Jesus was a humanitarian

JESUS WAS A HUMANITARIAN
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
The Ultimate Humanitarian: Jesus
David HearnAugust 17, 2017StoriesLeave a Comment
At this exciting time in our history, there are people groups in places across
the world that are becoming increasinglyaccessible to the gospel. That
increasedaccessibility, however, almost always comes with, or on the heels of,
a humanitarian crisis. People facing the worsttimes of their lives.
On World Humanitarian Day, we are reminded of the courageous and
admirable efforts of aid workers and other humanitarians who risk their lives
and run into harm’s way to save the lives of others.
Think about that for a minute. They risk their lives and run into harm’s way
to save the lives of others. Sound familiar? Even before He was crucified,
Jesus was the ultimate humanitarian. Except his brand of humanitarianism
went a step beyond treating people in their immediate moment of distress. It
had a life-transforming, sacrificial, and eternal aspect.
A Humanitarian with a Purpose
Jesus showedincredible care for the humanitarian needs of the world in
which he found himself.

He healed those who were sick and dying; fed people when they were hungry;
stoodup for shunned outcasts or those about to be stonedto death, and raised
the dead!
He loved us so much, had so much compassionforus that even before he went
to the cross, he was touching lives and meeting people exactly where they were
at, providing exactly what they needed at that time.
This is why I love the work of our Justice and Compassioninitiative. It
enables us to go into places where there is severe devastationand brokenness
and to actively demonstrate the love of Christ. In that process, people come to
know and trust the messageofthe gospelbecause they’ve seenit action.
Be Like Jesus – See the Person
Jesus was motivated completelyby a deep sense ofcompassion. It wasn’t
intellectual or moral compassion– it was deeper. The kind of emotion you feel
in your gut. Jesus’humanitarianism was also very personal. Crowds often
surrounded him but he could look past crowds and see the person.
Why did Jesus touchthe leper, and not heal him from a distance? Becausehe
wanted the man to know he was known. He was showing love and compassion
to a person not a predicament.
When we look at so many humanitarian crises happening in our world today –
wars, fires, earthquakes, terroristattacks, famines – we see crowds of people
devastatedby these crises. Often, it’s easyto become numb to all of this.

So I’ve developed a way to keepfrom numbing out. I call it the powerof a
face. I’ve askedGod to imprint the face of a person on my mind so that when
I think of particular place of human suffering I see the face of an individual
instead of a facelesscrowd.
On a recenttrip to Northern Iraq I visited a small Yazidi refugee camp and
met a 25 year-old woman and two other younger girls who had just been
releasedfrom ISIS captivity. They had been kept in an underground bunker
and had been brutalized daily by their captors.
As I listened to this 25-yearold womanI connecteddeeply with her pain and
suffering and with the pain and suffering of those two younger girls who sat
beside her.
Now, every time I think about and pray for the Yazidis of Northern Iraq, I see
the face of this young 25-year-oldwoman who bears the mark of horrendous
suffering. Images like that in my mind frame the kind of heart response I
want our denomination to have. It moves us from intellectual compassionfor
a predicament, to emotional compassionfora person. It drives us to act
because we can’tnot act!
The Humanitarian Crisis at Your Doorstep
If we follow the definition of humanitarians I mentioned earlier – those who
run into harm’s way for others – then our International Workers (IWs) are
hidden heroes for sure. Every day they go into places of brokenness and
devastationand, like Jesus, they meet people where they are at and they help.
I think of those IWs who, during the Ebola crisis in WestAfrica, willing chose
to stay and care for the people around them when they had the option to leave
for their ownsafety. They saw people they loved not just a predicament.

But you don’t have to go to Africa to be a humanitarian for Jesus. I remember
when our family lived beside another family that was going through a terrible
break-up. I watchedone night as the two parents stood in their driveway and
openly fought with eachother in an ugly way in front of their young children.
This was a family in crisis.
There are people all around us every day who need our gut compassion. Who
need for us to look past their predicament and to see their faces. Youcan pray
for them, you can meet them where they are at and you can offer a helping
hand. And as you do so, you can know you are demonstrating the love of our
ultimate humanitarian and Saviour: Jesus.
David Hearn
In 2012, GeneralAssemblyelectedDavid Hearn as President of The Christian
and MissionaryAlliance in Canada. He was electedto a secondterm in 2016,
during which he completed his DoctorofMinistry degree. At the 2020
Meeting of Members, David was electedto his third and final term. David’s
passionis to see the C&MA in Canada as a Christ-centred, Spirit-empowered,
and Mission-focusedmovement. He often quotes A.B. Simpson, founder of the
Alliance, who declared, “This movement stands for a spirit of self-sacrifice,
adjustment, adaptationand single-heartedlove for people. We are calledto a
spirit so possessedwith one supreme object, to gain men and womenfor
Christ, that it sweeps overevery other considerationin its over mastering
purpose of love.”

DeepThought: Was Jesus a “humanitarian”?
humanitarian dictionary.com
– “having concernfor or helping to improve the welfare and happiness of
people. ..”
–Charity openbible.info
=>Poor/Poverty/Homeless
The Widow’s Offering Luke 21EnglishStandard Version (ESV)
biblegateway.com
”
21 Jesus[a]lookedup and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box,
2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.[b] 3 And he said,
“Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 Forthey
all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all
she had to live on.”
“..Sellyour possessions,and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with
moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not
fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. ..”–Luke 12
“…Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, presseddown, shaken
together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you
use it will be measuredback to you.” ..”–Luke 6

“…“Whenthe Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him,
then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gatheredall the
nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates
the sheepfrom the goats. And he will place the sheepon his right, but the
goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who
are blessedby my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world. ForI was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty
and you gave me drink, I was a strangerand you welcomedme, … ..”–
Matthew 25
“…“Beware ofpracticing your righteousness before otherpeople in order to
be seenby them, for then you will have no reward from your Fatherwho is in
heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as
the hypocrites do in the synagogues andin the streets, that they may be
praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have receivedtheir reward. But
when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right
hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees
in secretwill reward you…”–Matthew 6
“And he answeredthem, “Whoeverhas two tunics is to share with him who
has none, and whoeverhas food is to do likewise.”..”–Luke3
“..He has filled the hungry with goodthings, and the rich he has sentaway
empty. ..”–Luke 1
-Women

Jesus And The Samaritan Woman.avi
John 4 New International Version(NIV)
Jesus Talks With a SamaritanWoman biblegateway.com
“…4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria
calledSychar, near the plot of ground Jacobhad given to his son Joseph. 6
Jacob’s wellwas there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, satdown
by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus saidto her, “Will you
give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan womansaid to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan
woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (ForJews do not associatewith
Samaritans.[a])
10 Jesus answeredher, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks
you for a drink, you would have askedhim and he would have given you
living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is
deep. Where can you getthis living water? 12 Are you greaterthan our father
Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and
his livestock?”

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this waterwill be thirsty again, 14
but whoeverdrinks the waterI give them will never thirst. Indeed, the waterI
give them will become in them a spring of waterwelling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this waterso that I won’t getthirsty
and have to keepcoming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, callyour husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus saidto her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The
fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your
husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors
worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must
worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will
worship the Fatherneither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You
Samaritans worship what you do not know;we worship what we do know, for
salvationis from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when
the true worshipers will worship the Fatherin the Spirit and in truth, for they
are the kind of worshipers the Fatherseeks. 24 Godis spirit, and his
worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (calledChrist)“is coming. When
he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”..”
Was Jesus a Humanitarian? Is That ReallyIn The Bible?
MISC:
Humanitarian Jesus:SocialJustice and the Cross
by Christopher Benson3 . 17 . 10 firstthings.com
“…“Don’tforgetthat Jesus Christ died to save sinners, not to bring about
political change.” To those on the Religious Right, they say: “Don’t forgetthat
Jesus spentmuch of his time helping the sick, the poor, and the needy.” A
corrective and a call to action all in one, Humanitarian Jesus shows that
evangelismand goodworks coexistharmoniouslywhen socialinvestment is
subservient to and supportive of the church’s primary mission of worship,
evangelism, and discipleship…”
https://goodnewseverybodycom.wordpress.com/2016/10/31/deep-thought-was-
jesus-a-humanitarian/
Come, You Who Are Humanitarian Workers

