Loving the Least | Every One Counts
Every ONE Counts
Loving the Least…
Because everyone counts, Destination Church relentlessly Loves and Serves like Jesus.
Matthew 25:40 (ESV) 40 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.’
James 1:27 (ESV) 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Soul Tattoo: Loving the LEAST reminds us that EVERYONE COUNTS.
James 1:27 (NIV) 27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
1.) Pure FAITH shows up in ACTION.
James 1:27 (NLT) 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
Religion isn’t about ritual; it’s about relationship and responsibility.
The heart of God beats for the vulnerable and the forgotten.
Isaiah 1:17 (NIV) 17Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
1 John 3:18 (NIV) 18Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
Pure faith isn’t just believed; it’s lived.
Soul Tattoo: Loving the LEAST reminds us that EVERYONE COUNTS.
2.) Everyone Counts, especially the LEAST.
Matthew 25:40 (NIV) 40 “The King will reply, ‘Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Jesus identifies Himself with “the least of these.” If they count to Jesus, they must count to us.
Proverbs 14:31 (NIV) Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
Galatians 6:2 (NIV) Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
When you serve the least, you’re serving the Lord.
Soul Tattoo: Loving the LEAST reminds us that EVERYONE COUNTS.
3.) Compassion requires commitment.
The Parable of the Good Samaritan:
Luke 10:25-37 (NLT) 25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?” 27 The man answered, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!” 29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road. 31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side. 33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’ 36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. 37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.” Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
Compassion isn’t just feeling bad; it’s doing good.
Biblical compassion doesn’t stop at emotion. The Greek word often used in the New Testament (splagchnizomai) means to be… “moved in the inward parts” — a deep stirring that compels you to act.
Feeling bad without action is sympathy. Feeling bad and doing something about it is compassion.
Jesus never just “felt bad” for people; His compassion always led to action:
Micah 6:8 (NLT) 8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
Acts 20:35 (NIV) 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’
Compassion is more than emotion, it’s motion.
Soul Tattoo: Loving the LEAST reminds us that EVERYONE COUNTS.
4.) Serving others keeps our hearts pure.
James 1:27b …and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
When you look outward in love, it guards your heart from inward corruption.
Psalm 24:3-4 (NIV) 3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.
Romans 12:2 (NIV) 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Serving others is a shield against selfishness.
Soul Tattoo: Loving the LEAST reminds us that EVERYONE COUNTS.