A deacon in a local church drove
a van that took the youth to an old-age home to hold a worship service every
month. In the first week, while the youth were leading out, an old man in a
wheelchair grabbed the deacon’s hand and held it during the service. This
happened month after month. One time when youth group came, the man in the
wheelchair was not there the staff said that he would not likely live through
night. The deacon went to his room, and he was lying there, obviously
unconscious. Taking the old man’s hand, the deacon prayed that the Lord would
deliver him to life everlasting. The seemingly unconscious man squeezed the
deacon’s hand tightly, and the deacon knew that His prayer had been heard. With
tears in his eyes, he stumbled out of the room, bumping into a 7 woman who said,
“ I’m his daughter. He’s been waiting for you. My father said, “once a month
Jesus comes and holds my hand. And i don’t want to die until I have a chance to
hold the had of Jesus one more time.” Adapted from The Least of These, a video
produced by Old Fashioned Pictures (2004).
Christianity is about becoming
“Jesus” for somebody. The next several lessons will focus on aspects of Jesus’s
ministry method and how His church can live out His ministry.
So, now we are going to learn
about how Jesus mingled with people.
We know that Jesus has a mission.
His mission is absolutely to save the
people in this world. And his first job is Mingling with people. Jesus has to
mingle with people to proclaim that he’s gonna be their savior. But it’s not
easy to interact with people. Christ need to make some methods. And he did it.
Let’s check about his method :
1. Jesus mingled with people as one who desired their good. ( He opened networks ).
2. Jesus
sympathized with people ( He formed attachments ).
3. Jesus
ministered to their needs ( This also formed attachments.)
4. When
he combined the first, second, and third elements, He won people’s confidence.
5. “
Then bade them, “Follow me”( to become disciples ).
What we see here is a wholistic
model of gospel. This is the method that will guide us in proclaiming the
gospel more fully. Jesus didn’t separate the social aspects from giving
invitation to follow Him. All of the steps will give us the true success.
Further, as Jesus mingled with
people during his ministry in Earth, He encountered situations that revealed
His sympathy and compassion for them. We can see what Matthew told us about him,
“ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed
their sick “ ( Matt. 14 : 14 ). In this case Jesus showed his sympathy. He came
to them and healed them. As we know in the further story that Jesus made a
miracle. He fed 5000 people only with 5 breads and 2 fishes. Imagine how could
it be ? I wanna tell you something that love and sympathy can make everything.
So did Jesus.
The word sympathy also brings to
mind other related words, such as empathy and pity. According to some
dictionaries, compassion is pity, sympathy, empathy. Pity is sympathetic sorrow
for one’s suffering. Empathy is the ability to understand or share the feelings
of others.
Compassion and sympathy show that
we not only understand what others are suffering but that we want to help
alleviate and fix the suffering. Jesus didn’t just show sympathy, but he showed
compassionate action! And now, we are called by his grace to show our action to
people.
Recently, there were wars in this
world, especially in Middle-East. They fought each other, killed each other. I have
been touched when i saw the victims. Children were dead, the young were killed,
and many others have been threatened. They lost their home, family, treasure,
money, food, hope, and everything.
When they realized that their home country
didn’t save anymore, they were looking for place to be their shelter. The place
without wars, without cry, and definitely without dead. Then they became
refugees.
And now i am gonna say that
refugees are human like anyone else, like you and me. They had ordinary life
before the war. The kids studied at school and usually played together on the
ground. Mothers did their jobs in the house. Fathers worked in their working
place. Can you imagine how they miss their last activities. And now their
biggest dream is not about treasure, cars, nor wealth anymore. Their biggest
dream is totally live normally again.
Europe is the safest place so
far. The EU opened the boundary in order to let the refugees come in to Europe.
Refugees traveled over the continents to Europe. They were in unhealthy
condition while facing the danger, sailed through the ocean, walked thousand miles
without vehicles.
So now, the question is how can
we help them and how can we reach them ?
We already knew, Jesus has done
His Job in this World. So, we are the next generation to do His job. We are
chosen by God right now. God wants us to mingle with them, to help them and to
show them that they are not alone anymore.
