The Centrality of Proclamation

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:18

It is easy to miss the surprising nature of this statement.  What is the power of God?  How are we saved from God’s judgment?  How are we reconciled to God?  Paul does NOT say that the cross is the power of God as we might expect.  He says that the message of the cross is the power of God.  God’s power and Christ’s saving work are present through God’s word.  So if the priority of the future drives us to seek the reconciliation of people with God through the cross of Christ, then this in turn must drive us to proclaim the word of the cross.

Proclamation of the word simply means sharing the message of the gospel with people.  It can take many forms including dialogue and conversation.  It is NOT exclusive to a preacher in a pulpit.  It is more likely to take place over a cup of tea or reading the Bible with an unbeliever.  Whatever the form, making known the message of the gospel must be central (see Luke 8:4-21; 10:38-42; 11:27-32; 16:19-31; 24:25-27, 44-47).

In social involvement, in Seed, there will always be a commitment to the reconciliation of our neighbor, whoever he/she is, with God through the gospel.  The proclamation of the gospel must be at the heart of Christian social involvement.  Our aim will always be that the poor and our neighbors are blessed in this life and for all eternity.

Are you sharing the gospel with those whom you are serving?  Or are you merely doing good deeds hoping that they will “get it”?

What are your next steps to sharing the gospel with your neighbor, co-worker, friend?

Seed and Evangelism series has been adapted from the book Good News to the Poor by Tim Chester.

The Need for Reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ [1]

We see all sorts of needs around us.  But the priority of the eternal future means that the GREATEST NEED for all of us is to be reconciled to God and so escape his wrath.  This is the greatest need of the poor and of our neighbors.

The bible is clear:  we are all alienated from God – young and old, white and black, male and female, rich and poor.  Paul talks about us as God’s enemies.  It is not just that we have become God’s enemies, God has become our enemy.  Our sin has broken the relationship with God for which we were made.  God would not be God if he ignored this rebellion.  He would not be just if he ignored the pain and suffering it causes.  He would not be worth worshipping if he was indifferent to evil and inhumanity.  And so OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM we all face is the problem of God’s judgment.  Our GREATEST NEED is to be reconciled with God.

But God in his love and grace has sent his own Son to die in our place, to take our punishment, to pay our debt.  So we can be reconciled to God and we can escape his wrath through Jesus Christ.

Moving Beyond Felt Needs

This is familiar to most of us, but we need to be clear about its implications.  It means that it is NEVER enough to address people’s felt needs (think Seed Projects).  Seed Projects can be a good starting point because the gospel addresses the human condition in all its complexity – the whole gospel to the whole person.  But, we need to move beyond people’s felt needs.

People (i.e. insert the name of your next door neighbor, co-worker, grocery store clerk) think they have all sorts of needs and often they are real and pressing needs.  But there is a much greater need of which people are unaware.  It is our job to warn them of the coming judgment of God.  We cannot wait for people to express their need for reconciliation with God.

Time and time again this has proved to be the greatest challenge facing Christian social involvement (i.e. Seed) – to keep in view the greatest gift we have to offer a needy world:  The words of eternal life.

We were made in the image of God, created to be in a perfect relationship with our Creator.

But the world is not as God made it.  People are no longer in relationship with God.  The doctrine of creation means that cultural and social involvement are valid, but the doctrine of sin and the offer of salvation mean that to engage in social action without evangelism is to fail the people we profess to love.
Do you often think about the eternal fate of your neighbors?

How have you failed to love your neighbors through the ministry of the Word?

Join us on Monday nights and get exposed to Word and deed ministry.  We share gospel truths every Monday night with neighbors who need Jesus and also need material goods.  Contact Jesse Moss at jmoss@sojournchurch.com to join us.

[1] Adapted from Good News to the Poor: Sharing the Gospel through Social Involvement, Tim Chester, 50-58.

The Greatest Need[1]

What is the greatest need of people in your area?  Your answer might depend on where you live.

Germantown/Shelby Park:  Safety, racism, physical health, unemployment, slumlords, fatherless youth.

East End/ St. Matthews:  behind the nice homes are people facing loneliness, domestic violence, emptiness, and household debt.

Ethiopia:  clean water, proper sanitation, health care, housing, education, and regular income.

We might well agree with these needs.  But the Bible opens our eyes to a much broader horizon.  It reveals that people have a need much greater than any mentioned above and of which we are largely unaware – the need to be reconciled to God and so escape his wrath.

The Priority of the Future

As we reflect on social need and social involvement with our neighbors (deed ministry), the place to start is the end.  We must begin by considering the end of history.  The Bible is a story that is heading towards a climax when Christ returns to judge the living and the dead.

If this is true, then blessing in God’s future is more important than blessing in this life.  Jesus himself tells us this when he said,

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” – Matthew 6:19-20

“If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.  It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have tow hands or two feed and be thrown into the fire of hell.” – Matthew 18:8-9

In the same way, we need to say without embarrassment that it is better if someone is converted but remains poor than if they become healthy and wealthy but remain unconverted.

The Bible consistently says we should make the eternal future our priority.

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Matthew 10:28

The issue is NOT whether the soul is more important than the body.  Jesus says we should be concerned for both soul and body.  The issue is that our eternal fate is more important than what happens to us in this life.

Do you believe this?