“Just as we are called to personal evangelism, so we are called to personal service. Jesus, we are told, both ‘went about …preaching and bringing the Good News,’ and ‘went about doing good’ (Luke 8:1; Acts 10:38). All Christians should follow his example… Both personal evangelism and personal service are expressions of compassion. Both are forms of witness to Jesus Christ. And both should be sensitive responses to human need. The evangelist seeks to discover the principal point of felt-need-for example, a sense of guilt or shame or fear, moral failure, personal loneliness, a lack of self-worth or significance, domestic unhappiness, a hunger for transcendence, lack of education, social repression, or demon activity. Similarly, a person’s social needs may range from the physical (food, clothing, shelter or health care), through the psychological (anxiety, alienation, emotional unbalance) to the economic (poverty, illiteracy, unemployment).” (J. Stott, ed., Lausanne Occasional Paper 21: Evangelism and Social Responsibility, 1982)

Jesus, in his ministry, met people’s felt-needs (healing, feeding, teaching, etc.) but offered so much more by being our Savior and thereby satisfying our ultimate need. In the OT, the Lord presents himself as the Lord who heals, or the Lord who provides, etc. (cf. names of God such as “Jehovah Jireh,” etc.), but we are called to direct people to the One who embodies all those names of God together-Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

To You alone our praise belongs! Christ exalted over all!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6V2_EIEuG8

-JP

Deuteronomy 8.1ff  - “Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness…For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams… with fountains and springs… a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking…

“But that is the time to be careful!Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God…For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in… and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery…”

“Further, by seeking to serve people, it is possible to move from their ‘felt-needs’ to their deeper need concerning their relationship with God. ‘…[I]f we turn a blind eye to the suffering, the social oppression, the alienation and loneliness of people, let us not be surprised if they turn a deaf ear to our message of eternal salvation.’ We are aware of the danger… of securing converts only because of the physical benefits we offer. But we have to take this risk, so long as we retain our own integrity and serve people out of genuine love and not with an ulterior motive. Then our actions will be ‘not bribes but bridges-bridges of love to the world.’ (J. Stott, ed., Lausanne Occasional Paper 21: Evangelism and Social Responsibility, 1982)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHCSeSu57eA

-JP

John 6:26ff - “Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you…’”

We spend so much energy and resources in trying to better our lives… to feel better, to improve our standard of living, to be more comfortable or successful, etc…  Spend your energy seeking eternal life!

“What had happened to [Augustine] can happen to others because every human heart is the same in this way. ‘I am not alone in this desire [for the blessed state of happiness], nor are there only a few who share it with me: without exception we all long for happiness… All agree that they want to be happy…. They may all search for it in different ways, but all try their hardest to reach the same goal, that is, joy.’ This is a great common ground for doing evangelism in every age. Deeper than all ‘felt needs’ is the real need: God. Not just God experienced without emotional impact, but rather God experienced as ‘holy Delight.’ …’He is happy who possesses God.’ Not because God gives health, wealth, and prosperity, but because God is our soul’s joyful resting place. To make this known and experienced through Jesus Christ is the goal of evangelism and world missions. ” (J. Piper, The Legacy of Sovereign Joy, p. 70)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyxJw71N5Jg

-JP

Luke 7:50 - “Jesus said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’”

The notorious sinful woman who wept at Jesus’ feet was probably just looking for acceptance or comforting words. Jesus surprises her, along with the surrounding religious experts, by revealing that her faith has saved her! What kind of faith is this?

When we are filled with God’s love for others, we are naturally concerned with their felt-needs: self (loneliness, anxiety, addiction, etc.), relationships (family, co-workers, social life, etc.), circumstances (work, tragedy, illness, etc.). And for most people, this is the reason they first start seeking God because they are seeking a solution for their felt-needs. But considering people’s ultimate need of salvation in Christ helps to rightly prioritize their felt-needs. As Christians, we must help people to have a “faith that saves” (Luke 7) and not just a “faith to feel better” or “faith for better time management” or “faith for practical help.” Having a faith that saves allows us to “go in peace” no matter what our condition or circumstance. More than a one-time solution to our current problem, Jesus offers to be the Savior who walks with us through all life’s concerns.

We’ll sing Your praise forever! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqnRj1N4blA

-JP

Matthew 9:2 - “Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’”

Upon seeing their faith, presumably for healing, Jesus immediately says, “Your sins are forgiven.” What did Jesus see when it says he “saw their faith”? Do you think this is the response the men expected from Jesus?

“If the exhibition of God’s glory and the deepest joy of human souls are one thing, then evangelism means depicting the beauty of Christ and his saving work with a heartfelt urgency of love that labors to help people find their satisfaction in him. The most important common ground with unbelievers is not culture but creation, not momentary felt-needs but massive real needs. Augustine’s famous prayer is all-important: “You made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace till they rest in you.” …The gospel is not the good news that God makes much of me; it is ‘the gospel of the glory of Christ.‘ …Our evangelistic task is not to persuade people that the gospel was made for their felt-needs, but that they were made for the soul-satisfying glory of God in the gospel.” (J. Piper, Captive to Glory, p. 10)

When we come to the Lord with our needs, many times we come away with more than we bargained for… and that’s a good thing! Christ is more than a healer, he is Savior and Lord!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrlN8Yjl6PQ

-JP