A Revolutionary Standard!

This morning in my reading I was headed for Matthew 26, but got stuck on Matthew 25:31-46. It is Jesus telling his disciples about the final judgment right before they go to celebrate his last passover. Jesus very plainly says that when he comes in all of his glory, and all of the angels with him, and he sits upon his glorious throne, he will gather the nations before him and then separate them as a shepherd separates the goats from the sheep - sheep on the right, goats on the left. Then he will summon the sheep and say, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." And the basis of this selection is how the sheep treated the hungry, thirsty, alienated, naked, sick, and imprisoned people of the world. It is not a passage we hear preached much in our churches today; and no wonder, it is quite convicting. Jesus seems to be saying that how we deal with the marginalized of the earth is a true reflection of our relationship with him. It is a sobering standard of true spirituality. And yet, for how many of our churches is this a PRIMARY concern? Do we see as our primary mission on earth Loving Jesus by genuinely loving and engaging with the hungry, thirsty, alienated, naked, sick, and imprisoned people of the world? What will it take to reorient the evangelical Church to this revolutionary standard? What can each of us do to help reorient our own community of faith and give leadership to a vibrant, church-wide ministry to "the least of these" among us?  Any ideas or thoughts?

Comments

[Candi Rima]

Thanks for your ongoing ruminations. I always look forward to reading them. This is a topic that has been very convicting for me particularly over the last couple months. Now I am reading "The Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne and it is seriously screaming inside my head. One of the ways I am wanting to get involved and make a difference is in a food bank. I spoke with Matt Morgan at Lake City Comm Church www.lakecitycc.org about theirs and his joy and passion for what God is doing in that ministry continues to fuel the fire God is fanning in me. I still don't know exactly what my involvement will look like, whether God will bring others into my life with the same passion and we start a food bank or if it will simply be me getting involved with one already established. Matt and I decided that if God was talking to me...he was talking to others about it as well and that he would bring us together to participate in His mission in the right time but until then I know I need to get involved and not just sit and wait. It seems so obvious to me that God is almost creating an underground church, outside the four walls of the institutional church...and yet there are those churches that "get it" and are in the middle of this flow. I guess I am just so thankful that God has opened my eyes to what He is wanting to do and giving me the opportunity to participate. Thanks Sam!! You are a constant challenge and encouragement to me. :-) Candi

[Van S]

Sam,

This is what I am desperately trying to do in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood area of Minneapolis. We are making small steps in the right direction, but we are held back by a lack of cash-flow.

As a new church plant, we were expected to be self-sufficient within 1 year...we are finishing with year 2 and I have had to be creative with fund raising...it seems that the only way we can get funds from suburban churches is if we can really pitch we are more of a parachurch urban ministry than a church! Denominations may throw token money at the sort of ministry that you are talking about, but most money is invested in starting churches that are shiny and attractive. And most shiny attractive churches tie up their resources in staying that way. The most needy places get the crumbs from the table.

It is really frustrating. As one of the few BGC urban churches, I have been asked by a few well-intentioned pastors if I have though about quitting. They see what I'm doing as a failure. They don't understand that I simply don't want to have a big fancy church that merely gives a portion of its budget to the needy. We are small and committed. We are messy. That is why the evangelical church resists going in the direction of Matthew 25--they would have to give up prestige and power. They would have to be uncomfortable. They might even have to be small.

[graham]

[Thanks to Van S for leading me to this post.]

I hate to leave a comment that is little more than an "Excellent!", but, excellent!

I don't have the answers to your questions, but I have plenty to think about. Thanks.

[zxnmmeatoy]

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