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This past Friday, I invited a few single friends of mine over to make some freezer meals! These were special freezer meals…for they were to be given to a needy family in our church. The mother is bedridden with high blood pressure nearing the end of her pregnancy, while having five children currently to care for. The baby has a hole in his heart and will need surgery right away. They are also in the process of adopting five Liberian children, coming to the States any time. Please consider praying for the Klement family!

Why not have some productive fellowship and make some meals for this family? A great way to minister from my home and bring a few others along for the ride!

Here are some pictures from our days adventures! I had another friend, although not pictured, Holly, who came and helped me shop for groceries and begin the cooking process in the morning.

My friends, Megan & Anna

Putting all the toppings on!

Megan, myself & Anna

The finished product resulted in six freezer meals, even more than we expected! We made two each of chicken enchiladas, shepherd’s pie & Chicken Divan (broccoli, rice, chicken casserole). And they all had to be gluten-free as well! And they were oh so good! We even had enough for the three of us to enjoy a little dinner at the end of the day!

Know of anyone you could minister to in this way? Why not include others and have wonderful edifying fellowship! Little ones can be included as well!

While reading Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller together with my husband this evening, we came across these thought provoking quotes:

“Mercy to the full range of human needs is such an essential mark of being a Christian that it can be used as a test of true faith. Mercy is not optional or an addition to being a Christian. Rather, a life poured out in deeds of mercy is the inevitable sign of true faith.” - Tim Keller

Am I walking out my faith in demonstrations of mercy to those in need? Is this shining forth as a sign of my salvation?

“To give largely and liberally, not grudging at all, requires a new heart; an old heart would rather part with its life-blood than its money. Oh my friends! Enjoy your money, make the most of it; give none away; enjoy it quickly for I can tell you, you will be beggars throughout eternity.” ~ Robert Murray M’Cheyne

Do I have that new heart that gives largely and liberally without grumbling? Lord, that is my prayer!

“The gospel is the gospel of the kingdom, and unless we give our hearts to Jesus as king, we have not given them at all. The ministry of mercy is expensive and our willingness to carry it out is a critical sign of our submission to the lordship of Christ.” ~Tim Keller

Every Christian is called to be a deacon, who is to wash the feet of others in humble service. How can I be a deaconess/minister of mercy in some way this week?

If you haven’t read Crystal’s post and all the lovely comments on the topic of woman doing ministry, check it out here. I think it is so important to see the value of our role as wives and mothers, and that this is a season for us to focus in our training up our children and serving our husbands. I also like to balance that with looking for opportunities to serve others together from our homes, especially as they get older. That is why I have been posting ideas in our Blessing Others section (and I need your help, as I am running out of ideas!). Our first priority and mission field is definitely our husbands and children, but there are small ways that we can seek to bless those around us. Keeping our priorities in balance is the key. If we don’t have that right than we should go no further. God bless you sisters as you are pursuing your mission field!

This is my final post in the Growing in Christ Together series. To view part 2 click here, part 1 click here.

Acts 2:41-46
“So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer…[they] had all things in common…sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by dad continuing with one mind in the temple, breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.”

3. PRAYER

The apostles and the brethren of the early church were devoted to prayer. Devoted means: zealous or ardent in attachment, loyalty, or affection. They were wholehearted in their love for praying together and individually. They refused to give up on the discipline because they fully understand the benefit and value of it. That is a zeal I long for! How do we grow in our love for prayer? I think it takes the discipline of just doing it and asking the Lord to remind and prompt us of its importance. Just like as we read the Word, if we continue in prayer, our love and joy for it is ever increased.

Here are a few ideas for becoming more purposeful in prayer:

1. Pray during those minimal tasks you do around the house: driving, doing dishes, washing the floor, etc. Or you could use prayer prompts: every time you put your make-up on you pray for your husband, every time you wash the dishes you pray for our country. Whatever works for you! You can see what works for me here.
2. Pray immediately with someone who mentions a prayer need over the phone or face-to-face. Don’t put it off by saying, “I’ll be praying for you”. Nine times out of ten we forget about it when we get home or get off the phone. This takes a lot more thoughtful effort, but aren’t we all so much more encouraged and blessed when we are finished?
3. Pray a blessing over your guests as they leave your home.
4. Make a weekly prayer list that you could post in a specific place with needs of those in the church or friends. Maybe in the bathroom, over the sink, in the car, over the changing table.

Prayer is a powerful way we can serve our family and the church body, being used for the furthance of the kingdom without even leaving our home (that is, unless you are doing it while driving !

4. SHARING WITH OTHERS

Individuals were fully and willingly sharing of their resources with others as needs came up. No one was lacking anything! Before we were married, we were encouraged to write out a marriage purpose statement. In it the Lord encouraged us to set aside a certain percentage of our monthly income for the express purpose of giving to a family in the church who had a need. This has been one of the greatest blessings! Each month we pray that the Lord would show us who we could give this money to, and every time we are able to give a gift of love along with a note letting them know we are praying on their behalf. We are having so much fun we can’t stop doing it even when our budget has changed up and down over our marriage.

IN CONCLUSION …

The world was seeing such a beautiful witness and the early church was flourishing! If the body of Christ was more deliberate in these manners in our day, would we see more new believers coming into the fold? Only the Lord is sovereign over that, but I believe we need a renewed vision as families for the world to see a movement of love, prayer, devotion to the Word, hospitality, and giving to others for the growth of the church and the kingdom of God!

Several years ago, my family decided to renew our heart for giving and the true meaning of Christmas during the holiday season by giving a special gift to a needy family. There was a family suffering in the church at that time with a newborn girl that had several serious physical problems and therefore, they were suffering greatly. We decided we wanted to give a physical outpouring of blessing upon this family. We went out together and picked out Christmas gifts for each of the other several children and surprised them with these gifts on Christmas Eve. It was such a wonderful time together to serve this family with the love of Christ and the body. From then on our families became very close friends. I treasure this experience as one of our most purposeful and meaningful Christmas traditions growing up. We received the true joy of giving!

How can we treasure the gift of Jesus’ coming this Christmas? Consider giving a gift to Jesus in a similar way, especially as Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birthday. Noel Piper says in her book, Treasuring God in Our Traditions, “One of the unusual things about Jesus is that when we give a gift to him, other people benefit.” Consider how you can refocus on the true meaning of Christmas by setting aside some of your budgeted Christmas funds as a gift for Jesus. With children, they can participate by doing extra chores to earn money/wages for the Jesus gift.

‘And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’” (Matt. 25:40)

Decide now if there is a needy family, relief agency, missionary, or local ministry that your family could give to. Start praying on their behalf. Get creative. Maybe you could serve them in a particular way if you do not have funds to give. We can all seek to give a gift to the Giver of Life and receive great blessing and joy in return!