This sermon was delivered in October of 2011 at Jeffersontown Baptist Church.
Social Justice & the Mission of King Jesus
How should Christians understand the work of justice in relationship to the mission of God in the world? It is shocking to see the abject poverty of peoples living in countries around the world that suffer from political corruption and economic collapse. It is equally disturbing to visit the southern hills of Kentucky and see similar sights.
The plight of the poor and the disenfranchised should concern the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, but does that care and subsequent action define the “mission” of Jesus in the world?
The world around us is groaning for restoration. The people in our neighborhoods and in the villages of Africa are suffering from the reality of the curse as disease and death continually pursue them. Our role is to be Ambassadors of the King and Kingdom. We are to herald the present and future reality of the kingdom of Christ.
When Christ performed miracles (healing of the cripple, sight to the blind, exorcism of the demon possessed), was he simply being faithful to the ministry of the kingdom or does it run deeper than that. Perhaps, he was beginning his assault on the kingdom of Satan by reversing the curse. When followers of Christ rally around the mission of God, should it not be in line with Christ’s campaign to destroy the powers of the evil one? Therefore, when we protect the environment or provide healing medical care to a remote village in South America, we are alerting the people of the most fundamental problem–the world is cursed and human beings are alienated from God. As we proclaim the fallenness of the world through re-identifying the distortion of our world, we are then given the platform to promulgate the good news of the Kingdom of Christ. We call all men to repentance and faith in the King.
If the mission of God is the grand scheme of his redemptive work for all the world (Col 1:20), the cultural mandate must be a substantial element of the mission.
Russell Moore articulates this very well, “‘Social Ministry‘ isn’t a side issue to the Great Commission….When we purify water or care for AIDS patients or combat poverty or alleviate hunger, we are announcing the kingdom by identifying the curse. This is not the way it’s supposed to be, we demonstrate. And we show, by loving whole persons holistically, the kind of redemption Jesus has accomplished at the cross and empty tomb–deliverance from every aspect of the reign of death in the eternal kingdom of Christ.”
He continues by saying that the mission of Christ (I am identifying this as God’s mission as well) must be understood both as a universal restorative action and also as a means for personal reconciliation with God.
Now, I realize that secular humanists can perform the cultural mandate and this is not the Gospel. I would argue that when secular humanists seek to reverse the curse (identify the problem and give aid under their own authority and purpose) they are actually performing “good deeds” that are anti-gospel because in their willingness to ignore the King, they actually, whether consciously or unconsciously, attempt to subvert his authority and rule. When followers of Christ give aid to those in need, we do so under the guidance and blessing of the king who is reconciling all things to himself. This is why social ministry, unconnected with the advancement of the kingdom is not ‘gospel ministry’.
To often, in my own mind I simplify the Gospel to a concise message of Christological biography instead of pointing to the same Gospel that Jesus preached to peasants in Capernum, which was that the “Kingdom of God is at hand”.
In the debate that follows, R. Albert Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Jim Wallis, the founder and CEO of Sojourners, discuss the issue of the church’s mission and the call to social justice.
Click here to be redirected to the video.
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The Context of Missions in the Local Church
Whether one is studying an ancient apostolic letter or evangelizing an Amazonian tribe in the jungles of South America, understanding the context is critical for success. The same is true for implementing a mission strategy in the local church. In order to implement an effective strategy, one must rightly diagnose some of the most difficult issues facing the church.
Ministerial frustration often begins with the subject of misplaced priorities. Within every church the greatest amount of opposition toward living out the Great Commission lies not in the congregations time limitations, theological confusion, or even mediocre methods for making disciples, while these are all valid issues. Rather, it lies in misplaced priorities. Christians attend the meetings with which they are most concerned. This truth is most readily seen in the attendance of local church business meetings. Often, a pastor will barely know the names of all of the people present at the monthly church business meeting, while the same hour the next week, he will only have handful of parishioners present for prayer meeting.
The priorities of many Christian families are focused upon sports, entertainment, and secular education. Unfortunately, many parents abdicate their responsibility to teach their children the importance of Christian service and evangelism (both of which are fruits of a gospel centered-life) through the way that they establish their family’s priorities. The truth of the gospel is relied upon for initial conversion and hope for eternal life, but until it becomes a daily experience of faith and repentance—Christian missions will remain a low level priority. There has been too much of a separation between the theology Christians believe and the application of that theology in a robust zeal for evangelism.[1] If Christians are going to reevaluate their priorities, this gap between theology and missional application must be bridged.
A second issue that must be considered prior to implementing an effective strategy for missions in the local church is the diminishing amount of time in people’s schedule.[2] While it is true that people usually make time for what they want to do—often people become slaves of their schedules. It is very easy for Christians to become overwhelmed when they attempt to be present at the Monday night visitation, Tuesday night small group study, Wednesday night Bible study and prayer meeting, Thursday morning accountability meeting, Sunday morning Bible Study and worship, and Sunday evening worship. Their “church life” is only a fraction of the time they spend each week away from home. Many of them work 40-60 hours every week, run children to school, plan meals, attend sports meets, and many other miscellaneous activities. Unfortunately, many ministers become frustrated about low attendance to church events without ever thinking about how their overburdened people feel. The members are instructed to go and share the good news of Jesus but they quickly find out there is little time to do so. Many of them desire to witness to their neighbors and to reach out into their community, but they feel as if they have no time in the week to dedicate to those things. Therefore, an effective strategy for missions in the local church should seek to facilitate missional opportunities for people living under time constraints.
Possibly one of the most disheartening experiences for any minister is when members voice dramatic theological confusion. On one hand, it is good that the minister is able to help correct the confusion, but on the other hand, it can torment a minister over his own effectiveness in clearly teaching the truth of the Gospel. To many Christians do not have a solid theological foundation for doing missions. Whether it is a misunderstanding about the content of the gospel or a failure to understand the urgency of reaching every person on the planet because no one is innocent before God, theological confusion plagues the church. Without a robust theological conviction about the need to evangelize the world, people will continue to be impassionate about reaching their neighbors and those people whose names they cannot pronounce with the Gospel.
[1]Timothy S. Lane & Paul D. Tripp, How People Change, (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2006), 13.
[2]Stephen Sorenson notes, “Many of us are so busy that it’s difficult to carve out time for one more thing or person, especially someone whose challenges concerning Christianity might require hours of ongoing discussion and even research, or at least rick taking and vulnerability.” Stephen W. Sorenson, Like Your Neighbor? (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2005),14-15.
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