There are many hurting people in our own community who need ministry before we go out to minister in the uttermost parts of the world. So let's examine our own "world" first. And to be very specific, let's draw the circumference of our world even smaller in order to look at one particular group—the local church.

The church is full of people who have needs that require our attention. Many in the local church are suffering from broken hearts, and no one seems to take the time to minister to them.

Instead, these people are often casually given the advice: "Just believe God! Let the Spirit of God take care of you." Or, "If you'd had faith, you wouldn't have gotten into this mess in the first place."

But wait a minute: Jesus said that we are to minister to the brokenhearted.

It is possible to reach a place, even if you're surrounded by people who know how to believe God, where you're under so much pressure and hurt that you cannot help yourself—you need the Body of Christ to reach out to you.

You need someone who's gracious enough to put an arm around you and say, "We're with you! Hang on. We're standing with you."

Meeting Them Where They Are
Those of us who claim to have faith often seem to imply to those in need: "If you had any faith, you'd get out of the much and the mire, and come up here with us spiritual giants."

It's so easy to look down on someone from some great spiritual height and say, "Come up here with us." But it's another thing entirely to walk back down to where they are and grab hold of that hurting person, and help bring him or her up to new heights in God with you.

Some of you "faith giants" need to get your feet in the much and mire and help those who are stuck. You raise them up!

Jesus said we are to set at liberty the bruised. We are to minister to them! There are many battered and bruised individuals in the church today. And, sad to say, it has often been so-called "Christians" who have hurt them.

You must realize that some of these bruised people are confused because they've heard one thing taught here and another thing taught there, and now they don't know what to believe. Then the devil takes further advantage of the situation, and also slaps them around.

We must realize that sometimes it's hard for others to believe God when they're being continually knocked around by the devil.

When you're at that point, you need someone to grab your hand and show you the way because you can't get the confusion out of your head. Old boxers or football wide receivers who are used to continual buffeting can relate to this.

Sometimes when these players are knocked down, they need help just to get on their feed or over to the sidelines! They've been knocked around so much, they don't know whether they are up, down, sideways, or crossways.

It can feel the same way in the spiritual realm.

That's What A Church Is For
Jesus also said that we are to "reach deliverance to the captives" (Luke 4:18). There are many in our midst who are oppressed. There are many who are lonely. Maybe they shouldn't be, because of their inheritance in Christ, but they are nevertheless.

But that's what a church is for; it is for refuge and help. A church is a place to minister to those who are weary and hurting. Maybe these people have been believing and standing in faith for so long that they've become weary in well doing. Maybe they feel as if they're losing the battle.

That's when they need someone to stand with them!

At a time like that, other people in the Body of Christ need to hold up their hands, like Aaron and Hur held up Moses' hands in the battle with Amalek (Ex. 17:12). These weary Christians need the saints to put their arms of faith around them and help them to stand in their time of need.

I actually heard this remark made about a man who, although strong in faith, had died without receiving his healing: "Bless God, if he'd known how to believe God, he wouldn't have died!" What comfort do you suppose that comment was to his bereaved family? Is that how Jesus told us to minister to the brokenhearted?

Christians, we need to watch our words and really minister in a loving way to hurting people—especially during times of trial, weariness, and grief.

It's true that this particular man wasn't old enough to die. And it's also true that he didn't have to die of sickness and disease. Yes, he could have received his healing, but for some reason, he didn't. On the other hand, he was born again, and filled with the Spirit. So he went to heaven...and in that sense, he's better off than we are!

Careless remarks do not help a bereaved family. Insensitive words minister to no one. Such words minister death, not life, and they certainly do not fulfill Jesus' commission—which is to heal the brokenhearted.

Some people have charged that the Christian army is the only army that destroys its wounded instead of ministering to them. The excuse is that it's not faith to sympathize with troubled people. But remember...someone gave you a helping hand to help get you where you are spiritually!

That's why we need to do the same for others.

And the Apostle teaches that we are not to think of ourselves as some great "giants" of faith. Paul says that we are to take heed of ourselves, lest we find ourselves in a similar situation (Rom. 12:3, 1 Cor. 10:12).

Helping To Heal The Scars
In the natural, those who go into a battle often come back with battle scars. Many men who came back from World War II, the Korean conflict, and Vietnam had battle scars. It took kind, loving people working with them to get them healed of their wounds.

There are Christians among us who are battle-scarred spiritually. They need ministry; they need someone to help them. Realize that many of those who have just accepted Jesus—and others you may come into contact with—may be battle-scarred. It may take them a while sitting under the teaching of the Word of God before they are completely healed.

We, as a members of the Body of Christ, must have patience and long-suffering with these individuals. It's our responsibility to take them under our wing, and help teach, train, and love them until they are strong enough to overcome their wounds.

Furthermore, in the Body of Christ, we need to be careful to minister to those Christians who have made mistakes. Again, that's what churches are for. But too often when someone in church circles makes a mistake, and perhaps stumbles, everyone seems to jump on him like a vulture.

Let's not forget 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sons, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Romans 8:1 says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

Psalm 103:12 says "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." In other words, our sins have been taken away and are completely done away with.

As far as the Lord is concerned, our sins no longer exist. It should be that way between Christians as well.

Source: Ministering to the Brokenhearted
by Kenneth Hagin Jr.
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publication