The Mercy-Ministry Mandate: Stopping Short of Real Mercy

The current mercy ministry ideology was summarized in an article recently:

“Seeking holistic thriving helps us keep the created dignity of those we serve at the heart of our efforts—.” 

There it is! The preservation of the ‘created dignity’ of sinful man is not only deemed possible without calling men to repentance and faith, but is viewed as “the heart” of the church’s mission to the culture.  Instead of gospel-proclamation, the holistic thriving of society is advanced by scores of people who apparently no longer believe that man’s primary need is reconciliation with God.  Helping our communities achieve sociological and psychological wholeness seems the new definition of Christian compassion.   Continue at Jerry Wragg

The Social Gospel, Yesterday and Today - Part 1

It becomes clear from such statements that Lausanne, which represents much of mainstream evangelicalism, is co-mingling a form of the social gospel with the biblical gospel. To be fair, the Lausanne leadership attempts to give evangelism the pre-eminence stating: “Although reconciliation with other people is not reconciliation with God, nor is social action evangelism, nor is political liberation salvation, nevertheless we affirm that evangelism and socio-political involvement are both part of our Christian duty. For both are necessary expressions of our doctrines of God and man, our love for our neighbour and our obedience to Jesus Christ. The message of salvation implies also a message of judgment upon every form of alienation, oppression and discrimination, and we should not be afraid to denounce evil and injustice wherever they exist.”[24]

This statement goes to the heart of the issue. The question is not if Christians should play a responsible role in society, nor if we should denounce evil and injustice, but whether or not both “evangelism and socio-political involvement are both part of our Christian duty,” and if so, to what extent? Later in part two of this study I will try to address this question from Scripture, but for now I would like to document that whatever the intention, the drift of much of the evangelical movement has shifted to social-political involvement at the expense of the Great Commission. As much has happened around the turn of the 20^th Century, we are in danger of losing the baby (the true commission of the church) in the bath water of social activism.

First, we need to document that this concern is widespread and contagious. Some of the most popular Christian leaders and authors stress the social agenda. Francis Chan, in his wildly popular book Crazy Love, wants Christians to live as simply as possible in order to give more toward the alleviation of “suffering in the world and change the reputation of His bride in America.”[25] I think one of the reasons Chan’s book has been received with such enthusiasm is that he is not telling people anything that our culture is not already saying. When Bill Gates and Warren Buffett pledged much of their vast fortunes toward the same agenda, the world applauded, just as it has for Chan. Chan is concerned about the reputation of the church in America, and not without reason. However, the true church doing the true work of God (calling people to Christ) will never win the world’s approval. Our message is offensive (1 Cor 1:18-25) and once the world catches on to that we are far more likely to be vilified and persecuted than we are to be cheered – as Jesus promised (Matt 5:11-12). We should find it a source of concern, not a reason for rejoicing, when the world likes us, as Christianity Today in its lead article in August 2011 affirmed it did.  Read the rest HERE

 The Social Gospel, Yesterday and Today - Part 2

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Cripplegate - A Guide to Our Series

The blogging medium is perfect for making a polemic point without the constraints of the format of a journal article and without the length of a book. But the downside is that a step-by-step argument spread over several days can lose its momentum and seem sort of piecemeal. Plus there is simply the practical issue: where do you find the links to the entire series?

The Cripplegate has run a few such series, so I thought it would be helpful to give all the links in one spot.

Eric Davis, who pastors a church that he planted in Jackson Hole, WY, did a series on common mistakes church planters make:

1. An introduction and an overview of the series: Cautions for church planters.

2. A warning about the idolotry of “mission”: Church planters and missionolatry.

3. A warning about church planters willing to do whatever it takes to grow: Church-planting and pragmatism.

4. A warning about losing sight of the importance of the Sunday morning sermon: Church-planting and pulpit priority.

5. A warning about seeing church planting as the end for which God created the world: Church-planting and idolatry.

Josh Thiessen did a series on training the next generation of church leaders:

1. An introduction to the series: The next generation.

2. The art of informal discipleship: Part 1.

3. Formal discipleship: Part 2.

4. Elder training: Part 3.

Read the rest HERE

What are we Saying when we Cancel Church Services in Favor of Community Service?

Rick Warren is a masterful communicator. So, what is he endeavoring to communicate with his announcement that they are canceling the services at Saddleback Church this weekend so they can serve their neighbors?

According to The Christian Post:

“Good Neighbor Weekend” has been enthusiastically received by the majority of the 20,000 members at Saddleback Church in Orange County. Many have already signed-up online for acts of kindness, according to church officials.

Volunteer opportunities suggested and organized by church members include visiting severely disabled children in hospitals, serving breakfast to homeless and families living in motels, and helping families having members in the military stationed away from home with house chores.

Additionally, many more churchgoers will be reaching out to their neighbors in ways they’ve conceived themselves.

Did you catch that number? 20,000 people! That’s a lot of people.

Let’s think about this then in terms of pros and cons (concerns).  Keep Reading >>>

The Mission of the Church in Living Color

Greg and I have been trying to engage some of the conversation about our book. Believe it or not, we also do many other things besides blog and read blogs. So unfortunately we will not be able to respond to everything everyone wants us to respond to. I don’t have any missions-related posts planned after this one.

 But perhaps it would be helpful to think practically about how these things play out on the ground level. I’ll start by giving some examples from my church. At the end I also want to raise some questions for those who want a more expansive definition of the church’s mission.

What We Do

First off, I should be clear that the things we write about in the book are live discussions at URC too. I don’t claim that everyone in my congregation agrees with everything I’ve written in the book. Most haven’t even read the book yet (though I’ve preached on some of these themes).

Having said that, here are some (only some) of things we do and how I think through them.

One woman in our church heads up a crisis pregnancy center. Another woman has developed an inner-city arts ministry. Both ministries are on our church budget. I am thankful for both organizations. People from our church volunteer and help out at both places. At the same time, these ministries are not under the authority of our elders. They have separate boards. They get funding from many sources. Christians and non-Christians can be thankful for what they do. Their work is not first of all to win converts or make disciples. They try to help save babies and teach art to kids. That’s great. They do good in the community. Our folks who serve try to build relationships and talk about Jesus.  Keep Reading >>>

Examples of Mercy Ministry

In light of this series (where I argue that the church is not called to the task of social ministry to non-believers), I thought it would be helpful to describe what kind of mercy ministries am I involved in, and how I justify these ministries biblically. So below is a brief list of ministries that I regularly participate with, and a short explanation of why I see them as having a biblical foundation.

Despite the reputation those previous posts may have gotten me, I love mercy ministry. I love being able to express love and kindness toward others with the express purpose of introducing them to the Messiah. I do reject the concept that the church has as its goal the lowering of the poverty rate, correcting social ills or eradicating homelessness. The poor we will always have with us, Jesus said. But I embrace the mandate that the church has to take the gospel to the world, and in various circumstances it can be wise to use material means to gain a hearing for the gospel. There is a very real danger that food or assistance becomes associated with attending a Bible study or sermon. So for all of these ministries, there is a massive responsibility on the church elders to make sure that the method of bringing the gospel to others is not creating a culture of dependence. We love others, so we want to challenge them to change—not to maintain their situation. And we all know that there is hope for real change only in the gospel, and the radical repentance that comes with it.

As a side note, Grace Church also oversees dozens of evangelistic outreaches and ministries. Perhaps I will describe some of those in a future post. But here is a brief list of ministries that I personally work with on behalf of Grace Church.   Keep Reading...

Clarifying What I Mean By the Priority of Proclamation

I see in the comment section that there are some good questions about what exactly it means to make gospel preaching a priority. Again, I encourage you to read the book. There you’ll find almost 300 pages on why we think the mission of the church is disciple making by verbal proclamation.

Recently I preached a sermon on this topic and finished with three points of application. They seem germane to this discussion.

First, if we as individuals and churches are becoming more like Christ, there should grow in us a spirit of deep compassion for the needs of hurting people. If we are like Jesus, we’ll see the sadness and confusion and suffering in the world and something in us will cry out, “I want to do something about this. I want to make this better. I am sorry for this pain.” We won’t be able to do everything, but we can do something, especially for those closest to us. Our first obligation is to our family (1 Timothy 5:8). After that, Galatians 6:10 says, “As we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, especially to those who are of the household of faith.” So our church is the next obligation. But beyond that there is still a command to do good to all as we have opportunity.

What we see from the ministry of Jesus is that he had a heart to capitalize on those opportunities. We must be praying, studying, and growing so that we will have our eyes open to see opportunities for compassion. Jesus cared about all suffering. Jesus cared about bodies and souls. He ministered to bodies as well as souls. So will we if we are his followers.    Keep Reading...

Still a Place for Priorities

I like Russell Moore. He is a powerful preacher and an elegant writer. In particular, I’m thankful for his work on orphans, adoption, and abortion. I like him so much I asked him to write the chapter on “Kingdom” in Don’t Call it a Comeback. We are on the same team.

But I want to make a few comments on his recent blog post “Gospel or Justice, Which?” Instead of repeating a number of points I make with Greg Gilbert in our book What is the Mission of the Church?, I’ll simply add some brief thoughts to the mix.

1. I completely agree that Jesus ministered to bodies as well as souls. Moreover, part of his motivation was a profound sense of pity for those who were diseased and distressed. Jesus cared for hurting people. Luke 7:13: “And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’” If we care nothing for those who are sick, who are confused, who are sad—if we have no desire to see hurting people with hurting bodies be helped, then we do not have the heart of Jesus. I think this is Moore’s main point, to which I say “Amen.” I’m grateful for the beautiful reminder.

2. It’s not quite right to say the mission of Jesus is the mission of the church (at least not without several qualifications). We are not God incarnate. We do not turn away the Father’s wrath. We do not die for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ mission was to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). This is not our mission.     Keep Reading...

Gospel or Justice, Which?

Some evangelicals talk as though personal evangelism and public justice are contradictory concerns, or, at least, that one is part of the mission of the church and the other isn’t. I think otherwise, and I think the issue is one of the most important facing the church these days.

First of all, the mission of the church is the mission of Jesus. This mission doesn’t start with the giving of the Great Commission or at Pentecost. The Great Commission is when Jesus sends the church to the world with the authority he already has (Matt. 28:18), and Pentecost is when he bestows the power to carry this commission out (Acts 1:8).

The content of this mission is not just personal regeneration but disciple-making (Matt. 28:19). It is not just teaching, but teaching “them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:20).     Keep Reading....

See also: Mercy Ministry is not Kingdom Work

Biblical Pillars for Mercy Ministry

Yesterday John Piper gave a challenge to his readers to try to support their understanding of showing love to the unbelieving poor with “strong pillars” of theological argument. People are lost and on their way to hell, and many of them are suffering in this life as well. It has always struck me as particularly meaningless and eternally inconsequential when churches use their resources to do that which God has not called us to do. The poor, as Piper said, deserve better than bad arguments with bad theological foundations.

Last week I made the case that the Bible does not command churches to use their resources to lower the poverty rate, and I quibbled with Tim Keller’s statement that Christians owe the poor as much as we can possibly give them. But Keller’s views on mercy ministry are really so extreme, that it is easy to be accused of arguing with a straw man (plus I want to take this to heart) so I want to spend a few posts explaining what I see is a full biblical view of mercy ministry.

So over the next few weeks/months, I will use this blog to explain how our response to the poor should be influenced by Scripture (only one post a week, so no need to tune out till November if this doesn’t interest you). If you have sat on a mission’s committee and been frustrated by the social agenda of many missionaries, if you have seen the homeless man on the side of the road with the sign that says “will work for beer” and wondered what you should do, if have ever dared to ask the question: “does the Bible command Christians to work for social justice issues?” then this series of posts will be helpful to you.   Keep Reading...

Stipulations for Mercy Ministry?

The first qualification I believe Scripture teaches is that those of the “household of faith” have a priority to the funds of the church over those outside of the Kingdom of Christ. This is a fundamental qualification set by Jesus Himself in Matthew 25, and by the apostle Paul in Galatians 6. We are to care, first and foremost, for our brethren in Christ, the household of faith. We see this exemplified in the earliest days of the New Covenant church when the people of God were selling their lands and houses to meet the needs of those in the body of Christ. We see it on a local church level when we see the Antiochan church giving to the churches of Judea during the days of the famine that was prophesied of by Agabus. If we are not caring for individuals within our churches, and for local sister congregations–in biblically faihtful denominations–then how can we, with a good conscience, talk about mercy ministry to those outside the Kingdom?

The second qualification the Scriptures teach has to do with the ability of individuals to work for themselves, and the likelihood of other God-ordained sources of support. Remember that somewhat strange passage in 1 Timothy where Paul is setting out the criteria for widows to be cared for in the church? In that place, Paul explains that a widow is not to be “taken into the number” (lit. cared for financially) if she was under the age of sixty. This was probably because she was more likely to be remarried and provided for. If there is the likelihood of provision from other sources, or jobs to be had, the church is not to expend its resources on that individual. In his commentary on the pastoral epistles George Knight writes: Continue reading>>>

Reformation Thoughts on Welfare