Standing Alone

Colossians 3 addresses how we are to radiate the character of Christ, which is expressed from within, out of a heart that loves Jesus:
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

Because we love God, we have the capacity to love others - He desires that we take the focus off ourselves and place it on Him and doing His work.  That will involve developing compassion for those in need.  And, the needs are all around us.  As we are sensitive to the indwelling Spirit, we can rely on Him to show us how we are to act.  Sometimes, that will involve acting alone - and perhaps in our display of love, others will see that and become engaged, too.

+++++

In Matthew 25, we read the teachings of Jesus regarding "the least of these."  And, the reference to the final verse in this passage actually is the name of a ministry in Illinois that the central character in our story co-founded:
37 Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
40 And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

Standing alone has the potential to get attention and enact lasting change.  I think of Joyce Im Bartholomew's story on my radio show yesterday - her pro-life video had been banned from YouTube, and so she took legal action against the Internet behemoth.  Even though she initially lost her challenge, others who had experienced restrictions came forward, as well.  Ultimately her video was allowed to be posted.  You can watch it here.

Until 2016, Greg Schiller had been with the ministry he co-founded, Matthew 25:40, in Elgin, Illinois.  After his resignation, according to a story on the Christian Headlines.com website provided by WORLD News Service, "Schiller began to minister to the homeless, first in his garage, and this year in his better-equipped basement." The article continues:

But city officials in Elgin said Schiller’s basement didn’t meet its “sleeping regulations” code. When police officers inspected and shut down the basement “party” space last week, they cited the ceiling height as too low and the windows as too high and small to be used as an egress.

Schiller had "decided to open his basement when the wind chill factor dipped below 15 degrees and area shelters did not open."  He is quoted as saying: "I would stay up all night with them and give them coffee and stuff and feed them."

The article continues:

He insisted he never allowed drugs or alcohol inside his residence on the freezing nights he invited the homeless in. His kindness included a cot in the warm, dorm-style basement, plus hot drinks and movies.

One man, taking action - in this case, exhibiting compassion for the homeless - resulted in the city taking steps to provide for those homeless in need.  The article states:

After the showdown at Schiller’s home, the city is now helping lead the creation of new shelters and has even offered the police department lobby for people with nowhere to go, including those who have a criminal record that keeps them out of shelters.

One of the takeaways is quite clear - Greg Schiller was one man who, driven by compassion in the mold of Jesus, reached out to meet a need.  He encountered opposition, but his action won over city officials.  Standing alone can make an impression.

And, in what area did he minister?  To the homeless - who needed shelter in extremely adverse conditions.  He reached out to them unconditionally.  He saw a need in his city and took the action to meet it - not through an institution, but personally.  Remember, sometimes compassion calls for a bold step.

Finally, we can check our hearts to make sure that we are open to the promptings of the Spirit - we, individually can't meet every need, but we might meet the need of one, or two.  And, then people can see and come along.  As the Church is dedicated to seeing and responding to the needs in our communities, that can result in the love of Christ being displayed.