EASY AS SOUP
It’s pretty easy to find a church that has a soup kitchen, a church that puts its money where the hungry people’s mouth is. It just as easy to find a church that believes and teaches the Bible like it matters, as the real word of GOD, a church that reaches out with the good news to people who need to hear it. What’s not so easy is to find is a church that does both.
The church with the soup kitchen, too many times, has lost her faith, although she serves the poor (like the church should) she does not believe or teach the word of God, or reach out with the Gospel to the people who desperately need to hear it. On the other hand, the church that believes and teaches the Bible, willing to share the saving truth of the Gospel at every opportunity, well sometimes they forget to read the verses that talk about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and visiting the lonely (Jesus had some pretty hard words for them).
So what do you want; Soup, but no faith? Or, faith, but no soup?
(Faith without soup is dead. Soup without faith is evil.)
NOW, NOT YET
Jesus came to Earth and established His kingdom. He talked about it all the time. The kingdom of heaven is now. Now, but not yet. It is here in its beginnings and purpose, but not complete in its fulfillment and final glory. In the kingdom of Heaven Jesus offers mankind forgiveness of sin and restored fellowship with God. (These are two pretty awesome things, they change everything!) When we receive this truth we begin to live our lives as citizens of His kingdom. We begin to live our lives as Christians, as the church. We begin to do the work of the church. However, as we do the work of the church we immediately notice that evil is not yet put down, evil is all around us.
THINK OF IT LIKE A WAR VICTORY
The battle has already been won, it was won on the cross and in rising from the grave. The King has resumed His throne and His reign has been established. We (the church) have been sent out all over the kingdom (the whole world) to tell people about the newly established King. There are smoking remains from the battle that has been won, there are enemies hiding in foxholes, there are hidden land-mines, there are people to rescue, there are battalions of soldiers in need of medical help and supplies, and there are multitudes of citizens who do not know about the new King and the new kingdom.
This is the work of the church. It is the work of all who are faithful citizens of the kingdom of heaven. We are to tell the world about Jesus, meet the needs of the people God puts along our way, and fight the evil and the darkness wherever it can be found.
Wherever it can be found.
So, God is good and God is in control. The kingdom of Heaven is now, but it is not yet. We are the church and we have work to do.
Anyone know a good recipe for soup?
September 26th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
The first thing that came to mind after reading “Soup” was a little number written by one of my favorite local/regional outfits, a quirky funk band from Austin with a most whimsical flair…
Sung in Barber Shop Quartet style:
Will you be ready at the plate
When Jesus throws the ball?
Will your life be a sacrifice fly
Or a base hit off the wall?
When that umpire in the sky
Makes His final call,
Will you be ready at the plate,
When Jesus throws you the ball?
Will you be ready on the line
When Jesus snaps the ball?
Will your life be a touchdown,
Or will it tragically stall?
When that referee in the sky
Makes His instant replay call
Will you be ready on the line
When Jesus snaps the ball
Being prepared to make the soup is important, so we can put all the good stuff in it. Faith Soup is MMM-MMM good!!
And like another Austin landmark gone by, Bergstrom Air Force Base. As I drove by it many, many times on my way back to start a new semester, the words…”Readiness Is Our Profession,” were prominently inscribed on its water tower. A very good message.
I’m Hungry!
September 27th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
The war is over, but our enemy refuses to quit.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27
September 28th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
See, this is the thing about fellow Christians that drives me nuts sometimes … I can’t tell if Thaddeus is agreeing with my article or correcting it. It seems to me like I already covered the two things that you said in your comment.
I agree with you.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:14 am
I’ve been in both those churches before (faith without soup and soup without faith) and it occurs to me that what they have in common is that they either have no real use for the Cross (soup without faith) or they feel like it doesn’t really impact their day to day lives (faith without soup). They won’t tell you that (well, most won’t, Mark Driscoll said he was once told that a particular “Christian church” identified itself as “post-Jesus”). Tedd Tripp says that focusing on behavior and not the heart involves providing a “keepable standard” that doesn’t require the grace of Christ. For some that keepable standard is having the compassion to provide soup without having/proclaiming a heart change. For others it is having a proper doctrinal statement but not being affected by the tangible needs in the world. Only Christ can feed 5000+ (first part of John 6) and then remind them that they need him and not just loaves and fishes (last part of John 6).
I’m pretty sure I agree with you.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Oops sorry, I meant to add that the other day I was looking at Matthew 25:31-46 you linked to part of above–the Sheep and the Goats passage always makes us ‘grace by faith alone’ people a little squeemish but I noticed that 25:34 says “come, you who are blessed by my Father”.
Blessed to be a blessing, right?