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Jesus Wept
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When Jesus walked this earth he gave most of his energy and time to the poorest of the poor and those who were being neglected and oppressed. Jesus challenged people at all levels of society to help the poor by following his example and putting his words into practice.
Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, (Luke 14:12,13)
We should do more than just help the poor with their material needs, we should speak up for them as God commanded (see Isaiah 1:17 & Matt 23:23).
When we speak up for the poor we not only help them, we also come into contact with people in positions of power, laws are changed and society is transformed. Our nation is on a down hill slide because many Christians have focused on reaching out to the middle class and have largely neglected the victims in society.
"The righteous care about justice for the poor,
but the wicked
have no such concern" (Proverbs 29:7).
Are you reaching out to the victims? Is your Churches main focus to help the victims of gambling, alcohol, pornography (see women and the sex industry) and those who are abused in the workplace? Are you speaking up for the victims of child prostitution and those who are discriminated against because of unjust laws here and abroad?
When we reach out to the poor and oppressed we reach all levels of society, including the middle class. They have fathers, mothers, brothers, sons, daughters and cousins who are thankful when people reach out to help their relatives. It is amazing what happens when Christians help the victims of oppression.
Unfortunately, many Christians are governed by what they think they can achieve rather than doing what ought to be done. This is not how Christians should behave; neither should we be trying to maintain the status quo. (If everyone over the last two thousand years held that attitude we'd still be feeding people to the lions.) As Christians we should not be governed by the question "What can be done?" but by "What ought to be done?" Some wrongly believe that if you try and do what ought to be done nothing will get done because you will be trying to achieve the impossible. While it is true that you might not reach your final objective you can take steps toward it. Because of your work someone else might be able to build on what you have done and succeed where you failed. Sadly, the west is in trouble because of the inactivity, short-sightedness and confusion of Christians.
An example of such confusion is when well meaning "Christians" fight for the rights of some adults, but in the process destroy many children's right (or capacity) for a healthy and happy family life. One of the measurements of the moral progress of any society is what it is doing to its children. How much do our children suffer because of divorce, sexual abuse, alcohol and gambling related problems in our society? As these problems increase so do the number of children who suffer. What are we doing to our children in the name of the rights of adults? Does this not highlight--despite the high regard for ethics in our universities--that our society is a miserable failure? Whenever we are considering laws regarding gambling, pornography, alcohol, drugs, gay rights etc we must first ask the question, "What effect will this have on the children?" Adults will have to sacrifice some of their rights (individually and collectively) for the good of children, whether we like it or not.
The west is in serious trouble today because of the well meaning, but dangerous Samaritans amongst us. Don't be one of them.
In the past Christians built many hospitals and schools and fought for the rights of workers. But things have changed. Because the vast majority of Christians today have not attempted to become directly involved with helping the poorest people in society and have also failed to get involved in the process of law on behalf of the vunerable and the weak the following may well be deserved. Shouldn't evangelism stem from service instead of being the other way around? Didn't Jesus warn that when the salt loses its saltiness it will be taken out and trampled on?
Recommended reading for Christians who are concerned about the laws of our land
How to change the world
1. Start by finding out what's right with the world. When you know what is right you will be able to see more clearly what is wrong. Then take the first step. Follow the one who makes things right, Jesus. (If you are a Christian who is serious about doing God's Will I highly recommend Decision making and the Will of God)
2. Do what you can to right the wrongs. Become informed and develop a strong case. (Greg Koukl is very good at this. No matter what your views are on abortion you will learn a lot about arguing a case by listening to Greg on abortion. If you liked that you will find Tactics in Defending the Faith useful.)
3. Work hard so that you will inspire those you work with (Heb 12:11). Either start a group or join one.
4. Don't try and replace the Church with the Government. (See Separation of Ideology and State.)
Think globally, act locally and serve the Saviour with joy (see Phil 2:14,15).
(For more on the Biblical mandate to speak up for the oppressed watch The Justice Mission DVD)
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