At a Glance
We all know we are supposed to love our neighbors, but how can we do that well? Ena Richards, a speaker at the recent DNA Global Forum, breaks down what it means to work for someone’s good and how we can love people into thriving. Ena Richards is the founder of Work 4 A Living, a ministry that has labored to get the unemployed to recognize the significance of their life and work. Through their job and business training, 13,000 people have come to know Christ as their Savior. This is the story of Ena learning to guide people in the journey of discipleship and faithfulness.
What You'll Hear
Chapter 1: Our Ethiopia Trip (1:17)
- We recently went to Ethiopia for the DNA Global Forum.
- It was encouraging to see how DNA’s message is impacting people worldwide.
- Biblical worldview is impacting all parts of culture, even up to the government of Ethiopia.
Chapter 2: How to Love Your Neighbor (11:36)
- Ena Richards, the founder of Work 4 A Living, gave a talk on loving your neighbor.
- Love means doing good for someone.
- Loving means meeting people’s needs where they are at.
- Breaking out of poverty often requires a change in mindset.
Chapter 3: Teaching People How to Love (23:15)
- Encouraging people to care for one another opened them up to God.
- People were coming to salvation through Ena’s ministry, but she did not know how to disciple them after they were saved.
Chapter 4: How to Help People Thrive (45:11)
- Be “hard on standards, soft on people” by not allowing people to escape the consequences of bad behavior.
- Don’t fix the problem for them, teach them how to fix it themselves.
- The four pillars of poverty in Africa are mindset, ancestral worship, fatherlessness, and unforgiveness.
- Unforgiveness has to do not just with personal grievances, but national issues like apartheid that can keep people in bondage to the past.
Using the link above, you can read the transcript, listen along, and adjust the speed of the podcast while you listen.
“Loving people means meeting their needs. But we don't stop there. We want them to thrive, not just get out of poverty.”
Ena (34:04)
Go Deeper
Work 4 A Living
It’s easy to feel hopeless and anxious about wide scale unemployment and great need in the world.
We decided to take action in this area, rather than give in to hopelessness. This takes the form of a job and business training model that is easily replicable and can be self-sustainable. The training is available to all, and emphasizes practical and soft skills that are essential to thriving in the working and business world.
Kingdomizer Training Program
The transformation of our communities and nations begins with each of us. Kingdomizers are individuals who advance the truth, goodness, and beauty of God’s Kingdom in the world in which they live. Our unique Kingdomizer Training Program is designed to equip you and your church to live out Christ’s truth and redemptive love in transforming ways.
Quotes
“The irreducible minimum of the gospel is ‘love your neighbor.’” Ena Richards (12:32)
“Isaiah 1:17 says, learn to do good. Seek justice, help the oppressed, defend the cause of orphans, fight for the rights of widows. Learn, seek, help, defend. Strong words. Ladies and gentlemen, these are fighting words. They’re not passive words. Love is not abstract.” Ena (14:39)
“The students now have been caring for their neighbor. And they’ve been doing amazing things. We say to them. ‘Hey, guys, we want to tell you what you’ve actually been doing.’ Scripture says, “If you love me, you will obey me.” Therefore, by loving your neighbor, you have been delighting God.” Ena (28:14)
“What is loving people—meeting their needs. But we don’t stop there. We want them to thrive, not just get out of poverty.” Ena (34:04)
“So, if I want the very best for someone, if I want to love someone, what does that look like? Well, it looks like living a life of thriving according to God’s purposes and plans, communing with God, hearing his voice, getting wisdom from God on a daily basis, working and impacting others to do the same.” Ena (42:54)
“We love people halfway. We lead them to Christ. And then we don’t equip them to live according to God’s ways.” Ena (44:16)
“Loving people means giving them hope.” Ena (59:56)
