Meeting The Needs of The People?

Question: When you teach/preach/minister to people do you do so to meet their needs, or do you merely relay content and information?

I can admit that sometimes as a teacher I have been more involved with my content than with being in touch with the needs of my students/audience.  It happens to the best of teachers at times.  There is nothing wrong with being thorough, but at the same time we must learn to follow the example set by the master teacher, Jesus Christ.

Jesus always taught and ministered to the needs of the people.  He didn’t waste time giving them arbitrary facts that would not help them.  No He spoke directly to the issues and problems that they were facing.  Even when He dealt with people who were not sure of what their problem/need was, Jesus would skillfully expose their need in a way they coud clearly see it and He would then proceed to address that need.

A classic example is the Woman at the well, in John chapter 4.  Jesus not only reveals the woman’s need to her, but by the time He addresses it it does what “need centered teaching” does, it motivates or moves the student into action.  The woman goes into the town and compels everyone to come and meet this man who had just read her like a book.  Many people come from the town to hear Jesus and become believers as well.

Is your teaching/preaching/ministering like that?  When you are done are the listeners moved or motivated into action?   Your 27 points on the Book of Galatians might be informative and even intriguing, but when all is said and done does it help your students/audience with the needs they have?

If we want to be effective  when we are ministering to people, at some point we are going to have to connect with them and minister to their needs.  At some point we are going to have to follow the example set by Christ.   Let’s start meeting the needs of the people…

-one

Da Ridaz