The Name
At our devotional this morning we read only one verse. That's it. And yet it had so much punch that we dwelled upon one word in that verse. The word? "Name." Here's the passage:
On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived. -- Luke 2:21
We then looked up and read several passages in the New Testament that mentioned the power of Jesus' Name, such as:
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- John 1:12
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." -- Acts 4:12
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. -- Phil. 2:8-11 (Emphasis mine)
It's so interesting that right after reading those passages at our devotional, I checked out a couple blogs before diving into the rest of my work. Mike Cope referred us to an article on Larry James' blog. I read it and then scanned a few others. The post on June 1 especially grabbed me. And I didn't agree with Larry completely (he and I have had this time of discussion before -- face to face).
You might read it – the June 1 post on www.larryjamesurbandaily.blogspot.com It's titled “So, Do You Believe in Jesus?”
My response to what he said:
Larry:
In my limited experience in leading a ministry to the poor, I've wrestled with this whole issue of evangelism and meeting people's needs. Of course I want to help people who come to the Christian Service Center unconditionally. And yet I want them to most of all know Jesus, to be found in Him, to experience that eternal life that begins now for those how believe in Him.
I don't want to assume that just because they're poor that they must not know Christ. As you say, we have so much to learn about Jesus from those who come for help. I certainly have.
And yet, when I think about the cross -- the atoning death of my Lord on the cross -- and the power of His resurrection and how He has filled my with the Holy Spirit, I cannot not be passionate about sharing the gospel with our neighbors whom we assist with basic needs.
That's why I loved how my mother-in-law did ministry at CDM years ago. Every person she interviewed she shared her testimony and talked to them about Jesus as she gave them a Bible. Not in a pushy way, but in love.
I just think it's vital that if we're going to let Jesus Christ be Lord over our ministry to the poor, we must make it clear to everyone -- donors and the neighbors we assist and work along side of us -- that we're doing this in the Name of Jesus and for His glory.
Some organizations, foundations, the government and individuals may not support us if we're that adamant about putting the Name of Jesus Christ in the forefront in all we do. That's okay. God will provide in other ways.
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It is amazing all that Central Dallas Ministry is doing in Dallas under Larry's leadership. I don't want to be bashing what he's doing at all. He's creative, bold and passionate about being a champion for the poor. But I do want to provide another perspective.
What do you bloggers think about this matter?
Jim
posted by Jim Clark @ 9:13 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Jim, isn't it interesting that Jesus was often telling his followers to be quiet about what he and they did?
It is clear to me in my experience, that if I am truly representing Jesus,especially among the poor, I won't have to say a word about him.
I've often wondered why we insist on handing out Bibles and asking people to pray if they are poor. I wonder if we do the same at the Rotary Club lunch table?
I have found that my presence with the poor, among the poor can be natural and mostly silent and Jesus "appears" between and among us. We need no program, we need no prompting. The injustice and the oppression that got us together carries us to God together in natural ways as friends. So, I don't agree with you.
Jim, I see your perspective and am inclined to agree, all the while recognizing that a spot of Larry's perspective is also needed....we are told to say all in love and gentleness.
My dad used to say in many a sermon that Jesus was a true psychologist. Tell a human being not to do something and that's exactly what they will do, as seen in the actions and words of those Jesus asked not to say anything about what had happened to them.
IOW, we need both. Our actions witness to our words, AND our words witness to our actions, to paraphrase James....one upholds and strengthens the other.
Larry, you have an excellent point re. the Rotary Club lunch table. If our witness isn't consistent, if we choose not to pray and speak the same in "Rotary" circles as we do in "Dallas Ministry" circles, is that not the same as denying Jesus?
In some ways it's takes more boldness to step out in front of those we are likely to meet in our own circle of friends that to those that live in totally different circumstances. Both you and Jim bring part of the Good News to the table. May we all be consistent in our boldness and speak of Jesus to everyone. Takes guts, but we'd best be about it, imho. :)
The danger these days when I speak with people is that they have been so hurt by religion that the mere mention of it tears open a wound. Jesus pointed people out that just "got it" like the widow.
Thanks, Larry, for your perspective. I wanted to e-mail you so as not to speak indirectly through a blog. But I couldn't find it.
In the midst of our disagreements, may we both be about our call from the Lord to love the poor in His Name. As C.S. Lewis said, "Discussions divide us, actions unite us."
Your brother in Christ,
Jim
Jim, again, no problem at all with what you wrote. I just wanted to express our rationale.
And, I confess my frustration at the manner in which low-income persons are regarded by our culture and our churches. I believe in relationships that are authentic, not forced, not under constraint. And, I have found that the people I work with appreciate simple friendship. No one is going away in our equation! Plenty of time just to be who we all are!
One last thing. Your comment, "Some organizations, foundations, the government and individuals may not support us if we're that adamant about putting the Name of Jesus Christ in the forefront in all we do. That's okay. God will provide in other ways."
I just want to make it clear that our approach to our community has nothing at all to do with funding sources. We attempt to do our work by our philosophy and in line with out mission and we let donors decide if they want to be with us or not. Actually, I expect we lose more funding by being like we are than by being more overtly evangelistic.
Thanks for thinking with me and for challenging me.
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