The health and well-being of God’s children, especially “the least of these,” is a cause that is close to the heart of Christ. This makes medical missions an excellent and tangible means of showing His love to underserved communities around the world. God calls each of us through His Word to faithfully serve others with the gifts and resources that He has graciously given to us.
Here are but a few verses that show how much mercy and kindness mean to God.
1. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace”
(1 Peter 4:10)
All that we have is a gift from God, and a gift of God is to be shared with others. As stewards of God’s varied, or manifest, grace, we are entrusted to manage the resources that God has lent to us, and to be used for the betterment of other believers.
2. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
(Matthew 5:7)
In the Beatitudes, Jesus gives us God’s definition of who is truly blessed. Not the strong and the prosperous, as the world would have us believe, but the poor in spirit, those who mourn, and the meek. God’s economy does not function as the world’s economy does. In Matthew 5:7, Jesus adds the merciful to the list of the blessed. A hallmark of a fruitful walk with Christ is to show mercy to others. In turn, God will show mercy to those who are merciful.
3. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”
(Matthew 25:35-40 NIV)
In the Beatitudes, Jesus gives us God’s definition of who is truly blessed. Not the strong and the prosperous, as the world would have us believe, but the poor in spirit, those who mourn, and the meek. God’s economy does not function as the world’s economy does. In Matthew 5:7, Jesus adds the merciful to the list of the blessed. A hallmark of a fruitful walk with Christ is to show mercy to others. In turn, God will show mercy to those who are merciful.
4. “Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.””
(Mark 9:35 NIV)
“First” comes from the Greek root word protos, and means first in influence, honor, and rank. “Servant” is from the Greek root word diakonos and refers to one who acts on the desires of another. From diakonos, we get “deacon,” which is a church official who manages church resources to meet the congregants’ needs.
Jesus previously told His disciples that they must be willing to lay their lives down for Him, even to the point of dying on a cross. Here in this verse, He tells the Twelve that in order to lead others, they must serve others in love and humility. Jesus calls all of us to lay down our lives for Him by living for Him in service, one day at a time.
5. “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
(Galatians 6:9)
In this verse, Paul is encouraging the Galatians – and Christians throughout all time – not to give up on, or get tired of, doing good. Living for Christ can be difficult, especially if our energy runs low, doubt creeps in, or both. Our persistence and dedication will be rewarded at the right time, so long as we see it through. Sometimes, God may allow us to see the fruits of our labors in this life, as well as in the life to come.
6. “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.’ “
(Acts 20:35)
In his farewell address, Paul giving the Ephesian church leaders his final instructions for leading the church that he planted and watered over three years of teaching, labor and service. Not only is the edification of believers to be a priority, but so is helping and looking after those who Jesus identifies most closely with; “the least of these,” or “the weak.”
7.“Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.”
(Proverbs 19:17)
In this proverb, God tells us how closely He identifies with the poor, and how much the well-being of the least fortunate means to Him. To be kind to the poor, to look after their earthly needs, and to care for their earthly bodies, honors God. In return, God will honor us.
Partnering with Mission Partners for Christ is a great way to serve Christ, by coming alongside and helping some of the people He identifies with the most; the poor and marginalized. Mission Partners for Christ organizes and leads medical mission trips around the world. Our teams partner with local organizations to provide free health screenings, education, and treatments in their communities.
Medical mission teams consist of physicians, nurses, techs, and non-medically trained volunteers.
No medical experience is required. We train our volunteers to meet the specific needs of the community we are visiting. Even if you are unable to travel, you can still serve!
Mission Partners for Christ has volunteer openings for collecting and organizing supplies for medical missions trips, and a prayer team that covers each volunteer, partner organization, and patient for each trip.
Please check out our upcoming trips or reach out via our contact form to find the perfect way you can serve!
