David Nakhla 0:00

This is David Knockler with the OPC Committee on Diaconal Ministries. We're bringing this to you as part of a series of special episodes of the Reformed Deacon. These episodes consist of the audio of the many plenaries and workshops presented at the fourth OPC National Diaconal Summit held in Wheaton, Illinois in June 2022. It's our desire that deacons who are not able to attend the summit or those who simply missed one of the many wonderful workshops offered will benefit from this practical content. If you find this episode especially invigorating, please consider sharing it with your fellow deacons. If it's an episode that's particularly suited to the work of your diaconate, consider watching the video version of this presentation together with your fellow deacons and discussing it. The videos can be found on opccdm.org. And now I hope you enjoy this episode. Well, brothers, it's uh my privilege to introduce Al Tricargo as if he needed an introduction. Um, but this is for the three of you who don't know who Al is. Uh Al was ordained in the Presbytery, New Jersey in 1987 to serve with Pastor Ron Pierce as his associate at the Church of the Covenant OPC in Hackettstown, New Jersey. Three years later, Al received the call to serve as the pastor of Grace OPC in Vienna, Virginia, another wonderful church. Al served there faithfully for more than a decade. During that time, he was elected to serve as a member of the Committee on Foreign Missions of the OPC. The Foreign Missions Committee seduced him into service as one of its evangelists to Uganda. So Al uprooted his well-established family of seven at that point, and they moved to Africa. It's in Karamoja where I met Al for the first time on one of my visits in 2011. In Uganda, Al was very much exposed to what it is to be a deacon in your community. In Karamoja, diaconal needs abound. There is no need, there's no end to the opportunities for diaconal service there. I imagine Al will be leaning a bit on his 13 years in Africa as he engages this helpful topic. For the past five years or so, Al has been serving the OPC as the Associate General Secretary of the Committee on Home Missions and Church Extension. Al is on our session at Calvary Glenside, and so we could enjoy much of his preaching and teaching. I'm excited to learn from my good friend, colleague, and mentor, Al Tricarico. You won't be disappointed. El, thanks so much.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

