A young boy stands before his family’s “house” after Cyclone Nargis devastated southern Myanmar
What is the driving force behind the ministry of Heaven’s Family? The answer is found in the Bible. It teaches us that when a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, he or she is spiritually reborn and becomes a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17). So dramatic is this change that Scripture compares it to dying and coming back to life, which is one reason why new Christians are baptized. Going under the water represents their burial, and coming out of the water represents their resurrection to a brand new life. Additionally, their new self has been washed clean by the Holy Spirit, symbolized by their “washing” in the water. They have not only been forgiven of their past sins, but they’ve also been given the Holy Spirit to empower them to live holy lives.
How do I know if I’ve truly been born again and am a new creation? How do I know if I’ve gone from the state of being spiritually dead to the state of being spiritually alive? The apostle John gives us an answer:
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death (1 John 3:14).
Love is the litmus test. God places His love inside the hearts of the reborn (Rom. 5:5). That love, however, transcends warm feelings and a few handshakes at church services. It is a self-denying love, the love that Christ exemplified in His life and death. So John also wrote:
We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? (1 John 3:16-17).
At least one-half of our spiritual family around the world today lives on less than two dollars a day. Most have no opportunity to earn more money than that. Worse, some face extenuating circumstances beyond their deep poverty, such as persecution, handicaps, orphanhood, widowhood, civil war, natural disasters, sickness, unsafe drinking water, and more. We who possess “this world’s goods” cannot close our hearts and claim that God’s love abides in us. If we do, then we are goats, not sheep, and we need to be truly born again (see Matt. 25:31-46).
Heaven’s Family exists as a love-link to our poor brothers and sisters around the world who need our help. The work of the Heaven’s Family staff, now consisting of sixteen employees, is to identify genuine needs, communicate those needs to you, meet those needs with your help, and then communicate to you how your compassion is making a difference. We are here to serve you as you serve the “least of these” among Jesus’ family.
By giving a percentage of your income to poor members of your spiritual family, you are turning work hours at your daily job into a ministry, “laying down your life for the brethren.” 100% of any amount received for any of Heaven’s Family‘s 24 Focused Funds is sent overseas to meet pressing needs within each fund’s category. All administrative costs are paid through the general fund.
So why do we do this? Simply because we love Jesus, and so naturally (or perhaps it would be better to say “supernaturally”), we love His family, here, and around the world. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to serve you. Jesus is the force behind Heaven’s Family.
