Growing up, my mother was a wonderful example of a Godly woman, but my father was non-religious. He was raised in a strict home with loose associations to a dead mainline denomination. My father joined the Navy as soon as he could, traveled overseas and left religion behind. Aside from attending church on occasion to pacify my mother, he simply didn’t see the value in it. This does not mean he was immoral. In fact, my father was a moral man, and a great example of serving others. Years before Boy Scouts of America began their dive into perpetual moral compromises, my father served as Cub Master, Webelos Leader, and Troop Leader along my way to Eagle Scout. I have good memories of the community service projects we planned and executed together for the benefit of the fellow citizens of our town.
In last month’s E-Newsletter, I shared why it’s important and what it means to be worthy of the name Christian (Read last month’s newsletter HERE). In fact, as Christian Service Brigade lives up to and embodies all three of its names, Christian > Service > Brigade, we will increasingly have a more effective impact on the next generation of Christ followers. Why is Service so important to what boys experience in Brigade, and how does that connect with the Gospel?
People are pushing beyond the peak of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, beyond self-actualization, and into a form of altruism beyond themselves. People can no longer deny the brokenness of the world we live in and are hungry for ways to feel like they are making a difference. People from all walks of life are engaging more in philanthropy, volunteering, and civic engagement. Parents who do this with their children not only create bonding experiences but also model and reinforce their values towards serving and making a difference in the world. As Christian Service Brigade units increase their service projects, they also reap the benefits of working together and passing along the values of helping others. But what makes Christian service distinct?
The troubling question of morality untethered from faith in God was the point of the radio interview I had with Rice Brooks, author of the book the movie ‘God’s Not Dead” is based on. It was also the point of the repeated message I would preach as an outreach to area churches on behalf of the Buffalo City Mission. My message to churches in Western New York was the question, “Is helping the poor and homeless an intrinsic part of the gospel, or is it just something that nice christian people do?” Anyone can help make the world a better place, and gain personally satisfying benefits while doing so, but is there a connection to the gospel that gives service much more importance and dimension for believers in Jesus?
Salvation and redemption were never meant to stop with you! It is true that no sin is benign; our mistakes and poor decisions affect others. We see this at the grandest scale with the original fall of Adam and Eve. We are all paying the price for their disobedience. Sin, sickness, death, endless toiling, separation from the direct presence of God, etc. are all things we continue to experience. Paradise was lost so early on after creation, and there’s something in each of us that makes us feel deeply inside that things aren’t the way they should be.
As we surrender to Jesus by first confessing our sins (and sinfulness) we acknowledge that we have been part of the problem. Scripture is clear that Jesus saves us from an eternity of torment and separation from Him, but He also saves us from ourselves, our individual selves and our collective selves. By His grace and sacrifice He redeems us from our personal paths of destruction. Our Lord does not stop there, He also progressively sanctifies us so we become less part of the problem and more part of the solution. Evangelistic tools such as the Four Spiritual Laws and the Roman’s Road have been instrumental in winning individuals to Christ, but it was never meant to be an end goal of the single individual; He wants everyone and wants us so He can reach all. As we live transformed lives, we contribute less to the brokenness of the world. Then, as we lead others to repentance and surrender, they too begin to bring healing rather than harm. Can you see the ripple effect of the movement Jesus began by intentionally discipling just twelve men?
Now as redeemed and progressively sanctified humans on earth, we get the privilege of being redemptive influences in the world we live in. Not only winning souls to the Lord, but also actively fleshing out the Lord’s prayer, “Let your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In small acts of kindness, in personal one-on-one ways, but also in larger cultural and systemic ways, the body of Christ is mobilized to join God in the work He is still doing here on earth. Even though the Book of Jeremiah was written long before the life, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, chapter 29, verse 7 communicates God’s heart for all time in saying, “But seek the welfare (shalom: peace, prosperity, well-being) of the city where I have sent you into exile…”
Yes, serving our communities has some amazing personal benefits for ourselves and the younger ones under our influence. Anyone can do so, regardless of their motives, and those in the community will experience the common good that comes from those acts of service. But it is us, who recognize sinful contributions to the brokenness of our world as an affront to God’s ongoing work to restore Paradise, who have the joy of intentionally joining Him in the work He is doing on the earth. This is the Gospel from Genesis to Revelation, and it grows feet and hands, and becomes a verb. We are saved to save, and redeemed to redeem, and like a Brigade (with Service as its middle name) responding to a disaster, we start Gospeling and expand our Lord’s Kingdom!