So I hope you will receive my thanks as you have received the thanks of others for serving the Lord in Christ's church as deacons and serving so well for the glory of the Savior. You're in the trenches, you're doing the hard work of compassionately entering into the lives of needy people, and it is hard work, isn't it? Cases are complex, solutions are often not obvious. Sometimes wisdom is rejected to the harm of those who need it. I appreciate all of you for what you do, and I'm glad that you want to come to events like this so that you can keep learning. I do too. This is my first time at a summit, so thank you for welcoming me. I will have to say that I've never served as a deacon officially, so all of you have lessons to bring to me, and I would encourage you to do that. I was a pastor, as my brother mentioned, for 18 years in two churches, then a missionary in Uganda for a time, and now I serve the Committee on Home Missions. My direct involvement with mercy ministry has mostly been in Africa, actually. So you'll have to decide if the things that I share translate well into your context, into the needs you see on a weekly basis. My topic is the deacon and his community. I was given this topic, I think, two years ago, David. I was not told that Dr. Troxel would warn us not to use the term community. But I think he would agree that we can use the word and simply refer to places where we live. Is that okay, Craig? I think that's okay. And that is indeed what I mean. What I want to do is to share some of the few things that I gained from my time as a missionary, and then uh and then challenge all of us to be more attentive to other people, mainly outside the church, but also those who are in the family of God and who come to us with the needs they have. So, first, two brief lessons from the savannah of East Africa. When I returned to the United States from Uganda, I was asked by someone to list some lessons that came to me during my years of service there, and I had several things that came to mind, but upon reflection, two large thoughts occurred to me that formed kind of an overview, and I want to give those to you. They are actually in your outline, you can see them there. The world is larger than I knew, and at the same time, the world is smaller than I thought. That doesn't sound right, I know, but give me a moment, and uh and I think you'll see what I mean. The world is really big. We all know it. The present population is nearly 8 billion people, and uh, that's a lot of people. I served in a region in northeast Uganda called Karamoja, that at the size of approximate size of the state of Massachusetts, hosts only about 1 million people, mostly living in rural villages. I lived in Nakale, a village of about 2,000 people. So we're getting smaller, we're shrinking the size a little bit. Nakale is a place I knew existed from the reports of other missionaries who preceded me. I never saw it, of course, until I moved there. And I never met the Karamajong people until I landed and became their neighbor. And as I multiply my experience living in that amazing place, and it was amazing, by the number of villages and cultures I will never see in my lifetime, it makes me marvel at the vastness of humanity and at God's creative beauty. It really does. I remember standing in a field in the African savanna, watching my neighbors and thinking about them, going about their days, walking here, walking there. They do a lot of walking, working in their gardens, watching their livestock, building their huts, preparing their food. Such simplicity, such beauty, really. And I remember thinking, who knows that the Karama Jung are here? Almost no one. I felt so privileged to be among the few who did know them. And then I thought, how many communities like this, filled with lovely people who bear the image of my God, will I never see. The world is much bigger to me now than it was before I went to Uganda. But the world became smaller in a way, because I came to learn that no matter where you go, how many people you meet, what experiences come, there are two great realities that connect us all: sin and the gospel. We are all in trouble with God, and we are all loved by God and invited to believe in his son for our everlasting blessing. These two realities explain so much of what we see in the world. And all glory to Jesus. We are no longer in trouble because he has washed us with his own blood. Yeah. Do deacons say amen? All right. You've checked that off the list, you're done. Okay. There are differences among the peoples of the world. Of course there are. In Africa, we had to address patterns of sin that were unique, at least somewhat unique, to that part of the world. Polygamy and cattle raiding, to name two. You don't see those two things every day in Chicago. At least not yet. There's still time. The second was cattle raiding. Cattle raiding. Stealing cows with guns. Yeah. That's. I need an editor. Every culture is broken. Every culture has its unique unique hangups, right? It's true. They have theirs. We have ours. Voluntary abortion is not known in Karamoja. When I shared with a Karamojong friend that in the United States a man can marry a man, he laughed and did not believe me. He also did not believe me when I showed him a picture of a lobster and told him that I eat these creatures. So, Chris Sudlow, wherever you are, they wouldn't have believed you either. My point is that we are not that different. It's a big world with a lot of people, many in obscure places unknown to most of us. But it's a small world, really, with the uniform problem of sin and the universal offer of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. So turn, if you would, to page two in the outline, and you will see the question, whom shall we serve? You see four words there strangers, neighbors, friends, and family. That about covers it, I think. Don't you think so? I could have added enemies, but that maybe that's for another talk. But let's begin with strangers. You know the text, it's Matthew 25. Brother Shishko read part of it last night. Let me read it to you from verse 34. Then the king will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? 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. Thank you. Love is serious stuff. And while the king's brothers, believers, are in view in verse 40, there is no reason to think that Jesus means for us to exclude anyone. As if we should never welcome unbelieving strangers. The Lord wants us to love all people. That's Luke 6. I'll read some verses there in a moment. Brothers, you know Christ. You have been rescued from stranger status and have been welcomed by Jesus into the home of his Father. Now remember that. And gladly welcome strangers in. It's hard. It's uncomfortable. People who are not like us or not known to us can make us feel uneasy. But if God has welcomed you, how can you withhold your welcome when others come into your life and orbit? Let's look at those words in Luke 6. I'll read verses 32 through 36. If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. But love your enemies and do good and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your father is merciful. Do you believe that the Father has been merciful to you? Do you? Show that mercy. You have the unspeakable privilege to show the Father's mercy to people who you do not know. At least you don't know them yet. The context in which you might meet strangers may be the place where you worship. Someone arrives at church on a Sunday or to the offices during the week and make a request. You've all heard them. The rent is due, and I have no money. I haven't eaten in two days. Can the church help me? Requests in Africa were similar. My son is sick, he needs to go to the clinic. My brother needs his school fees tonight. Can you help? Ako ro, I'm gonna leave you a little caramel jong here. Ako ro, ako ro noi king a rakana robo, papa kingarakanai. That sounds beautiful, doesn't it? It's not so beautiful. I am so hungry. You please just assist me. Papa, Daddy, please assist me. Congregations, sessions, diaconates, missionaries need to develop ways of approaching these opportunities. What do you do? Do you give money? Gift cards? Do you meet for lunch? Do you meet at a gas station? Fill up the tank. I've done all of these things over the years. I'm sure you have done them in more. Cultures differ. Neighborhoods are not all the same. Congregations differ as well. Resources are not always available at high levels. What do you do? I think you all need to work it out. I assume that most of you have. I'm sure that you have policies to serve people who come in that have these requests or others. In fact, I would like to know what you do. So be free to share those things with me. But let me give you three things to keep in mind when strangers come in. And I hope you don't mind if they if they sting just a little. They'll sting me too. Number one, see the encounter as an opportunity to serve, not a nuisance to avoid. Let's be obvious. I mean, let's be honest. It's easy to let a suspicious spirit take over. Isn't that true? Eyes roll, patience fades. You're just not in the mood to take this up, and frankly, would rather spend your time doing something else right now. It's not convenient, and it won't provide any help anyway. What can I do to close this deal and get on with my plans for the afternoon? Please tell me that this sounds a little bit