Unlike the Cretens, who “claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good” (1:16) the redeemed people of God are to ” in every way …make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.” (2:10).

How do we make attractive the gospel? Repeatedly throughout the letter of Titus, Paul tells us that it is by trading in foolish talk and unprofitable activity for doing good:

2:7   by doing what is good.

2:14  eager to do what is good.

3:1    to be ready to do whatever is good,

3:8    be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.
These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

3:14   learn to devote themselves to doing what is good,

What does it look like to be eager, be ready, be careful, be devoted to doing what is good?
It will mean sacrificially giving time, energy, money, love, compassion, resources, to those who are in need of physical and spiritual need:

• Meeting 1:1 to read the bible with a new Christian
• Turning up to church early and leaving late so to chat to new people and love the body of Christ
• Staying back for work drinks to build relationships with you non-Christian collegues
• Helping out on outreach events at church
• See a gap in the ministry at your church – why not take the initative and start something up
• Go on a short term mission preaching the gospel
• Being a helper and diligent worker in your workplace
• Making a phone call
• Start up a prayer triplet to pray and care for other at church
• Being regular to your connect group and church to build up the body of believers and show you value them
• Building a house with Habitat for Humanity
• Inviting a neighbour over for dinner
• …. the list of doing good is endless.

But where does all this fit in your week?

Will this mean adding 10 more things to you working week and home life, and be running around like a chook without its head on?

Learn to live a simple life… the sacrifice might not just be the doing good but also in not doing other things. To enable you and free you up to do good – you might actually have to say no to a promotion and be content with the job you have to maintain flexible hours outside of work or maybe saying no to some of your ‘leisure time’… those social events you have to be seen at!!!

Write a list of the things you do in you average week – are they profitable and excellent for everyone… Cull the things that aren’t and start doing more of the things that are.

The BluefishTV website (see image at top of post) talks about life being a TRADER… I think it is a great way of describing the life of one who is eager and careful to do what is good. People who trade extra hours at work, convenience, vacations and the like  in for doing other things which they see to be profitable and excellent for everyone.

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?