goodness

The following was originally written for publication in the March edition of our uzine, The Encourager:

“We were having dinner at the Anglican Guest House with the staff of the Rhungari diocese. As we were visiting, we began to talk about how various nationalities are being received in Rwanda. Some folks are certainly more welcome than others. At the moment Americans are well received. As we were sharing, one of the men of Rwanda remarked, “How do I know you are good, unless you are good to me?” How indeed. As the church we claim goodness as though it were a divine inheritance, but even Jesus asked, “why do you call me good, no one is good apart from the Father.” It seems to me that my friend is right. How do I know you are good unless you are good to me?” Or put another way, “How do I know you are from the Father unless you share what the Father has given you with me.” In the end, that is the church’s call. How will people in San Antonio know that University is good unless we are good to them?”

Being and doing the good work of the Father is, and always has been, the work of his people. In Jesus Christ, the goodness of God is most clearly known. He who had no sin, became sin for all that we might be saved from hell and given abundant life. God’s goodness grants us eternal life and sustains us in times of trial and turmoil. Through his grace, we endure and thrive.

We have been blessed by the model of sacrificial love given through Jesus’ work on the cross. This blessing is meant to be shared with others. Jesus was equally committed to sharing the path of salvation that leads to personal holiness and the way of righteousness which leads to social holiness. By his teaching and example, the church comes to know its two-fold responsibility to the world around us.

The Church often confuses our calling by narrowing the focus of our calling to promoting either personal holiness (Evangelism) or social holiness (Missions). Instead, we are called to participate in the goodness of God in both word and deed. It is important for all of our missional work to be decidedly evangelistic. After all, Jesus was clear about his uniqueness in all creation to offer salvation to humankind. At the same time, we are told that the Word became Flesh. God’s goodness became incarnate in his Son. Thus, it is equally important that our evangelism be decidedly missional.

My call to you, church, is to wholeheartedly take up your responsibility for Outreach. This work belongs to the whole people of God, not just a committed core of people within the church body. Our obedience to Christ compels us to participate in the ongoing work of God on earth. Everyone is uniquely gifted by God and will express their work in outreach differently. Some will build homes in San Antonio while others will provide medical care to the people of South America. God certainly invites us to discern our role in his Kingdom building work – but he expects that we will be doing Kingdom building work.

Church, the work of reaching out belongs to us all. You are called and expected to support the work of evangelism and missions through your sacrificial financial support. You need to be supporting University’s operating budget to ensure that all works of Christ body are executed with the utmost excellence. Moreover, you are expected to put your hands and feet into direct action. I know that our incredible Outreach Ministry Team stands ready to help you find a place to serve the goodness of Jesus Christ in points locally and around the world. Let’s get to work, the world is waiting and watching to see if we indeed are good.