familiar. I would be very disappointed to learn that I am the only one here who has felt these things. So a man walks in, or a woman. He's a stranger. But you know, there are many things you already know about him before he says one word. You don't have to speak to him, you don't have to hear him speak to you to know these few things about him. He is God's creation. He bears God's image, he has value and therefore is worth knowing. He has a story that he's interested in telling, and he has honored you by making a request. You may not feel honored, and his motives are not yet known to you, but he is a person in need, and he wants to tell you about it. Listen, and you will learn something. This person is not a nuisance, he is a needy stranger who has asked for help. Spend time and think creatively and generously of the best ways to give him the best help. Number two, I'm a little uncertain about this, and maybe you'll disagree, but I'm going to say it anyway. Food for thought. Number two, let generosity prevail over caution. I came to change my thinking on this over the time I spent in Uganda. It was hard living in a place where begging was so prevalent. And an unhealthy reliance on mission resources was a real concern for us. It's not good. We wondered. Unbridled giving is not good. If I give everything away, then I'm the one who'd be begging, right? Can't do that. But it's certainly not good to be stingy. Is God stingy? God gave his son. His son gave his life. Talk about generosity. We did our best to join our relief efforts with opportunities to work, but it was not always possible. It does respect the dignity of persons to have them earn what they receive. But the needs were so vast and they were so evident. We saw them everywhere. And so I grew to realize that meeting them from time to time as an act of love in the name of Christ with no strings attached was the right thing to do. Takes wisdom to make these decisions. Wisdom we don't have, but God promises to give. And so we rely on Christ, who is the power and the wisdom of God. The third one is this. Remember that the person across from you, if you're sitting at a table, or the person you're with, will live forever with Christ's favor upon him or under Christ's judgment. They are the only two possibilities for his everlasting existence. Give him the good things. But do not forget to give him the best thing. You have Jesus? Sure, you give Jesus to him as you are able. He is Jesus to you. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. You be Jesus to him. And yes, the gospel and diaconal work go together. I think we're all in agreement on this. Deacons are competent to bear witness to the grace of Christ. Absolutely. In Uganda, we always joined the ministries of word and deed. Not in a constructed way or an artificial way, making sure that we read a Bible verse every time we did something nice. It wasn't like that. But when we drilled a well, we established a weekly Bible study at the well. We have a medical clinic, I think you all know that. And every morning at the clinic, we have a time of devotions and prayer. And every mid-morning, while the reception is filled with patients waiting to be seen, we preach the gospel in English and in Karamajong. Dozens of men and women were hired by the mission for various jobs. We fed them lunch every day. We gave them a salary, but also we fed them lunch every day and gave them lessons from the Bible. Of course, the Karamajong were not strangers for very long. They became our neighbors and our friends. Neighbors. He found a neighbor in need, he had pity on him, and generously gave of himself to bring healing. But at the end, Jesus suggested that the lawyer really asked the wrong question. The direct answer is obvious. All people are our neighbors. Our duty is to love God and to love everyone as we love ourselves. But there is a deeper question, and Jesus asked it in verse 36 which of these three, speaking of the parable, which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? That's what Jesus asked. And it's a very interesting question that he brought. The lawyer said, the one who showed him mercy. And he was right. Let's not ask the question, who is my neighbor? We know that answer. Let's ask, how can I be a good neighbor to those I am called to love? The parable is for all of us. Let's never look at the lawyer and say, that's not me. Or the priest and the Levite in the parable and say, I'm not like them. I would have helped. Or the Samaritan and think I'm not perfect, but I'm pretty good, basically a merciful person. Let's not name others who could use this message before we admit to our own need to hear and respond. While we may never find ourselves in the presence of a half-dead victim of violence and theft, we are all called by Jesus to show mercy to others, to be a neighbor to others. And while we are not to exclude anyone, we do have to restrict our neighboring in geographic terms. We don't have reach to 8 billion people. And a good place to start is the street where you live. We all have neighbors. Our neighbors all have needs, and they all have names. Do you know your neighbors' needs? Do you know your neighbors' names? Do they know you? Have you considered how you might get to know them better and contribute positively to their lives? Christians live in neighborhoods, congregations worship in neighborhoods, even when a church building is not surrounded by homes, its ministry has reached to people who live nearby. It is so important that we see this and that we love our neighbors well. The victim in the parable was in bad shape, as are many in our communities. They may be lonely, unemployed, or troubled by a decision that needs to be made. Some have medical conditions or addictions or disabilities that make life very difficult. Some neighbors flourish and seem to have everything put together right, and they may be the neediest of all of them if they rely upon themselves and do not think they need God. Consider that God has positioned your church and your members in places where opportunities to show mercy abound. And then ask the question: how can we deliver that mercy? It is possible to feel overwhelmed by the brokenness of the world and by the particular trials faced by our neighbors. God is not calling his people to address every issue and fix every problem, but he does want us all to be involved with people. He wants us to love them. He wants us to see them as he sees them broken, loved, needy, and invited to believe in Christ. Jesus, of course, is the ultimate mercy giver. We who know his mercy recognize ourselves in the injured man on the side of the road. We are weak. We are incapable of helping ourselves. We are in trouble. But hallelujah, we are not left for dead. Jesus came and lived and died and rose in order to save us from our own sins and to bring us to heaven. And we wait for his appearing and that time when all things are made new. It's not news to any of you. That time has not yet come. I do want to share something that my wife and I did. I hesitate to do that, but I think maybe you'll be interested in hearing this. So my house in Willow Grove is positioned on an interior corner of an unfinished road. I know it's probably difficult to picture, but that's a fact. And uh so let me describe it this way. If I stand in my front yard and look to my right, I can see four houses. If I look straight ahead, I can see six more. And then if I project to the end of the street, I can add another seven. So there are 17 homes, if I'm adding correctly, that are basically visible from my front yard. This is my neighborhood. It's my parish, in a way. My wife and I have done a few simple things to get to know our parishioners. And we need to do a lot more. Christmas cards and gifts at Christmas time to each home, occasional visits. People are out. We go out, find them, talk. Invitations to a small group that meets in our home. When COVID first hit back in 2020, I wrote out 17 notes and stuck them on the doors of my neighbors' homes with a Bible verse and a word of confidence that together we'd weather this and an offer to pray with anybody who would like. Neighbors I did not know until that moment, who said, please pray with me. And so it was my delight to do so. We had a small group picnic, a barbecue. I invited all 17 homes to come. Seven people came. Not great, but it's all right. We came. We brought them. Had a simplified Bible study. I think it was like, what is the Bible? That sort of thing. Nice little discussion. Had a prayer time, and uh one of my neighbors who I met that night, I asked if anyone had a prayer request. She asked for prayer, and um she she she disclosed something that was a little surprising to me. It showed some humility and actually some indication of her own situation in life. So Jenny is about 40 years old, and she said, I am starting a job this week, and I am really nervous. Would you pray for me? So she's not a believer, as far as I know, but she asked that question. I said, Jenny, of course I'll pray for you. What is your job? And she said, I've I'm gonna work at McDonald's. That's what that's what her job was. And uh she was there, her partner was there, Tyrone was his name, and she was weeping because she she was so worked up at going to this first day of work, and we just said, we understand how you feel. We've all felt that anxiety when we begin a new endeavor, and so it is uh