Brian’s Story Matthew 25:31-46

Brian’s Story
Matthew 25:31-46 

A gracious speech written by: Pastor Bob of Indianapolis, Indiana

39,829,000. 39,829,000. 39,829,000. This is 13.2% of the population of the United States of America that live at or below the poverty level. 39,829,000. 

It is estimated that over 3 million people or 1% of the total population of our country are homeless sometime during the year. 

Perhaps you have written a check for a mission, this is good; perhaps you have served lunch in a soup kitchen, this is good; perhaps you have worked in a food pantry, distributing food to those in need; this is good. Deut 8:3b states “...man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” 

Providing the Bible, the word of God, to the poor, to the homeless, to those in need is the mission of Generous Bibles. This too is good. 

I am not here to talk about the 39,829,000 people that live in poverty in our great country. I am not here to talk about the over 3 million people that are homeless sometime during the year. I am not here to talk about the people staying in a mission. I am not here to talk about the people eating at the soup kitchens. I am not here to talk about the people receiving food from the food pantries. 

I am here to talk about an individual. I am here to talk about Brian. This is Brian’s story. Yes, Brian is one of the 13.2% of the people in the United States that live in poverty. Yes, Brian is one of the 1% of the people in our country that are homeless. Yes, Brian has slept in a mission and yes, Brian has eaten in a soup kitchen. 

Brian walked into my life on a frigid February morning over a year ago. Brian had spent the night sleeping at a mission and in the morning as he set out with all of his belonging in his knapsack, walking down the street, Brian came into my life. It was a Sunday morning and Brian entered the church where I go. Since he was a visitor I introduced myself and talked with him. During the service, when the Pastor gave the altar call; Brian came forward. Brian made the good confession of faith and arrangements were made for his baptism. 

Brian immersed himself into the life of the church. He joined the group that maintains the building; scraping and painting the basement walls, hauling chucks of the torn up asphalt from the parking lot to the dumpster, cleaning, whatever type of work that needed to be done, you could count on Brian to be there and help. 

Brian attended lectionary class and read and studied the bible. At the end of class he would place his bible on the shelf. When asked why he did not take it with him. Brian stated that it was not his. It was suggested that the church would be fine if he was to take it with him. Brian explained that the large study bible was just too big. Everything that he owned, he either wore or carried in his knapsack and the large bible was just too big and heavy. 

A few weeks later Brian was given a small, lightweight bible. One he could carry with him. One he could read. One he could study. One he could find comfort in. For just a few dollars, Brian is able to have his own bible. Seeing Brian reading the Bible reminds me of Psalm 42:1 which states: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” 

Providing bibles to all 3 million individuals that are homeless sometime during the year would be wonderful; providing bibles to all 39,829,000 people that live in poverty would be outstanding. Providing a bible to Brian is wonderful, providing a bible to Laura is outstanding, providing a bible to Justin, to Jeremy, to Jacob and to countless others is life changing. With your help we can provide one bible at a time to those in need. One person at a time. One bible at a time. 

Generous Bibles is an organization that wants to help the Brians, we want to help the missions, we want to help the soup kitchens and we want to help the food pantries. We need your help. For just five dollars; the price of a “foot-long” sandwich, the price of a value meal at lunch, the price of a Grande cappuccino, you can provide a copy of the bible to someone like Brian. For five dollars a year you can provide one bible, for five dollars a month you can provide twelve bibles a year, for five dollars a week you can provide 52 bibles per year and for five dollars a day, the price of a Grande cappuccino, you can provide 365 bibles per year. 

Your prayers, your efforts and your donations make it possible to deliver and maintain adequate supplies of Bibles at missions, at soup kitchens, and at food pantries that promote the Gospel, in your community, across the country and around the world!  

Your support will help give Bibles to the poor and the homeless.

Bibles they can keep, Bibles they can touch, Bibles they can read and share; wherever they are, wherever they go. With their very own personal Bible, they can fully participate in Bible studies; they can discover restoration; they can gain an understanding of God; they can find truth; they can find their purpose in life, and so much more.  Most importantly, you will give them the opportunity to personally know Jesus Christ as their Lord, as their Savior and as their Friend.  

With your help, we are able to give and share God's Word in cooperation with businesses, churches, food pantries, groups, homeless shelters, ministries, missions, and persons who promote the Gospel. Similar to our Nation’s food bank network, that provides physical food. We, as our Nation’s Bible Bank Network, help supply spiritual food for the current and ever-increasing need in our society and the world. Our primary focus is giving and sharing the Bible with the poor and the homeless, at missions in the United States. There are many Bible giving/sharing organizations and individuals across the Country and around the world. Each one of us concentrates on spreading the Gospel in specific areas of the world’s population and peoples. Working together in harmony; ensuring all will come to know Jesus Christ and be sustained in the Holy Spirit for the Glory of the LORD…  

We read in Isaiah 55:10-11 “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” 

Together in giving, together in praying, together in sharing, lives are transformed. 

We have all heard The Starfish Story by Loren Eisley.

“One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.  Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?” The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean.   The surf is up and the tide is going out.  If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.” “Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?  You can’t make a difference!”  After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf.  Then, smiling at the man, he said…” I made a difference for that one.”” 

You can make a difference in the life of someone just like Brian. Will you? 

The need for God's Word is ever so great in people’s lives today.  With your help, Bibles will be given to those in need. So they may know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, that they may gain a better understanding of God and His purpose in their lives, and that they may be equipped to become active in our communities, families, nations, and the world.  

We read in John 20:31 “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” 

Your support will touch lives forever. 

Matthew 25:31-46 ³¹"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.  ³⁴"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For 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, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'  ³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'  ⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' ⁴¹"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'  ⁴⁴"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' ⁴⁵"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'  ⁴⁶"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."