February 12, 2001
TOGETHER:
'Good news' is spiritual, with physical implications
___The work of the church is not simply to do good things for people, but also to give good news to people.
___One of my goals as a pastor was to help my church remember both Matthew 25:40 and John 3:16. Jesus called his people to feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and the imprisoned.
___But as I often said in our Mission Arlington outreach, "The best gift we have to give is Jesus." Acts of kindness never can substitute for helping people to know about Jesus and receive the gift of salvation in his name.
CHARLES WADE
Executive Director
BGCT Executive Board
___At the same time, it is true that if people are saved, they will want to behave like Jesus. They will want to care about people and things as Jesus did. They will love people and use things to help people, rather than love things and use people to gain more things.
___Many Baptists have been scared away from seriously taking up the task of ministry to the needs of hurting people. They have been told that ministries to people will take away from evangelistic preaching and witnessing.
___It does not have to be that way. In fact, some studies have shown that more people are brought to salvation through the active ministries to human needs of a church or mission ministry than from evangelistic efforts that are not relational in nature.
___The truth is, a church needs to proclaim boldly the gospel--witness to others in a direct, systematic and urgent manner. But those who claim the name of Jesus also need to demonstrate what happens when a person becomes a follower of Jesus Christ by ministering to people in loving ways. If they don't, Scripture questions whether they really are saved. (James 2:1, John 3:11-24.)
___If a church begins to do good things for people and keeps its faith quiet, hides its religious convictions and shuts Jesus up behind the chapel door, then it loses its power to truly transform lives.
___Tillie Burgin, director of Mission Arlington and minister of missions for First Baptist Church in Arlington, says, "We hover around John 3:16, and we hang out on the property." She means that a biblical salvation message of good news is given through people who pay the price in caring for people in need. They "hang out," with them, get to know them, grow into their lives and share their laughter and their tears.
___What happens if the government begins to fund the ministries of our churches and our mission outreach programs?
___Both political parties had candidates this last year who advocated "charitable choice" programs, by which tax dollars would flow to faith-based groups to help them do more good for people. The discussion of this matter will get very intense over the next few weeks.
___As you hear this dialogue, remember that government rules follow government dollars. There always are strings attached. Perhaps even more dangerous is the prospect that state funds directed to church-based social ministries will sap the vitality from those churches and take away their passion for ministry.
___Next week, we'll look more deeply at this issue of charitable choice and consider appropriate roles for both the church and the state in meeting human needs.
___We are loved.
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