And an argument arose among them as to which of them might be the greatest. But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and stood him by His side, and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me; for he who is least among you, this is the one who is great.” Luke 9:46–48. Remember that phrase: “the least.”
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ ” (Notice that He is emphasizing “the least of them.”)
“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’
“Then they themselves also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that 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.” Matthew 25:31–46.
“And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you he shall not lose his reward. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.” Matthew 10:42, 41. When Jesus referred to the “little ones” in verse 42, he meant the humble folk. James describes the poor of this world as being rich in faith. There is to be no respect of persons among us (James 2:1–13).
God is blessing us because we are open to our brothers. We are a big family and there is no distinction among us, yet we must learn the true identity of the least. We have been diligent to take care of the needy and the unemployed within the Body. It is a stewardship in which we become completely devoted to the least of the brethren. We are supposed to respect our elders and pastors, and there is an honor which those who minister the Word should have (I Timothy 5:17); but we should also have respect for the least of the brethren, those who always have problems and need help. We will not simply gloss over their problems or ignore them. It may be contrary to sound thinking to involve ourselves with the needs of others, but it is a stewardship in God that we do solve such problems, that we condescend to men of low estate—not with an austere condescension, but with a real concern to see their problems solved. It would be unfair to bless only the ones who can preach well and do great things for God.
The amount of money given to a widow is not important, but the way in which it is given is important. In their care of the widows, the early Church was not just concerned about the equal distribution of food between the Hellenistic and the Jewish widows. The fact that they were all to share equally was not the issue. When the disciples chose men to serve the widows, they commissioned those who were full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. It was the quality of spirit behind the way they ministered that was important (Acts 6:1–3). The Church is not just a relief agency; it is the family of God. God’s principle is to bestow the more abundant honor upon the part that lacketh, that there be no schism in the Body (I Corinthians 12:24, 25).
Our dedication to the weak members of the Body, to the least of His brethren, is the basis of judgment in Matthew 25. Inasmuch as we minister to the least—to the most unworthy and undeserving members in the Body, to those who cannot do anything in return—we are ministering unto Christ. “The least” that Jesus referred to were in prison and hungry and naked. Human nature would teach us to think in terms of self-reliance and luck (every man for himself), but that is not the grace of God. The grace of God is based upon the fact that no one has anything in himself, and we open our hearts to help one another. The quality of response to the household of faith is very important. How could we ever live before God without a divinely inspired conscience for the brethren? How could we ever be content to eat a meal if our brethren had no food?
It is possible that the release of blessing to God’s people has not been greater because the strong have not been bearing the infirmities of the weak, and so fulfilling the law of Christ (Romans 15:1; Galatians 6:2). We must develop this carefulness for one another. If we do not, we will not be prepared for the emergencies of the period of tribulation and famine ahead of us. There must be a complete breakdown of self-centeredness within the members of the Body. The Scripture says, “Let every man look not only upon his own welfare, but also on the welfare of others” (Philippians 2:4). How can we help our brother? How can we see that he grows and develops and prospers? You may be solely concerned with taking care of yourself; however, we find that God takes care of the ones who reach out and take care of the interests of the Kingdom. That is what we are doing when we take care of the least of these His brethren.
We are concerned that the ministry not be corrupted by the financial blessings that will flood toward us in the days ahead. An unselfishness and a deep dedication must be worked in our hearts first. If we do not have this preparation, the blessings that will come will destroy our walk with God. The Lord is not limited to save by many or to save by few (I Samuel 14:6). If He so desires, He can supply our need by raining it down from heaven. It is in the mind of God that we be dedicated and prepared for the days ahead when financial blessings come to us. It is good that we have learned to sacrifice. The personal self-life with its material needs and desires must be absolutely meaningless to us.
Are you dedicated to help your brother and your sister? Are you dedicated not just to give money, but actually to become a supporter of the weak? This was emphasized in the New Testament. “In every thing I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:35. By working hard you help the weak. It is not that God is against loneliness, but He realizes that you have something to give and you are able to support the weak. A young man who is sent out to pastor a church may feel that he can get by without having a job; but because he must set an example for the young people in the church, he should get a job. There comes a time when you must understand what it is to “sweat it out.” Paul set an example for the churches by working with his hands. The spiritual leaders must set a good example, or there will be no order before the face of God.
Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep aloof from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we might not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, that you might follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone will not work, neither let him eat. II Thessalonians 3:6–10.
We are going to devote everything we have to the Kingdom, but giving it all away is not the answer; the Lord wants us to be faithful stewards and administer it carefully. We shall commit all to Him, and He will give us wisdom to know just what to do with it. We are not going to help one another after the mode of the government system of welfare. We must reach a man’s heart and help him to walk with God in an orderly manner. We really should help one another—and not just feel sorry for a brother because he is in need. We should share what we have. We must help to work within a brother that which is well-pleasing to the Lord. We must help him to stand on his own feet. Help which does not encourage him to discipline himself before the Lord is no help at all. We must take seriously what the Lord says about our dedication to the least of these, the ones who are always having problems. Some people in the Body may take a dim view of those who are continually having problems, but there ought to be some way to help them.
The older women are to teach the younger women to guide the children and to take care of the home (Titus 2:3–5). We are facing the fact that many of this generation who have come into Christ have had no discipline, no preparation, and no training. What happens to them? Suppose we send out an undisciplined young couple to pastor a church and the people meet for services in their home. Perhaps the wife cannot cope (basically because she is lazy). This did not mean too much before, but it does now. When the people come to services on Sunday morning, they see that the sink is full of dirty dishes, the baby has not been bathed, and the wife has not combed her hair. She mopes around, completely absorbed with herself. Such conditions ought not to exist. It is not enough for a man to be able to preach and sing like an angel; he must also be an example to the flock.
Let us face it—our job is cut out for us. Sometimes people have problems, and they become all absorbed in themselves. We must not give them the kind of attention that will feed this self-centeredness which keeps them from seeing the vision of the coming Kingdom. When they are all wrapped up in themselves and continually crying for help, we must help them properly, get them going for the Lord, and show them what they are supposed to be and to do.
Even the poorest of the flock today live better and have more opportunities than the kings and the richest of people in New Testament times. How many of the things that Jesus said are we still unprepared for? Are we still like the rich young ruler? What would you do if Jesus came to you and said, “Go and sell all that you have and give it to the poor; then come and follow Me”? There is not much point in arguing with such a demand. That Scripture comes to grips with the level of dedication you have in your heart to help one another. Are you completely open to take people into your homes and do what you can to minister to one another in hospitality?
God is saying, “Inasmuch as ye do it to the least …” It is easy to do it to the greatest, but to have that same dedication to serve the least is another thing. We are ministering to Christ when we minister to the least, to the perennial problems in the Body, to the people who keep backsliding, the ones who are erratic and undependable. We must not forsake anyone. Have faith for every man, regardless of how many times he falls. Keep believing for him, not just hanging on to him in some weak way, but constantly confronting him with the truth and the love that he cannot avoid. Help him until he stands on his feet as a child of God. We do not accept him as a perpetual spiritual cripple. We shall not let the lame be turned out of the way; rather we shall let him be healed (Hebrews 12:13).
“Receive a prophet in the name of a prophet, and you will reap a prophet’s reward (Matthew 10:41). This is not just honoring a man, but it is honoring God’s chosen vessel. If you can receive him by the revelation that he is a prophet, then there is a release that opens up revelation to you, because you are honoring God’s servant as you would honor the Lord. You will receive more of the Lord in the Word because of your submission.
“The poor may be poor in spirit or poor in this world’s goods, but God died for them, and there is a call of God upon them to fulfill. Your help, if it is given in love and with a vision, will be as ministry to the Lord. If you see them by faith, they will change. And if you see them with a vision that they are God’s creation to fill a specific purpose in the earth, you open up the fulfillment of your own walk with God.
“What is put in our hands is really not ours. It belongs to the whole Body, and we are only faithful stewards of it. As we begin to give with a purpose, we shall become free. Anything God gives to us is meant to be given to or shared with others. Love begets love; it increases. John 13:35 speaks of the love that is found among the true disciples. People will know that we are sent from God because we love the brethren.”