Terry and Mark G. came back from Chicago Coffeefest and share their experiences.
How would you assess a neighborhood’s spiritual need or condition? Do you look at its prevalence of poverty, payday loans, and liquor stores? Do you see nice houses and an abundance of business and think it’s fine?
Many people thought we should be ministering in Ferguson. Most of these people were from outside the area. What happened in Ferguson was not in a vacuum, nor is it an isolated incident. This reaction is a fleshly result to how we’ve been trained. There is a difference between “Gospel presentation” and “Gospel application”. The focus was on presenting the Gospel to the “hurting people”, and not the corrupt authority structures.
There are no kudos for ministering in the suburbs
World missions focus on raising up indigenous leaders who can continue the work. In America, a common practice is to hand out and leave.
The practice of bouncing youth mission trips around from site-to-site deprives on all fronts. It deprives the participants of knowing the depth of ministry. It deprives the hosting groups from building relationship, casting vision, and having trained help. It deprives the “mission field” of effective ministers. The focus seems to be on the participant’s experience. This puts “experience” on a pedestal.
Welfare can be a trap. While it can alleviate, it doesn’t empower to overcome. It can be used, but it’s not the answer.
Spiritual warfare is not one-handed. The division in the church inhibits our ability to minister and fight.
There is a physical reality to spiritual warfare.
What if the spiritual problem of “poor areas” and places like Ferguson didn’t lie simply in those areas? What if it was the spiritual deprivation of the places around it?
“There are people so far down in the muck that when they open their eyes, all they get is dirt.”
Song: “Nothing but the Blood” by Jars of Clay
This episode originally broadcast live on June 12, 2015 on KXEN 1010AM in St. Louis, MO
For more info:
www.sunministries.org
Theme music: “The Resistance” by Josh Garrels (www.joshgarrels.com) licensed by Marmoset Music (www.marmosetmusic.com)