At the same time we often shift away from things that we should always be doing and then God reminds us, often through the cry of the culture, that we need to return to a biblical mindset on the mandate of the church. Once upon a time the church was the main vehicle for addressing issues of social justice, poverty and brokenness. The evangelical church especially has abdicated it's role in showing the mercy of Christ to the world through community service and tangible love.
People are becoming more and more aware of the problems around them and they're wondering... is the church going to rise to the challenge of addressing these issues? Are these people who say they follow Christ going to get serious about this part of the gospel. A friend of mine who teaches sociology of religion at the university level thinks this is the primary way in which the church can and should grow in the immediate future.
God has really gripped my heart in the past couple of years for addressing the needs of the marginalized and broken. It's sad that it has taken me 2 years to really take action but by God's grace I want 2009 to be the year of change in my own life, that more of my time would be spent serving those people who need it most whether through partnerships with groups like YFC (tonight is my first night working on the bus) or through short term missions I want to be addressing the needs and encouraging others to do all they can (ALL they can) to do the same.
What do you think of my friend's opinion? How vital is it for the church to address these issues? Do you think it will really lead to a greater ability for us to share the gospel and get in on the work God is doing in our friend's lives?
Also, I'd love to know what any of you are doing to serve the poor these days? I know many WLA small groups do service projects on occasion... is anyone doing things up and beyond those opportunities?
No comments:
Post a Comment