Thursday, November 11, 2010

Why Minister To Seniors?

“The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness.” (NKJV)


As another year draws to a close, we hear it everywhere: "man, time is going by quickly"...or "where did the year go" and so on. It used to be when we were young whipper snappers, we couldn't wait to get old!  Then we got old and oh... to be young again!  Then, it used to be that only older folks would say the years are going faster as the grey hairs added on...or disappeared entirely. But now, even young people are complaining it is going by too fast!!

How do we 'splain this phenomenon?! Well, if we entirely thinking in the worldly sense, we could say, well - think of life as a roll of bathroom tissue. The close you get to the end of the roll, the faster the sheets fly off it! Well, extrapolate that to the Bible.  LIKE IT OR NOT - THESE ARE THE END TIMES...and not just because all the prophesies of Scripture point to it! But we are seeing these events unfolding right before our eyes!


So what do we do? Well, we look into our hearts and develop a passion for God's people! For example, Senior Retirement Centers (whether assisted living or otherwise) are full of so many lost and lonely people, we have a veritable field of Ministry just waiting for missionaries like you and I! We don't need any vaccine shots, passports and fundraising for overseas travel for this - all  you need is love (Beatles 1967)!!


Who lives in these homes? Well, they are not just parents and relatives, but folks who were just working down with hall in the office just a couple years ago....or were put there by their family (who never heard of the only Commandment with a condition...honor your father and mother....). Having gone to pass out Gideon Bibles in different towns in Illinois since the mid 1990's to minister with my wife, kids and her parents (Sonshine Outreach Ministries), I can testify to the urgency of not just ministering in song and smiles to them...but getting them the Gospel now!! They have a desperate need to be saved!!! I don't care if they don't know it yet, but they are closer to meeting Jesus than most of us are.



So, in order to keep this short, what can you and I do? Start by figuring out what gift God gave you. Is it Mercy, compassion or caring for the sick? Buy some Gospel tracts. Christmas is coming, well, go ahead and call a nursing home and take some fruit or hand towels or even a talking bird! Take your guitar and sing them some songs then read the Bible to them...tell them your testimony....I can go on for hours here! There are many opportunities like these in almost any town in America. It is the largest unreached people group as most churches won't go there...the same way the churches won't do street evangelism - (same reason - not flashy enough, I guess).


In other words, we know the answer. Let's do as Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers once said "brothers and sisters - Do something, do something, DO SOMETHING"!!! If you have any information or need help starting a senior ministry in your town, feel free to email me or leave a comment here or on Facebook!

(Photos: Google Images)
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