iTouch - the Gospel and Social Justice

Poverty, AIDS, Homelessness - What would Jesus do? What has Jesus done? What should we do in light of what He has done?

This Sunday, we ponder the priority of social justice as followers of Jesus. Is the gospel identical to social justice? Is social justice an add-on to the gospel? Some over-spiritualize the gospel and make it all about heaven and hell. Others under-spiritualize the gospel and make it all about ending oppression in the present. But the gospel is about now and then. It is deeply spiritual, yet full of grit. A proper understanding of how the gospel fuels social justice will challenge and invigorate you to give yourself away for Him.

In Matthew 23:23, Jesus paraphrases Micah 6:8 to summarize God's Great Commandment expectation upon our lives. Using this OT passage as a guide, we will examine what it means for us to "do justice," "love mercy," and "walk humbly with our God." We will find that loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind, and loving our neighbor as our selves means living out the justice, mercy and humility of Micah 6:8. It means viewing all human beings as God does - created in His image with inherent value as His image bearers.

Jesus calls us to action, not merely to doctrine. He compels us to follow Him in incarnating the gospel to a world in desperate need of His present and future work on our behalf. As we put legs on the gospel and serve those in need, we encounter more fully what Jesus has done for us, even as we glorify God by serving others who reflect His image, and give them an opportunity to embrace the gospel by touching us as we touch them.

I am looking forward to a powerful time together with Him.
pastor john