Meet needs, bear fruit

 

And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful. - Titus 3:14

 

There is a lot of simple and practical advice here. Remember Paul is advising a young church planting pastor of things he needs to teach the church.

 

Here says two good works here. He says remind them to:

 

Do good works

Bear fruit

 

The nice thing is that the two of these go hand in hand. If we do good works we are going to bear fruit. Jesus laid the principle down when He said ‘let your light so shine before men that they may see your goods and glorify your Father who is in heaven.’ People see our good works, God is glorified, and people are drawn to Him.

 

In fact, it looks here like the only way to bear fruit is to meet people’s needs. He our day and time we, to a great extent, have left that up to the state. There is nothing wrong with paying taxes so that people can survive in society. We can’t be aware of every need so there has to be a basic protection.

 

But is not their job really. It is our job to feed the poor and destitute. It is our job to protect the weak and the suffering. Before we condemn the state we must ask ourselves what we are doing about it.

 

Meeting peoples need, physical and spiritual, is the way to bring them to Jesus.