Behind every cause is a person.
You don’t have to browse Facebook
or other social media long to discover the latest cause. From the pious to the
political, causes draw us into something bigger than ourselves.
Whether it’s building a well in
Africa, rescuing a girl caught up in human trafficking, or raising money to
meet the financial needs of a cancer patient, causes create buzz.
But they also spawn criticism.
I’ve heard skeptical Christians decry
the contemporary obsession with causes. Their main fear, it seems, is that the
emphasis on supporting a cause will detract from an emphasis on sharing Christ.
A legitimate fear.
Human nature being what it is, it’s easy to swing one way or the other:
Spend time promoting a good cause (a social gospel) at the expense of verbally
sharing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, or spend time
sharing Jesus at the expense of addressing physical needs.
I contend that Jesus did both.
He turned water into wine at a wedding.
He taught the multitude, then fed them on a hillside.
He healed the blind, the sick, the lame.
He did so at the Father’s direction to show people He was the Son of God,
with the authority and power, not only to meet physical needs, but to forgive
sin and provide eternal life.
His children, those who look to Him for salvation, long to follow in His
footsteps. Like Jesus, their cause is people.
They tell others about Him; they meet physical, emotional, financial,
social, marital needs.
Why? Because when they meet a need, they touch a person.
Meeting a felt need can soften the heart, preparing the way for the
gospel message of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Yet, let those who bear the name of Christ, take care. We must not get so
wrapped up in the latest cause that we forget to share Christ’s redeeming love
and grace with the person behind the cause.
Give a cup of water in Jesus’s name and quench an immediate physical
thirst. Present the Living Water to the same person and quench an eternal
spiritual thirst.
