It is time to address this argument. I’ve heard it SO much I have to respond. My thinking is this. Christ says that we are the light of the world. If the true church shines its light across the globe, does not the light that shines farthest shine brightest near? I would argue that if an American or other Westerner that calls him/herself a Christian and reaches across the globe to alleviate suffering, but doesn’t act on a known need next door, withholding compassion, when it is in his or her power to do good, then that person, no matter how much they do oversees, is not a light, as Jesus defines his followers. In other words I doubt their claim to be a Christ follower. So the argument that Christians do this, assumes that the light can shine far while not shining near, an impossibility. I am not suggesting Christians need to do equal amounts of ministry in their “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth” but that IF they walk by an opportunity to do good like the lawyer or the priest in the story of the good samaritan, they are not a true follower of Christ. If God calls you to minister to the homeless in the US wonderful!! Do it with joy and know you are where you are supposed to be! Let your light shine bright! And consider shining further as he enables and directs. Putting boundaries on how far your light shines would be putting it under a bushel, no?
Think on these things…- 5. Cilicia and the 14 years (author unknown)
- Mission of God in the NT: 1 Corinthians (author unknown)
- from September 4, 2011 prayer update (author unknown)
- 9/11′s Lesson for the Church Chip
- Discipleship in an Age of Mission Creep (author unknown)
As a missionary servant evangelist to the United States for the past 18 years, I am in total agreement to what you have written. If the churches in this country were actually practicing what they’ve been preaching, there wouldn’t be a homeless problem, a hunger problem, a problem with unwed teen mothers, an abortion problem, or any other problem that hamper this society. You can find some signs at churches either by the doors on in the parking lots that say “You are now entering the Mission Field” but how many of the people of these churches understand what the statement means. Before a church goes out on an “out of the state” or “out of the country” mission trip, they should make sure that they have reached everybody in their church, neighborhood, community, county, state first.
Edgar Guest has commented in his music that “He’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day”. True Believers (“Christians”) should live by a “T.F.F.” attitude. “T.F.F.” stands for “Third From First” or better stated “God in your life first, Others second, You third”. This is a much better attitude to have instead of one being of “I’ll help you out only if there is something good that will come back to me”.