How about these scenarios? You go to a member of the clergy for help – but the minister won’t help you because you’re not a member of that parish or congregation. You ask a teacher for help with your homework, but the school has a policy against helping students who are wearing the wrong kind of clothing.

It may seem impossible, but situations like these play out nearly everyday. Somebody decides not to provide the help that is very much available – all because of money or gender or race or because someone holds power over another.

We cannot imagine such a thing happening in Jesus’ Church – can we? We’d never deny someone the opportunity to pray – would we? We’d never kick someone out of our church because they had issues – would we? We’d never shun someone because they were different – would we? Oh – we might call people into accountability for their actions, and we might demand a change in behavior if someone was caught in some kind of sinful behavior, but we’d do it out of love – wouldn’t we?

If someone came to your home today asking for a cup of cold water or a decent meal – surely you wouldn’t turn them away. . . would you? Especially your brothers and sisters in Christ – those of us who have surrendered our lives to the Master – surely none of us would ever deny clothing or food or assistance during hard times. . . would we?

The harsh reality in this world is that people do not naturally help others. It’s in our nature to watch others struggle while we do nothing; it’s in our nature to look out for ourselves.

If I asked you right now to take a $20 or $50 bill our of your pocket and give it away to the first person you encountered, I’ll bet that your initial reaction would be along the lines of: “I’m not giving away what is mine!” It’s only through being taught that we begin to change our nature from "selfish" to that of a “servant.” That teaching may come from being forced - as in slavery or servitude. It may be expected of us in our employment, and therefore we learn to give aid as a part of our job – like as a waitress or a chauffer or a gardener. It may be that we learned our lesson in the school of “hard-knocks” where we struggled - and someone came along and helped us, and we began to see the strength that comes from being helped and then helping others in return.

Vernal Simms grew up in a rough Boston housing project called Columbia Point, in a family of nine children. Through junior and senior high school Vernal was a hardworking student, but paying for college seemed like an impossible task.

His mother's favorite expression was “Pray, and the Lord will make a way somehow.” Vernal felt God’s call on his life to go into ministry, so he believed God wanted him to go to college and seminary – so he had no other choice but to believe that God would make a way - somehow.

Vernal Simms packed for college and even went to orientation, but still didn’t have any of the money he’d need to enroll. After only a few days there, he’d have to pack up his belongings and make the hundred-mile trip back home.

But something happened. God made a way – through an heir to a corporate fortune who heard about Vernal Simm’s plight and heeded God’s promptings and paid for Vernal’s entire college and seminary education.

After Vernal graduated, he went to his benefactor’s office to thank him – once again – for all he had done for him. Pastor Simms asked him what he could do to pay him back. Imagine a young, fresh-out-of-college pastor saying to a multimillionaire, “What can I do to repay you?” The man responded, “Help others.”

Vernal Simms has spent the last 25+ years in the ministry with that goal in mind. He’s pastored in the drug-ridden, crime-infested inner city as well as well-manicured suburbs, and he’s learned that helping others is like a boomerang of blessing from God; every time he’s tried to help somebody, the Lord has blessed him.

A good way we learn to give aid to others is through experiencing someone’s kind assistance – and then finding that desire to give that same aid to others. We can read about helping – talk about helping – hear sermons about helping until we’re filled up with information about helping and giving aid to others and being a servant. . . but the best lesson comes when we jump in and help someone and learn to show the love of Jesus to a lost and wandering world.

A Chinese Christ-follower tells of owning a rice paddy next to one owned by a communist man. The believer irrigated his paddy by pumping water out of a canal, using one of those leg-operated pumps that looks like you’re seated on a bicycle.

Every day, after the Christ-follower had pumped enough water to fill his field, the communist would come out, remove some boards that kept the water in the Christian man’s field and let all the water flow down into his own field. That way, he didn’t have to pump. This continued day after day.

Finally, the believer prayed, “Lord, if this keeps up, I’m going to lose all my rice, maybe even my field. I’ve got a family to care for. What can I do?”

The Lord put a thought in his mind, so, the next morning he arose much earlier, in the predawn hours, and started pumping water into the field of his communist neighbor. Then he replaced the boards and pumped water into his own rice paddy. In a few weeks both fields of rice were doing well.

What’s more – because of the Christ-follower’s willingness to give aid even to his one-time adversary, the communist neighbor came to know Jesus as His Savior and Master!

Turn in your Bible to James 2:14-17. Read the words of instruction from James, the brother of Jesus:

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:14-17)

We’re not going to get anywhere in this faith journey if we learn all the right words but never do anything to serve God and serve others. Merely talking about faith is no indication whatsoever that a person really has any faith! When we come face-to-face with someone we love who is in great need, and all we do is talk about the weather or give them platitudes like “Well – that which does not kill us makes us stronger” or “We all go through things like this for a reason” or “Bloom where you’re planted” but do nothing to meet their needs or give them any kind of aid that will really help them – what does that say about our faith or about our Christ-likeness? Encouraging talk that has no real help attached is not faith – it’s a form of cruelty and is no better than being a part of the enemy!

In 1 John 3:16-20, the Apostle John tells us that this is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. John takes this instruction one step further. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.

When we’re doubting if all of this is real – if we’re hurting or uncertain or scared about our faith journey. . . when our own hearts start to betray us and make us doubt ourselves or condemn us as fakes or phonies – we can know we belong to Christ by how we love with our actions! That’s the ancient wisdom we glean from Scripture: Words mean less than actions: be a servant in all you do.

Jesus sacrificed his life for us – so we’re called to live sacrificially for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We are not just out for ourselves. If you see a brother or sister in Christ in need and you have the means to do something about it – but all you do instead is turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, then God’s love is nowhere in sight. It’s evaporated. It’s non-existent.

Jesus taught us: “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42) The smallest act of giving or serving makes you an “apprentice” of Jesus – someone learning to be just like Him.

Jesus also said: “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:37-38)

A good measure – pressed down – shaken together and running over. The measure you use will be used to measure it back to you. It’s not just the kind of measure – but the technique. . . the degree of effort put into the pressing down and shaking together and running over!

My mom would send me to camp with extra underwear and socks and an extra pair of tennis shoes shoved and packed and pounded into my duffle bag. It wasn’t empty and loose – it was heavy and straining at the seams and overflowing. She wanted me to be OK – prepared – comfortable – safe. She overwhelmed me with provisions. That’s the way God wants to bless you!

We’re to give and to serve and to help – because it is evidence of our faith and our position in Christ. . . but we’re to give and serve and help with intensity and purpose and intentionality. And then GOD gives it back to us – only with a bonus! We can never out-give or out-bless God! Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back – given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity, and the depth of your giving and serving is the measurement God uses to give back to you.

Jesus wants you to know the pleasure that comes with having the heart of a servant. He wants you to feel the fulfillment that comes from lending assistance and giving aid. He wants you to experience the excitement and blessings that come from doing a good turn, and the warm glow of helping someone in need. You are called to be ready to give aid wherever and whenever you see a need – especially within the family of God.

The Bible instructs us that when you give or serve or help someone – you will receive from God. . . of the same quantity and quality you used – plus more! Right now – think of someone in your life who needs help. Who are they? What kind of aid do they need? Take time right now to pray for them and ask God to show you how you can give them aid. Maybe you don’t know of anyone in need. Take the time to pray that God will bring someone to you that you can help – someone you can serve.

Our ancient understanding gleaned from Scripture tells us that words mean less than actions; we must learn to be servants in all we do.