April 19, 2024
Pastor Darin Youngberg
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Daily Bread
Posted on Monday, February 19, 2018 by Bro_D
Daily Bread February 19, 2018
1 John 3:17-18 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? (18) Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.
This was a focal verse in our Bible study yesterday morning. It amazes me how the LORD will lead us again and again to His precepts that need to be focused on. The first gatherings of the first church in the book of Acts gives us a great picture of the very thing John is describing -- Acts 2:44-47 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. (45) And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. (46) And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, (47) praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. --- Now that is the church in action! ---- And… And…. Check out what the LORD does as His people follow His precepts …. Adds to the number of those being saved …. DAILY! How awesome that must have been!
What caught my attention this morning was verse 47 in Acts .. .”having favor with all the people.” The church can get a bad rap in a hurry these days. All it takes is one wrong word at the wrong time, one bad act…. Even a simple slip of the mind and forgetting to visit or reach out to someone and …. BAM… the church is full of hateful people who really don’t care. There is a way to overcome --- there is a way for the Body of believers to actually have a good reputation in her community --- by being the Body that really loves one another. John says that we really love one another when we see a need, realize we can meet that need and then actually do it! This happens quite a bit at FBCO. Just recently I counted half a dozen needs quietly met in one week – not even really a full seven day week --- actually it was in a 3 day period! If you go to our city hall, we are known to be the church that will come to you in your time of need. We may not always be able to fully meet every need, but we do all we can …. And we have a pretty good reputation in our community. That wasn’t always true.
Many church folk tell me, “Pastor, I just don’t know what I can do.” Let me give you a hint … look around, look for the need, if you can meet it … DO IT. If you can’t, why not see if you know of someone who can, and then hook the two up … when you do that …. You are actually meeting the need – and by that you reveal the love of God that abides in you.