Check out the Sept 12, 2010 sermon Jericho Road – 2010 – Adjusting and Refining
By: Pastor Tom
To: My brothers and sisters at SVBC.
Dear Friends:
Over the past year, the Elders have been looking at, struggling with and talking about the Jericho Road focus/vision/statement. There has been much input, questions and discussion on this.
Throughout the year, I have been collecting comments, questions and quotes about the Jericho Road statement from people at SVBC since we presented it in May/June 2009. So I thought it would be helpful for us to briefly revisit how we got here, address the questions raised and then propose a way forward. I think this is a natural (supernatural?) development. God speaks through His people. God can use His leaders and people to further clarify and refine His vision for a people. I hope this document helps in that in some small way.
A refresher on the Jericho Road – where have we come from
In Spring 2009, we presented to you a new focus statement: Becoming a church that lives on the Jericho Road in St. Albert and the world. This statement was presented in a message, May 31, 2009 and in a congregational discussion, June 23, 2009. A document explaining the Jericho Road (JR from now on) was handed out at the June 23rd meeting. This is now linked to the front page of our website which basically defines the statement.
With last year’s presentation, we highlighted that there was much still to unfold. Notice the statements in the last paragraph. “We don’t know what it will cost. We don’t know the culture shifts required for us to set up residence on the road.” Remember this journey to look out began back in the fall of 2008 with the series on prayer. We decided that if we were going to more intentionally look out, we needed to be intimately connected with God. So we looked inward and upward in prayer in the Fall of 2008. Then last winter we looked out in prayer and ministry to the people God placed on our paths.
I know the phrase “Jericho Road” but . . . . .
Since that time, I think we can say that “Jericho Road” has become a phrase common to regular SVBC folks. But knowledge of one phrase is not the end goal. Since the presentation and the message, the statement has faced questions, comments and testing. These have been good for they sharpen focus and bring clarity. I’ve tried to summarize these into 5 areas.
* Is the JR just another program at the church? What is the JR at SVBC?
* So what does it mean to live on the JR at SVBC?
* The Jericho Road focus makes me feel guilty for not doing enough when I’m already overwhelmed.
* Where is Jesus?
* Where is the Gospel? Are we becoming a social action church and neglecting evangelism?
Responses
1) “Is the ‘Jericho Road’ just another program of the church?” “What is the Jericho Road at SVBC?”
These are good sharpening questions. If people have the impression that this is simply another “program,” they can take it or leave it. Programs come and go all the time. Another question that comes at this from another angle is “what is the Jericho Road at SVBC? A program? A ministry? Is it everything? If it is, then it’s nothing.”
We envision “Jericho Road” to become a mindset, posture and culture within our church family. It recognizes that we all live on the “Jericho Road” in our city and in the world because there are people in need everywhere. It recognizes the call of Jesus to look at the Good Samaritan and “go and do likewise.” This mindset recognizes every person apart from Christ needs the Gospel presented to them in word and deeds of mercy.
2) “But what does it mean to live on the Jericho Road at SVBC?”
- In dependence on God and His Gospel, to adopt a mindset and lifestyle where we respond with mercy to needs of others God places on our path in St. Albert and around the world.
o The specific Jericho Road ministries of the church are:
The Local Outreach Team
The Honduras International Team.
o Other ministries, groups, families and individuals can engage in “Jericho Road” like actions and activities at home, at work, at school and anywhere else God brings others in need along their path.
3) “The Jericho Road focus makes me feel guilty for not doing enough when I’m already overwhelmed.”
This too is a legitimate concern. I have thought about that a fair amount since I have heard it from different sources. I think this response points to a belief or understanding that living on the Jericho Road means “you’ve got to get involved in one more program” or “you’ve got to commit to doing more in the church or ministry.” If that is the understanding, then we have not communicated clearly.
Jesus’ call in the Good Samaritan parable was to show mercy to your neighbor. That can happen for any of us without joining an official church program or ministry. It is a call for us to be alert to the people God brings along the paths we travel. He is mindful of our load and capacity. So if you are not directly involved in the specific “Jericho Road” ministries of the church, you can still adopt the Jericho Road posture by looking for and responding to people in need God brings into your life.
You might use the grids listed below to alert yourself to people in need that God places on your path.
People groups in need (Tim Keller, Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road, 146–147)
- Poor – Galatians 2:10 – “Only they asked us to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”
- Homeless
- Alcoholics
- Drug Addicts
- Mentally Disabled
- Migrant Workers
- Working Poor
- Unemployed
- Illiterate
• Elderly – 1 Timothy 5:9a – “Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age.”
• Single Parents – James 1:27 – “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
* Widows/Widowers
* Divorced
* Never married mothers or fathers
• Disadvantaged Children – Psalm 68:5 – “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”
* Abused and neglected
* Juvenile Delinquents
* Learning Disabled
* Physically Disabled
* Mentally Disabled
* School Dropouts
• Disabled – Leviticus 19:14 – “You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear the Lord your God.”
