Recently many of us have responded to appeals to help Israeli charities. These charities provide emergency care for hundreds of thousands of Israeli families living in bomb shelters, and for those whose homes and businesses have been destroyed.
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For some, that raises the old question: "Should we put our money and efforts into 'doing good' or into evangelistic efforts?" The answer has to be "Yes". It is best to do both.
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It is a centuries-old argument among Christians. Is evangelism more important than helping the needy and afflicted? Or is giving them help more important than telling them about the good news of the gospel? Where should we come down between these two positions, seemingly at opposite poles?
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In fact, what about all the other questions about the needy and afflicted? Is helping them even commanded by God? If so, what is the Christian way to do it?
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These questions are urgent. Still, I would like to take a pass on all them! Even though I have written a book on many of them.* And even though I have started and run charities that helped some thousands of needy people and have preached about this to some other thousands. But I still want a pass for now. Instead, another matter concerning them and the gospel needs to be confronted.
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The fact is, when Christians help the needy and afflicted, they shrink what scripture calls “the offense of the gospel.” Often we forget, but the gospel carries an offense. Plainly said, it offends people! It offends those who hear it. It even, God help us, offends us to tell others about it, at least until we do it enough that we notice less.
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How can it be that such good news as the gospel would offend people? Let me count the ways.
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One is that people who try to be strong and independent are easily offended by the gospel. That is because it says that none of us will be able to save ourselves by our own efforts, no matter how hard we try. That's offensive! Aren’t we supposed to take care of ourselves and not be dependent on anyone else?
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A big one is that Christians are supposed to live by a set of rules. And they sure look like party-pooping, bust-your-bubble, never-have-any-fun rules. Surely God does not expect anyone actually to live like that! Are you serious? What is he anyhow, some kind of control-freak? First, very few people would ever give anyone that much control over their lives. And second, if they did, it would never be to anyone who wanted them to live like that.
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Another is that religion is thought to be no more than superstition, probably by a constantly growing number of people. They think science has disproved it.
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Another is the damage that being a Christian can to do to your reputation and your prospects. You would lose respect. Seriously. It is true. It could hurt your career. That is true too. You can get sneered at. Laughed at. Ignored. Dismissed. Become invisible at important times and places. Fired. Kicked out of your family. Scorned. Passed over. Vandalized. Hated. Attacked. Even persecuted or killed, depending on where you are and when. All true.
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Then, when people have another religion, they have additional, strong reasons to object to hearing the gospel.
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No wonder people can get offended, even hostile, when some batty Christian thinks they might be a candidate for becoming as stupid and wrong as they think Christians are. And no wonder Christians inwardly shudder – no matter how much they may deny it or say that no, it is really something else that stops them – when the time comes to help save the life of the go-ahead-make-my-day unbeliever somewhere near them.
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Surely we can agree that there is an offense to the gospel. Yet there are a couple of ways to shrink that offense. One is to live out the gospel. That alone – let’s face it – very seldom brings people to Christ. But it keeps us from driving them away. When they see us not living out the gospel, they are quick to spot us as hypocrites and to turn even further away. It is a case of “See, I thought so.”
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The other way is helping the needy and afflicted. Now, quick, before someone else brings it up – no, that does not mean Christians should help them as a propaganda ploy. That without really caring about their needs, we should use them just to help convert others. Certainly not! That would be offensive to God.
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But when Christians give real, truly compassionate help to the needy and afflicted, and are seen doing so, it does soften the offense of the gospel. It does help correct the public image of Christianity. It does show, better than words, that contrary to all the horrible, untrue images of Christianity, there are other, nobler, loving and truly admirable marks of a Christian. It does make many stop and think. Many revise their views when they see the love of Christ made so visible by action. Many are more ready to give Christianity another look, even a hearing.
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Remember in the “Sermon on the Mount”, how Christ said, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your GOOD WORKS, and glorify your father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
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As it turns out, what helps us get an audience for the gospel is not our resume, or achievements, or personality, or wonderful way of talking about the gospel that causes our light to shine so that people will glorify God. No, it is our good works!
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What qualifies as good works? The Bible describes them as helping the poor, the afflicted, the broken-hearted and the oppressed. (Look at the Old Testament version of Matthew 25, in Isaiah 58:6-12; or Isaiah 61:1-2 or Luke 4:18-19, Jesus’ first recorded sermon.) When others see Christians doing these things, they begin to look at Christianity differently. And they become more likely to glorify, not us, but God. All that helps lessen the offense of the gospel. Then people are more likely to be open to hearing the gospel, and to accepting Christ when they do.
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Good works alone can never substitute for hearing the gospel. But they often help get it a hearing.
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* "Up and Out", all of which is posted online at www.gerrycharlottephelps.com, with chapters listed in the left-hand column.
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