It took 25 years to find it...
It took 25 years to find it, then it vanished, writes blogger Micheal Camp.
More times than not, in my evangelical experience, the average church is all about promoting and providing the following: a statement of faith, worship, church bands or choirs, sermons, communion, Bible studies, teaching on acceptable lifestyles, prayer meetings and ministry, youth groups, Sunday school, pre-marital counseling, evangelistic outreach, baptisms, support for overseas missions, fellowship (potlucks and picnics), and conducting funerals. With some exceptions, these churches rarely had ministries that actually provided practical care for people’s physical, emotional, or mental health. It was largely about spiritual salvation and growth, praying for people, and religious codes of conduct.
In my 25 plus years in evangelicalism, I only went to one church that actually had a ministry to the poor. Granted, there were some individuals who did in a couple churches. And in my overseas mission work we did relief and development projects for the impoverished, but these were exceptions. This one ministry in a church had a great program done once a year called Day of Hope. Church members and even non-members volunteered to extend free services to the poor in the community on this one day (anything from providing goods to dental care). Both recipients and volunteers loved it.
The problem was, after the church did it a few years, they dropped the whole program. They were too busy doing the other things to have time for it. In some evangelical churches, people would occasionally help out at a local soup kitchen for the homeless or visit prisoners, but this was not part of the heart of the church.
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thespiritualbrewpub/author/mcamp/
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- · Todd Buiten
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I find that there's a real balance to be struck that your average Christian does not understand, which is really too bad since Scripture cries out that we seek it. Jesus came first and foremost to heal us spiritually, but in the same way God does not leave us to fend for ourselves physically. Matt 6:25-32 tells us not to be anxious about anything because God loves us more than the birds of the air and lilies of the field, yet ends with with verse 33 which is near and dear to many of us here... "But seek first the reign of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Both the spiritual and physical are important to God
While I agree with the author about churches obsessing on the mechanics of church, I would disagree with the statement that, "It was largely about spiritual salvation and growth, praying for people, and religious codes of conduct." As I have lamented previously on this website, what many might call "spiritual salvation and growth" is much more cultural in nature than it is Christian. There is a set of standards and behaviors that Christians are expected to adhere to, which look frighteningly similar to Western cultural values. I've often struggled to find Christians who want to talk about sin and salvation, which is core to our Christian faith. I guess that I've never been one to believe that obsessing over making the worship service perfect was a great use of time
Yet I also have to wonder about churches that take the opposite approach and dedicate themselves to only providing for the physical needs of the community in which they live. Here where I live near Seattle, churches are big into taking care of the homeless, sometimes to the exclusion of all else. It would be difficult from a spiritual perspective to call them churches as they focus on very little in Scripture other than Christ's command to feed the poor
Where I think the lack of balance comes into play in this whole equation is in our collective lack of understanding that our physical infirmities can be directly tied to the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. I recently spent 16 days in the hospital in which I had my right foot amputated due to a severe foot infection. Nothing could have made a better statement to me of the effects of sin than those two weeks. It's not as though God was punishing me for specific sins as some might believe. But I couldn't escape the fact that we all live in a fallen world, and that only by the grace of God that any of us has hope for the future. An eternal future full of the grace of our beloved Savior
I guess my point is that there is a middle ground in all of this. To focus solely on the spiritual is to miss the point of God's daily mercies in our everyday existences. Watching a limb rot away before your eyes as I recently did is a sobering reminder of the fragility of our lives here on Earth. We need God to survive. But to say that all of the ills that we face will be somehow cured with a clean pair of socks and a hot meal is to miss the point as well. As the human race, we are where we are today because of sin, and to help someone in need without sharing the hope that God has placed in us for the future is missing the point when it comes to the Christian life
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- · Administrator
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Hello dear brother. Thank you for the encouraging words wide and experience - especially amidst your own difficulties. Obviously your faith is strong, as is your reliance upon the Almighty.
Sadly, many become bitter or even angry with God when something like this occurs.
Your new and ongoing situation will require major adjustments. Everyone, please lift up our brother and his loved ones in your daily prayers.
Todd, will you contact me privately on this site? Please provide me with your PayPal or Amazon address. I'll act as a go-between for those desiring to help, rather than share your personal information online.
David Anderson, serving as Administrator.
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Thank you, David, for your concern for my condition. I can't tell you how much it means to me that I have heard from so many good friends like yourself these last few months, all wanting to help out where they can. God has been gracious beyond measure throughout my life, and especially more so now with these new challenges that I face with my family. I am grateful to have a loving wife who makes my meals and takes me to innumerable doctor's appointments. Her care and patience are truly inspiring. And so far as any financial needs are concerned, those have all been covered by insurance through my work, so we have no outstanding expenses. There once was a time quite long ago when this wasn't the case, so I know firsthand how much such kindness can mean in difficult times. If anyone wants to help, I would ask this favor... if you or a loved one has not had a routine physical exam recently then please go see a doctor as soon as you are able. Had I done the same, I would have learned that I have diabetes which could have been corrected prior to my infection getting out of control.
I am so grateful to God for His provision in my life. That includes this community. Despite what happens in this life, we are completely lost without our loving Savior, Jesus Christ. Praise God for that!
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- · Ann
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@Todd Buiten, I am so very sorry to learn about your amputation. I will pray for you and your wife and my heart goes out to you both.
And, what you said about sharing the Gospel in collaboration with ministering to the poor is very true because although we are still in this world, we understand that the spiritual realm is the most important.