#CompassionINDO @CompassionAU
Sometimes Christians unhelpfully put evangelism (sharing the good news of Jesus) and mercy ministries (caring for the sick, sad & suffering) on opposing ends of a spectrum.
In one of our team meetings someone suggested that it’s like cutting a baby in half. Implication, we do both… So don’t cut the baby in half! We love people by proclaiming the death & resurrection of Jesus AND by loving people practically.
Sometimes organisations like Compassion are critiqued for not sharing the good news of Jesus, only on about the physical and not the spiritual.
The evidence on the ground is that the good news of Jesus is central to the work of Compassion and the communities they work with.
On Thursday we visited a Child Survival Program (CSP). It’s a program where mothers are supported from pre-birth until their child is 3. We had the privilege of sitting in on one of their weekly meetings and hearing some of their stories.
It was kind of like a noisy women’s bible study. It included: a bible reading; singing; Jesus-centred preaching; prayer; a call to turn from superstition by coming to God in prayer and seeking medical care; partnership through financial giving; eating food.
If it was only about physical support, most of those things would have been unnecessary.
But lives are being impacted now and for eternity.