Service is... Incarnational, Evangelical, Relational and Nutritional.
Each holiday season, phone lines among nonprofits are filled with people wanting to do good. Interest in others always peaks during the holidays. It's a way to soothe, an otherwise guilty conscious, our guilt of extravagant living. For the disciplined Christian, service to others is a daily opportunity. For the next several postings I will share with you the call that many of us and our churches have forgotten--the power of being externally focused.
Service is incarnational. Service is the point where the needs and dreams of the city, the mandates and desires of God, and the calling and capacity of the Church all come together. The community may not care much about salvation, but it does have needs. In meeting those needs, meaningful relationships develop and out of relationships come opportunities to share the love and gospel of Christ. The early Church grew because her people loved and served. I believe servants can go anywhere and make a difference. Service gives us access not only to places of need but also places of influence.
Increasingly our Convention staff find we are being invited to serve in places where we never could have imagined, giving us the opportunity of bridging love, grace and redemption. It is God's kindness through our service that leads people to a response and better understanding of Him, not the threat of His judgment. Barriers to the gospel are removed when people are served and blessed by our expressions of hospitality. It has been said that there is only one way to God and that is through Jesus; however, there are a thousand ways to Jesus.
As we enter into the life of the city through service, we have the opportunity to engage people from whom we normally have been isolated. We see relationships form and people taking steps toward God and His Church. Good deeds form a great bridge over which the good news can travel.
Beginning this quarter among D.C. Baptists, the Journey of 180 will kick-off the convention's challenge of discerning, dialoguing and dreaming about the future work of our Baptist congregations. a major part of this journey will be discovering the places that God is at work in the world around us and how we can join in His mission. I have a suspicion that we will hear many creative ideas, energizing streams of thought and prophetic messages. While I look forward to this time of reflection and visioning, I hope that we will also be able to turn our words into action. Will you join me?