UNCATEGORIZED
Jesus was the noblestexample of a relief worker, and we can follow His
example.
3 Min Read
Published on: 08-27-2020
On August 19, the world celebratedWorld Humanitarian Day, an
international day dedicated to recognize humanitarian personneland those
who have lost their lives working for humanitarian causes.In the commentary
that follows, João Martins, regionaldirectorof the Adventist Development
and ReliefAgency (ADRA) in Europe, reflects on the meaning of that day in
2020 and the role the humanitarian workers of the agencyare playing during
the current pandemic.—Editors
There are moments in our collective memories that come into our minds when
we talk about events that affectedthe course of history during our lifetime. If
I think about it, I remember the fall of the Berlin Wall; September11, 2001;
the SoutheastAsia tsunami; or the Iraq wars. In 2020, we are experiencing
another of these events: the globalCOVID-19 pandemic. For as long as we
live, we will never forgetthis year and the disruption it brought into our lives.
When we recallpast events, even if they affectedour lives globally, the direct
impact was very localin the areas where they happened. The pandemic is a
globalhumanitarian crisis affecting all the countries in the world, with the
virus contaminating many of us, our families, neighbors, and friends. Indeed,
we are all in this together.
The pandemic has also shownthat the experience ADRA has gainedin
responding to emergencies worldwide has been essentialin responding to this

globalevent. Particularly in Europe, we have witnessedthe emergence of
many projects, even in countries where we had never before implemented any
projects. Suddenly, Europe became an emergencycontinent, and we had to
mobilize our workers, volunteers, and church members. We were able to
respond to the need of those most affectedby the pandemic.
We recently celebrateda specialdate in a specialyear, World Humanitarian
Day 2020. As I think about this day, I recallall the tireless efforts of ADRA
workers and the volunteers in Europe who had to instantly become
humanitarian workers onthe front line of a globalcrisis, often putting their
own health at risk. I have listened to many stories and read many reports
about how almost 2,000 people became a blessing to others in their hour of
deepestneed. ADRA leaders were able to partner with the localchurches and
mobilize church members to be an active blessing in their communities.
In moments like this, we can be the hands and feet of Jesus in the most
obvious way. While He was on this earth, He was the noblest example of a
humanitarian workerthat we canfind, always seeking the wellbeing of those
He got in touch with. We have the privilege of following His example.
History will recallthis crisis for many years. But even more than the crisis,
what I will never forgetis what Jesus will also always remember: the loving
way His children became a blessing to others.
I want to pay specialtribute to ADRA workers and volunteers, who, by
forgetting their self-interest, have shown justice, compassion, andthe love of
Jesus. I have no doubt that from His throne in heaven, Jesus is telling each
one: “Come, you who are blessedby my Father; take your inheritance, the
kingdom prepared for you since the creationof the world. For I was hungry
and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to

drink, I was a strangerand you invited me in, I needed clothes and you
clothed me, I was sick and you lookedafter me, I was in prison and you came
to visit me” (Matt. 25:34-36, NIV).
The Role of Humanitarian Aid in Building the Kingdom: A Study of John 6
BeckyLynn Black
One of the most effective tools of the Evil One is the tool of substituting the
“goodthing” for the “core thing.” And as he breeds confusionabout priorities
within the Lord’s church, a splintering of the church occurs. The resultant
handicap in effective Gospelwitness, no doubt, brings greatdelight to the one
who is determined to destroy the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus.
The substitutions of which I speak are placedgradually, unconsciously. They
are often imposed by cultural demands, by current philosophical bents, by
shifts in personal gratifications, evenby political expediency. So it behooves us
to return frequently to the Scriptures, to look at the Saviour, to study His life
and teachings, as wellas the Apostles, and to evaluate our lives and ministries
in light of our Lord Jesus.
In this article, let us look at the role of humanitarian aid in building the
Kingdom of our Lord. And we will focus on Jesus’evaluationof the spiritual
effectiveness ofhumanitarian aid.

First, let us define the Kingdom. My personaldefinition is this:
The Kingdom is composedof those people who are characterizedby two
things: First, they have heard the Gospelof Jesus Christ and have embraced
the salvationit offers. Second, they have been taught the teachings of Jesus as
Lord and have a heart of willing obedience to those teachings (Matt. 28:19-
20).
So the Kingdom is not the development of a religious organization, with its
hierarchy of authority. The Kingdom is not in any wayrelated to financial
markers, budget, and cashflows. The Kingdom is not a listing of projects. The
Kingdom cannot be measured in terms of hands raised, aisles walked, or
donations made. Its members are not rated by educationaldegrees attained,
rankings obtained, or memberships granted.
The Kingdom is a spiritual, hidden, unseen thing. But it is not an exclusively
spiritual, hidden, unseen thing.
Jesus saidthe Kingdom is within us. He did not mean that we have within us
any spiritual life of our own, that somehow we must reachfor that “life” and
fan its embers into full expression. No, Scripture is clearthat in us dwells no
goodthing, that we are spiritually dead apart from Jesus. Rather, He meant
that the Spirit of the Living God is within eachbeliever, and that Spirit is
working out the Kingdom on a personallevel as Time marches toward the
return of the King. So although the Kingdom is purely spiritual, its evidence is
clearly seen, and so it is not exclusively spiritual.
In trying to explain the Kingdom to Nicodemus, a very educated man, Jesus
compared the Spirit to the wind. We cannothave wind without the movement

of tree leaves;it is impossible. But just because we have the movement of tree
leaves does not mean we have wind. Many things can make leaves shake –
perhaps someone is climbing the tree, perhaps the tree is being felled, perhaps
a truck has passednearby, perhaps an animal is reaching for a branch to eat
its leaves. So shaking leaves are not causedexclusively by a wind, but wind
will always cause shaking leaves.
And so it is with Humanitarian Aid.
Let us define Humanitarian Aid. This is a broad term. In this day and age,
with extensive communications and large budgets, I have this working
definition:
Humanitarian Aid is large-scale,organizedprojects designedto relieve the
human condition, in which there is a greatdisconnectbetweenthose funding
the relief, those administering the relief, and those receiving the relief.
I compare Humanitarian Aid with Charity.
Charity is relief of the human condition that is done on a personalscale,
whereby those being relievedhave a direct relationship with those doing the
relief.
According to these definitions, Humanitarian Aid is done by organizations,
governments, and agencies, whereasCharityis done by individuals or perhaps
by small groups of individuals. Humanitarian Aid is done on a large scale and
is largely devoid of relationship; its purposes, agendas, motivations are largely
hidden and multi-faceted. Charity, on the other hand, is largely done person

to person, or family to family, or small group to small group; it is done within
the contextof a relationship, and the motivations are fairly easyto determine
by the recipient.
Although all of Scripture is God-written, and although all the apostles did the
work of the Kingdom, the life and teachings of Jesus and the Apostle Paul are
most clearly setbefore us. We have more details about their thinking and
doings and instructions.
So let us look at the life of Jesus. The vastmajority of the Gospels reference
His acts of charity, telling story after story of His personalencounterwith the
distressing situations of individuals. The Centurion’s son, the widow’s child,
the paralyzed man, the blind men, the lepers – in eachcase, Jesusencountered
these individuals in the normal course ofHis travels and doings. And as their
lives dovetailed with His, He offered to them charity – relief on a personal
scale, within the context of a relationship, coveredwith discussionof spiritual
things and personaladmonition or encouragement. In eachcase the recipient
of Jesus’charity eventually went the wayof all mankind, dying from some
cause. But for a moment in time, kindness had been shown; Life had touched
them. And for a period of time, they were encouragedand renewedphysically
and greatlychallengedto change spiritually.
There is a time when we see Jesus doing Humanitarian Aid – relief of
suffering on a mass, impersonalscale. It is found in John 6. The setting is this:
a very large group, involving thousands of people, is physically following Jesus
because they had heard of or seenthe miracles (acts of charity) He had been
doing. They were caught up in the phenomenon; something unusual was
occurring; God was visiting people in their personalsettings. Becauseofthese
miracles, thousands of people were following Jesus everywhere He went.

So Jesus came to a mountain, and sitting with His disciples He noticedthe
huge crowd of people following Him up the mountain. The national Passover
feastwas coming soon. These people should have been home preparing for
this feastbut instead they were following Jesus in the countryside.
As Jesus lookedatthe people He saw hunger. He askedHis disciples about the
possibility of feeding such a large crowd;this questioning cemented in their
minds the utter impossibility of the task.
In vv. 10-13 we see that Jesus did a miracle by feeding the thousands of
hungry people. This miracle meets the definition above of Humanitarian Aid:
it was designedto meet a mass condition, with little relationship betweenJesus
personally and the average personbeing fed; it was administered by His
disciples and assistants;it was organized;and a greatdistance separatedthe
One funding the project (Jesus)and the person receiving the benefit of the
project (the average personon the hillside).
And what was the spiritual response to this Humanitarian Aid? In v. 14 the
Scriptures clearlystate the people’s response:“This is of a truth that prophet
that should come into the world.” And they determined to take Jesus by force,
to make Him a king over them.
If you and I had been there, we would have said to ourselves “Look!What a
greatspiritual harvest is occurring! Helping these people with their hunger
has causedthem to see that Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy! Their
spiritual eyes are openedbecause they have been fed!”
But we see in the following verses that this was not the conclusionof the
matter; this was not Jesus’evaluationof the spiritual response to His aid.

