There are some difficult verses in the bible, for sure, text that not only commands us to work out our salvation with "fear and trembling", but also provide the substance of such diligence. We learn in
Matthew 7:21-23
about what the NIV version labels as "True and False Disciples", whereby somehow all of our loud professions of Jesus and all of our works may be of no avail, may be deemed as unrighteous, may be judged as works of iniquity.
We learn also from
Matthew 13:1-23, in what is known as "The Parable of the Sower", that although we might receive the gospel with belief and even excitement, our little seed of faith can die off prematurely, burnt up or choked, more or less because of apprehension that is driven by an attachment to the world. Thus, we might believe, yet are not faithful.
In these things, we find that it is our perseverance of faith that separates the true disciple from the false.
Even then, we know by
James 2:17
that faith without works, as the King James version puts it, is dead. So we are, insomuch as we are concerned with working out our own salvation, challenged to cultivate faith from our belief, and then be moved to carry out righteous deeds that keep our faith alive. With this idea in mind, it is our effort to develop outlets that perpetuate our living faith.
We know from
Matthew 28:16-20, in The Great Commission, that we are commanded by Jesus to "go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you". We know also, from
Ephesians 1:10, that the mystery of the will of God is "to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ". Coupled together, these verses explain what we are to do and what we are working toward.
In
John 21:15-19, Jesus commands Peter to feed His lambs and to take care of His sheep. In
Matthew 25:34-36, we are taught the following:
"Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
Knowing already the "what" and "why" of outreach, now we learn the "who" of it.
We view service with the perspective of both personal development and kingdom expansion, meaning our ministry inherently involves internal and external ramifications. As such, the Community Outreach Ministry seeks to establish and develop initiatives that accomplish these two outcomes:
a) To form service opportunities for our brothers and sisters in Christ;
b) To spread the good news of salvation across our community.
To these ends, the Wylie Northeast Community Outreach Ministry has formed the following areas for development:
Community Events Projects
Community Events Projects are those that involve general staging of our folks in a publicly accessible area. Examples include, but are not limited to, barbecues, car washes, sports tournaments, open-air worship services, and the like. The events are attractions rather than impositions.
Infirm Care Projects
Infirm Care Projects are those that utilize our volunteer pool to bring the gospel out to people who are hospitalized, under hospice care, or otherwise confined due to physical incapacity.
Indigent Care Projects
Indigent Care Projects are those that involve helping the impoverished to obtain food, clothing, hygiene, first-aid, companionship, and shelter. These projects include food drives, clothes drives, feasts, individual focus programs, and other creative undertakings.
Elderly Care Projects
Elderly Care Projects are those which pertain exclusively to serving the seniors in the community. These efforts seek to connect with such people in private residences, retirement communities, senior centers, and nursing homes.
Addictions Recovery Care Projects
Addictions Recovery Care Projects are those which reach out to folks who battle with drug addiction. These projects involve bringing the gospel to Rehabilitation Centers, Halfway Houses, 12-Step Groups, and private residences.
Family Care Projects
Family Care Projects are those which reach out to families distressed by divorce, disability, incarceration, death, and the like. We also want to engage with military families and other families distressed by absence due to occupation. Such care might include companionship, child care, meal preparation, residential maintenance, and more.
Prison Care Projects
Prison Care Projects are those that deal with convicts confined to the penal system. We seek to bring the gospel to those who are incarcerated, and this can be accomplished by general visitation, personal visitation, or indirect communications such as mailings.
Rescue and Liberation Projects
Rescue and Liberation Projects are those that reach out to people trapped in or attempting to flee from cults, gangs, prostitution, slavery, domestic abuse, or any other kind of tyranny.
Emergency Response Projects
Emergency Response Projects are those which involve providing aid when catastrophe strikes. Such projects may include food drives, clothes drives, provision of first-aid supplies, bible distribution, general fund-raising, temporary housing / shelter, and more.
The Wylie Northeast Community Outreach Ministry is active in partnership with neighboring churches and ministries in creating and developing service opportunity.
Please let us know how we can serve you in serving others!