Dr. Dan Coflin
Pastor, River of Life Church
“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 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.” (Matthew 25:37-40 ESV)
Whatever your understanding of this portion of scripture might be, one thing is certain. Jesus takes personally what we do to and for others. The Bible is full of admonitions to take care of the poor, the needy, the outcast, the rejected, and afflicted. Healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing the leper, and casting out demons may be a challenging command for many believers, but there should be no hesitation for anyone who declares that Jesus Christ is Lord to feed, clothe, and house those in need.
The Bible teaches us that we are the Body of Christ on the Earth. Jesus is declared to be the head of the body (Eph. 1:22,23). He is not just the leader, superintendant or CEO of the organization that is called his church, but Jesus is the head of the body and you and I are members of this body. We are the arms and feet that function at the will of the head. Jesus may be seated in heaven, but his church is upon the Earth to carry out his will.
The Apostle John writes, “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?” The primary way people will see Jesus in action, meeting their needs and answering their prayers will be through you and me.
I am grateful for the many ministries that reach out to the poor and needy and for the businesses and individuals that give to support such ministries. Many people have devoted their lives to help others in need whether it be to open shelters for the homeless, provide the needs of the elderly, or be the voice of reason and decency to protect the unborn.
I personally, as does our church, take a strong stand to protect the unborn, however, we cannot advocate against abortion if we are not helping the unwanted children that are born or their mothers that may be in a crisis or unplanned pregnancy. So let me introduce you to Embrace Grace.
Dr. Dan Coflin and his wife Dianne co-pastor River of Life Church at 410 E. Chapman Rd. in Lutz, FL. 33549, (813) 949-9931, www.roltampa.org We would love to invite you to visit River of Life Church. Our lively worship begins at 10:30am on Sunday. We are a non-denominational, spirit-filled ministry. Please honor us with your visit. We would love to have you!
Embrace Grace is a program where women with an unexpected pregnancy are welcome to come and meet together with others in need of help during and after the birth of the baby. This group meets once a week to watch a helpful video presentation, encourage one another and find spiritual, emotional and physical help.
If you are interested in participating in this program or would like to sponsor a woman, please contact River of Life Church. Embrace Grace meetings are already in progress on Wednesday nights beginning at 6:45pm. There will also be a community meeting for businesses in the north Tampa/Lutz area for a meet and greet in the church annex building on April 25th from 5:30 to 6:30pm.