Inasmuch

I've spent a wonderful weekend at a missions conference in Fayetteville, North Carolina.  We have had the pleasure of quite a few great meals together, and I've been impressed with the catering company that has fed 1000s of people from Thursday night through Saturday lunch.  They have put out some pretty fancy meals with creative presentation.  I can hardly get four plates on the table for any given meal, so I applaud anyone that can do anything near 1000 for one meal alone!

During this conference, I've also had the pleasure of meeting a precious woman of God named Sue Byrd who heads a ministry called Operation Inasmuch.  This ministry serves hot breakfast to the homeless people of Fayetteville every morning.  The sweet thing about it is that they don't do this in typical "soup kitchen" style.  They serve these people in restaurant style.  They seat them at round tables and bring the food to them, offering them choices of certain items.  They love on these people and call them by name.  It is a phenomenal work of God's love.  The name for Operation Inasmuch came from Matthew 25:40 where Jesus is talking about reaching out to people in need...feeding the hungry...clothing the naked...visiting those imprisoned.  He says, "Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these, you have done it unto me." The people who volunteer for this ministry take this very literally and pour out their lives in service to others whose needs are greater.

I had the wonderful opportunity in my childhood to witness something very similar.  My parents planted an incredible church in Alabama.  The church had a few solid families who were firm in their faith and ready to share the love of God.  My parents saw the town's municipal parking lot and the motley crew that hung out there every weekend.  Drugs were bought and sold; people were bought and sold.  Things were rough there.  Any given weekend night, you could find my father there, loving people and telling them the Good News that Jesus had a better plan for their lives.  My mother would have been there, too, but she needed to be home with us since we were too young to be around much of what was happening. An amazing thing began to transpire.  The people that hung out there started to see that my Dad and those who went with him were serious.  They saw that these people would love and accept them as they were...that they wouldn't judge them or look down on them because of their brokenness.  Transformation began to occur, and it happened at a fairly rapid pace.  The love of God was overwhelming and sufficient to cover every one of their sins.

Our church exploded.  We had standing room only crowds.  The people who came grew at such speed, with great leaps and bounds, and they brought their friends.  It was a church plant like no other.  And it not only changed their lives but ours as well.  We were brought up on forgiveness and love.  We were taught that every single person on the planet is just as important as the next.  We were fed the transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we found it to be very satisfying!

There is something about God's love that knows no division of class, sect, religion, race, nationality...however you want to say it.  There is an equality in the Kingdom of God that is beautiful when applied.  Yes, the poor and broken may be the least in the sense that they don't have as much, but the people who surround us with such need are equally as important to God's heart as we are.   We have not all been called to start ministries that feed the masses, but we have all been called to do what we can for the people around us.  Food, while important, is only an entry point.  We should do all we can to prepare our hearts and serve the truth of the Gospel.

Feeding the masses with fancy food is an amazing and admirable feat. I applaud all who can accomplish something as difficult and taxing as a catering business!  But feeding the masses with the Bread of Life is life-giving and life-altering.  I pray that you will have the opportunity to share God with the people around you and see lives transformed.  "Inasmuch as you do it unto the least of these..."