A growing trend in evangelical circles is the emphasis on being socially conscious, which includes caring for the weak and vulnerable. This trend, however, is nothing new. Send Relief seeks to join Christians and churches in this swelling tide of mercy ministry, equipping churches to take their next missional opportunity by offering mercy to suffering people in the local, national and international contexts in which they engage. The Bible is very clear: God cares about human suffering and calls His people to do the same. In Scripture, we see 2,000+ passages that express God’s desire to alleviate human suffering and a call to His people to do the same. As evidenced in these passages, the church is called to bring peace and healing to a broken world. Whether we look at the life and teachings of Jesus, the ministry of the early church in Acts or the exhortations of Paul, God wants His people to care for the weak and vulnerable around them. How will you lead your church to be faithful to the biblical mandate to send relief to hurting people in your context? We suggest that you lead your church in a process of discovering, developing and deploying a robust mercy ministry to your community.
What will it take to help your people awaken to ministry opportunities around them? In tomorrow’s blog post, Send Relief will unpack ways to discover opportunities to help. The next question concerns the best way to engage in these opportunities. The Send Relief team exists to help churches take simple steps towards offering mercy ministry to people suffering the effects of living in a fallen world. Whether it is disaster relief and recovery, care for widows and orphans or hunger relief and ministry, you and your church can make a difference today.
How will you be the body of Christ bringing the implications of redemption found in Him to your neighbors? Who are the weak, the vulnerable, the oppressed in your community, and how will you be as Christ would have you to be—compassionate and merciful to those who are weary and heavy laden? How will you send relief to the hurting people around you? We will post blogs in the coming days that will equip you to go deeper in discovering, developing and deploying Send Relief opportunities through your church to the harassed and helpless. To get started, contact us at [email protected].
Published June 13, 2016