our pleasure to pray for you. And we followed up and were able to serve this interesting family in other ways, but that was so easy. And I asked myself, how what if every member of the congregation I served just try that? How many people would would would get a touch, would hear a word of grace and peace, would at least know that someone is thinking about them because I think a lot of my neighbors don't think anyone thinks about them ever. That's what I think. Jenny and Tyrone. Okay. So diaconal work can be reactive, and that's good, but it doesn't only have to be reactive. Know your neighbors, learn their needs, be a good neighbor, and show mercy as you are able. I won't address the next two points except to say that you want your neighbors to become your friends, and you want your friends to become your family. That's what we want, right? The church is God's family, it's a worshiping testimony of his grace in the lives of his children. And I know that you agree that God deserves a bigger family, he deserves more worshipers. The best mercy you can show is an introduction to God your father and Jesus, your elder brother. Welcome to the family. Now, let's turn the page and ask the question how shall we serve? I offer four words again. Meet, learn, engage, and welcome. I think I need to edit along the way, but here we go. It is best to serve people you actually meet. It sounds obvious, right? But what I mean is that you ought to meet them and meet them well. It's really important for you to receive people in ways that affirm them, show you show your interest in them, and make them feel that they are important and that the needs they have are meaningful to you. That's what I'm getting at. I love what Bill said last night about the wait staff at King Umberto's. I've been there, I've seen those waiters. They were laser focused on the words of the guest. And uh, you've all had conversations with people who drift or yawn or just seem like they're thinking about something that they believe is much more important than you. They may love you, but it's hard to sense it in the conversation. I don't do that. Me people, well, I'm not talking about personality, we all have different personalities, but everyone, regardless of personality, can set their heart on someone else's story and listen carefully with a view to serving as Christ has served them. And the next word is learn, and that is learn from other people, all people, Christian people, non-Christian people, needy people, have it all together people. They don't exist, actually. But but all people have something to contribute to your life, to enrich your life, and um be free to enjoy what you receive. I was very slow to learn this in my early days in Africa. I was there to give a message. The neediness of the Karamajang was obvious. It was very easy for me to point out the destructive behavior of my new neighbors, if not directly to them, surely in my own heart. And uh I confess this to my shame. As missionaries, we saw violence and drunkenness and polygamy, as I mentioned, all sins against the Lord, surely they were. But what about the sin of a critical spirit? What about self-righteousness? What about the inner gladness like the Pharisee in Jesus' parable? Thank you that I am not like him. What about the pride of possessions? Are these sins any less sinful than those observed by the mission in Uganda? They might be worse, actually. I don't know. I do confess that I need victory over the sin of know-it-allism. Is that a word? It is now. I did go to Africa to bring a message, it's true. We had resources to share, also true. But eventually I discovered the many ways my Karamajong friends enriched my life, and I enjoyed all of the contributions they made to my comfort, and it was a pleasure for me to tell them so. The Karamajong people are hospitable, generous, committed to friendship in ways that are not known to us. They are amazing examples of resilience under trials that would break any one of us in this room. Such suffering, such perseverance. I officiated more funerals in my first year in Uganda than I did in all of my years of ministry in the United States. It's true. Many of them infant children and toddlers. My friends taught me how to be content when things fall apart, and I'm here to tell you that things always fall apart. The Karamajong friends we had cooked our meals, washed our clothes, kept our grounds, cleaned our homes, and guarded our compounds. We came to appreciate them and serve them well, I think, by graciously receiving their gifts to us and making sure we showed them our appreciation. It is more blessed to give than to receive. That's in the Bible. Those are the words of our Lord, Acts 20, 35. I think you know those words. But it is also true that it is good to give by receiving from others and letting them know that they have blessed you. Don't you think that's true? There is an inherent danger, I believe, in diaconal work when you provide for others without acknowledging that they have given positively to you. So, next, engage. Like I mentioned, diaconal work is often reactive, it can also be proactive. I think I want to give you two examples. Let me give you at least one. Let me give you, let me let me give you one and name you the second one so I can be done on time. So, uh, some years ago, David, uh brother David Nakala, along with uh deacon Bob Fales from our presbytery, made a trip to Greece to learn from the Greek Evangelical Church what they were doing in uh in refugee ministry. They had been doing it for some years. I think the diaconal committee was supporting this work, and we wanted to look at it and learn from them. It was a great time. And we learned that there was a church, the northernmost church in that denomination in Molotopos, was the closest church to the Turkish border. It wasn't that close really, but it was the closest one among the denominational churches. And uh they the church committed itself to serving those refugees. They were all Muslim. I for the most part, they were Muslim refugees. And um, to do so by preparing sandwiches for them and giving, you know, providing clothes for them and going up there and washing their feet and clothing their kids. And this is just a little church, little church, four elders, no pastor, hundred people. They committed themselves to do this, and I'm given to understand that the whole church was involved. And they noticed that at this camp there were families where uh a woman was expecting, and they did not want the women to deliver a baby in the camp. I don't think you would want that either. And so they procured some properties around the church and fixed up these little lovely apartments and went to the camp and brought families back and gave them a place to say, stay. You know, be warm and be filled, and we'll do it for you, until the baby arrived and beyond. There were there was other help that was given as well. And David, maybe you remember, we're sitting there in one of the living rooms uh with a family. I think, I think the the husband only knew a little bit of English. His name was Abraham, I think, Muslim from uh Syria. And he said, um he said, no one told us that Christians were like this. Do you remember that? No one. And what a blessing. And so I'm talking to one of the elders, his name was Savas. I said, tell me more about your plans and how you're going to help them to uh survive and to know Christ. And he said, here's what he said. He's a farmer, 46 years old. He said, I'm 46 years old. I'm 44 years old at the time, that's what he said. And he said, if I live 70 years, that gives me another 26 years. He said, and what I'm doing is I'm trying to hire as many people as I can to run my farm. He grew kiwis and cherries and that kind of thing. He wasn't wealthy, but he had a farm. He said, I'm going to get as many people as I can to run that farm so I can spend the rest of my years helping these refugees. Talk about welcoming the stranger. They were doing it. That experience changed it. Some of you here are serving Calvary OPC in Glenside as deacons. David and I are on the session there. Steve McDaniel's here too, he's on the session. And let me just say that many in the congregation, including some of the officers, uh, have taken up the work of serving an Afghan family who uh who came to the United States a few months ago. And um I I you know maybe during the Q ⁇ A time you can ask me more about that, but I'm not really the one to speak to it. I'm given to understand that are there 50 members involved with this? I'm not sure. There are a lot of members of Calvary who are doing things for this family, um, teaching them English, getting, you know, doing job searches, providing for their medical care for their for their uh for their children. This is a mother, a father, and seven sons. So, seven sons, right? Yeah, seven sons here. I think there's another one still in Afghanistan. And uh, it has been a blessing to our congregation. It is a significant part of the work of our diaconate, and it was not difficult to find them. The world is at our doorstep. It's true. Now you know it. You don't, you maybe you don't read. The news or listen to the news. I don't know if anyone reads the news. I guess you read it on your phone, right? You read the news, you don't read much of it, but you know enough to know that people are coming. And these are people who are in need of Christ. I know a little bit