Chapter Five

The Results of Obedience

Reaching the World 

     Evangelism and meeting the needs of the poor are not mutually exclusive, they are intricately connected.  I believe one of the best things we can do for world evangelism is to fulfill our Biblical mandate to serve the needy.

     Hy McEnnry, director of Child Evangelism Fellowship in New Orleans, quotes a Jewish doctor saying, “There are no more agnostics in New Orleans.”  After Hurricane Katrina, Christians flooded the city with food, water, clean up supplies, labor and a shoulder to cry on.  It was obvious to everyone that Christians were the ones doing the work, the ones who cared.  As a result, people in New Orleans who were formerly not interested in the claims of Christ became curious as to why Christians were so eager to help.

     In some areas affected by the Tsunami of 2004, local Muslim officials began to ban Christians from coming to serve because the Muslim people were saying, “The Christians are the only ones who care.”  The Bible predicted this response to kindness in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” As our good deeds are seen, people will praise God.

     Many people are worried about the rise of radical Islam.  Abraham Lincoln said, “The best way to destroy your enemy is to make him your friend.”  There will always be radicals who hate the United States and want to eliminate Christianity. But they will have a much harder time attracting a following if Christians are saving the world from starvation and disease.  This is not just my idea,

If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink…Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

          Romans 12:20-21 (emphasis mine)

 
     While researching world hunger on the internet, I came across an anti-Christian website.  The song Jesus Loves the Little Children was playing as pictures of starving, emaciated children filled the screen.  There was also a picture of a cross with the international “no” sign over it (the red circle with a line through it).  The text read, “He is your God, they are your rules, you go to hell.” This atheist understands the Scriptures better than some Christians I know, and he is not the only one.  One of the most common excuses I hear from non-Christians about why they reject Jesus is that Christians are hypocrites, especially in the way they use their finances.

     Christians are a regular target of the mainstream media. They often criticize and ridicule what we stand for.  But even anti-Christians in the media would not be able to ignore Christians rising up to end world poverty. “A city on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14b).

     Another problem the church in America faces is that it has become so much like our culture, there is no reason for people to be curious about us.  Many churches believe making services comfortable and entertaining will attract non-Christians.  But why should that attract them? If they want comfort and entertainment they can stay home, sit in their recliner and watch cable TV.  What if we gave them a different invitation?

     What if instead of saying “Come, be comfortable and entertained,” we say, “Come save the world with us?”  That message would resonate with a whole generation of people who see the church as irrelevant to real life.

     Maybe the tens of billions we spend each year on nicer church buildings, fancier technology and more comfortable chairs would be better spent serving the poor.  If we rise up and tackle world poverty in Jesus’ name, the non-Christian world may once again begin to take us seriously. 

     Jesus said, “All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” (John 13:35).  Tertullian, about AD 200, quoted the non-Christians of his day as being amazed at the Christian community: "See how they love one another . . . see how they are ready even to die for one another."  This was no exaggeration. Tertullian was writing at a time when many Christians were being killed for their faith.  He authored the famous quote, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”

     Tertullian identified this outpouring of love as a key factor that led multitudes to Christ in the first century.  Although Christians in the U.S. ought to be willing to die for others, maybe we could start with a willingness to give up some coffee, soft drinks, cable TV, and other unnecessary things so we can save millions of lives.

     Imagine this sentence in a high school textbook 50 years from now:  “After millennia of human suffering, extreme poverty was eliminated by Christians in the first three decades of the 21st century.” This is not pie in the sky. We have the resources to do it if we are willing.

     The leper in Mark 1:40-41 came to Jesus and said, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”  Jesus could make a similar statement to us.  “If you are willing, you can save millions of my beloved children.”  Jesus was willing. “Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ He said, ‘Be clean!’ ”   Will we be filled with compassion as Jesus was and take action as He did? 

Discussion Questions 

Read Chapter Six 

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