The United Nations World Refugee
Day was in June 20. I’m so grateful because this is a warning to us to give our
sympathy and empathy. According to The World Refugee Day, Adventist Church
showed the response. The Adventist Church Refugee Day was on Sabbath, June 18.
There were bulletins, videos and, posters in the Church. Adventist Magazine
which are called Adventist World, has written some amazing story about
Refugees. And now i would like to re-write some stories.
The Personal Vision of The
Refugees and The Volunteers
1. AAMIR
:
“ I came from
Afghanistan, and i would go to Germany. My family and i made a journey for a
month. Once we went by car, bus, and ship, and now we are in the train. We were
lucky because we got a good ship and comfort to us. The ocean was `calm and we
arrived safely. In the journey we have heard a rumor that we might not be stay
in Germany forever and would be refused to Afghanistan. But for a chance to get a
better life, we are ready to take the risk.”
2. ERHOVNIC
:
“ I have been a
volunteer since the beginning of the refugees’s crisis. I have been retired, so
i have a lot of time. Beside of that, i am so happy to work for the people, and
the other volunteers here have spirits.
“ i worked 3
times a week, 12 hours per shift. In a custom week we worked in a whole day,
and the next week we worked in a long night. Everyday, we have different
experiences. We saw beautiful things, but there were some terrible day too.
Those days made scars in my mind. “
3. SAMI
:
“My whole family
left Syria since 2 years ago because of war. Those 2 years was not easy for
us. My father was a clever Engineer, however he could not get a job in Egypt.
Therefore we have decided to search a lucky life in Europe.
“And now, we are
expecting to build a new life in Germany. We want to learn Deutsch in order we
can learn and study”
The stories above show us about
spirits. They built a new spirits in a bad circumstances. Even the volunteers,
they felt happy too. They inspired us to help the sufferers, mingle with them.
Last time i had a experience. And now i would like to tell that story :
Last time, i met an old granny. Her
name is Mbah Mini and she is 80 years old. At that time, i took pity on her. She
couldn’t go home because she had no money. When i looked at her, i was very
surprised. Her right eye couldn’t see anything anymore. In other words she is
blind. She told me that she had an accident years ago. And her eye was
ruined. Even though she got a treatment
in Hospital already, her eye couldn’t be recovered. Day by day which she has
passed, felt so dark. She didn’t even know that the place where she was
sitting, was filled of ants. She could only feel it. I almost cried, while she was telling me that her husband have passed away 10 years ago. And now she is staying
with his daughter’s family. Although her children got a work, she didn’t want
to stay at home and doing nothing. With the weak physic she would still to help
her children whose life was hard also.
Every day she got a pedicab and
went to a gas station where she usually sells her foods. Her foods are crackers
(kerupuk), beans, and tape. On that day the costumers were not much as usually.
So the foods were still a lot. Then i bought all of it. I gave her my money for
the foods and didn’t take the changes in order she could pay the pedicab when
she going home. She said that her daily income is 60k rupiah. But it would be
cut by pedicab’s fee. Imagine how small her income.
I got a lot of lessons from mbah
Mini. Even though she has been old already, she has to live, stay, and fight. She
is passionate, strong and never surrender. Even her life is hard, she can be
grateful. Her physically body might be weak, but her heart is still strong. From
her experiences, i was called to be grateful, passion, and never surrender. It is different with my habit that I am selfish, lazy, naughty, arrogant and ungrateful. She was
very happy when i helped her. She said that i am good boy. At time i was very
happy too. I actualized what i learned in the Bible and became a Jesus for her.
From this thought i persuade you
to be becoming Jesus for somebody. Let us mingle with them, reach them, help
them, and becoming their savior. Every little things that you give can be worthy for them. Because Jesus has given a lot to us. And it’s
our turn to give the oppressed and the sufferer a helping hand to make a better world until His second coming.
I have a dream that someday i can
stand in crowded place. I am busy with my equipment to help the people. Yeah i
wish i could be a volunteers in Europa and help the refugees. Amen !