Jesus slipped through the crowd;He escapedto be by Himself. Darkness
came. The disciples returned back down the mountain, got into a boat at the
side of the lake, and beganto row toward the town of Capernaum, which was
the home place of the Disciple Simon Peter(vv. 15-17).
While on the water, in the middle of the night, Jesus joined them. As soonas
He stepped into the boat, the ship arrived at Capernaum (vv. 17-21).
As the sun rose on the new day, the people awoke fromtheir sleep back on the
mountainside (v. 22). And they discoveredthat during the night, Jesus and His
disciples had disappeared. Immediately they also rushed to Capernaum, their
single motive being to find Jesus (v. 24).
Again, if you and I had been there, we would doubtless have thought, “Wow!
Look at their dedication to Jesus!They truly are saved!They are leaving their
homes and families and following Jesus!What a greatharvest of souls is being
reaped because ofaddressing their physical hunger!”
But Jesus did not share our enthusiasm. He understood that this was not a
spiritual harvest; He understood that it was merely a socialharvest. In v. 26
He calls it what it is: “Truly, truly…You seek me, not because you saw the
miracles, but because you did eatof the loaves and were filled.” In other
words, it was for their ownpersonal comfortand convenience that these
people were following Jesus.
This conclusionabout their motivation for following Jesus is amplified in the
discussionthat followed betweenJesus and these people. In vv. 28-40 we have
a long discussion. Notice that the people keepsaying, “How can we get this

God-powerso that we can have bread?” They were continuing to think on the
level of personalbetterment. They wanted an easylife; they wantedbread to
satisfy them; they wanted things of a physical nature.
Today the masses ofpeople want the same thing. They want food; they want
education; they want choices (control). Theywant the goodthings, and they
are willing to follow any religion, any government, any person or organization
that will give them those things. This is a human trait and its tendency resides
in all of us.
But Jesus refusedto accommodate the masses ofHis day. He kept bringing
them back to the Truth. And what is the Truth? Over and over He explains
that physical bread is temporary, short-lived, earthly. But He Himself is the
Breadthat satisfies the soul, that survives into eternity, that comes directly
from Heaven.
Jesus is saying that there is a big wallbetweenthe earthly and the heavenly.
We must not confuse the two. Eachrealm has its purpose. Jesus did not deny
the hunger of the masses;He fed them. But He had realistic expectations of
the spiritual benefit of His feeding. We cannot expectspiritual benefit from
earthly things.
Consistently, over and over again, we see in the Gospels that Jesus’approach
to building the Kingdom was two-pronged: to touch the hearts of people, and
to teachthe minds of people. He touched the hearts with His personal,
uncomplicated, untangled, honestlove for them. His was a love that was
willing to cross barriers and give of Himself to meet a need. It did not matter
if the need was for socialacceptance/respect, orhealing, or empathy, or
feeding; it mattered not the need of the individual. He was willing to give of
Himself to meet that need in order to touch their heart with Love. But Jesus

was always concomitantlyteaching Truth. He did not separate the touching of
the heart and the teaching of the mind. It was the same exercise, in the same
space oftime, in the same venue, under the same circumstances. The two were
always together.
Except in the case of the mass feeding of John 6. This exercise of
Humanitarian Aid was a dismal failure in terms of building the Kingdom.
What was its final spiritual reward?
Readv. 41:Jesus was rejectedas the Bread of Heaven!
The people could not make the transition from personalbenefit to personal
Lord. “How dare you exalt Yourself above us!” they murmured. “You are no
better than us!”
Jesus continued to declare the Truth. You and I would doubtless have said,
“Let’s feed them another meal; they’re just angry. If we feed them more, they
will be won to the Saviour. After all, remember how delighted they were after
the meal on the mountain? Let us do what we can to return to their good
graces.Let us delay Truth until we are againon positive socialterms with
them.”
But this was not Jesus’way. He kept telling Truth: only in HIM is true Life
found! Only in Him personally is there salvationfrom the human condition!
Clearly, Jesus’way is not the way of most humanitarian thrusts by mission or
church organizations. He insisted on pushing the Truth forward. He kept

feeding the Truth, making it as clearas possible, within the contextof the
discussion.
He deals honestly with the people. He tells them their true motives. He then
shows them a better way, a heavenly way, the way of the Saviour Himself
instead of the wayof institutional/project benefit. When they rejectthe idea of
the Saviouras being any better than they, He continues to explain that not
only is He as Saviour a better way, He is the only way! And to follow Him
meant to join Him in suffering!
And when presented with this exclusive claim, this ultimate Truth, and with
the reality that to follow Jesus is to also share His suffering, the people forgot
their fixation on the physical realm. Feeding or not, they wanted nothing of
this Man who claimed a complete authority over them and who would require
them to suffer for Him. That was entirely too much cost. No physical benefit
was worth that cost!
Not only did the masses forsake Him at this point, but many of His own
disciples questioned and forsook Him (see vv. 60, 66).
_____________________________________________________
Let us now summarize the emphatic points that Jesus makes in His teaching
to the masses thatwere fed on the mountain:
1) v. 27:“labor not for meat which perishes, but for the Meatwhich endures
unto everlasting life.”

Pay attention to what your ministry goalis; choose carefullythe focus of your
energy and resources.
2) vv. 35, 47-51:“I am the bread of life; he that comes to me shall never
hunger, and he that believes on me shall never thirst.”
Pay attention that Jesus Himself is lifted up as the answerto the needs of man;
take care not to substitute a system, a methodology, another person, a church
or denomination, a worship style, or any other seeminglygoodor effective
thing. Let us not be deluded: spiritual Life, eternalLife, the abundant Life
comes only in the person of the Lord Jesus.
3) vv. 37-40, 43-46,65:“All that the Fathergives me shall come to Me.”
Although we do the work of evangelism, ultimately it is the Father’s choice
who will be saved. There is no “perfecttool” of evangelismthat overrides the
Father’s choice. Prayerto the Fatheris a critical piece of evangelism.
4) vv. 53-58:“He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me and I in
him.”
Beware ofseparating suffering from salvation. To have His salvation, bought
with His ownflesh and blood, is to also have His suffering. To preach (or
demonstrate, or emphasize) a way of comfort, convenience, health, wealth, etc.
is to misrepresent the Gospelof Jesus.

5) vv. 61-63:“It is the spirit that quickens [makes alive]; the flesh profits
nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
Pay attention that you teachthe words of Jesus. Only through these words
does true regenerationoccur. Earthly benefits fade quickly; only Jesus’truth
makes alive.
And what is the end of this episode in Jesus’life? The masses disappeared;
many disciples fell away. When fed, they were happy to follow Jesus, evento
make Him King, so that their meals of the future would be secured. But when
challengedwith Truth, with the exclusivity of salvationthrough Jesus, with
the suffering that comes with salvation, with the power of God in choosing His
own – these truths were not palatable. They were distasteful to the life the
people wanted, so they rejectedJesus.
“Then saidJesus onto the twelve, ‘Will you also go away?’Then Simon Peter
answeredhim, ‘Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal
life’” (vv. 67-68).
Simon Peterhit the nail on the head. He saw that life is apart from food: it is
in the words of Jesus. Perhaps Peterremembered what Jesus had said before
in Matt. 6:24-31:“No man canserve two masters…takeno thought for your
life, what you shall eat, drink, or wear…isn’tLife more than these
things…your Father knows about your needs…but seek the Kingdom, seek
His righteousness…andthe needs of your life will be met by the Father.”
Ultimately the decisionis a matter of choosing masters. Do we strive in our
ministry for material things? Do we pursue the praise of the masses?Do we
aim for the blessing of governments? Or do we pursue the Commission that

salvationis to be offered through Jesus alone to eachindividual, and His way
taught so that the life is changedto the Savior’s. What is our focus?
The Evil One has been substituting his way for a very long time. He cares not
what the substitute is. In fact, often goodthings make better substitutes;
people go to sleepspiritually if they are involved in doing and funding good
things.
Perhaps the Spirit put the passageofJohn 6 in the Gospels to warn us.
Humanitarian Aid yields very little in terms of the Kingdom. Beware!
Christian humanitarian aid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Christian humanitarian aid is work performed by Christian non-
governmental organizations (NGOs)to alleviate the suffering of people
around the world. Charity is a conceptof greatimportance in Christianity.
Humanitarian aid occurs in areas where some churches donate financial
resources andget involved in order to show compassion.
Contents
1 Origins
2 Features and Benefits

3 Humanitarian staff
4 Intervention policies
5 Results and budgets
6 International Catholic Organizations
7 International ProtestantOrganizations
8 International EvangelicalOrganizations
9 Problems and critics
10 Further reading
11 References
12 External links
Origins
The modern conceptof Christian humanitarian aid is basedon teachings from
the Bible.[1]Charity and providing assistanceto the poor are concepts
establishedin the Old Testament.[2]According to Exodus, part of one's tithe
was devoted to the needy (orphans, widows, foreigners). In the New
Testament, Jesus taughtmuch about the subject of charity. In the Sermonon
the Mount, he called for people to help not only friends but also enemies,[3]as
well as those rejectedby society, suchas people with disabilities.[4]In the
Parable of the GoodSamaritan, he describedthe medical care paid by a
Samaritan to a Jew (both peoples were enemies), as a model of love for his
neighbor.[5][6]Paul of Tarsus has also raisedfunds for the
underprivileged.[7]
Dating back as early as the Middle Ages, Catholic monasteries andmonastic
orders have a long tradition of providing charity, asylum, and assistanceto
the poor.[8]Protestantchurches establishedthe Department of Deacons
responsible for helping the poor. Missionarysocietiesofthe 18th and 19th

centuries often offered humanitarian assistance in addition to their main
activity of evangelism.[8]
In the 19th century, the first Christian non-governmental organizations
(NGOs)beganemerging. YMCA, a ProtestantNGO, was created in 1844 in
London.[9] Caritas, a Catholic NGO, was founded in Cologne in 1897.[10]The
entrepreneurial culture of Evangelicalchurches also led to their creationof
multiple NGOs.[11]
Like the humanitarian movement, Christian NGOs attractedmore attention
in the 1970s. Some ChristianNGOs, such as those run by evangelicaldoctors
providing medicalassistancein impoverished countries, are recognizedfor
their contributions to development.[12][13][14]
Features and Benefits
A Christian humanitarian NGO has at leastone of the following traits:[8]
Affiliation with a Christian religious organization
Explicit references to a Christian religion in its statutes
Financialsupport from a Christian religious organization
Selectionofits Boardof Directors orteams based on Christian principles or
religious affiliation
Decision-making basedonChristian religious principles
Affiliation with localChristian churches across the world often make it
possible for Christian NGOs to work in countries or regions that are
otherwise difficult for governmental or international organizations to access.
The international network of many Christian religions allows their NGOs to