about what it's like to land in a culture that is not my own, right? I went to Uganda, but you know what? I could speak English there. I had a home that was sound there. I had a salary. I knew what I was supposed to do, even though I didn't yet know what I was going to do, you know, knew what I was doing. But anyway, I was there. But what you know, what if I were just dropped into a Karamajong village with no language, no money, no resources, no direction from anyone, what would that feel like? This family felt that way. Until the church and other churches with our congregation rolled up their sleeves and invested in helping them. And so I think maybe you stay tuned on that one. Okay, I've got a few minutes here. The last word is welcome them, you know, meet them, learn from them, engage with them, always welcome them. Um let's see. Let me just here. Here's what I'll do. So another way to serve needy people, let's put it this way, all people really, is to practice hospitality. You've heard some things already in the other talks. It's good for people to enjoy the comforts of a home, a church, or in the home of members. Every emerging request for help will not lead to an invitation like that, but some will. And when you welcome a person in need, you honor Jesus. Hospitality is something of a living parable of the gospel. Every time you bring someone into your home space, you are showing that person the flow of the gospel message. I don't want to overstate it, but it's hard to do that because hospitality is such a prominent theme in the Bible. What do you think of this quote? The Christian mission is nothing more or less than our participation in the hospitality of God. It's a pretty good statement. The gospel is a go and tell gospel, but it's also a come and see gospel, isn't it? Hospitality provides the space for come and see Christian witness. I'm coming more and more to learn how important it is for the church to extend God's welcome to the world. And he does welcome the world, and we're to enter that welcome. So, whereas love is serious, hospitality is also serious business. It provides space for the church to share their common life in Christ, and it becomes an invitation not only to share a home and a meal, but also to share Christ with those who do not yet believe. What has Jesus done for us? He has welcomed us into the home of his Father, and that is why I say that hospitality is, in a sense, a living parable of the gospel. I want to give you eight thoughts on this, and I'm not going to do much beyond listing them, but here they are. Number one, hospitality is a biblical mandate. I know you don't doubt it. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. That's 1 Peter 4 9. Number two, hospitality contemplates welcoming the stranger, but the commands in the Bible include practicing it in the church with fellow believers. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. That's Romans 12, 13. You can look up Romans 15:7 as well. Number three. Romans 15 7. Sorry, number 3. On the last day, it will be the hospitable sheep who are acknowledged and welcomed by Christ. Matthew 25. We've seen that already. Let me read it to you again. I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty, you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. There it is. And of course, the answer to the when question, you know, when did we do this to you, Lord, is this. Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it to me. Number four, our hospitality reflects the welcome of God. Have a look sometime at Isaiah 55, 1 and 2. Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. Come, buy, eat, no money, just come. Feast. It's an invitation to a feast. Jesus is the fulfillment of this feast promise. He said so as he offered his very self as the bread of life, as a source of living water. He says he will satisfy forever, and we believe that, don't we? John 6, John 4, John 7. The regular welcome of Jesus is extended when Christians participate in the Lord's Supper. I wonder if you have thought about that. Jesus is our host, he welcomes us. Jesus is our food, we feast on him by faith. Jesus is our returning King, whose death we proclaim until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11, 26. And when he does come, he will welcome us all who trust in him to his marriage supper. That's Revelation 19. And you can check out Matthew 11, too. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy leading. Number five, our hospitality follows the example of Jesus. Jesus was also a generous host. He fed 5,000 people with bread and fish. He took up the cause of undersupplied wedding guests and provided the wine needed for the celebration. Here's something else to ponder. Consider how Jesus lived as both guest and host throughout his ministry. And now ask how we, as his disciples, might follow his example. In other words, let's consider how we are to welcome others and how important it is to be welcomed by others. That's number five. Number six. Everyone is not in the same position to be hosts in the way we often think about hospitality. So we don't have the same home space, we don't have the resources to do it, but really hospitality is sharing your life with another person and being with another person. And uh and giving of yourself to someone else, even when it's uncomfortable to do so. So that's number seven. Number eight is this hospitality provides a context for the practice of the one another duties of Scripture. Love one another, pray for one another, bear one another's burdens, confess your sins to one another, forgive one another, serve one another, greet one another with a holy kiss. And if you're an Italian like I am, you you take this literally, but you can do what you want with that, whatever makes you feel comfortable. But the one another. We can't do those things without being in the company of our fellow Christians. And I think this is a powerful way to display gospel transformation to the world around us and a world that we want to come into our midst. Okay, so I think I am going to say one more thing and then stop. 229. Okay? All right. So back up a little and think a little more about the many times Jesus visited people at mealtime. The fact that he was despised because he ate with sinners, right? Matthew 9.10, is proof enough that he was a known guest of many people. One such host is a name you will recognize Zacchaeus. That we little man. He showed his faith in Christ not only by giving to the poor and compensating the victims of his greed, but also by receiving Jesus joyfully. That's Luke 19, 6. You might say that the first evidence of his repentance was to show hospitality to his Savior. And I'm sorry, everybody, I've got to conclude with one more thing. I said one more, and I meant to, I don't know, cut my salary in half. It's okay. The final note here is that we should ask the question: what do we want to be as a church? A fortress or a haven? And uh there is a book by Stephen Vyers, Loving Your Community. And uh it does contain a very ambitious program to reach a city. If you read the book, it's a worthy read, but if you read the book, you might get spooked by the ambition that is baked into his program. And it's not really what we do so much as members of the OPC, and um, it does require a lot of resources that we don't have, and we may not even make the choices that he made. Now, having said all that, let me also say this. He said something at the end that moved me and uh and and made me think we all need to evaluate how we want to present ourselves to a world that is filled with people who are perishing in their sins. He said that one of the fundamental questions each of us has to answer is this. Do you believe you are intrinsically better than those who are struggling in your community? Or are the strengths and successes in your life the result of God's grace? It's a rhetorical question. It reminds me of what Paul said, right? 1 Corinthians 4 7. For who sees anything different than you? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? It's a good question. So let's let Byers finish. Churches need to consider whether they have positioned themselves as fortresses of self-righteousness or havens of grace. That statement made me pause and pray. And I would recommend that you do the same. Let's seek them together, and I think there's a little bit of time for QA. Let's pray. Father, we are amazed by your love. We know only in part how sinful and unworthy we are, and we thank you for the mercy of revealing only part of our own sinfulness to us. But we do know that we deserve your wrath and curse, and yet you have come and you have saved us by the blood of your precious Son. You have promised us heaven. You've promised us all things because you gave us Jesus, and we thank you. And how we long to see many others in our world enjoy the freedom that is available through faith in Christ. Help us to live for Jesus, to speak of Jesus, to see those who are hurting in so many ways as opportunities to serve. Give us the wisdom we need to say the best things, and protect us, Lord, from neglecting to give the very best thing. We pray, Lord, that you would change us and help us to see Jesus in people and to be Jesus for people. That is what we want. We cannot do it in our own strength. And so, Holy Spirit, move us to do this for the sake of you. Father, Son, Holy Spirit, we pray in the name of Christ. Amen.

