And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 1 Corinthians 13:13
“Christianity revitalized life in Greco-Roman cities by providing new norms and new kinds of social relationships able to cope with many urgent urban problems. To cities filled with the homeless and the impoverished, Christianity offered charity as well as hope. To cities filled with newcomers and strangers, Christianity offered an immediate basis for attachments. To cities filled with orphans and widows, Christianity provided a new and expanded sense of family. To cities torn by violent ethnic strife, Christianity offered a new basis for social solidarity. And to cities faced with epidemics, fires, and earthquakes, Christianity offered effective nursing services.”
Rodney Stark in The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996) 161.
As I came to the end of Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty isn’t the American Dream
by Brian Fikkert and Kelly M. Kapic, I came upon this quote.
It reminded me that need not come up with strategies to solve the problems of society. We need only to live out the Christian faith with obedience. It leads people to take care of the needs around them.
How might living out the Christian faith where God has planted you bring hope? How might it bring the otherworldly and untouchable gift of charity to those who need it most?
I’m packing for Guatemala and Honduras. Leaving early tomorrow for a week. Pray for God’s protection and blessing on me as I serve and my wife back home.
I will attend the founding meeting of the peer accountability group in Guatemala, CONFIABLE. They got legal status in Guatemala after years of work. It’s a huge step for Latin America.
From there doing program work and preaching in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. It’s a new country for GTP serving workers who have tapped GTP resources during the pandemic.
To help GTP serve the underserved make a gift today. God supplied a $40,000 matching gift last week. All gifts made by the end of February 2023 will be matched up to that amount. Learn more here.