Service to the Needful

Go Deep

(Assorted verses on service to the needful)

Read Matthew 25:31-40. How does Jesus’ identification with “the least of these” challenge common assumptions (culturally and in the church) about those in need? What does this passage tell us about helping those in need?

What could (or does) “feeding the hungry, clothing the unclothed, and inviting the stranger in” look like in our daily schedules?

Read Romans 2:1-4. What does this teach us about being judgmental—both in and outside the church? If we look down on people who are in need, what does that reveal about our own need for God?

Read Matthew 7:1-2. Why does Jesus place such a heavy consequence on judging others?

What does guarding our judgments like on a day-to-day basis as we drive to work, eat out, go for a walk, go to church, etc.?

Read Proverbs 10:15, Proverbs 14:20. What do these passages teach about the social dynamics and differences of being wealthy or poor? Does our wealth truly belong to us, and if not, how should we steward our wealth?

Read 1 Timothy 6:17-19. What does Christ-like stewardship of our wealth (material or otherwise) look like in our day-to-day lives?

Read Luke 6:20-21. What does this passage teach us about the “upside-down kingdom”? Why is the kingdom “upside down,” and why does Jesus bless the poor rather than the rich in this passage?

Read 1 Corinthians 3:19-20. What does the “wisdom of this world,” especially our culture in the U.S., have to say about wealth and poverty? How does what the Bible says about wealth and the poor differ?

How have you seen the “wisdom of the world” overpower the wisdom of the Bible in how Christians think about wealth and poverty? What about in your own life?

Read 2 Corinthians 5:14-20. How does this passage connect serving the poor with the broader gospel mission? In other words, how does serving the poor make a difference for the gospel and for “reconciling” the lost with God?

What more can Cal Road do for those in need? What does a truly Christ-like church look like, not just in what it does, but in how its people treat each other and outsiders?