Church is about something bigger than us. Church is not a club for the already saved, but a mission to reach the lost. As one long ago Christian leader put it: the church is the only institution that exists for the benefit of its non-members!
A church has a mission: Our mission is Jesus’ mission to take the gospel to all nations. So, a healthy church loves Jesus’ mission. A church’s aim is to reach its Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the Ends of the Earth. “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
I have learned that it is not about “what” we do, although this was important. The critical factor was “why.” The why is what gets us up in the morning, energized for the day, regardless of what awaits us.
There are many organizations that do incredible work: fighting human trafficking, digging wells, or even sponsoring children in third-world countries. There are others who offer medical assistance around the globe to those in need. They need not be great productions; they can be right across the street or around the corner. We are closer to these mission fields and it does affect us on a personal level when we puts our hands and feet to a mission.
But there is one more thing – we are not only to be the hands and feet of Jesus, but we ought also to be his voice.
We need to make sure that each person is given the opportunity to hear the gospel. And please don’t misunderstand – it is not forced but rather offered in love. Yes, we are called to help those in need, but we are also called to create disciples.
Certainly, we are not called to heal as Jesus did, but we can live out the practical acts of kindness and compassion as our hearts mirror Jesus’s own ministry of helping. It is our duty to be obedient to Jesus’s teachings in living out our faith through service in love toward others.
Too often we feel righteous because we attend church every Sunday. We read our Bibles, and we give. These are all very important aspects of living out our faith, but there is more.
During Jesus’ famous “woe to you, Pharisees and teachers of the law…” teaching in Matthew 23, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for being hypocrites. They followed the law – the rites and rules and rituals, including their tithes – but they failed in “the more important matters.” (His words, not mine.)
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former” (Matthew 23:23).
He rebuked the Pharisees for failing to live out justice, mercy, and faithfulness.
So, it’s all easy to talk a good game. It’s all well and good to go about our lives, professing our faith and how much we love the Lord. But are we truly living that faith in our actions?
Sometimes we let our personal comfort and convenience blind us to what is going on around us; we don’t see so our hearts don’t feel. By doing so, we avoid the pain our hearts might feel and the risk of being inconvenient in our lives.
And in it all, don’t just be the hands and feet but also the voice of Jesus. Let people know why you’re doing what you do. Let them hear the good news of Jesus Christ, as they witness its impact on you.
As long ago as the 16th century, St. Teresa of Avila said this:
“Christ has no body on Earth but yours. No hands but yours. No feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion for the world is to look out.
Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good,
And yours are the hand with which He is to bless us now.”
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