Grace Connection: Putting Matthew 25 Into Action

Grace Connection is “a ministry of local churches that seeks to lovingly aid people over the hardships of life by connecting with them in the name of Jesus Christ, and to help provide assistance when and where other agencies are not available.” How do they accomplish this task? The organization contains a broad scope since “assistance when and where other agencies are not available” might be interpreted and applied more than a hundred different ways. Grace Connection is intentional about the broad mission and truly takes their responsibility seriously. The website bullet points the following as only some of the services they provide monetary assistance for to those struggling and in need within their community: clothing, emergency prescriptions, shelter, hygienic items, emergency food, and transportation for emergency situations such as a doctor’s appointment.

The Grace Connection website features Luke 6:20-21 as the organization’s key Scripture; “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled.” However, the services they offer (I would argue), is often overlooked by many Christians and that is the warning in Matthew 25:34-46. Jesus rebukes those who do not feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, visit the sick, come to the prisoner, clothe the naked, and quench the thirsty (v. 35-36). The key verse is 40. After asking when Jesus was hungry and not fed by the people, He broadens the scope and proclaims that “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to Me.” That sentiment works both positively and negatively. Those who fed the hungry fed Jesus and those who failed to clothe the naked failed to clothe Jesus. These are temporal, but nonetheless real human needs, and Jesus assigns eternal consequences for such actions. “He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (v. 45-46).

Grace Connection answers the call of Jesus. They feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and even apply Jesus’ words to today’s context beyond what the Lord commanded by providing transportation to healthcare. These Christians are exemplary role models of how to serve a community, no matter how small, and encourage me (and hopefully now you) to diligently serve the needs and repair the damage of the brokenness of the world—one of the most basic entrepreneurial intuitions.