Many churches that I have been to and grown up in over time have a common trait that has found its place in my book of traits that I think should change. No there isn’t such a book. After talking about what ‘ministry’ should be I think it’s important to expand on it a bit. If you notice at most churches they all have their ministries. They have programs for the kids and the youth and the adults and the elders. They have their Alpha programs and their Evangelistic services. They run their conferences the men’s breakfast. All these ‘ministries’ are good, there isn’t anything about them that we should condemn. However, if you look at the ‘ministries’ deep enough, you will see a strange similarity in most of not all of them.
Most ‘ministries’ that we churches produce consist of bringing people into our churches. We all want to meet people’s needs and that is great and we are trying to do that. For some reason though we think Jesus is the only thing anyone out in the community needs. We bring everyone into our environment and hit them with the gospel in every way shape or form. With Alpha, day camps, bible studies, small groups, evangelism services, tracts, bumper stickers, church signs, crosses and any other means we have to try and tell people about Jesus.
Not that there is anything wrong with presenting the gospel, that’s our job. There is no problem in recognizing people’s need of following Christ either. So what needs to change? People need the gospel, and we are giving it to them. Let me explain. First, maybe we have a corrupt view of what the gospel really is. If the gospel is just getting people to agree with a set of four spiritual laws then I think we need some adjustments. That doesn’t sound like very good news anyway. Hurray, you know believe in Jesus. Maybe the gospel goes deeper than that. Maybe the good news is that they can live their life for Christ and begin to experience freedom and wholeness in him instead of being held down my temporary fixes and chasing after themselves.
If this is true then it will take a bit more than going door to door with a tract, it’s going to take showing them what the gospel looks like lived out in real lives. That doesn’t mean running around telling everyone that you believe in four spiritual laws, it means living out what the gospel proclaims. We know what the gospel looks like. It’s not a belief, it’s a life lived. It’s feeding the poor, taking care of the elderly and those in need, giving to the needy, and being God’s ambassadors here on earth.
People need food. People need community. People need shelter. People need to be loved. People need a lot of things. If we aren’t willing to act the gospel out and give them these things and help them wherever they need it then they won’t be willing to accept and sometimes even listen to your claims of the good news. People don’t just need Jesus. They need a lot more than that. It’s our job as Christians to serve people and act out the gospel wherever we are. I love the quote by St. Francis of Assisi, “”Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” People don’t just need information about Jesus. They need to know that he is real and alive even today and that will be seen in us giving and serving those in need.
Well I’m not going to give you a in depth reason why I agree with what you just said. I’m just going to say I agree, and encourage you to keep on spilling that God given brain of yours. I commend you for your thoughts, when I’m out witnessing with the tracts I always look for a opportunity to serve, even if it’s just simply to pray for what’s hurting them. I believe people only need Jesus, but Jesus is more than a name or the four spiritual laws. He’s like a universal life giving band-aid, that is lived out in our lives everyday. Woops to in depth. What I wanted to say was I agree with you. Later bro, Greg.