Recently, we went through some “Active Shooter Training” here at South Church. It’s a sad but necessary reality in our fallen world today. One of the more surprising things that our instructor shared with us is the importance of calling 9-1-1. That seemed to be obvious to me, but he told us, “You’d be surprised how long it takes for 9-1-1 to be called. You see, everyone simply thinks someone else must be doing it.” The same could often be said about the church.
Did you know that Jesus’ brother James was actually not a “believer” while his brother was living? Yeah, James simply could not accept that his older brother might be the Messiah. It wasn’t until after the resurrection that James came to believe. After that, he was all in. James became a leader in the Jerusalem church and author of the New Testament Letter of James. He writes in his letter, “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well” – but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (James 2:14-17).
Faith, James is saying, is a verb. An action word. It’s more than just talking the talk. A believer has to walk the walk. Over the past twenty-seven years of pastoral ministry, I have found that lots of Christians do understand our call. Jesus had told the disciples that “…the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 28:20). And at the last supper, after He washed their feet, Jesus says, “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you” (John 13:15).
So, yes, not only are we supposed to love and forgive, but we are also called to serve. What I have discovered, however, is that although we often talk about how the church should be feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, and caring for those in need in our communities, we also tend to think someone else is doing it.
Faith, my friends, if it doesn’t produce good deeds is dead and useless. We are all called to serve. Not just the deacons, elders, and pastors. All of us.
I recently read a 2021 study that estimated in the decade ending in 2020, 3,850 to 7,700 houses of worship closed per year in the United States. That’s 75 to 150 congregations per week. That’s heartbreaking. In a country that desperately needs the Lord, we are witnessing His churches disappear. And I am convinced part of that is because we may talk a good game, but our follow-through has been found lacking. When our faith is dead and useless the church closes.
There is one easy way to test whether a church has had any impact on their community. Just ask yourself. If my church closed tomorrow, except for those who attend, would anyone notice?
Jesus gave us an example to follow. So, let’s not wait for someone else to respond. Don’t rely on others to do it. Let’s be Christ’s hands and feet by putting our faith into action.
—————————————————–
Remember you can email praise reports and prayer requests to southchurchprayer@gmail.com. I lift them up every Wednesday at 4:00 pm on Facebook Live.