David Nakhla 57:03

Thank you, Al. I told you you wouldn't be disappointed, and I think you're sure we all agree. Questions for Al as we reflect on what we've learned. I'll start. Al, if you had the opportunity to address a room full of deacons, a couple hundred deacons, if you had that opportunity, for those who may be introted, shy, yeah, not confident uh in moving forward with welcoming those around them.

SPEAKER_01 57:34

I would say, this is a good question, I would say find someone who is less introverted, who feels more comfortable responding to requests or initiating conversations. I think it's good to remember that other people are also uneasy about conversations that we're discussing now, you know, disclosing needs, thinking about deeper matters of the faith. And I think it's good just to even admit that. Say, I really want to share these things with you. I'm not good at it. Let's talk together and let's see if we can help each other. Learn from that person, deliver mercy to that person. You need to, this two, I maybe give you more than three, but I think that you need to rely upon the Holy Spirit to help you to do these things. I also think that not everyone is equipped to do everything exactly the same way. You know, we all have different gifts. And you know, if your gift is not speaking, I you know, you I think it is good for you to give testimony in different ways and let others talk. I think that's perfectly okay. What you don't want is to provide a template and say, unless you, unless you fit your life into it, you're a failure. That's wrong. Don't put pressure on yourself, don't put pressure on others who are not like you. But isn't it great that we have teams in Presbyterianism? I mean, really. How important is it to have more than one deacon? Now, I know not all churches have more than one deacon, but you have elders and a deacon, more people putting their hearts and minds together before the scriptures and saying, how can we best bring God's truth and help to this individual? So there are a few things that come to my mind.

