The past three months God has changed my idea of what ministry is, and this month is no different. Through out the week we paint the church sprucing it up and making it look new again and paint murals on the wall of the youth Sunday School classroom. In the evenings we teach English to anywhere from 2-60+ Cambodian teenagers. Then on Sunday night during youth group we play…… you guessed it Dodge ball, among other games. In all the things I have done these last few months the common theme is building relationships. Some countries you can’t openly evangelize about the Gospel, other countries you are as free to talk about God as you want. No matter what the situation is building relationships is where it’s at. You can tell people all you want about a God who loves them and wants a relationship with them, a God who is their Father and wants to give good gifts and provide for their needs. It is hard for them to see this if all you are doing is talking. James talks about faith with out deeds is dead and it makes more and more sense everyday what he means.
“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”-but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” James 2:14-17
