As part of The Big Picture at 121, we have decided to enter into a new Mission initiative involving significant time and effort, as well as a significant amount of money. Exactly what we will do and where the effort will be centered has yet to be determined. The possibilities are nearly endless. It could be local, it could be within our current global efforts, or we may launch a new partnership. It will in some way be focused on children and teenagers, but even that is very broad. Much prayer, research, and planning will take place before we know what it will look like, but the foundation – the “why” behind this effort – is absolutely crucial to establish up front. In this article, we will establish what we mean by “social justice” and why we are on the cusp of this exciting endeavor.

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The Book of Amos has had a tremendous impact on many of us, and I love that Ross has shared how God has worked in his own life through this text. (Isn't that cool when our pastor is so real with us?) God has brought conviction to our body, and I pray that our hearts stay responsive to Him as we move into this new mission effort. While we do not know all the particulars at this point, we are pretty clear on the “why” behind this, and we do need to clarify what we mean by “social justice.”

What do we mean by social justice?

Some have a negative reaction to this phrase, as it may conjure up thoughts of welfare and handouts that ultimately keep people dependent on government or social programs. Clearly, this is not what is driving us. Rather, we are thinking of social justice as righting things that are wrong, unjust, or simply evil. We are thinking of reflecting our God, who is described as a God of Justice. He cares for the poor and oppressed, and He expects His people to do the same. This glorifies His Name – what other god has such a concern for the fatherless, for the widow, for the hungry? This shows the kind of God He is, and it shows what life in His Kingdom is all about.

We will speak of social justice in very broad terms. Many issues can fall under this umbrella, including (but by no means limited to):

• Extreme poverty and exploitation of the poor (i.e., cases where the rich are oppressing the poor, keeping them in a dire state)
• Human trafficking, children forced into the sex trade, and unjust indentured servitude
• Children born with or orphaned by AIDS
• The fatherless and the widow
• Refugees and other victims of war or persecution
• Those without access to a clean water source, leading to preventable death and disease
• Victims of racial discrimination
• …and, sadly, the list goes on…

Why are some Christians consumed with these issues while others seem unconcerned?

Several decades ago, there were strong movements in the Christian world to focus on social needs such as poverty, injustice, racism, and human rights. This began with the social gospel movement and continued with liberation theology. We must recognize that helping the poor and oppressed is dead-on biblical. However, the problem was that these social concerns became paramount and the gospel of Christ's salvation from sin and eternal judgment was overshadowed. Jesus was seen by some as a divine social worker, sent to heal the ills of society, instead of the Savior of the world, the eternal Son of God who is both fully God and fully man, and the only hope for reconciliation with God.

Unfortunately, some left behind this message of Christ's death, resurrection, and redemption as they led the social gospel and liberation movements, which provoked a strong negative response from more conservative Christians who sought to keep the gospel pure. The pendulum swung in the opposite direction, and many Christians were solely concerned with the message of the cross, to the exclusion of “distractions” like helping the poor. Neither extreme is God-honoring, nor can either be described as Christ-like. It seems we are now, I hope, in a settling period, where we see both as vital to the work of God in the world. We know:

• The Gospel must be shared and shown.
• We are to serve people and share Christ with them.
• The Gospel is best proclaimed through word and deed.
• God is glorified when the truth of Jesus is proclaimed, and God is glorified when His people show love through their actions.
• The gospel is about now and it is about eternity.
• The gospel is physical and spiritual.

We are to care for the poor, sick, needy, and oppressed, and we are to make known the truth about God, humanity, sin, salvation, and eternity. These two sets of concepts are complementary, not contradictory; we must be careful not to divorce them from one another.

Jesus' Message: The Kingdom of God

This is seen most clearly in the life of Jesus on earth. What was Jesus all about when He walked this planet as Jesus of Nazareth?

Stop and think about it for a minute. What did He talk about? What did He do?

As we read through the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), we see Jesus healing, loving, and caring for people – especially the poor, sick, and oppressed. We also see Him teaching and discussing – especially about the Kingdom of God. Here's a fascinating study. Go through the Gospels and mark every reference to “the kingdom of God ” (or “the kingdom of heaven” in Matthew's gospel), and study the results.

We would need at least a few pages to deal with the idea of the Kingdom (and books have been written about the subject), but just look at what Jesus did. He proclaimed the Kingdom of God, talking about and showing what it would be like when God would deliver His people and reign as their King, the perfect King who loves His subjects as children. In His Kingdom, there would be no need of anything, no sickness, no pain, no death, and no evil – IMAGINE! And that is what Jesus came to reveal, to foreshadow, and in a very real sense, to inaugurate.

Jesus showed little slices of what it would be like in God's Kingdom. He delivered people from the pain and brokenness of this world. He showed His authority over evil. He even showed power over death! But what about those people who were healed? They eventually got sick again. What about Lazarus? He died. But Jesus showed a glimpse of life in the Kingdom of God, and it was a compelling picture! “Sign me up for that – I'll repent, I'll turn to God, I'll leave my foolish, sinful ways to not only be a subject of the greatest King ever, but to be His child – AMAZING!”

Jesus announced the Kingdom verbally and He revealed the Kingdom visually, physically, and powerfully. Nobody on earth now will hear and see Him like those who did in the first century. But the apostles, the early church, and the people of God today have the responsibility to announce the Kingdom and reveal the Kingdom. Most of us will not perform supernatural miracles, but we can talk about what life in the Kingdom is like, show by our acts of mercy and compassion what our King is like, and invite people to turn to the One who can bring them eternally into this glorious Kingdom.

We need not feel a contradiction between social justice ministries and sitting down over a cup of coffee to talk about Christ with a nonbeliever. Both are vital in announcing, revealing, and building the Kingdom of God. True, some will be more involved in one kind of ministry or another based on a number of factors, but ideally, these ideas are wed, they become one, and God is glorified in diverse, beautiful ways. So let's be a church that serves people, showing what our King is like. Let's be about justice and healing, showing what His Kingdom will be like. And let's be about sharing the good news of the Kingdom, that this King of kings invites us to be His subjects – and His children! – for all eternity, where He will live with His people, where He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and where there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain (Revelation 21).

Action Steps

It will be well into 2008 before we have landed on something solid for the social justice Mission piece of The Big Picture, but the good news is that you do not have to wait before you get involved. Locally, there are multiple opportunities, such as World Relief, serving refugees who have fled war, persecution, and other dire circumstances; Mission Arlington, serving in endless ways in south-central DFW; and Union Gospel Mission, serving the homeless and hungry in Ft. Worth. Globally, 121 partners with ministries in Mexico, Guatemala, Russia, and India who are very involved in ministry to orphans, extreme poverty, and other tremendous physical and spiritual needs. For more information, visit the 121 Mission page.