As Christians, we are to love God with all our hearts, and love our neighbors as ourselves. We love God by showing kindness to those in need. See Matt. 25: 34-46. Masochists aside, we want food and shelter, but we usually pretend that “needy neighbors” don’t exist outside our circle of friends.
Thanks to globalization, we are all each other’s neighbors. The Good Samaritan crossed ethnic, social, and political boundaries to patch up a wounded Jew. How dare we turn a blind eye to Sudan and the Congo?
Our offerings are often measured by the amount we have to spare. We act like a two-week mission trip with a weekend at the beach is what Jesus meant by “going the second mile”. Will God hold us guiltless if our brothers and sisters starve while we buy cars, computers, and Ipods?
There are two ways to motivate people, promise them more toys or ask them to sacrifice for a greater cause. As good politicians know, the latter is more effective. Would we still remember Churchill if he’d said, “I offer you warmth, comfort, joy, and peace” instead of “blood, toil, tears, and sweat”? What if Kennedy had said, “don’t worry about your country, it’s supposed to meet your needs”?
Like “Someone” in my last post, we usually witness by telling folks about our blessings and trying to persuade them that they’d be better off if they were more like us. What happened to those crosses we were supposed to pick up? Are we following the wrong Jesus?
Sacrifice creates growth—just look at suicide bombers and the proliferation of Islam. Are we ready to die for what we believe? Most of us haven’t even gone hungry for it.
God told us to spread His Word by loving our neighbors. Isn’t it about time to start?
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22 comments:
Well, that was a "stab and a twist" if I've ever read one. I'd love to insert the usual, "what a great reminder" and not bother about the topic any more, but I'm already feeling guilty enough as it is. I guess the only thing to do is to sign off, leave my cozy room, and go begin sacrificing right now...
I'm not living up to this post, but this issue has been bothering me recently and I posted to see if anyone else can relate.
As SDA's, we're supposed to be commandment keeping people. I've fallen far short. The end of time seems to be coming up quickly. Maybe we ought to get our act together.
Thanks for making us think Paul. In my reading this week, have been feeling God's call to service. The needs are great, may our ears be listening for God's voice. Here are some encouraging words from Gospel Workers. " As we see the fulfillment of prophecy, our faith in the final triumph of Christ's kingdom should strengthen; and we should go forth with renewed courage to do our appointed work. "
mom
You know, I had similar thoughts this Christmas when I passed out some food boxes to homeless guys. I tried to convince myself that I'd done my part, fed the hungry, etc, but as I pondered the fact that I was going home to a warm home, delicious food, and plenty of presents, I felt a little bit like the hypocritical Pharisee. I appreciate your head-on confrontation of what true CHRISTianity could/should be.
What really jumped out at me was this: "we usually witness by telling folks about our blessings and trying to persuade them that they’d be better off if they were more like us."
How true this is! It seems like we try to convey to those around us that we are all put together and spiritually mature and forget that it's ok to be vulnerable and admit our weaknesses. It makes our usual daily worries and concerns seem very small in comparison.
Good post Paul. And I have to agree with Petra in that I want this to be more than "just a good post". I want to go put it into practice.
You know, we all know that we need to be more sacrificing and helpful to those in need, and it's good that we can talk about it like this. The hard part is doing it. Not just going out one or two times a month and passing out bread, or something like that, although these things are great in their own right, but to really sacrifice, to give up something that you actually mind losing. It requires quite a bit of commitment. Obviously I’m not saying that I have it all together, I even have a hard time wanting to go door to door and pass out bread, but I heard something in a sermon of David Gates' that helps to put things in the right light.
We all probably realize this, but it doesn't hurt to remind ourselves from time to time: All that we have, or "own", really belongs to God. If we happen to be in possession of something, it is because God has willed that we should be stewards of it for a time. He may require it back anytime, and we should have no reluctance giving it up. This revelation was quite startling and powerful when I first heard it, but it's true, and it requires us to have such a relationship with God as will allow us to know what to do with the resources He has given us. I know I am not there, but I pray that we all can begin to live this way. The time of the end is truly drawing near, even is upon us; and we should be striving to bring as many home with us as may be.
And now I will get off my pedestal, hoping that I have not muddied the waters I was attempting to add to.