gather significantfunding and publicity to promote their humanitarian
actions acrossthe world.[8]
Humanitarian staff
In some Christian NGOs, the staff is not only Christian.[15]However,
common spiritual values are a common feature among Christian NGO
employees and volunteers.[16]According to Christian aid workers, their
commitment is motivated by spiritual values of compassionand
mercy.[17][18][19]In some NGOs, suchas Mercy Ships, all employees are
volunteers and have to pay for accommodationand food, as well as work for
free.[20]
Intervention policies
The majority of Christian NGOs help everyone, regardless ofreligion.[21]
With the growthof secularizationin some countries, some Christian NGOs
have downplayed their religious identity.[22] In some NGOs this depends on
the cultural contextof the national antenna.[23]
Contrary to certainclichés, many EvangelicalNGOs do not mix humanitarian
and evangelization.[24]But on the other hand, some evangelicalNGOs can
not provide help without accompanying evangelization. The diversity of
evangelicalmovements makes both scenarios possible. In some parts of the
world, as on the African continent, localculture places a greatdeal of
importance on spiritual things, which makes it difficult for some people to
understand or acceptthe work of Humanitarian NGOs that do not display
their religious identity.
Results and budgets

In 2007, ChristianNGOs comprised 57.4%of the NGOs affiliated with the
United Nations.[25]
According to a British study by Elizabeth Ferris, published in 2005 in the
periodical International Review of the RedCross", ChristianNGOs have
large budgets and provide considerable financialsupport worldwide.[8]This
same study gives the following figures:
NGOs relatedto the World Council of Churches and those of the group of
Caritas Internationalis spend over a billion dollars a year in aid and
development.
The Lutheran World Federationhas a budget of $73 million for aid and
development.
According to a 1953 study, religious NGOs gave 90%of the assistance
provided after World War II.
According to William Headley of (Catholic Relief Services), 1/3 ofthe persons
living with AIDS in the world are treated with the help of the Catholic
Church.
According to sociologistSébastienFath, Evangelicalchurches and their
respective NGOs developan international humanitarian entrepreneurship
that influences policy decisions.[26]Therefore,they are unavoidable
geopoliticalplayers in the humanitarian field.
International Catholic Organizations
Among the most important International Catholic Humanitarian NGOs, there
are Caritas Internationalis and Emmaus International.[27]
International ProtestantOrganizations

At the level of international Protestanthumanitarian NGO, there are church-
related organizations suchas Lutheran World Relief and United Methodist
Committee on Relief.[28]The largestNGO humanitarian Protestant
international not directly attachedto a church is the YMCA.[29]
International EvangelicalOrganizations
At the beginning of the 20th century, the American Baptist pastorWalter
Rauschenbusch, leaderof the SocialGospelmovement, developedthe
importance of socialjustice and humanitarian actions in Evangelical
churches. [30]The majority of evangelicalChristianhumanitarian
organizations were founded in the secondhalf of the 20th century. [31] Among
those with the most partner countries, there was the foundation of World
Vision International (1950), Samaritan's Purse (1970), MercyShips (1978),
Prison FellowshipInternational (1979), InternationalJustice Mission
(1997).[32]
Problems and critics
Conflicts of collaborationhave occurredbetweenCatholic NGOs and non-
confessionalNGOs in the fight againstAIDS, mainly because ofdifferent
views on the use of condoms.[33]
In Bangladesh, some Christian NGOs are criticized for their activity of
evangelism. According to the sociologistGeoffreyMartin, there is no overall
policy, but some employees of Christian NGOs distribute bibles to the people
they assist.[11]Evangelicalaidhas been criticized by more traditional
Christian NGOs because they have not separatedevangelismand
humanitarian aid, which could affectall Christian humanitarian NGOs.[8]
It has been difficult for some Christian and Muslim NGOs to collaborate.[34]
In areas of armed conflict, some Christian NGOs have been criticized for not
respecting the principle of neutrality.[8]

Some have criticized the actions of Mother Teresa as "animperialist
enterprise of the Catholic Church, againstan Easternpopulation, in an
oriental city" and a "cult of suffering" little concernedabout hygiene .[35]
According to Tamsin Bradley, who performed a study in Rajasthan(India),
faith and compassionoccasionallyresultin members of Christian NGOs
overlooking the actualneeds of people they assist, as wellas their long-term
needs.[36]
Further reading
Christian Buckley, Ryan Dobson, Humanitarian Jesus:SocialJustice and the
Cross, MoodyPublishers, USA, 2010
MichaelBarnett, Janice Gross Stein, SacredAid: Faith and
Humanitarianism, Oxford University Press, UK, 2012
Bruno Duriez, François Mabille, Kathy Rousselet,Les ONG confessionnelles:
Religions et actioninternationale, Editions L'Harmattan, France, 2007
Humanitarian Jesus:SocialJustice and the Cross
by Christian Buckley, Ryan Dobson
A resurgence ofthe SocialGospelis energizing many evangelicals, but what
does the Bible sayabout the role of humanitarian works in the Christian life?
As new covenant believers, Christians are calledto a specific central task:to
be ministers of God's message ofsalvationfor sinners. At the same time, the
New Testamentjustifies nearly every concernof the revitalized SocialGospel.
Care for the poor and needy, reconciliationof socialand racialdivisions, and
nurture for the sick and abused -- all canbe biblical and Christ-honoring
activities.

Ryan Dobsonand Christian Buckleyhave a message forbelievers on either
side of the battle lines hardening around today's SocialGospel. To those on
the Religious Left, they say: "Don't forgetthat Jesus Christ died to save
sinners, not to bring about political change." To those on the Religious Right,
they say: "Don'tforget that Jesus spentmuch of his time helping the sick, the
poor, and the needy." A corrective and a call to actionall in one,
Humanitarian Jesus shows thatevangelismand goodworks coexist
harmoniously when socialinvestment is subservient to and supportive of the
church's primary mission of worship, evangelism, and discipleship.
In accessible and non-academic style, Dobsonand Buckleyoutline the biblical
case forhumanitarian concern. They also engage the topic through interviews
with leading Christian thinkers, activists, and humanitarian workers --
including Franklin Graham, Gary Haugen, Ron Sider, Tony Campolo, and
many more -- seeking to define a broadly biblical approachto goodworks that
all Christians can join hands around.
Removing the coronavirus mask: may this crisis revealus as Christians
As the coronavirus spreads, Christians must unify and build a relational
bridge when the virus wants to create a socialmoat.
Ed StetzerOpinion Contributor
Everyone is looking for masks, eventhough medical professionalstell us not
to. Maybe it helps us feel less helpless.

But masks have another purpose. We normally think of them as things to
coverwho we are — to hide or disguise what we really value. I think this virus
will take off some masks— and help revealour true selves.
And I think a whole lot of masks are about to come down.
This is not a crisis anyone wants, but I am hoping this crisis displays who
Christians really are. We’ve launched CoronaVirusAndTheChurch.comto
help, but let’s face it: as things accelerate,and the masks truly fall, we will
show what kind of Christians we really are. I’m ready to know.
I believe serving and loving others as Christ himself has served us through his
death and resurrectionis central to our faith — even when it involves
personalrisk and cost. That’s what I hope this crisis will reveal.
Social, not Relational, Distancing
One way we do that is to care for one another — all of us, yes, but let me write
to Christians for a moment because maybe we need extra reminding. Yes,
socialdistancing is the news of the day, as it should be; however, if we end up
distancedfrom one another, we will be worse off, not better.
The point is simple. Socialdistancing is necessary. Relationaldistancing is not.
Let’s seize the opportunity to check on our neighbors. Let’s build a relational
bridge when the virus wants to create a socialmoat.

During the coronavirus epidemic, we will be separated. We still have to stick
together.
Let’s show who we really are, as Christians in our day. This is our moment.
Get the Opinion newsletterin your inbox.
What do you think? Shape your opinion with a digest of takes oncurrent
events.
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Caring for the Vulnerable
The Christian church is calledto sacrificiallycare for the vulnerable because,
as scripture reminds us, Christ first loved us and died for us that we might be
forgiven and reconciledto God. We love others because we understand just
how much God has done for us and how he then calls us to live in light of that
love. That is what Christians were known for centuries ago — caring for
others. That’s not always been the case,but it has often been. Yet, today, my
evangelicalbrothers and sisters and I have been known for being more about
ourselves than our neighbors.
I’m hoping that changes… and fast.
You see, this messageofcaring for others is lacedthroughout scripture and
central to the very fabric of the Christian faith. In the Bible, we find
commandments like “bearing one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). For the
Christian, how well we endure in sacrificiallyserving the vulnerable is one of

