Share the Gospel by Meeting Practical Needs

I once heard a story about an evangelist in Russia, who was walking around telling people, “Jesus loves you. Jesus loves you.” He was handing out Gospel tracts, and one lady said, “You know what? Your sermon and Gospel tract isn’t going to fill my belly.” See, sometimes we need to show people God’s love by meeting their physical needs and then we can share the Gospel of Christ.

Jesus spoke about the importance of meeting people’s physical needs. In Matthew, He said that when we feed the hungry, or give water to the thirsty, or clothe the needy, or care for the sick, it’s like we’re doing those things for Him. He showed us how helping someone in a practical way can create a wonderful opportunity to share the Gospel with someone.

When someone can see God’s love in action in a real way in their own life, it is much easier for them to believe our message that God loves them.

So what does this look like practically? It could start with something small, like giving a hug to someone nearby who feels unloved. From there, you could go on to support ministries that help the sick, thirsty and hungry. Maybe you could volunteer at a soup kitchen or outreach in your community or take a mission trip to serve the needy in another country. The possibilities are endless when you make a decision to serve others not only through words, but also through practical action.