Yes, it's me again. I apologise for monopolizing the conversation, but I can't stop thinking about it, and I thought of an appendix:
God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and He owns everything that we call our own. We are only stewards for a time; however, we, as stewards, are capable of withholding our resources from His use. If we do that, rest assured that He has another way to accomplish His will, but it will be our loss, for not having had the experience of blessing others.
And now I really will stop...I have to go study for a physics exam.
Heaven is a place where alterosentrism (othercenteredness) is in 100% focus. We're all selfish, guilty people when it comes to this matter.
Paul wrote something similar to this in Philippians 2,3-4 ::
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Though we have a selfish nature, we can all be subject of change through God's grace! :)
Johonn:
Thanks for making an appearance. your two comments more then make up for your prior AWOL's.
All you guys:
Wow. your comments do a much better job of saying what I was trying to say than my post does. I should have just mentioned the topic and let you go for it. I hope we can keep each other accountable as we struggle with this difficult issue. Let's commit to true evangelism.
Thought provocative post Paul!! Your sentence: "We usually witness by telling folks about our blessings and trying to persuade them that they’d be better off if they were more like us." – jumped out at me too! Unfortunately a lot of Christians have bought into this idea that “feeling good” is what makes life meaningful. Henceforth they (although I think it would be more correct to say “we” or “I”…) try to “sell” God as “the Way” to a good life. There are some problems with this:
With such a mindset it is pointless to become a Christian. Sacrifice makes no sense at all. Christ says that it’s when you lose your life that you’ll find it. He says “take up your cross and follow me!” “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” If life is all about feeling good, I as a Christian have to explain away such texts.
A recent survey done in Norway among 1000 youth surprised many with the fact that 4 out of 5 young people are happy without God in their life. I think it is totally irrelevant if youth are happy or not happy. Jesus is just as relevant for happy as unhappy people. Jesus must not be reduced to a sales article with us Christians being the salesperson with a “Jesus is the answer to all your needs” – profile. Yes, I believe Jesus can make your life better. Yes, I experience Jesus as a faithful Friend and God as a good Father. But this isn’t what makes Jesus qualify to be relevant in our lives. What really matters is the dimension of eternity. To believe in Jesus is first and foremost a question about where we choose to spend eternity. If what the Bible says about an eternity with or without God is true, then that should have enormous consequences for us that believe and for those who have questions about Jesus. Think about all those around the world suffering from hunger and persecution because of their faith? I doubt Jesus as “a happy pill” for a good life would be a great sales success…
good point(s)!
again, I feel that you could have done a better job articulating my points than I did. in any case, I'm glad that we're all thinking about these things--even though we're thousands of miles apart.
I was reading this morning in "My Utmost for His Highest" and it was talking about being kind to Jesus. When I first read that, I was slightly befuddled. Sure, be kind to the poor and be kind to the lonely and be kind to your enemy; those I can handle. But be kind to Jesus? What is that supposed to mean? It went on to talk about how we are always expecting to get something out of God. Most people are Christians because of what Christ can do for them, and not what they can do for Christ. It was an excellent reminder that if we really desire a true friendship with God, we can't just be taking all the time. We need to remember that it is a two-way relationship and that what matters to God should matter to us as well.
"There is no joy in the soul that has forgotten what God prizes."
Wow. I feel like I've just been bombarded with a barrage of spiritual arrows. This post and all the comments on it have instigated all kinds of hyperactivity in my mind. I feel like I should have been taking notes on things I want to respond to, but I was so blessed by everything said that I just kept reading as fast as I could to get to the next comment.
With all of that nonsense out of the way... I believe I'm just going to have to write a post dealing with my thoughts on this subject; there's too much for me to write here and especially right now. In the meantime, Paul, this post has inspired a myriad of thoughts and I appreciate it. And by God's grace maybe all of us can start living by the ideas in it.
I can't take credit for any of our discussions--that belongs to God.
I believe that He as led us to think about this stuff and will give us the power to live as we ought.