the greatestindicators ofhow deeply we have understood what Christ has
done for us.
Congregants prayin Nashville on March 8, 2020.
Max Gersh/The CommercialAppeal via USA TODAY
The Bible’s teachings don’t leave us any wiggle room about who to serve. In
one of his most famous parables, Jesus uses a Samaritan to unpack how we
are to love even those we might otherwise see as ourcultural enemies. In
essence, how wellwe are able to love others is a direct indication of how well
we know Christ and what he has done for us-- at its most basic level it means
caring for others in their times of need. At a time of partisanship and
politicization, the gospelgives us only one condition: serve the hurting.
And we are about to have a greatopportunity to do just that.
Who are we, really?
Stepping back for a moment, it is worth asking why the Christian church has
and is now againcalledto live in such a sacrificialway. The answerin part is
the descriptionof Christians as “citizens of heaven” (Phil. 3:20). That is, our
hope is not in this life but in the one to come.
While everyone is goodat talking in times of peace, moments of crisis define
who we truly are and what we truly believe. They reveal.
In one famous example, the church historian Eusebius describes a fourth
century epidemic that sweptthrough the Roman Empire. Far from fleeing the

cities or shutting off their homes from others, Eusebius records that “allday
long [Christians] tended to the dying and to the burial, countless numbers
with no one to care for them. Others gather togetherfrom all parts of the city
a multitude of those withered from famine and distributed bread to them all.”
As a result, Eusebius concludes, “[the Christians’] deeds were on everyone's
lips, and they glorified the godof the Christians.”
The Backstory:Coronavirus facts don't incite panic. Justthe opposite. Facts
fight fear.
Facedwith what was likely a far more severe pandemic than our own, 4th
century Christians modeled a faith that is truly compelling. That pandemic
revealedwho Christians really were — this one will probably do so as well.
Who are we, followers ofJesus in 2020?Are we driven by a desire for political
powerand gain, or will we be those who show and share the love of Jesus in
the midst of this now-growing crisis?
We will know — soon. Masks willrun out and masks will come down.
Perhaps it’s time to take them off anyway and show who Christians really are.
I pray we will look more like our Jesus, andless like our worst impulses.
It’s time to take off the masks.
Ed Stetzeris the Executive Directorof the WheatonCollege Billy Graham
Center, which recently launched CoronavirusAndTheChurch.Com, in

partnership with Saddleback Church and the Humanitarian Disaster
Institute. Follow him on Twitter, @Edstetzer
TheologicalReflectionsonthe Christian Humanitarian Response
Bryant Meyers Category:Themed ArticlesIssue:10-2005
There are a number of theologicalthemes that must be kept in mind as we
explore the Christian response to humanitarian crises.
Hospitality
While the Christian response to uprooted people is biblically demanded, the
imperative rests on something deeperthan Old Testamentlaw. The demand
to love God with all one's heart and mind and to love one's neighbor as oneself
is made clearin Jesus'teaching in Matthew 25. All the nations will be
gatheredand separatedaccording to their giving to the “leastof these” in
food, water, clothes, medicalcare and hospitality.
One of Kosuke Koyama's endearing contributions to missiologyis what he
calls “neighborology.”1 Koyama reminds us that people need goodneighbors
more than goodtheologyor emergencyreliefand that inviting people into our
homes is vital. Hospitality is a missiologicalresponse.
Pope Paul VI underscoredthe same idea in Popularum Progessio, an
encyclicalwritten two years after the SecondVaticanCouncil: “We cannot
insist too much on the duty of giving foreigners a hospitable reception. It is a
duty imposed by human solidarity and by Christian charity.”2 The Pontifical
Council for the PastoralCare ofMigrants and Refugees reminds us that

progress in terms of living peacefully togetheris “closelylinkedto the growth
in the mentality of hospitality.”3 Hospitality is more than caring for or
reaching out, it is getting close and personal. It's like Jesus sharing a meal
with lepers and outcasts. “Iwas a strangerand you welcomedme” (Matthew
25:35).
Charity and Solidarity
We must also acknowledgethe responsibility of the rich. While no one is too
poor to give, the Bible suggests thatthose who have much are obligated to
share. In Acts we are told that no one in the community of faith was in need
(Acts 4:34) and this was made possible by sharing. Failure to welcome the
refugee, displacedpersonor migrant workerconstitutes a moral failure, not
simply an economic choice. The expectations ofwelcoming goes farbeyond
provision of material needs. In Popularum Progressio, three moral duties of
rich nations are named: 1) mutual solidarity in the form of the aid that rich
nations should give developing nations; 2) socialjustice in the form of
rectifying trade relations betweenstrong and weak nations;and 3) universal
charity—the effort to build a more humane community in which all give and
receive.4 This echoesOld Testamentcommandments. Sharing (loving the
alien) must be accompaniedby creating a fairer playing field (not oppressing
the alien) and restoring just and peacefulrelationships among peoples (giving
the alien an inheritance). Where does the passionfor charity and solidarity
come from?
Faith and Love
We now must considerthe relationship betweenour faith and our capacityto
love our uprooted neighbor. The testof our faith is our ability to love. If we
cannot welcome the stranger, our faith is suspect. Either we don't truly
believe, our gospelis too narrow or there are idols distracting us from our
responsibilities.

But, more importantly, faith is the precursor to being able to truly love. Our
faith in the Lord of grace and the sanctifying Holy Spirit is what holds the
promise that we can love unselfishly. David Bloeschsums: “Faithalone
justifies; love attests that faith is alive. Faith is personal; love is social. Faithis
the foundation; love is the goal. Faith is the root; peace, joyand love are the
fruits.”5 Our Christian faith and its vitality and sustenance are the foundation
of our humanitarian response.
True Humanitarianism
Finally, we must clarify our theologyof humanitarianism. Bloeschwarns of
the temptation to reduce a truly Christian understanding of humanitarianism
to its modern secularform:
“The object of humanitarianism (in its secularsense)is not to identify with the
world in its shame and affliction (James 1:27), nor to permeate the world with
the leavenof the gospel, but to remold the world in the image of enlightened
humanity. Humanitarianism is a liberal form of religion emphasizing service
to humanity above all other concerns….The goalis the greaterhappiness of
man, not the glory of God.”6
The dangerof reduced understanding of humanitarianism is not only how it
affects our actions, but how it affects our thought life: “When concernfor
socialimprovement pre-empts the hope for the righteousness ofthe Kingdom,
we are in the humanitarian [Westernliberal democratic]rather than the
biblical thought-world.”7
The antidote to a false humanitarianism is to be sure that our anthropologyis
theologicallysound. The truth is that God createdhuman beings as free
beings and that we are made in God's image and are here for a purpose. We
are to first glorify God and then we are to make the earth productive. This is

the foundation of our humanitarianism as Christians and the test of our
humanitarian response. Are we affirming the truth about God and the truth
about humankind?
Populorum Progressio reminds us that a truly Christian humanism “points
the wayto God” and that “Man is not the ultimate measure of man. Man
becomes truly man only by passing beyond himself.”8 We have not reached
high enough unless the goalof humanitarianism is to encourage people to find
God. In this, they will discoverthat they become most truly themselves when
they also care for others. Bloeschsays it well: “Although GoodSamaritan
service sometimes has chronologicalpriority over evangelism, the mission of
the church is not fulfilled until we declare the messageofreconciliationand
redemption.”9 He also reminds us that:
“the greatsaints of the church have revolutionized societybecause theyhave
given the world a new metaphysicalvision, a world and life view anchored in
the transcendent. They have provided not simply programs of socialchange,
but a sense ofmeaning and purpose to existence.”10
As we stand on the shoulders of Christians who fought for issues relating to
the slave trade, child labor, piracy, liquor trafficking, poverty and refugee
movements, we need to take care that we are practicing a truly Christian
humanitarianism.
Footnotes
1. Koyama, Kosuke. “Extending Hospitality to Strangers:A Missiologyof
Theoligia Crucis.” InternationalReview of Mission, p. 82. No. 321, Oct. 1993.
2. Paul VI. Populorum Progression. p. 67, 1967.

3. Etchegaray, RogerCardinaland Chelli, Archbishop Giovanni. “Refugees:
A Challenge to Solidarity,” a paper presentedfor PastoralCare ofRefugees at
the PontificalCouncil for PastoralCare of Migrant and Itinerant People. p. 4,
1983.
4. Paul VI. Populorum Progression. Paragraph44, 1967.
5. Bloesch, Donald. “Humanitarianism.” Faith and Counterfeits. Intervarsity
Press. p. 51, 1980.
6. ibid, p. 47-48. 7 ibid, p. 47. 8 Paul VI. Populorum Progression. paragraph
42, 1967. 9 Bloesch, p. 58. 10 ibid, p. 52.
Bryant Myers is vice president for Developmentand FoodResourcesatWorld
Vision International.
Humanitarian Jesus:An Interview with Christian Buckley
JUNE 10, 2010 BY TIMOTHY DALRYMPLE
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By Timothy Dalrymple
Photo by MarinePhotoBank via C. C. License at FlickrCongratulations on
your new book, Humanitarian Jesus:SocialJustice and the Cross. Canyou
tell us what you mean by "Humanitarian Jesus"?
Thanks. What we mean by that term is that ever since Christ walkedthis
earth people wanted to put labels on him -- prophet, rabbi, heretic, demon --
and in modern Christianity we tend to do the same. We want to place Christ
in a box or define him by certain actions. Our idea for the title was to ask the
question: Is it fair to considerChrist as a humanitarian, and, if so, what does
that mean for us?
There's a term in the subtitle that has come under attack recently. What do
you take "socialjustice" to mean? Is "socialjustice" specificallya Christian
term? And should it be associatedwith "liberal" socialpolicies?
Sure. That term has come under some recent attack from Glenn Beck and
others who have read it as a liberal term that connotes wealthredistribution
or a political socialistagenda. Thatreading is extreme and pulls it out of the
greatercontextof its history. In fairness, the socialgospelorsocial
Christianity isn't anything new. The basic ideas were formed around the time
of the industrial revolution in Europe as a reactionto very basic obvious
human suffering. We talk about this in the book, but in the later 1800s,the
church was isolatedwithin its walls, both literally and metaphorically, and the
world was suffering outside. People startedto question why the church wasn't

