Walking among the poor, the broken, and the hurting people of this world and offering them hope for today is something I enjoy doing so much. My desire to minister in this way comes from the model of ministry that Jesus himself gave to us over 2000 years ago. Considering this was the only means of transportation in His day, He didn’t have much of a choice. However I do believe this is still an effective way to minister in our society. It takes boldness that stretches your faith, humility that gives you grace, and endurance that enables you to finish the race.
Ministering in this way gives me life. I am always eager to go, expecting God to move in powerful ways. He always does, whether through the operation of the gifts of the Spirit or by allowing us to help others in need. Let me share with you two brief examples…
While ministering in 5 Points Birmingham, I was approached by homeless man who asked if we knew any bands that needed drummers. He was an awesome drummer, he told us, and he needed work. As we began to talk with him, I noticed his elbow seemed to be stiff or in some kind of pain, so I asked if he was in any pain. He said no and so we continued to talk for a few minutes until I asked him another time, not fully convinced, if he was in any pain. This time he said that he was and that it was his elbow that was hurting him. I asked if I could pray for healing and he said sure. It took 3 or 4 times, and finally the pain was gone and he had been healed in a matter of minutes. Jesus is awesome.
Another time we had been ministering in the same area, it was around 2 or 3 in the morning and we decided it was time to leave. Before making it to the interstate to head home we spotted a young man who was most certainly intoxicated. He was stumbling on a street in downtown Birmingham, almost walking directly into on-coming traffic. We had to stop. We pulled over and ran after him. When we arrived we asked if we could help, however he didn’t understand and wanted us to leave him alone. We could not do that, so we walked a distance behind him, until he kicked a metal telephone pole that had been cut off near the base. I realized he only had flip-flops on and that could not have been good…
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