Ministries of Mercy

There was once a man who traveled from Jerusalem to Jericho and was set upon by robbers who beat him up to add insult to injury. A rabbi passed by and saw the man, and crossed the street to pretend he didn't see what he just saw. A Levite passed by and did the same thing. A (shudder) Samaritan passed by, saw the man, cleaned his wounds, put him on his donkey, and took him to an inn where this hated Samaritan paid for the man's stay and medical expenses and promised to pay more if needed. The Samaritan practiced mercy in the most pure way possible.

Tim Keller has taken this parable and shown the duties of today's church. He makes some very valid points that are as pertinent today as they were in Jesus' day. This book was written in the 1980's originally, but has been re-released to a world needing its message as badly now as it needed it two thousand years ago. Teddy Roosevelt has summed up Tim Keller's premise this way:

Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.

If we are to reach out to a hurting world, we have to meet the needs that are hurting them before we can share the light of Jesus Christ with them. Not only does Tim Keller show what needs to be done, but he concisely explains why, and then he goes into the hows of beginning a ministry of mercy, the hows of continuing a ministry of mercy, and what to do if the ministry comes to an end. Ministries of Mercy shows how to live personally, corporately, and ultimately as a Christian showing the mercy we have received. This book needs to be read by every pastor, elder, deacon, and church member. Suppose that the Christians and churches started ministering to those around us in need and began to help them up out of the mire they find themselves in, we could do away with so many governmental social programs.

Tim has a very readable style of writing that makes reading tough things easier to digest. I love reading his books and pondering his point of view. This is a five star, two thumbs up, and a pair of socks for a homeless person book.

My thanks to P & R Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book. Only my honest opinion was required.