invested in the suffering of the people around the big issues of the industrial
revolution. Is it really okayto step over a homeless starving person on the
steps of a church building to go inside and worship God? The early call was to
get outside and get invested. Over time that theory was adoptedand
expounded by more liberal agendas that stretchedit outside of theologyand
Christianity into politics and generalsocialtheory, but that is not where it
started and in our opinion is not where it belongs.
There is a difference betweenmaking a socialinvestment for the sake ofsocial
investment and making it for the sake ofthe cross. There is a difference
betweendoing socialjustice out of political or socialtheory and doing it
because you believe it is part of your personalcallto Christ and redemption.
We wantedto bring the discussionback to the cross to look specificallyat how
Christ dealt with the issues in his life and teaching.
There has been a revitalized movement for socialjustice, especiallyamongst
the younger generations. How should we understand the relationship between
evangelistic and socialjustice ministries?
I think that is the basic issue facing this generation. We are coming out of an
era where Christianity was defined by what we were againstand now we are
seeking to define it by what we are for. I think that is good, but I think it
presents some problems, just as the prior era did, because it risks
fractionalizing the Gospelinto a bunch of independent parts. It becomes a sort
of "choose yourown adventure" type of faith where as long as you grab onto
some part of the Christian message thatis goodand positive you are going in
the right direction. As a result, I think younger evangelicals are gravitating to
acts of kindness and love as a means of expressing their faith and perhaps
starting to move away from the doctrines of sin and redemption that seemto
be judgmental and divisive.

I don't think that is the right approach. The two issues are intimately related.
Christ was evangelizing in every aspectof his life, whether he was speaking
truth or meeting need. It was all part of who He was. I think understanding
that we can't divide the issues is the start of reaching a personalperspective
that honors our calling.
You interviewed many leading thinkers in the Christian ministry world today.
What do you sense are the major trends in the socialjustice ministry today?
Excellence andrelevance. Many of the leaders were interestedin doing good
work better by making that work relevant to every generationof Christians. I
also think many of the ministries understand the risks that are facing them in
this era. They understand that it is easyto be misread by outsiders or
unfocused in what they are doing.
Were there any responses thatreally surprised you?
My interview with Isaac Shaw surprised me. Here is a man that grew up
starving on the streets as an abandoned child in India and was so hungry that
he ate newspaperto fill his stomach, yet he is totally opposedto feeding people
without the Gospelbeing involved. He has very strong perspectives onhow the
church must be the centerof the solution for Northern India. You might
rejecthis position, but not because he doesn't have the life experience to
understand suffering and need.

Jesus and the Humanitarian Ideal
But I have to say, Jesus is aheadof all other religions, even by Hitchen's
standards. First of all, Jesus soughtreform, but acceptedthe persecutionon
himself. Apart from the others, reform is not to be imposed, but rather to be
seenas a process whichbegins with the destruction of the prophet who
announces reform. Jesus not only setup his own sacrifice, he also taught his
disciples to acceptpersecutionwhen it came. Interestingly enough, he didn’t
insist that his disciples do as he did—actually manipulate the political and
religious situation for his own personaldemise. Rather, he told them to accept
and rejoice in such persecution, but not to create it themselves.
(On a similar note, Mr. Hutchins, it may be “odd” or, as you imply, perverse,
to manipulate the actionof a prophecy. But Jesus insistedthat he was
fulfilling the holy text, not specificallythe prophecies.)
So all of Jesus’reform was never about war or the destruction of others.
Rather it was using self-sacrificeto change the cultural and religious society.
Thus, this is completelyhumanitarian, if not completely life-affirming as some
would like to have Jesus’teach.
Also, Jesus was andis the most consistenthumanitarians in religious leaders.
Admittedly, Buddha and others taught an equal affirmation of all life, but this
proves difficult to be consistentin, as our very life requires the killing of other
life, whether in our immune system or in our every breath. Jesus, however,
taught the benevolence ofall human life, without exception. This is, what
“Love your enemies” means. Jesus is using the most extreme form of a moral
statement—doing goodto those who intend to harm you—to broaden a
principle of benevolence to all of humanity, without exception. The fact that
Christians continually find ways to find exceptions to Jesus’broadrule is an
example of their irreligiosity, not of a fault in the religion in and of itself.

Jesus also taught that all religious ritual is marginalized in light of this basic
humanism. He spoke againstthe hardcore Jewishmonolith, the Sabbath, to
say that it is proper to work on the Sabbath—in opposition to all Jewish
tradition—if that work is enacting mercy. Interestingly, Jesus’followers
continued in this tradition, claiming that all religious traditions—the Temple,
circumcision, racism, ritual sacrifice, holidays—arenot to be set aside, but
marginalized in comparisonto doing good. This is so much the case that the
leaders of Jesus’movement were not to be known as leaders at all, but slaves
or servants.
In fact, I would say that were it not for Jesus, that religionwould not ever
been seenin humanitarian terms. I am not saying that Jesus was the first
humanitarian, only the greatestpopulist spokesmanforit. All throughout the
Westernhistory of the world, people have lookedat Jesus, comparedreligions
to him, and found the religion lacking. Indeed, I would say, that were it not
for Jesus, there probably would have been no Enlightenment to begin with,
for the idea of having a humanitarianism apart from ritual was most
popularly spokenby Jesus—althoughfirst promoted in some of the Hebrew
Scriptures. Many of the greatesthumanitarian leaders since the
enlightenment—Thomas Jefferson, William Wilberforce, David Livingstone,
Albert Schweitzer, Harriet BeecherStowe, Moses Brown, Florence
Nightingale, Leo Tolstoy, Ghandi, and Martin Luther King—were all deeply
influenced by Jesus and his humanitarian ideal.
Postedby Steve Kimes at 4:23 PM
Welcome to the online home of Tim Challies, blogger, author, and book
reviewer.

Humanitarian Jesus
There are few issues oftheologythat confuse me more than issues relatedto
socialjustice. Those who advocate Christianhumanitarianism, those who tell
Christians that they are responsible before God to fight injustice, to feedthe
hungry, to free the oppressed, are able to provide a compelling case andthey
are able to tap into a deep vein of guilt. It is difficult to hear of poor and
hungry children and not feel that the primary mission of Christians must be
to feed such people. And yet when we look around we see that ministries or
organizations that make such a task their primary calling so quickly fade into
theologicalobscurity. The socialgospelso oftentrumps the gospelof Jesus
Christ.
Into the fray step Christian Buckleyand Ryan Dobsonwith their book
Humanitarian Jesus:SocialJustice and the Cross. Theywant to find that
sweetspotbetweenjustice and gospel, that place where we can hold tightly to
the gospelofJesus Christ while still emphasizing the importance of social
action.
Humanitarian Jesus is made up of two parts. In the first part, which seems to
be written largely by Christian Buckley, the authors provide the theological
basis for socialjustice. And here is where the book is at its best. The authors
emphasize againand again(and againafter that!) the importance of sound
theology. They want Christians to know that first and foremost they must be
grounded in the Bible. Buckleyand Dobsonunderstand the tension so many of
us feel when looking at issues relatedto socialjustice. “Some of us resistor
diminish temporal engagementbecause we are focusedon the call of Scripture
to proclaim the gospel, and see this life as a mere momentary passing. Others
resistthe gospeland the scriptural implications of death, heaven, and hell, and
focus instead on the goodthat canbe done on earth by being living
illustrations of God’s greatlove.”

They say as well, “Christwas and is principally concernedwith eternity and
the reconciliationofthe lost. Fundamentally, Christ came to earth to seek and
to save, not to heal and feed. Just as Christ came to provide the only means
for spiritual reconciliationwith the Father, He calls the redeemedto the
specific task of continuing His ministry of reconciliation.” Theyemphasize
here and in so many other places that Christ’s most foundational task was to
seek and to save the lost; he did not come primarily to feed people, but to save
them. And we are to imitate him in this. They go on to say, “Jesus was a
humanitarian, but of a unique kind. He healed to revealtrue healing. He fed
to reveal true food. He quenched thirst to revealeverlasting water. Christ’s
actions were temporal, but His intended impact was for His every word and
deed to be eternally transforming.” So here they set Christ as the model for
the kind of humanitarian work they want Christians to commit to–work that
points people to Christ.
As the book continues, the authors provide some friendly critique of the social
gospel. Theyrealize that many who emphasize the socialgospelhave very
quickly left behind the true gospel. In the midst of doing humanitarian work,
so many have lostsight of the work of saving souls and even the necessityof
doing so. But where the authors seemto go just a little bit beyond what I see
in Scripture is in their discussionof evangelism. “Evangelism,”they say,
“includes the sharing of the gospeland the meeting of needs. It includes the
challenging of injustice and the championing of the oppressed. … We don’t
meet needs because it gives us the chance to share Christ, but because it is
part of who Christ is, and if He is in us, it is part of who we are.” And so here
they make humanitarian work a necessarycomponentof evangelism.
Let me emphasize againthat what the authors do very well in this sectionis
emphasize sound, biblical theology–a theologythat includes humanity’s fall
into sin, that includes Christ’s atoning work on the cross, thatincludes both
heaven and hell. This alone is enough to mark this book as very different from
so many dealing with socialjustice. Before the authors want to call anyone to

