGNORE IT BUT TO BE CONCERNED AND SHARE THAT CONCERN (NOT IN GOSSIP TO OTHERS) BUT TO THE INDIVIDUAL IN QUESTION . WERE NOT CONFRONTING SIN TO BRING CONDEMNATION AND BANISHMENT TO THE BELIEVER , THE SIN ITSELF WILL BRING CONDEMNATION TO THE SPIRIT FILLED BELIEVER WHO IS IN SIN, THERE WILL BE A DEEP CONFLICT (GAL5:13-17). BY SHOWING A DEEP CONCERN AND CONFRONTING SIN IN ONE ANOTHER LIVES, OUR HOPE SHOULD ALWAYS BE TO BRING RESTORATION TO THAT PARTICULAR BROTHER /SISTER.