the gospel and social justice
I think felt needs are so important. That's probably pretty clearly illustrated through the things I've chosen to invest my time and money in (like
this, or
this, or
this). I don't say that to pat myself on the back, but I know that the Lord fills us with passion for different things, and I am definitely burdened for those who are hurting.
Sometimes my desire to address the felt needs (whether that's in a tsunami-destroyed village in Thailand, or with a girl I'm discipling) seems to overshadow my desire to share the gospel. The phrase 'People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care' sat well with me.
Lots of people who are wiser and more godly than me have challenged me in this, and pushed me to understand that
both are necessary: as followers of Jesus we have to be about meeting both the
physical and the
spiritual needs. Recently as I was reading
Total Church, I found a great summary of this idea:
...it is never enough to address people's felt needs. Felt needs can be a good point to start because the gospel address the human condition in all its complexity. But people do not as a rule express God's judgement as a felt need. People are blind to their true plight. They do not see their greatest need, which is to be reconciled to God through the gospel. If we do not keep people's eternal plight in mind, then immediate needs will force their way to the top of our agenda, and we will betray the gospel and the people we profess to love. The most loving thing we can do for the poor is to proclaim the good news of eternal salvation through Christ. It is by no means the only loving thing we can do for them, but it is the most loving thing we can do. It would be a crime of monumental proportions knowingly to withhold such good news.
A commitment to the proclamation of the gospel is what makes Christian social involvement distinctly Christian. This is challenging to me, because proclaiming the gospel is not always easy for me. But if I claim to love people, to love the poor, to love the hurting, then I should want to do the most loving thing. And that's to share the gospel.
Labels: gospel, Total Church
tell me about the king.
I will tell [you] what a king is. A king does not abide within his tent while his men bleed and die upon the field. A king does not dine while his men go hungry, nor sleep when they stand at watch upon the wall. A king does not command his men's loyalty through fear nor purchase it with gold; he earns their love by the seat of his own back and the pains he endures for their sake. That which comprises the harshest burden, a king lifts first and sets down last. A king does not require service of those he leads but provides it to them. He serves them, not they him.(Gates of Fire, Steven Pressfield)
A description in reference to a human king, a warrior. I am struck by how true these words are of our great King of all kings, Jesus Christ.
'For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.' Mark 10.45
Labels: gospel, leadership
i'm little.
I'm reading
Total Church by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis right now. (Recommended to us by
Tony Hall of
Cornerstone Church in Columbus. Thanks Tony.) In a chapter titled 'Why Gospel?', they discuss how
the church must be gospel-centered, which implies that:
- the gospel is a word; so
the church must be word-centered
- the gospel is a missionary word; so
the church must be mission-centered
Those are 2 solid statements. They go on to discuss implications of being mission-centered (cited from Christopher J.H. Wright's
The Mission of God):
- We ask, 'Where does God fit into the story of my life?,' when the real question is 'Where does my little life fit into this great story of God's mission?'
- We want to be driven by a purpose that has been tailored just right for our own individual lives, when we should be seeing the purpose of all life, including our own, wrapped up in the great mission of God for the whole of creation.
- We talk about 'applying the Bible to our lives.' What would it mean to apply our lives to the Bible instead, assuming the Bible to be the reality-the real story-to which we are called to conform ourselves?
- We wrestle with 'making the gospel relevant to the world.' But...God is about the business of transforming the world to fit the shape of the gospel.
- We argue about what can legitimately be included in the mission that God expects from the church, when we should ask what kind of church God wants for the whole range of his mission.
- I may wonder what kind of mission God has for me, when I should be asking what kind of me God wants for his mission.
These statements are incredibly humbling. They indicate a total shift in perspective. No longer can I think the world revolves around me. To think this way indicates that I understand that all things were created through him and for him (Col 1.16), that the Lord acts primary for the sake of His glory (Ezek. 36.22), that God is LORD and I am not (Joel 2.27). It becomes increasingly evident that I am oh so small, and God is, well, huge.
Even as I reread those statements, I believe them in with my mind. But it is so hard to live it. To daily think, act, make decisions, speak like I really believe that it's not all about me.
That's what I want though. I want to be transformed by the renewing of my mind (Rom 12.2)
Labels: church, gospel, mission, Tony Hall, Total Church
hanging with the homeless in cleveland
Just a quick update. Tonight Daniel (one of our 09 Barnabas alum) planned an outreach to the homeless in Cleveland. 9 of us gave out about 18 meals, a bunch of water, some clothes, and loved on people. Had the chance to share the gospel a few times. And
praise the Lord Jesus, we have a new brother in Christ. Please pray for David, that the Lord will continue to grow him and bring believers into his life to support him.
Gosh I love this stuff...
Labels: cleveland, gospel, homeless