do humanitarian work, they want to call them to the gospel, notjust as a
messagethat saves, but as a messagethatgives direction to all of life.
In the secondpart the authors conduct a series of15 interviews with people
who are involved in some sort of socialjustice ministry or organization.
Interviewees range from Ron Sider to Tony Campolo, from Francis Chan to
Mark Batterson. I found these interviews a rather strange addition to the
book. I felt that they added very little in terms of benefit; some were useful,
some were not; some emphasized what the authors emphasize, others went the
other way. Though the authors want to emphasize the primacy of sound
theology, a guy like Tony Campolo has long since forsakenany kind of
biblical theology. This sectionconfusedme and disappointed me. It felt at
times like it was the easyway out in which rather than writing another100
pages of material the authors could simply include interviews with a wide
variety of people. And at other times it felt like it was directly opposedto the
messageofthe rest of the book and especiallyso when interviewing people
who have setthemselves in direct oppositionto the gospelthat saves.
At the end of Humanitarian Jesus I am as perplexed as ever. Largely I still see
things the way I did before. There is a time and a place for humanitarian
work, no doubt. Christians can have greatministries serving the poor and the
oppressedand in so doing can have remarkable opportunities to share the
gospel. And yet still the history of Christianity shows that when Christians do
this, the gospelquickly becomes secondaryand the work itself becomes the
gospel. I still see the Bible primarily emphasizing charity given to other
believers;when I look at Acts and the epistles, this is what I see most–
Christians helping other Christians as a sign of love and fraternity. Now of
course there will be some who engage in humanitarian work outside the
context of the localchurch, but it seems to me that the closerwe come to
making this a necessarypart of the Christian mission, the more likely we are
to see the gospeldiminish.

I’m sure my confusion shows in that last paragraph. The more I read on this
subject, the more perplexed I become. Am I saying that Christians should not
engage in humanitarian work? Ofcourse not. And yet still I do not see from
the Bible that Christians absolutely have to as a necessarycomponentof their
evangelism. Maybe someone who reads this review canleave a comment and
help me out of this mess of confusion.
John Ortberg
,
Contributor
Senior Pastor, Menlo Park PresbyterianChurch
Six Surprising Ways Jesus ChangedThe World
08/13/201201:50 pm ET Updated Oct 13, 2012
Both PresidentObama and Governor Romney have had to repeatedlyaddress
their views about an itinerant rabbi who lived 2000 years ago.
But why does anyone care?
Yale historian JeroslavPelikanwrote, “Regardless ofwhat anyone may
personally think or believe about him, Jesus ofNazarethhas been the
dominant figure in the history of WesternCulture for almost 20 centuries. If
it were possible, with some sort of super magnet, to pull up out of history

every scrapof metal bearing at leasta trace of his name, how much would be
left?”
It turns out that the life of Jesus is a cometwith an exceedinglylong tale. Here
are some shards of his impact that most often surprise people:
Children
In the ancient world children were routinely left to die of exposure —
particularly if they were the wrong gender (you canguess which was the
wrong one); they were often sold into slavery. Jesus’treatment of and
teachings about children led to the forbidding of such practices, as wellas
orphanages and godparents. A Norwegianscholarnamed Bakke wrote a
study of this impact, simply titled: When Children Became People:the Birth
of Childhood in Early Christianity.
Education
Love of learning led to monasteries, whichbecame the cradle of academic
guilds. Universities such as Cambridge, Oxford, and Harvard all beganas
Jesus-inspiredefforts to love God with all ones’mind. The first legislationto
publicly fund education in the colonies was calledThe Old Deluder SatanAct,
under the notion that God does not want any child ignorant. The ancient
world loved educationbut tended to reserve it for the elite; the notion that
every child bore God’s image helped fuel the move for universal literacy.
Compassion

Jesus had a universal concernfor those who suffered that transcendedthe
rules of the ancient world. His compassionfor the poor and the sick led to
institutions for lepers, the beginning of modern-day hospitals. The Council of
Nyssa decreedthat wherevera cathedral existed, there must be a hospice, a
place of caring for the sick and poor. That’s why even today, hospitals have
names like “GoodSamaritan,” “GoodShepherd,” or “SaintAnthony.” They
were the world’s first voluntary, charitable institutions.
Humility
The ancient world honored many virtues like courage andwisdom, but not
humility. People were generallydivided into first class and coach. “Rank must
be preserved,” said Cicero;eachof the original 99 percent was a personis
mediocribus. Plutarch wrote a self-help book that might crack best-sellerlists
in our day: How to Praise Yourself Inoffensively.
Jesus’life as a foot-washing servantwould eventually leadto the adoption of
humility as a widely admired virtue. Historian John Dicksonwrites, “itis
unlikely that any of us would aspire to this virtue were it not for the historical
impact of his crucifixion...Our culture remains cruciform long after it stopped
being Christian.”
Forgiveness
In the ancient world, virtue meant rewarding your friends and punishing your
enemies. Conanthe Barbarianwas actually paraphrasing Ghengis Khan in
his famous answerto the question “whatis best in life?” — To crush your
enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their
women.

An alternative idea came from Galilee:what is bestin life is to love your
enemies, and see them reconciledto you. Hannah Arendt, the first woman
appointed to a full professorshipat Princeton, claimed, “the discovererof the
role of forgiveness in the realm of human affairs was Jesus of Nazareth.” This
may be debatable, but he certainly gave the idea unique publicity.
Humanitarian Reform:
Jesus had a way of championing the excluded that was often downright
irritating to those in power. His inclusion of women led to a community to
which women flockedin disproportionate numbers. Slaves—upto a third of
ancient populations—might wander into a church fellowshipand have a slave-
ownerwash their feetrather than beat them. One ancient text instructed
bishops to not interrupt worship to greeta wealthy attender, but to sit on the
floor to welcome the poor. The apostle Paul said: “Now there is neither Jew
nor Gentile, slave or free, male and female, but all are one in Christ Jesus.”
Thomas Cahill wrote that this was the first statement of egalitarianismin
human literature.
Perhaps as remarkable as anything else is Jesus’ability to withstand the
failings of his followers, who from the beginning probably gotin his way at
leastas much as they helped. The number of groups claiming to be ‘for’ Jesus
are inexhaustible; to name a few: Jews forJesus, Muslims for Jesus, Ex-
Masons forJesus, RoadRiders for Jesus, CowboysforJesus, evenAtheists for
Jesus.
The one predictable element of this fall’s U.S. presidential campaign is that it
will be called“the most important electionof our time.” As the lastone was
called, and the next one will be.

Meanwhile, the unpredictable influence of an unelectedcarpenter continues to
endure and spread across the world
Humanity And CompassionForOthers Series
Contributed by Anthony Zibolski on Mar 5, 2015
(rate this sermon) | 2,405 views
Scripture: John 3:16
Denomination: Nazarene
Summary: Part two- acting like Jesus is showing this world the compassion
that Jesus has for eachone of us.
1 2 3
Next
Thinking, Acting, Being like Jesus
Humanity and Compassionfor others
Introduction-

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Turn with me to John 3:16. You see it on the screen.
“ForGod so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
That verse packs a wallop!
God loves us so much that He sent his SonJesus to die for us so that we would
not die but have eternallife with Him.
It is easyto get overwhelmedby what is happening in the world today.
Violence
Dictators that pose nuclear threats

Terrorism
Poverty, Disease,Economic crisis, allplay a part in causing crisis.
We have states, cities that have no money but they seemto get our lastdollars.
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As Christians we know the end of the story, God wins!
For people to think or believe that God would create something or someone
biggerthan Himself is a greatstretchof faith to me.
The world talks about saving the world, but very little on obeying the Lord.
The Lord tells us to
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
I love police shows-CSI, NCIS, those movies where you have to figure out who
did what and how.
But even I have to turn them off sometimes because it is too close to home. I
don’t like how people act sometimes.

The problem goes from “What problem do I solve, to what would Jesus have
me do?
Being a humanitarian is a goodthing. We need people to help people. Jesus
commands it.
You want to know what the difference is betweena goodpersondoing good
things and a Christ followerdoing humanitarian things-Jesus!
One does it for the greatesthumanitarian actof all time- Jesus dying on the
cross for mankind, commanding us to show that love of God to others, and
one does it to be a goodperson.
What we do is to be done for the love of Jesus.
Jesus is our goaland purpose.
First to God, then to God’s people He loves. The focus is Jesus, then the
motivation will come from the right place. Love the Lord first, and people as
much or more than we love ourselves.
It is hard to believe that God loves the man/women in prison as much as the
Sunday Schoolteacher. He loves the poor people in Africa as much as the rich
movie stars in Hollywood, but He does.
Lost is lost, starving in

Africa or living in luxury, when it is over, the day of judgment is coming.
Randy Frazee says
All have sinned
All wickednessmust be punished.
All need salvation.
All will be offeredsalvation.
All will be without excuse.
There is an adage that goes-“The ground is level at the foot of the cross”
God will revealHimself to everyone in some manner.
I don’t know how He will do that but I know it is true because He loves us all
and does not want any to perish. It is why we need Jesus.

