Friday, October 10, 2008
Making A Difference
The Heritage Foundation recently carried an article on a church in Leesburg, FL.
In other words these people are disciples, or at least trying to be. So often, we have this either/or thing going in our minds when what we are really confronted with is a both/and. It seems like the more a church works on personal salvation and proper theology the less it gets done in community activity like that described here. Why is it that the "liberal" churches seem to be the ones with the best community action, while the conservative ones seem to the the best at worship and self-salvation?
Well, in the end, I think it is because both groups are only taking part of the picture of what it means to be a Christian, clinging to that part and holding it tight. In so doing we avoid the very real, not just life-changing, but life-transforming, nature of what it truly means to be a Christian.
If we really did this Christianity thing properly, we would grow in our selflessness by becoming a part of a community and that community would naturally want to reach out because what it had was so good that it simply must be shared.
So, we as Christians are supposed to make a difference in the world, but we make a difference by being TRANSFORMED into the image of Christ. We don't pretend, we don't act, we don't try, we are changed - changed at our very core. Have you even opened your very core to Christ?
Might want to try that.
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People are in need in towns across America. Who is responsible for meeting their needs? Who bears responsibility for acting for the public good in our communities?If you look at that list of characteristics you will note a few things. First these are people that work from a sense of something is more important than themselves. Secondly they work out of a sense of community. Thirdly, they work out of a holistic understanding of how one's faith in Christ changes one's life.
While some look immediately to the government to provide solutions, local church congregations have enormous potential to meet people's needs and advance social welfare.
[...]
In case after case, FBC's ministries have succeeded in mending broken lives and serving the public good. Their success is no accident. It is attributable to at least three characteristics embedded in FBC's approach. Members who provide help demonstrate:
A deep sense of personal responsibility and love for those in need,
Motivation rooted in an abiding sense of belonging to their community, and
Faith that touches all areas of the lives of the people they serve.
By living out their faith in ways that directly shape and serve those outside the church's walls, volunteers at FBC demonstrate the difference that one church can make in the surrounding community.
In other words these people are disciples, or at least trying to be. So often, we have this either/or thing going in our minds when what we are really confronted with is a both/and. It seems like the more a church works on personal salvation and proper theology the less it gets done in community activity like that described here. Why is it that the "liberal" churches seem to be the ones with the best community action, while the conservative ones seem to the the best at worship and self-salvation?
Well, in the end, I think it is because both groups are only taking part of the picture of what it means to be a Christian, clinging to that part and holding it tight. In so doing we avoid the very real, not just life-changing, but life-transforming, nature of what it truly means to be a Christian.
If we really did this Christianity thing properly, we would grow in our selflessness by becoming a part of a community and that community would naturally want to reach out because what it had was so good that it simply must be shared.
So, we as Christians are supposed to make a difference in the world, but we make a difference by being TRANSFORMED into the image of Christ. We don't pretend, we don't act, we don't try, we are changed - changed at our very core. Have you even opened your very core to Christ?
Might want to try that.
Technorati Tags:community activity, service, change, trnasformation
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