The real Deal

Matthew 11:1-6

Have you ever wondered if someone who seems so perfect is the real deal?  If so you are in lock step with John the Baptist, and in John’s case he was not free to go investigate so he sent some of his disciples to Jesus, because he had heard from prison about the deeds of the Christ.  And this was the question they were to ask of Jesus; “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” The following is Jesus’ reply; “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

If you and I were to go and tell what we were seeing Jesus doing in our home, in our neighbor’s lives, in our churches, and in our lives, would anyone want to leave father and mother and home to follow Him?  If that is a question you have not considered, grab a tea or coffee and go away from the noise, and ponder on that thought.  Do I expect to see Jesus in the life of others who follow Him, not at church but at the market place, in the home, and on the golf course, or wherever I come in contact with them.  If not, then why, could it be your flesh has a strong hold in the world system, and you have lost your first love, that is, if Christ was your first love.

If you ask me that question, I would tell you about seeing Jesus in Jan as she serves me and others in our home and in our neighborhood, and how kind and gentle she is as she mentors girls at New Life each week.  I would tell you about my friend Craig Hearn who allows Jesus to use his lips to play a Saxophone for the glory of God, and that Christ in him is touching people all over an in many countries by setting them free from the chains of sin.  I could tell you about so many others who will never be noted by this world, but who are allowing Jesus to use them in the market places to restore marriages and families, and many who have a heart for the poor.

How often we miss the heart of God, and from the beginning of mankind God has spoken on this one thing, but many in the church have not heard.  As we read again what Jesus told them to report to John, what got your attention: “the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up."   Now be honest, was it that the poor have good news preached to them?  That’s not exciting, but if the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the dead are raised, that’s exhilarating, that stirs the fibers of our hearts, but Jesus said just as important, just as sensational is that the poor hear the good news.

So let me share about a man with that heart, the heart of Christ for the poor, or the under resourced as Ray often states.  Ray Still is my pastor, and Jesus is using him to touch the under resourced in many places in and out of the United States, but where I’ve seen with my own eyes, is in New Braunfels, Texas.  Because of Jesus living out His life in Ray, the following ministries are taking place in New Braunfels; one is Kids’ Club, and it began by seeing the need to serve at risk students who attend any of the eight NBISD elementary schools.  To do so, an old charter school in the downtown area was bought and rebuilt, to house and minister to the mind and soul of these under resourced children.  Next, came the purchase of a church across the street to be used as a Counseling Center and it’s goal is to minister to both the spiritual and to impact the mind and soul of any and all who come through those doors.  In the same area, Jesus used Ray and others to see the need for New Braunfels “Volunteers in Medicine Clinic.”  In Comal County over 25,000 residents do not have health insurance and forgo medical treatment.  It is a Christ-centered environment and the volunteers allow Jesus to use them with the low-income families to receive care they need, at no cost to the patient.  In the last few years, a food pantry was opened and we are partnering with Communities and Schools to identify those with the greatest needs.  Once more, it is Christ living His life through the people of Oakwood.

If I was to share all that I see Jesus doing through people, great things in and through them, this would turn into a book, and I’m sure this is way too long.  But let me tell you, I’ve seen Jesus, and He is alive and working on planet earth!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice