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...
No comments:
Post a Comment