David Nakhla 59:19

So the concern is the relationship between generosity and creating codependency. How do we put our limits on not creating a codependency here?

SPEAKER_01 59:30

I'm sure there are people in this room that are better equipped to answer this question because of experiences they've had. You know, my I'm always wondering if my experiences in Africa really import well. Um, and I think I've already shared a little bit of my testimony, how I've moved a little bit from one extreme, and I hope not to an extreme on the other side. I think to err on the side of generosity is it a better error? I just do. You want people to learn how to live under the generous rule of Christ, which includes if you do not work, you do not eat. That's that's in the Bible. It's good for us to know that. And I do think that that is a message that ought to be delivered, but maybe not immediately. Um I I think that I would I would here here's what here's another way to say it. I would prefer to make the mistake of being generous and uh and possibly, you know, undermining a future relationship there because I gave too much, than to miss an opportunity to really help someone temporarily. Because I, you know, the Bible is filled with all this generous talk too, right? Lend and don't expect in return. That's scandalous. I mean, how is that good for people? I don't know. So you hear me struggling here. I I I wish I had an answer. Well, maybe I'm maybe I don't. Maybe it's good for me to share with you I don't have an answer. So maybe these others have another answer. But I do think it takes time. You really want relationships, you want people to be under the word, and as long as there's some momentum there, I think I think it's better to err on the side of giving than holding back. Do you think that's true? The question of when to know, I think that's a case, that's that's case dependent. Pray, pray for that wisdom. Are you wise? I'm not wise. God knows I'm not wise. That's why it says, pray for wisdom, I'm gonna give it to you. And so if you if you're gonna if you're gonna do this and not pray, then don't do it.

David Nakhla 1:01:39

Okay, thank you. Next question. I'm gonna go back to Zach.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:45

From your experience, and you've got uh correct congregations on congregations are tired on not a lot of gas left in the tank. What do you do to get back in the feelings to uh technology those congregations?

David Nakhla 1:02:08

It's a quick repeat of the question: how to how to re-energize the congregation that's tired.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:16

It makes me wonder what the ostensible reasons for being tired are, because I think there's more than one. There is a sort of a general, you know, virus fatigue. I think we all feel that. Some people responded in more positive ways than others during the course of those two years. I'm not yet answering the question, but that that that question does come to my mind. And so you you need to sort of work with people and and dig a little and find out what is the root, the root of the discouragement or fatigue. That's one thing to say. I do think people need rest. Jesus said we should rest. He told his disciples, come away, rest a while. We need to rest from things so that we can learn that we are not God, the one who doesn't need to sleep, right? We need to learn that. But I also think that at some point, and probably a point earlier in the timeline than we think, we just have to do something. And maybe even do something big. I think our ministry at Calvary to the Pashai family, the Afghan family, I think that has really energized a lot of people in our church. We're reading the WhatsApp every other day. New developments. The father got a job, the baby had a successful brain surgery. I mean, this is serious stuff, and we have our hands on it, and and we're hoping for a very long-term relationship with this one family, but other families as well. I think that idleness is not an answer to fatigue. I really, I really believe that. Take your time, don't press people beyond their ability to do something, but I think doing something can be more a solution to the problem than an end gold once the problem disappears.

David Nakhla 1:04:23

Thank you. Well said there was someone here.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:27

Well, I guess one of the questions I had is it seems like your reference to giving one people, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:04:36

That's your reference to the that's that's that's one context, yes. I think that we're all familiar with that, uh, but that's not the only thing.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:45

Well, I bring it up because one of the things that I could be is not safe, first of all, for that to be in the streets doing that. And then the other worry that I have is what others have talked about, which is that they might be the money for drugs or something that you know and uh I think that'd be connected, that's why I think No, I I think those are valid concerns.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:12

I do wonder though, whether at bottom they're our concerns. It's just a question. So um, yeah, we don't want to make someone dependent upon us. We don't want people to misuse funds, we don't want them to be, you know, guilty of self-harm. That we and we want that. That's why the best the best thing is not to give them money and say Sayonara, it is to do your best to develop future contacts, relationship. I mean, really, that's what it's uh it's about, right? And then if that doesn't happen, pray that what you provided will really help them in some way and not hurt them. I don't think my impulse is to say, you know, this is this is really not. Going to help because you're just begging and so on. I want to fight against that impulse and I want to transform that to a different impulse. And that impulse is to see every person who comes, whatever the story is, whether I know the story or not, is an opportunity to bring Christ to bear upon that life. And if that means giving them a supermarket gift card because they're hungry and they may abuse that, I just think that's generally a better choice. But it's not going to be everybody's choice. I don't know if that helps or not, but that's those are my thoughts. Okay.

David Nakhla 1:06:37

So this is a question of is it his thoughts on mandating that the people first come to worship with you before you the deacons meet with them?

SPEAKER_01 1:06:46

Yeah. So I think it's a reasonable approach. If someone contacts you, you say, I'll meet you at worship, then we can have a conversation. I think it's always best to have a conversation. You can't really do that unless you're, you know, with someone. And I guess you could do it on with texting, but uh, you know, that's I'm too old for that. And so I don't I don't really like that sort of thing. But I think that's perfectly reasonable. And uh, even when they do come, and even if they have a good conversation with you, and if they come to worship a couple times, it's still it doesn't mean that they're still not trying to play you. But, you know, be played. It's in Christ's name. You're trying to help someone, and if your effort doesn't accomplish what you hope it to be, then you'll have other opportunities. But I don't think there's anything wrong with that approach at all.

unknown 1:07:34

Yeah.

