I thought I agreed with the model that Social Action & Evangelism is a partnership. These two tasks should not be in competition of each other or a means for the other to take place but both equally important tasks. Social Action and supplying people with everyday needs shouldn’t be a Christians bait & switch tactic to get them hooked into the gospel. Social Action and standing up for the week and vulnerable is proper and right thing to do. Proverbs 31: 8-9 gives us a wise command:
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
John Stott argues that the relationship between the two tasks is a partnership: “As partners the two belong to each other and yet are independent of each other. Each stands on its own feet in its own right alongside each other. Neither is a means to the other, or even a manifestation of the other. For each is and end in itself. Both are expressions of unfeigned love.” Christian Mission in the Modern World.
I wonder though what a partnership looks like where they are not dependent? There time when a persons spiritual need is noted as you are caring for their physical needs. We need to step out and care for them in that way too.
At Church by the Bridge, the Social Action team do an amazing job of hosting free Sunday Lunches once a month. The team strive to provide for the physical needs of many in our community and also emotional need by providing company and community. Lots of the people coming along have quirky personalities, disabilities, suffer from severe mental illness, poor health, some battle with literacy, and many are on government welfare living in government housing.
As more people from our community come along not only do we pray that not only would we be of help to their physical needs but we do also pray that they may come along to church and ultimately come to know Christ. And praying a prayer like this means we should expect consequences – we should expect God to hear and answer our prayers.
Yet are we ready for it?
I think we too easily defend good works as a right task in and of itself and so think we can feed a poor man, do our good deed and be on with it. Yet what if our loving generosity is noted by them, they see the peace and hope we have and want to know the God we serve?
Do we expect our new friends to fit in to our already established church culture and life? So as our community becomes attractive to them how do we spiritually care for them outside of the Sunday services, especially when some of them don’t fit in too easily? It isn’t always appropriate to include them into preexisting structures, like mid-week night time bible study groups?
I am finding the independent partnership between social action and evangelism a difficult model to grasp. Is the model more inter-dependent than independent or dependent? And so I have been really convicted that if we love them enough to care for their physical needs and offer them a meal, how much more should I long to help them with their spiritual needs?
May 24, 2011
