We began with 3 questions:
- Is social involvement something we should do as well as evangelism?
- Is it a means of doing evangelism?
- Or is it a distraction from the main task of making the gospel known?
The case for social involvement
We begin, as we must Biblically, with the character of God (Ps 146:7-9). God is a God of justice and therefore opposed to those who commit injustice. God expects his people to mirror his justice (Deut 10:18-19, Prov 31:8-9, Lev 19:9-18). In OT God condemns Israel for their indifference to the poor and injustice they tolerate (Is 58:3-7, Amos 8:4-6, Mal 3:5). In fact social involvement was to mark out the people of God (Deut 15:11, 24:17-22).
As we move into the New Testament the emphasis is the same (Matt 25:31-46, James 1:27, Gal 6:10, Acts 4:34-35, Mark 12:30-31, 1 John 3:16-17). The believers in the new community are called to social involvement as part of discipleship. To show God's love and stand for God's justice.
The case for evangelizing the poor
One of the key questions we must answer as Christians is what is peoples most pressing need?
(Matt 6:19-20, 7:12-14, 10:28, 12:13-21) The Bible says it is to be reconciled to God and escape his wrath. Our eternal fate is more important than what happens to us in this life.
This is also the greatest need of the poor. It is never enough just to address peoples felt needs. They are a good starting point but no one articulates God’s judgement as a felt need. Without an awareness of eternal need we will find ourselves focusing on temporal needs. So proclaiming the gospel must be central as we engage with peoples temporal needs.
WE must be those who love God, marvel at his grace to us and magnify him by reflecting his concerns and love for others. Both as we engage in Social Action among our communities and as we share and proclaim the gospel to people.
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