David Nakhla 1:07:35

It's a this is a very brief question of compare and contrast your ministry here in the States and your ministry in Uganda.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:40

Okay, very good. Yeah, yeah. Specifically diaconal type ministries. Yeah, yeah, okay. So, you know, my my experience since I came back from Uganda is not extensive. You know, I'm a member of a session and preacher, I travel around, do stuff. I'm not, I don't, I'm not in the trenches as you all are presently. But I have a sense of how things are, so I can I can take a stab at it. So in America, I've never had to encourage a needy person by eating termite larva. There's a difference. You know, like I like I said before, in a sense, everybody's the same, right? The needs are the same, the solution at the end of the day is Jesus. And we win, we want to think creatively about how to bring about help and to deliver that precious message that we have. On one hand, it's much easier in Karamoja. The poverty is greater, the complexities are different, and I think maybe greater. The people, um, as lovely as they are, they they can't get out of their own way in terms of their sinful patterns that do great damage and they don't see it. It's just very different. But in a way, it's easier because they love that we were there. And we saw them every day. And we could talk to them about Jesus every day. I was able, Bob, to go into any hut, any day of the week, any time of the day, and say, Can I read the Bible and pray with you? And they will always, always say yes. Always. That's something you don't see in Chicago. But you see it in Karamoja every day. We were asked to come into the schools and to take over their Bible curriculum, public schools. Does that happen in Chicago? Well, I don't think so. But it happens in Karamoja. Religious education is required, there's nobody there to teach it. So there we are. So we did the the short account or the children's catechism, we did the life of Moses, we did the life of Christ, all in the public school setting. And so, in terms of delivering the gospel, it was it was it was easy. You'd love it. You'd love it there. And then the needs are not unclear to us, they're they're in your face. And so the question is then how you know, how do you manage all of that? Here, um, it's very difficult to get a happy audience for gospel conversation. I think that's the greater challenge. It's also difficult to discern because most people who have needs are more like us than not, right? So I do think that some of the strategies uh will transfer, but I also think that the difference in culture does require different approaches with the same end goal, and that is to help in Jesus' name and to bring Christ to bear upon their lives.

David Nakhla 1:10:42

In the back against the wall.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:44

My thoughts on helping uh people come to come to our church, and I use this in my own private life also. Unless I know that they're scamming us, I'll always give them the benefit of the doubt. I figure uh maybe God has sent this person to test me, test our church. Um I just figure, you know, if I give them $20, or my church maybe gives them $50, it's not gonna break us. But if if if he's scamming us, he's the one that's got to answer that.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:20

That's true.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:21

Yeah. If I don't help him, he's a legitimate and he really needs help, and I don't help him. I feel I have to answer for that. That's just what he just we handle. I handle it.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:34

Thank you for sharing that. I think that's I think that's good. That's a positive approach. I think question next question up here.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:42

Thank you for your uh talk here. I'm curious um regarding your past experience and beyond people who are legitimate, all these things that are very bad. Um, in relation to being a neighbor and trying to love them, I'm curious if there's any experience you're being compared that would apply to America with like for instance where people like that. I don't think I wonder if there's any advice that you I know there's a lot of comments that we have, but I'm curious if you have any additional uh expertise or advice from like that type of account.

David Nakhla 1:12:26

So just really real quick repeat so how do we balance our interactions with our neighbor who is living in ways that are simple, and how do we respond to that and balance that in our relationship?

SPEAKER_01 1:12:42

So the examples you gave, it's really interesting. They are really different, polygamy and let's just say homosexual unions, right? Marriage. So I want to avoid getting too deep into the weeds on the polygamy question, but our mission took the position, and it's a position I continue to hold, and that is polygamists, while polygamists can come to Christ, enter the church, have full communion, along with their believing wives and children, that that divorce is not the solution to polygamy. They don't qualify for office, they have to appreciate the destruction that is that happens. They're not to take additional wives, they're the to warn the next generation, but we don't say this is a sin that has a remedy of breaking up a marriage that is acceptable, I shouldn't say accepted by the community. That would be disruptive, and it is not easy to make a biblical case to dissolve polygamous marriages. We can make the case that they're wrong, but it's a solution dissolution. So that's just something to say. I said I wasn't gonna get in the weeds, I hope that wasn't too weedy. Um in terms of in terms of sex changes and and game matters, I I just, you know, that's a different ball game, isn't it? So I think, I think, I don't know, I don't have a lot of experience with this. And I I I did hear um a friend of mine who is a pastor in an urban area and uh in the Northeast, a a more you know progressive city, and um his approach is when when this comes up, and it always comes up because pastors have a reputation of hating gay people, right? That's just that's what people think. It's not true, but that's what people think. He says, you know, I do have, when someone asks him, he says, I do have some positions on that, and I think you know what they are. And I would be happy to talk about that sometime, but we we should have a relationship first. Let's develop that friendship first so we can trust each other on one level, and then I will be happy to share in deeper ways what I believe the truth is in this. I think there's wisdom there. He's not dismissing it, he's certainly not giving the impression that he accepts it, but he doesn't want to just say something that will turn him away when it's not necessary to do so. So that maybe that's a more you know American version of what our experience was with respect to polygamy in Uganda.

David Nakhla 1:15:38

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