Want to learn more about "The Least of These": Ministering to Those in Need? Use these Bible Studies for personal devotion, group Bible studies, or teaching a church class. Below are links to the lessons in this 13-part series.
Introduction: Welcome to a new series of lessons about our Christian obligation of mercy to those around us. The Bible calls for more than a simple-minded approach. Deuteronomy 28 teaches that faithfulness to God brings material blessings. That suggests that those needing help might have been unfaithful to God. At the same time, the Mosaic law contains several commands about aiding those who find themselves in difficult economic circumstances. That tells us that merit might not be the test for helping. The Job story and Hebrews 11 reveal that the general rules do not always apply. This past Sabbath I listened to a sermon about Jesus' story of the prodigal son ( Luke 15:11-32). I thought about this series of lessons when I heard Luke 15:16 - "no one gave [the prodigal] anything" when he was hungry. The result, in Luke 15:17, is that the prodigal "came to his senses." Would the prodigal have come home if some well-meaning person enabled his rebellion by giving him food? Let's begin our exploration about what the Bible teaches about our obligation of mercy!...
Introduction: How many times have you heard a political leader speak about how to make your country better in the future? How many times have you heard a local planner describe how to improve your local community? Our study this week suggests that if we want a better future, we need to ask God to guide us. God has set out some principles on this, so let's discover what the Bible has to teach us!...
Introduction: I love the Sabbath! My life is a series of deadlines. When I'm home, I have work to do on the house and the lawn. I'll bet you know what I'm talking about. When I was a young man, the pressure cooker of law school brought the blessing of the...
Introduction: "Justice" and "mercy" are words in natural tension with each other. It is justice to give you what you deserve! It is mercy (perhaps) to protect you from getting what you deserve. As beneficiaries of Jesus' great mercy, we need to be careful about how we ap...
Introduction: Prophets in the Old Testament held a special place of trust. Today, we have the Bible, but then much of God's instruction to the people came through His prophets. Let's dig into our study of the Bible and see what they teach us about God's will for the least...
Introduction: Imagine a friend who never listened to you! Your advice was unimportant. Your needs irrelevant. You might better have saved your breath then tell your friend what you like and what you dislike. Now imagine an employee like that. One who never pays attention...
Introduction: When we get a new boss at work, when we hear the speeches of candidates running for public office, we listen to see what they say they will do. After the boss has been running the office for some time, or the candidate is elected, we compare what they promi...
Introduction: We have a saying in the United States about "Bumper Sticker" responses, referring to slogans a person might put on the bumper of a car. You ask someone a question, and they give you a "bumper sticker" answer. "The least of these" is like a bumper sticker. W...
Introduction: This week we start our study with a report on what the very early Christians did with their property. Nothing like it is reported in the Old Testament, and nothing like it is ever reported again in the New Testament. Why is that? Let's plunge into our study...
Introduction: Do you sometimes feel "harassed and helpless?" You hear all sorts of different points of view and they cannot all be right. Even if you think you have the correct view, there are all sorts of people who think you are obviously wrong. Even if you are confident...
Introduction: If we think that we should live a life in accord with the teachings of the Bible and teach others to do the same, would the end result be a little more heaven on earth? Is that a reasonable belief? Or, is the presence of sin a permanent barrier to heaven on...
Introduction: Being a parent is sometimes wonderful, sometimes terrible, and always educational! In our quest to determine how we should relate to the "least of these," we have discussed conflicting points of view. How can you know what is the right view, the view God end...
Introduction: I'm sure that at some point you have been a new employee. What is the first thing your new employer did? Most likely, your employer gave you some sort of orientation. You needed to understand your role in the company and your specific job. Of particular impo...
