We’re supposed to give people the gospel, right?
People ask me that sometimes when we talk about church work. Mostly, they mean, “When do we start preaching and praying for salvation?”
First, thank you for caring. Second, you should already be praying. Third, whether we realize it or not, we’re all preaching a sermon. And I'll strongly ask you to consider that people hear loud and clear something about our faith through the way we treat them.
That’s why I encourage churches to serve their communities. We can organize something at church or join good work already happening somewhere else. We don’t have to worry that caring for people somehow distracts us from sharing the gospel.
James makes that connection uncomfortably clear. Someone needs clothing and food, and a believer offers a blessing without offering help. What good is that? Faith without works is dead.
James won’t let us talk about someone’s soul while ignoring their empty stomach.
Yesterday, I worked a two-hour shift at the pumpkin patch. We sold a few pumpkins, but much of the evening belonged to families taking pictures.
Now, a family pic isn’t the food or clothing James describes. Still, I wonder what it means to offer families a place where they’re welcome to enjoy being together. Could that welcome become the beginning of a relationship? Could paying attention help us recognize an urgent need we might otherwise miss?
That takes more than staffing a cash register. It takes an interest in the people in front of us.
I hope those families left with pictures they’ll treasure. I also hope our welcome gave them reason to believe they could come back, even when the pumpkins are gone.
Yes, we’re supposed to give people the gospel. May our words help them hear it, and our lives help them see it.
Stay blessed...john
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