* Blind
* Deaf
* Mentally Disabled
* Other Disabilities
• Prisoners – Hebrews 13:3 – “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”
* Inmates
* Ex-convicts
• Sick – Matthew 25:36 – “I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
* Facing Surgery
* Hospitalized
* Chronically Ill
* Terminally Ill
• Disaster Victims – Acts 11:28–29 – “And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. “
* Earthquakes
* Fires
* Floods
* Tornadoes
* War
* Famine
• Aliens – Leviticus 19:33–34 – “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall do him no wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
* Newcomers to our community
* Newcomers to the church
* Refugees
* New Immigrants
* International Students
Human needs (Craig W. Emilson, “Addressing the Felt Needs of Urban Dwellers,” Urban Mission 4, no. 4 (March 1987, 35–36).
- Spiritual/moral needs
- Child rearing
- Forgiveness/freedom from guilt
- Purpose in life/guidance and direction
• Social needs
* Loneliness (elderly, students away from home, etc.)
* Marital difficulties
* Sexual problems: Homosexuality, Prostitution, etc.
* Divorce recovery
* Parent/child tensions
* Child abuse/neglect
* Juvenile delinquency
* Injustice/oppression of groups or communities
• Emotional needs
* Depression
* Internal and interpersonal conflict
* Substance abuse
* Suicide
* Grief
* Stress and anxiety
* Problems of aging
• Cognitive needs
* Basic literacy for adults: reading, writing
* Education/tutoring for youth, children
* Career guidance
* Second language acquisition
* Social skills/job-seeking skills
* Nutrition/home-making skills
* Legal aid, advocacy
• Physical needs
* Food and nutrition
* Shelter/housing
* Clothing
* Child care
* Elderly care
* Health care
* Safety
* Quality of life; economic self-development
* Disaster response
4) “Where is Jesus in the statement?”
This was a very good question that I heard early on after this statement originally rolled out. I think this questioner sincerely wondered where we saw Christ, His teaching, His example, His sacrifice, death, resurrection and Lordship fitting in to this statement. In fact, how could we just fit Jesus in? Isn’t He central to everything?
The short answer to the question: He is central but not in an obvious way. Jesus taught the Good Samaritan parable. Jesus showed Good Samaritan living to us as we like that beaten up traveler spiritually. We ultimately depend on God for the power and strength to live out this calling. We can only connect to God because of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Through Jesus we come to God and receive from Him so we can reach out to others.
But the question revealed that the centrality of Christ (and for that matter the Triune God) was not clear in the statement itself. Even with the additional paragraph at the bottom of the key terms (Our ultimate dependence on the invisible hand of God), it never connected with this questioner.
So to make this clearer, the leaders have added a phrase to make God and His Gospel obvious.
SVBC – Becoming a church that lives on the Jericho Road in St. Albert and the World
by the power of God and His Gospel.
We received the Gospel through the mercy of God. Now we respond to that mercy by showing mercy to others as we depend on God’s power and strength to carry out this calling.
5) “Where is the Gospel? Are we becoming a social action church and neglecting evangelism?”
Someone raised this question at the June 23/09 meeting. It generated considerable discussion which included comments from the missionaries present. Then it was raised again at our June Elder’s meeting. This question is vital for any church to consider as it enters community ministry. Some churches have become so consumed with social action that they have neglected the evangelistic component of the Gospel. Some have even abandoned the notion of preaching the Gospel.
Are we headed in that direction? No!
The past year of preaching in Romans emphasizes our devotion to God’s Gospel. But we need to see the Gospel as more than a message used by evangelists to call sinners to turn to Christ. The Gospel calls the people who have received God’s mercy to show mercy to others. We must see this as BOTH AND not EITHER OR. The Gospel includes evangelism AND ministries of mercy. It’s not evangelism OR ministries of mercy.
We addressed some of this all the way back in 2006 in the values and vision series from Deuteronomy. There we saw that God had already commanded His people to show mercy and care for the vulnerable in the community. We also saw in last year’s winter series “Looking out in prayer and ministry,” that mercy reflects a Gospel driven life. Remember some of these?
• The call to be salt and light – Matthew 5:13–16;
• Does salt and light only mean evangelism? – Matthew 5:17–20; Romans 5:17–21; Deuteronomy 15:7–11;
• Prayer for the Lost – Acts 17:16–34 (Prayer walking);
• Prayer for and ministry to the Poor/Homeless and their children– Deuteronomy 15:1–11, Psalm 107:41; 1 John 3:16–20 (Salvation Army)
• Prayer for the Military and their children – Matthew 8:5–13 (Wes Bowers);
• Prayer for and ministry to the Unborn, Unwed mothers, Mothers and Fathers of aborted children – Psalm 139:13–15; Matthew 25:34–40 (Pregnancy Care Center)
• Prayer for and Ministry to Families struggling with Abuse/Broken Families – Isaiah 14:3, 61:1–3 (Stop Abuse in Families)
• Prayer for and Ministry to homosexuals and their families On Homosexuality – Leviticus 18:22, 20:13, Romans 1:18–32, 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, 1 Timothy 1:10 On Humility and Judging – Matthew 7:1–7
Tim Keller, in his book “Ministries of Mercy: The call of the Jericho Road” writes about this Evangelism/Social Action struggle. Consider these thoughts:
• “The ministry of mercy is not just a means to an end of evangelism. Word and deed are equally necessary, mutually interdependent and inseparable ministries, each carried out with the single purpose of the spread of the kingdom of God.” (106).
