Think About It!

"Someone asked me recently why I don't save money for emergencies or retirement. My answer was how can I justify saving for myself 'just in case' something happens to me when something is
happening to so many already. Twenty-nine thousand kids will die today of preventable causes. If I'm going to love my neighbor as myself, why spend so much time worrying about me?"

Francis Chan

Social Justice?

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'I assure you: Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

Matthew 25:37-40



Much has been written recently concerning the place of social justice in the church. While I cannot answer all of the complex questions involving this subject, I would like to offer two considerations that might serve as a foundation for thought and reflection. First, social justice is not a replacement for the Gospel, nor is it an equal with the Gospel. We preach the finished work of Jesus as the remedy for man's sin. Not feeding the poor. Not giving money to the destitute. Not walking little old ladies across the street. It is the gift of Christ's grace that saves. Nothing, even the noblest of intentions and deeds, can redeem a man's soul. That is why we must, at every opportunity, preach the good news of Jesus. I am, however, leery of the church that treats social justice as an optional activity. We are saved for good works in Christ Jesus! That means we are to champion the rights of the oppressed; we are to tend to those less fortunate materially; we are to constantly give ourselves to the stricken and too often forgotten. The Bible connects our salvation with such things. To claim different is to act in ignorance or rebellion. Either reason leads us to be wrong. Please understand! We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not by fighting against social ills and world-wide epidemics. But once saved, we are called away from the pursuit of comfort and personal gain that we might show others the tender affections of Jesus our King. Still don't understand? Look at the above passage of scripture. Read it in its entirety in Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus tells of two groups, differentiated by certain distinctions. Sheep and goats. Those who did and those who didn't. Those who hear "come" and those who hear "depart". Blessed and cursed. Are the sheep, representing the saved, sheep because of their works? No. Jesus identifies them as righteous in vs. 46. How did they obtain this righteousness? By way of Jesus himself. Paul declares in II Corinthians 5:21 that, "He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him." The saved are declared righteous not by doing good things, but by believing in Jesus. But be careful. Don't miss the point of Jesus' declaration. The saved are to do good deeds, works that we often identify as social justice endeavors. Read the list. It's enough to make Glen Beck nervous. Giving food and drink to the hungry and thirsty. Offering hospitality to strangers. Clothing the naked. Taking care of those who are sick. Carrying hope into prisons by way of visitation. That's the Christian's responsibility. And these things are done not that we may become Christians, but because we already are Christians. Simply said, churches need to stop elevating social justice to the place of prominence reserved only for the Gospel. And churches need to preach that as followers of Jesus, our lives are to be marked by a biblically informed, tender-hearted involvement in the world around us.

A National Prayer

"Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we might use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen."

The Book of Common Prayer

Haiti Prayer Request

Randolph World Mission, a Christ-centered medical ministry that extends spiritual and physical hope to the people of Haiti, is embarking on its summer trip to that country. Leading the teams of doctors, nurses, laboratory specialists, and other volunteers is my friend Tim Randolph. Tim is a medical professor at St. Louis University and has a heart for the Haitian people. Best of all, Tim has a heart for Jesus! Some of the teams will be staying only a few days; Tim will be in Haiti for nearly four weeks. Please pray for Tim and each team member, their families at home, and the task at hand: fulfilling the Great Commission among the people of Haiti. I will update everyone concerning the trip as information becomes available. Thank you for praying.

What's the Problem?

"As a rule, unless people agree on what the problem is, they cannot agree on what the solution is. Unless we can agree on what we believe we are being saved from, we cannot agree on what salvation itself is. For example, if we decide that the fundamental human problem is simply our location, our sense of loneliness in the universe, our sense of inadequacy, or our pathetic levels of self esteem, we will tilt the gospel to meet this perceived need...I hasten to add that the Bible does dare to address the matter of how we are to think of ourselves-matters that bear on self esteem-and it is concerned with justice. Yet on the face of it Paul is convinced that the root problem is our rebellion against God, our fascination with idolatry, our grotesque de-godding of God...We are at the center of the universe. Thus, we end up de-godding God in order to be able to sing with Frank Sinatra, 'I did it my way.' This is the very heart of all idolatry."

D.A. Carson

Compassion International

Established in 1952, Compassion International extends the love of Jesus Christ to hurting and needy children worldwide. Presently, Compassion International (CI) operates in 26 countries, aiding over a million children. CI assists each child with education, health care, safe recreation, and Christian development. Their mission statement is simple:

"In response to the Great Commission, Compassion International exists as an advocate for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social, and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults."

You may sponsor a child for only $38.00/month. Please prayerfully consider offering sponsorship to a child living in the grip of destructive poverty. This would be a great mission outreach for a Sunday school class, small group, or youth ministry. More information can be obtained at the CI website http://www.compassion.com/ or by calling 1-800-336-7676. Thanks for your time and concern. Blessings!

Yes! It's a Mayberry Monday!

FLOYD LAWSON: "You know, everyone complains about the weather but nobody does anything about it. Calvin Coolidge said that."

ANDY TAYLOR: "No Floyd. It wasn't Calvin Coolidge who said that. It was Mark Twain."

FLOYD LAWSON: "Then what did Calvin Coolidge say?"

Revival!

"Revival means the work of God restoring to a moribund church, in a manner out of the ordinary, those standards of Christian life and experience that the New Testament sets forth as being entirely ordinary. This includes a longing that the Spirit may shed God's love abroad in our hearts with greater power. It is with this (to which deep exercise of the soul about sin is often preliminary) that personal revival begins, and it is by this that revival in the church, once begun, is sustained."

J.I. Packer

Think About It!

"I fear that there are many evangelicals today who believe that God spoke but doubt whether God speaks."

Al Mohler, He Is Not Silent