Simple acts of service are often underrated in western culture. As a senior, it’s easy for me to think and hope big, and hope I will have a big impact for the kingdom of God. If there is a time where I will do something crazy, or cool, or bring about some change, then awesome. But in the in-between times, in the times before that could ever happen, what am I going to do?
In Matthew 25, Jesus talks about the final judgment. And what he emphasizes the whole time, was simple acts of service. The Christian is called to pursue these wholeheartedly. Feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, clothes to the naked, and company to the stranger, the sick, and the imprisoned are all what Christ calls his people to do. In the memorable words of verse 40, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
Christians would do well to not forget this passage. Yes, I may want a fun and interesting ministry, but ministry should never be about me in the first place. It should be about the least of these, and the people forgotten, rejected, and unheard by society. After all, Jesus gave us his own example in the company he kept. We should all learn to be content in the opportunities to serve in front of us, and pursue them with the love that Christ pursued us with.
This is a great guiding passage when thinking about our goals for redemptive entrepreneurship. There are so many broken things in this world that need to be redeemed, that God wants to redeem, and that he wants to attend to through his body–the church. Of course the primary thing that needs to be redeemed is our standing with/relationship with God, but besides this Jesus also emphasizes the importance of attending to redeeming physically broken things like hunger and nakedness. There is so much potential to address these things in an innovative manner to bring effectiveness and dignity in solving problems, and in doing so we get to show people who Jesus is and how deeply He cares.
This is a great lens through which we should all look. To be concerned of one’s self when going into ministry is not what we’re called for. The focus should be on the ministry even if it is at the expense of ourselves.