• “Mercy has an impact. It melts hearts. It removes objections. It forces respect out of even those hostile to the Gospel. Our good deeds glorify God in the eyes of the world (Matt. 5:16). Our concrete deeds of love for one another are an apologetic for the validity of the Christian faith. “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35). (107)
• “The ministry of mercy within the Christian community is perhaps the most startling and visible display of our love for one another. “ (107)
• “Acts 4:32 tells us that when any Christian was in need, the other brothers responded with great speed and generosity. In a sense, no Christian acted as if any of his possessions were his own for the using. This economic sharing had to be conspicuous and amazing to outsiders. Apparently it helped give the preaching of the apostles even more power. All the world could see how different the Christians were.” (108)
• “Which is more important – word or deed? Let’s propose the possibility that differences arise on this issue because the very question of “importance” is misguided. . . . Which commandment is more important: “repent” or “be baptized?” Which of the 10 commandments are most important? Doesn’t the very question create an unbiblical distinction within God’s Word? So, too, it is inappropriate to ask whether evangelism or social concern is more important. (109)
• “Ministry of word and deed are equally necessary ministries.” (109)
o In OT, there were not only the prophetic and kingly offices, but there was also the priestly office.
o In the NT, there were not only the minister and the elder but there was also the deacon.
o Jesus himself went everywhere teaching AND healing (Matt. 4:23).
o As Christ came both to speak and to serve, so the church is gifted to speak and to serve. (1 Peter 4:11).
o If word and deed are both imperative, then they are equally necessary for Christians and the church to do.
• “On a personal (not abstract) level, it is unthinkable that we could truly love an individual and not (italics his) want both to share the gospel as well as to meet the person’s basic human needs. Word are deed are the proverbial ‘two wings of the airplane.’” (110)
• “Mercy and evangelism are inseparable, existing in a ‘symbiotic,’ interdependent relationship. (111)
o “We must not make the error of those who confuse (italics his) word and deed. The World Council of Churches, especially in its statements on evangelism from Bangkok in 1973, holds that social concern is evangelism.”
o Nor can we say “Social action is a partner of evangelism.” . . .To say in turn that the ministry of mercy can stand on its own and is an end in itself may pave the way for social concern that is divorced from the preaching of the gospel. This must never happen.”
• “Although we mentioned that mercy and evangelism do not need to be offered at the exact same time, yet they must be coupled, because they are interrelated. The preaching of the Word produces faith (Romans 10:16–18) and faith always produces good works in general and deeds of mercy in particular (James 2:1–23). On the other hand, we have seen that deeds of mercy have an impact. God often uses them as a means to open hearts to the Gospel. (Acts 4:32–33, John 13:35, 1 John 3:17–18). (113)
Then he writes on the challenge facing churches trying to balance these two interdependent callings.
• “Many vigorously evangelistic churches become involved in relatively small mercy ministries only when they become very large, if at all. By contrast, many churches who are very committed to extensive programs of mercy and social concern tend to stay small and exclusive. This is true even of evangelical works.” (114)
• “Experience shows that no matter how much we acknowledge the theological necessity of both ministries, it can be extremely difficult for a group of Christians to focus on the two equally at the same time. And that may not be inappropriate.” (116)
• “In other words, ‘The nature of needs, problems, opportunities, and available resources within a given context of the church’s ministry must determine which aspect of the ministry be underscored at any given time.’” (116)
• “In practice, it will take very careful planning and constant evaluation to be sure that the ministries of word and deed are intertwined in the life of the church as in the theology of the Bible.” (116).
So all of this helps us look at the question. “Where is the Gospel? Are we becoming a social action church and neglecting evangelism?” No. In fact evangelism and mercy ministries are both interdependent parts of the whole Gospel.
A way forward
1) Would you please prayerfully review this and submit any comments to any of the SVBC leaders (Pastors, Elders, Servant Team)?
2) Would you ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where you are at on the Jericho Road? (Wounded traveler; Good Samaritan; Inn Keeper or a combination of these?)
3) Would you ask the Lord to reveal to you the people He has placed in your path to share the Gospel with and show mercy to?
4) If you sense God’s call to get involved in the official church Jericho Road ministries please call or contact the church office to connect with these coordinators:
a. Honduras International Team – Shirley Auvigne, Deirdre Melnyk
b. Local Outreach Team – Pastor Serge
This vision is subject to revision by God and the people of SVBC.
Respectfully submitted by Pastor Tom.