ALMS - MATTHEW 25:34-40

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. KJV

In this collection of scriptures we have the words of our Precious Savior Jesus Christ. This teaching is about the Kingdom of God so it is very important to us as Christians. Although we did not include the whole teaching because we are only focusing on a portion of the teaching we will not misinterpret the point. The major point the Lord is trying to get across to all mankind in Matthew 25:31-46 is that there is a definite separation between the righteous and unrighteous. There is a heavenly home to gain for all Believers and a place of torment to come for the wicked. The Lord declares this point of separation in Matthew chapter 25 verses 32, 33 and 46. In the context of separation the Lord explains what will be the determining actions for judging between the righteous and the wicked. We are only exploring the portion of verses covering the characteristics of the righteous in Matthew 25:34-40. We will first mention that God is our King and as our King His dominion crosses the Heavens and passes through the earth and reaches to the depths of hell. Even though we live in a democracy here in America we should never confusion this with God's Kingdom which is definitely a monarchy. The Lord is the Monarch presiding over the whole world, heaven, earth and hell. Although He loves all people equally He is still a God who must enforce legal justice whenever mercy is rejected by men. This explains why the King, our Lord, told those on His right hand to come and inherit. We come to the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ and we inherit the whole Kingdom of God in Jesus righteous. Yes, this was always God's intention and that is why He stated it had been prepared specifically for us since the foundation of the world in verse 34. We know that the world was made for God's glory and praise which makes the Christian the perfect candidates to fill that position of glorifying and praising God. Filling such a glorious position in God's cabinet does not come to all men automatically but you must be chosen by God and accept His invitation. We understand through this teaching that being a Christian is more than just confessing Jesus as Lord because a true Christian acts like Jesus. Notice verses 35 and 36 where we see six different callings (characteristics, traits) of a true Christian repeating the works of Christ:

  1. Giving food to the hungry


  2. Giving drink to the thirsty


  3. Accepting the stranger as one of your own family members


  4. Giving clothes to the naked


  5. Visiting the sick


  6. Visiting those in prison

These six things are at the heart of the Kingdom of God, every Christian has probably done at least one of these good deeds if not more. We can think of whole ministries that are established for one or more of these purposes in the earth and they are blessed of God. These acts of kindness are called "Alms" and that is the major point of this write up. The ministries and people that do these acts of kindness in the Grace of God are strongly supported by God. Alms are more than just money, previously the term “alms” was also used in connection with “deed” known as "Almsdeed" which basically meant any good deed done unto your fellowman. As Christians we must realize in this teaching that doing good deeds unto our fellowman is godly because the Lord is good to all people all the time. However, with that being said we must keep this teaching in context that is speaking of separation. Therefore we must emphasize the fact that in this account of the Kingdom of God the Lord Jesus is specifically speaking of good deeds done unto Him. We could say that the good deeds "Alms" you do unto His People are counted as righteous acts in the Kingdom of God. This may be a little confusing to some people who believe that any good deed gets credit with God because they are not looking specifically at these verses. Yes, Angela and I will agree that all good deeds done are probably seen by God. However, we will not go so far as to imply that it does not matter who the good deed is for. Think about it, Is God obligated to save His children? The appropriate answer is, "Yes and Amen!" How about the question, Is God committed to provide for His children? The correct answer is, Yes, when they obey His Word! Likewise, Is the Lord required to show His Love for His People? The correct answer is, Yes, indeed He Is! Therefore with those few questions being true without a shadow of doubt let us ask another question. Is the Lord obligated to save those who reject Jesus Christ as their Savoir and Lord? The correct answer is, No, He is not. So one can easily conclude that we, as God’s children, have a deeper and stronger obligation to take care of our brothers and sisters in Christ over just any person in the world. Yes, this is true, we know some will say but if a Christian is kind to an unbeliever they may be won to Christ. Yes, Angela and I agree, however if you love everyone you are fulfilling your Christian obligation as a disciple of Christ. Dear Beloved Child of God please do not confuse loving everyone with providing for everyone around the world. We are specifically speaking of Christian "Alms" which are intended to help those fellow believers around the world, starting with your local area of influence. Notice in all six areas you are giving something good to fellow believers in Christ Jesus. Whether this gift is food, or a drink, or acceptance, or clothing, or your time and encouragement it was intended that the Name of the Lord and the Goodness of God should be included during the exchange. You give them something they are lacking and they give you back thanksgiving and appreciation for obeying God’s Love. Remember we are ambassadors of Christ, so whatever we do, we do it in His Name and for His Glory making these "Alms" a part of our ministry with God. It should never be just a rash decision to help someone in need but rather a prayerful consideration that is carried out in divine compassion under the inspiration of God. We can see that if we do anyone of these things we have demonstrated the Lord's heart by our actions. We are not obligated to do all these “Alms deeds” at once but we should have the fruit for at least one of these acts of kindness in our life. This obedience to God's Word makes it very easy to identify the Right Hand Christian because they are the ones who act right. One thing that is interesting to note is that none of things "Alms" deeds required an exchange of money. The “Alms deeds” did required time, compassion, and some other assets that the giver should have in their possession. We know money can buy food, drinks and clothing but we must know that when giving "Alms" as a Christian the glorification of Jesus is our number one priority. This simply means that if you consider the Lord when it comes to giving "Alms" please do not over complicate the good deed. This is a ministry opportunity to show people a glimpse of God's goodness knowing that His presence of compassion will do more to help the hurting then anything we can do in the natural. It is essential that we do these acts of kindness "Alms" with a pure motive of love rather than personal gain because that is what verses 37 - 39 speak about. The righteous did not have a sheet of paper tallying their good deeds nor did they mention to the Lord that He was accurate in His assessment of their good deeds. No, they simply replied, "We did these things because we love our brothers and sisters in Christ". Then the King replies in verse 40 that you can not minister unto My People without ministering unto to Me Personally. Therefore with God's love in your heart when considering the gift of giving "Alms" keep in mind “whom” you are giving it to. If the recipient is a Believer you are blessing the Lord Himself so keep it private to honor the ways of God spoken in Matthew 6:1-4. Generally, the recipient who knows the Lord should be thankful to God first and thankful to the giver second. This appreciation of God's Goodness will generate gratitude in your heart, the recipient’s heart and also in heart of God because you are representing "Alms" from the King of Heaven down here on earth. Amen!

In His Love, Eric & Angela Foster

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