God loves all people and it is why John records the words of Jesus. “Iam the
way, the truth, and the life , no one comes to the Father exceptthrough me.”
Humanity has been given the greatestgift of all time- His name is Jesus.
All are loved by God and should be loved by those who profess the name of
Christ.
Some are caughtup that Christians are so narrow minded concerning
salvation. It is God’s Word. We should be glad and celebrate that God has
provided a way of salvation.
How should that play out in our lives?
Value Human life…from the womb to the grave we are calledto love people
because Godloved us.
The young child who has been traffickedfor pay, to the old man who has
dementia, all have value to God.
Those that have aborted babies, those that have been hurt by others all have
value to God and should have a chance to experience God’s love first hand
We see and treat people the way God sees andtreats us.

God looks atour hearts to see whatis going on inside our heart, not only what
comes out of the mouth.
That is why what we do has to be motivated by the love of God in our lives.
How would our lives change is we would see people the way that God sees
them?
What kind of impact would we make if we believed and actedupon the fact
that there is only one way to enter heaven and that is through Jesus Christ?
We are compelled by God to tell and invite people to experience Jesus love
and forgiveness.
I don’t want to put guilt on anyone but we can talk about new job, cars,
football, homes, clothes, and the amazing things that God has done in the past,
present and future is believed to be unimportant to share
1 Peter3:15
“But in your hearts setapart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an
answerto everyone who asks you to give the reasonfor the hope that you
have.”
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We cannottalk about humanity without talking about the greatestgift of all to
humanity. The gift Christ gave to eachone of us who profess His name for
salvation, and we cannot be a humanitarian without seeing people through the
eyes of Christ.
Do you believe that? If you do, you and I are compelled to love them enough
to tell them about Jesus.
Once we geta goodhandle on what Christ did for us, we can look at this
secondpart-compassion.
Psalms 82:3-4
“Defendthe cause ofthe weak and fatherless, maintain the rights of the poor
and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy, deliver them from the hand of the
wicked.”
The task of the kings and judges in the OT was to protect the powerless
againstall who would exploit or oppress them.

If we are to do the same as Christians and show God’s compassion, we will
have to protect the powerlessand keepthem from being exploited.
The world wants to throw them in a nice box marked “compassion” where
you give out to the poor. We are to do that, Jesus commands it, but we are
also in sharing God’s love to break the bondage that holds them down.
We live in a societywilling to give a hand out as long as it doesn’t costthem
anything. From their abundance.
Not many are willing to give a hand up.
My definition of a hand up would be to meet people’s needs as we can as a
church but just as important, show them how to see God’s truth that would
allow them the freedom that is available in Christ.
Change the world by sharing the truth as well as loving people as Christ loves
them.
Compassionhas to be more than a missionstatement on a piece of paper or a
bag of goodies handed out.
It has to be involvement and discipleship and longevity into their lives.

“How beautiful are the feetof those who bring the goodnews.”
“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” (1 Cor. 15:32)
That is not God’s compassionbut the world’s selfishness aboutpleasing
themselves.
As believers if we are becoming like Christ, it is compassionlived out in our
lives to those that are around us.
Let me give you some scripture
James 2:16
“If any of you says go in peace;keepwarm and well fed, but does nothing
about their physical needs, what good is it”?
I am not talking as a church, but individually now.
If you can help and you don’t, what goodis it?
As a church, we can only give out what is in the storehouse, so this usually
falls back on eachone of us to what we can do for those around us. Neighbors,
those we come in contactwith.

“All of you be like minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be
compassionateand humble.”
As God’s chosenpeople, holy and dearly loved, cloth yourselves with
compassion, humility, gentleness, and patience.”
God calls eachone of us- remember it is not the handout, it is the hand-up.
To quote Frazee
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To show compassionforpeople like God does
Will change our priorities and how e use our time.
Will setus free to give because we trust God for our needs.

People forgottenby the world will be cared for and restored. (end quote)
We are not just throwing money, but we are investing in people, in our
community, in God’s kingdom.
People don’t care how much you know until they see how much you care.
I have compassionforthose people!I hate that terminology ! I have
compassionfor people.
Closing
Jesus model of compassiongoesback to one of our first verses. It has made a
full circle.
“ love the Lord your Godwith all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Compassionis more than just throwing money at something. It is investing in
people and looking at their spiritual renewal. You will always have people
who are just looking for handouts, we as a church and as a believer must look
to the physical and spiritual.
Humanity was given the greatestgift, His name is Jesus!

Becauseofwhat Christ has done for us, we, eachone of us has a responsibility
to love the people that God loves.
Amen.
Humanitarian Operations
Nick
TacticalGrace • Sermon • Submitted 22 days ago
2 Corinthians 9:6–15Luke 16:1–13
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Pumpkin shoot 10-24
Missionand Vision
Humanitarian Operations
ReadLuke 16:1-13
Luke 16:1–13 ESV

He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and
charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And
he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the
accountof your management, for you can no longerbe manager.’And the
managersaid to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the
managementaway from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am
ashamedto beg. I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from
management, people may receive me into their houses.’So, summoning his
master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my
master?’He said, ‘A hundred measures ofoil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your
bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how
much do you owe?’He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’He said to him,
‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ The mastercommended the dishonest
managerfor his shrewdness. Forthe sons of this world are more shrewd in
dealing with their own generationthan the sons of light. And I tell you, make
friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails
they may receive you into the eternaldwellings.
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is
dishonestin a very little is also dishonestin much. If then you have not been
faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?
And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you
that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will
hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise
the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
We are continuing our series onTacticalGrace
Say TacticalGrace
We are talking about how to live the Grace-filledlife in light of the Grace that
we’ve receivedin Jesus
Did you know that military organizations around the world, including ours
here in the US participate in Humanitarian Operations

These are military men and womenwho we typically think of as warriors
Going into areas that are in need of help and bringing humanitarian aid
concernedwith or seeking to promote human welfare.
This may mean airdropping food, helping dig wells, engineering projects that
help the infrastructure of a city, medical aid
All sorts of stuff is done by people in the service to not kill, not invade, but to
help and to build up
Why?
What is the point of a military getting involved with helping others by meeting
their physical needs?
I’m glad you asked
According to the US Department of Defense
Humanitarian operations often result in lives savedand goodwillhere and
abroad. Additionally, these operations help build partnerships, particularly
when nations participate in disasterresponse exercises before anactual
disasterstrikes.
Did you catch that
By helping people in times of need… even if and especiallywhen it costs you
something canactually save lives, promote goodwill, and build partnerships
I don’t know if you see the connections but we’re gonna draw that out a bit.
You are a part of the church militant, right?
That means as a member of the army of the Lord it is your responsibility to
operate tactically
That is, all your actions need to be aimed at a point beyond the immediate
The things that we do now have consequences thatecho into eternity

The way we do that is by first accepting and receiving the grace ofJesus
Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit
Then by extending that grace to others
Let’s jump into the text
So First i want to saythat this parable isn’t an analogyfor the father or the
son and us
Mostparables we see like the farmer and seed… the farmer is the Father or
the prodigal son… we can draw analogous lines betweencharacters
This parable works a little different.
Jesus is describing a common system in the first century called patronage
How this workedwas you would do something for someone financially. Either
loan them money or forgive a debt
This would put them in debt to you, and they would be obligatedto return the
favor in some way
The greeks calledthis friendship.
There were greaterfriends: the ones giving the blessing to others, and lesser
friends: the one recieving the help
There were also equal friends who help eachother out in like amounts. No
person has more or less than the other
The managermade friends so that he could recieve patronage in this lifetime
being a worldly person, he knows how to use worldly wealth to sethimself up
to a comfortable position after he looseshis job as manager
Jesus is calling us as Christians not to operate in this worldly form of
patronage
but to take our cue from those who use their gifts in this life to help others for
selfishreasons

We are called to use the wealth of this world to make friends… aka do for
others who can’t do for us
In order not to reap selfish rewards but to build connections and to usher in
the kingdom of God here but also to build up for yourself wealthin heaven
You have recievedeternal grace
Use temporal money to help people…to engagein humanitarian operations of
grace
This will build connections with others
This is a way you canuse the gifts that you have been given to sow seeds for
the kingdom
When you are able to meet financial or physical needs you open up doors of
opportunity for people to hear the gospel
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:7-11 that we can not out-give God
2 Corinthians 9:7–11 ESV
Eachone must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace
abound to you, so that having all sufficiencyin all things at all times, you may
abound in every goodwork. As it is written,
“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousnessendures forever.”
He who supplies seedto the sowerand bread for food will supply and multiply
your seedfor sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will
be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will
produce thanksgiving to God.

When we are generous… operating in humanitarian grace… thatGod
provides seedfor the sewer
It doesn’t say Godprovides the seedfor the hoarder
Once you open up your heart to this, God’s resourcesaren’tlimited
WE operate out of a scarcitymindset… that means there’s not enoughto go
around
If I help someone I’ll have less
God won’t look out for me
But what the word tells us is to give to those who ask
If you have it to give do so with a cheerful heart
Not out of compulsion
You can’t outgive God
Challange:tithe, help those in need,
Pray. If stinginess or fearof running out is something that you struggle with.
Ask God to give you a boldness
And I’m not telling you that you HAVE to give or God’s going to be mad at
you
But what the word says is if God is calling you to sew into the kingdom
Tithes offerings alabaster
Feeding the hungry
Blessing the homeless
Sewing into other ministries… God is going to provide that seed
So pray this week about how you can operate in humanitarian aid and seek to
show tacticalgrace to someone in need.

Jesus was a humanitarian

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