Pastor Rodney Elliott | Weekend of October 17-18, 2026 | Matthew 25:31-46
MESSAGE SUMMARY
As our "For..." series continues, Pastor Rodney Elliott takes us to Matthew 25, where Jesus describes the day he returns as King and separates the sheep from the goats, the true right and left. To those on his right he says, "I was hungry and you gave me something to eat... I was a stranger and you invited me in," and both groups are surprised to learn that whatever they did, or did not do, for the least of these, they did for him. In an election season full of promises, Pastor Rodney asks whether caring for the forgotten is something we only vote for or something we actually do. He shares about delivering a mattress through CarePortal to a family who had slept on the floor for over a year, even though the breadwinner was working three jobs, and about the moment he realized a close friend had gone two weeks without food while he was too busy to notice. The sheep were not working for their salvation; they were working from a changed heart. The forgotten are never forgotten by God, and they should not be forgotten by us.
LEADER NOTES
- Keep it about people, not parties. The message touches on politics and voting. Gently steer the conversation away from candidates or partisan debate and back to the question Jesus asks: did we see him in the least of these?
- Be sensitive to your group. Some in your circle may have been the forgotten person in a season of life, or may be walking through need right now. Make room for stories without putting anyone on the spot.
- Grace before action. The message is clear that we work from our salvation, not for it. If anyone feels condemned by the sheep and goats passage, point them back to the inheritance prepared by the Father and the invitation to know Jesus.
- Have next steps ready. Sign-up tables were in campus lobbies over the weekend, but people can still get involved. Encourage your group to sign up for the CarePortal Response Team in the Pathway Church app, reach out to their campus about joining a CarePortal delivery team or the bed-building team, or ask about the Foster Care 101 class.
ICEBREAKER
What is something you forgot recently simply because life got busy? Was it a big deal or a small one?
LAST WEEK'S "I WILL" REVIEW
Last week our "I Will" statement was:
I Will: I will pray for one school by name and encourage one person in it this week.
Which school did you pray for? Did you have a chance to encourage someone connected to it? What did you notice?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Read Matthew 25:31-46 together. Pastor Rodney "set the table" by reminding us that Jesus is describing his return as King, when every knee will bow. In this passage, Jesus says that whatever we did, or did not do, for the least of these, we did for him. What stood out to you most from the weekend message and from this passage? What does it reveal about the heart of Jesus?
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'... The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'" (Matthew 25:34-36, 40, NIV)
Application: Jesus personally identifies with the hungry, the stranger, and the prisoner. Think of the last time you walked past someone in need. How might that moment have looked different if you had recognized Jesus there?
2. Pastor Rodney asked, "Is caring for the forgotten something we vote for, or is it something we do?" He described loading a mattress into his truck for a family who had slept on the floor for over a year, and noted that the breadwinner in that home was working three jobs. How did that story challenge the assumptions we sometimes make about people in need? Why is it so easy to let our care stop at the ballot box?
Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:15-17, NIV)
Application: Name one need in your community that you have mostly talked about rather than acted on. What would a first, personal step look like?
3. Pastor Rodney pointed out that the inheritance Jesus offers was "prepared for you since the creation of the world." The sheep were not working for their salvation; they were working from a changed heart. What is the difference between those two motivations, and how would you know which one is driving you?
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10, NIV)
Application: Is there an area of service you do out of guilt or obligation? Ask God to reshape it into an overflow of gratitude for what he has already given you.
4. Pastor Rodney shared that about 15 years ago, a close friend told him they had gone without food for two weeks, and he wondered, "How did I miss that?" His answer: "I was too busy with my own life." What keeps you busy building your own kingdom instead of God's, and what forgotten things get crowded out?
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:45, NIV)
Application: Look at your calendar for the coming week. Where could you create margin to notice and respond to someone God puts in your path?
5. Pastor Rodney offered three heart questions that he said were for himself first: Who do I not see? Have I outsourced my compassion? Would I be surprised? Which of these questions hits closest to home for you, and why?
If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:17-18, NIV)
Application: Choose one of the three questions to pray through each day. Write down any names or faces God brings to mind.
THIS WEEK'S "I WILL" STATEMENT
I Will: I will take action to remember the forgotten.
Some ways to live this out:
- Sign up for the CarePortal Response Team in the Pathway Church app and respond when the Spirit moves you.
- Reach out to your campus to get connected with a CarePortal delivery team or the bed-building team.
- You can find out more about the Fostering 101 class by .
- Learn the name of a neighbor you do not know yet, and ask how you can help.
PRAYER PROMPTS
- Thank God that the forgotten are never forgotten by him, and that he did not forget us.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the people in your life you have not truly seen.
- Pray for the children in our area without a safe place to sleep, for families in crisis, and for the agencies, social workers, and schools that bring needs forward.
- Ask God to move conviction into action, so that when Jesus returns, he finds us busy about his work.
- Pray for anyone in your group or your circle who does not yet know Jesus.
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