I have lots of questions about actually putting these ideas into practice. For example, most of you have been referring to financial sacrifice, I believe, when you discuss helping others. There have been references to feeding the homeless, etc., which are always relevant and helpful in a discussion of sacrificial evangelism. However, there are many other areas in our lives where we need to sacrifice. For some, money is the easiest way to give--but that doesn't mean that that is what God is calling YOU to sacrifice. He might be asking you to give your time, your experience, your leadership, or all kinds of other gifts besides just money. I guess what I'm getting at is--do we have to go out and feed the homeless every week to feel that we are truly sacrificing for God? Do we have to give more money than we'd like each week at church to feel that we're supporting a cause? Do we have to go door to door to be evangelists? Do we have to move to Peru like Ansley and John (be it ever so admirable and courageous of them) to be sacrifical evangelists? I know that these questions are often asked in the context of missionary work (i.e., the old cliche that the U.S. can be a mission field too...which of course I believe), but I really mean it. My life is comfortable, and I am happy. Does that mean that I need to give something up? If so, what? I feel that I am doing God's will, and that I have answered His call to be a teacher. That means that I work 70-80 hour weeks. That's aside from my responsibilities as an elder of the church and the leader of a praise team. And then I have a husband to love and support, a very large family to stay in touch with, and many friends to serve in Christian fellowship. So, which of these very important things am I supposed to sacrifice to go out and minister to strangers? Should I leave my cozy, warm home to live out on the street and minister to the homeless? I don't mean to sound cynical--I'm seriously wondering. I believe that God has called me to dedicate my entire career and to sacrifice my free time--since I regularly have NONE--to serve teenagers who need guidance and mentoring. I think this is a very important evangelism; but am I just fooling myself?...Am I supposed to be sacrificing something else?
I like to compare life to a game of golf in which we’re each on a different courses and playing for a different par. An action that is a great sacrifice for one, may be a prodigal luxury for another. We can’t truly judge each other, so it’s foolish to try. God is the judge. Our job is to be connected to God so that He can tell us what to do.
We are stewards of God’s time, money, skills, and love. He doesn’t need any of this stuff, but He allows us to manage it as a method to teach us to trust Him and build our relationships with Him. Part of this often involves sharing His gifts with others.
The key is to be WILLING to walk away from EVERYTHING the moment God calls us to do so. God can lead us only if we are prepared to accept the least attractive alternative. He gives some folks money and fame and He gives others poverty and obscurity. If self is dead, and we are totally surrendered to God, He can show us what to do with His stuff.
Basically: We don’t (or shouldn’t) own anything (time, money, etc). The Bible makes it clear that we should take care of those in need. The fact that we are happy and well fed doesn’t automatically mean we should sell everything and start preaching in the streets, but it does mean we should take a careful look at our connection to God to make sure that we haven’t taken control of His stuff and embezzled the goods meant for His other children. Like the protagonist in 1984, we will all be tested at our weakest points. The only way to survive will be to give God control of everything and be willing to walk away from all of it.
well, that's not particularly clear.... perhaps my fellow bloggers will do better:-)
I echo Petraglyph's comment at the top of the page. Away with all the talk. Let's start sacrificing! But then we read Jenifer Payne's comment.
In my opinion...
The balance between the rediculous acetism of the Hermit of Stylites and the total sacrifice Mother Theresa is not as difficult to maintain as we think.
Here's the key:
"A man is rich according to the amount of things he can afford to let alone"
INCLUDING your self rightousness!
That's the difference between the acetic and the saint. Don't kick down the straw acetic. Face up to the rock of Jesus Christ. Jesus says "my yoke is easy and my burden light". He didn't say "my yoke is rich and comfortable". True sacrifice requires that the individual is completely lost in a greater cause. If you are still wondering what sacrifice is great enough, you havn't comprehended the Cause yet.
God leads us to submission through many avenues. It's not our place to judge whether somone else is truly sacrificing. Instead, we should search for brutal, personal honesty.
However, Paul's comparisons must be dealt with. How comfortable can we stay if people in Africa are starving? This question is hard. Here's my advice: deal with it.
Jesus didn't mind that Mary spent a year's wages on perfume, but he also set an example of self abnegation that less than 1% of rich and complascent Americans are willing to follow.
And yes, the sermon is for me.
Interesting thoughts, Paul. Still another dimension to this principle of sacrificing is our dying to self - sacrificing our old man, old desires and old life in order to live the new life of faith. This might indeed be the most difficult aspect of the sacrifice Jesus calls us to do. When this sacrifice is active, I think it will make reaching out that much easier and more meaningful.
Hey Paul, Nice to see you online. I hope you'll be able to come up next weekend.
thanks for the comment. death to self is the key. dead folks can't control stuff. If we're really dead, we'll recognize that everything belongs to God and won't have any trouble walking away from it all if He asks us to
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