The apostle Paul said our spiritual struggle is invisible. \u201cWe wrestle\u00a0not with flesh and blood,\u201d we are told in Ephesians 6:12. Today many Christians have made this struggle very self-centered. We \u201cfight\u201d to stay pure, we \u201cmeditate on the Word\u201d to remain clean, and we \u201cstudy\u201d to grow in grace. Yet all this ends up being selfish.<\/p>\n
In today\u2019s narcissistic society, we have unintentionally made the Lord\u2019s commands about us rather than about Him. We have forgotten the broken people He called us to serve. Our \u201cwarfare\u201d is about taking the gospel to others!<\/p>\n
Justice is a prevailing character trait of our creator God, yet it is so overlooked by the church world in which we live. James speaks of the injustice of honoring the wealthy; Corinthians speaks of honoring the lesser members of the body of Christ. Jesus was born in a manger so He could identify with those who do not have a religious or wealthy heritage\u2014yet we overlook that fact today.<\/p>\n
Justice is one of the key elements to becoming a king. Proverbs 31:8-9 says, \u201cSpeak up for the people who have no voice, for the rights of all the down-and-outers. Speak out for justice! Stand up for the poor and destitute\u201d(The Message). This is a text written from a godly woman to her son taking the role of kingship.<\/p>\n
Psalms 72:4 says: \u201cPlease stand up for the poor, help the children of the needy, come down hard on the cruel tyrants\u201d (The Message). Here, again, is a continued appeal to be a good king.<\/p>\n
One of the Jewish rabbis stated it this way: \u201cThe role of a king is to protect the weak and poor from the strong and rich.\u201d It is natural for a person of power, influence, and wealth to overlook and ignore Matthew 25, where Jesus spoke clearly of the cost of mistreating the poor.<\/p>\n
When I read the Bible, I see clearly that a lack of justice affects our worship (Isaiah 1:13-17) and it also affects our prayer and fasting (Isaiah 58:2-7). Justice is not something we can ignore!<\/p>\n
Mission: M25, which was officially organized in 2004, began to bring justice to the overlooked and ignored in 1990 when I was pastoring Christian Heritage Church in Amarillo, Texas. In an attempt\u00a0to \u201clevel the playing field,\u201d it was determined that every child\u2014even the poorest\u2014would come to our Christian camp free of charge and that everyone would be treated the same.<\/p>\n
I was not prepared for the\u00a0massive amount of resistance this triggered. Many church members were accustomed to the special privileges given to members over the \u201cstreet kids.\u201d But we chose to show compassion to the poor, and we have done this now for 30 years. Our camps continue to grow around the world.<\/p>\n
Below you can see a \u201cpipe hawk,\u201d which is a peace pipe on one side and a tomahawk on the other. I think God is much like this Native American implement. He is a peace-loving God. He desires to sit around the fire and commune with us. Yet there is a side of God that brings death.\u00a0Kindness and justice: This Native American pipe hawk reveals two aspects of God\u2019s nature.<\/p>\n
Our Lord stated in Matthew 10:34, \u201cI did not come to bring peace but\u00a0a sword\u201d (NKJV). God is our Mighty Warrior. He is not just involved\u00a0in internal battles of personal sanctification and holiness, which are vitally important. He is on a mission of freedom. He stands for those who cannot speak up for themselves.<\/p>\n
In his book, Live Dead Joy, Dick Brogdon states that we damage\u00a0the character of God by trying to reconcile His mercy and His wrath. We as humans are unequipped to explain the two extreme sides of God; therefore, we will do ourselves and our followers well if we simply celebrate the two opposites.\u00a0Consider the pipe hawk as a\u00a0visual of the church. We are good at presenting the peaceful, loving side of God to our world. But that is only one side of His character!<\/p>\n
Through Mission:M25, we aim to preach peace. We use Colossians 4:6 as a guide, which says: \u201cBe gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.\u201d We show Christ\u2019s love to all.\u00a0But we also know that we must fight the injustice that is in our society. Sometimes this requires confrontation. There is a violent side of the pipe hawk.<\/p>\n
We fight the injustice of our society through Jesus\u2019 of command of \u201cGo ye therefore.\u201d We endeavor to engage the world through personal service and sacrifice. As one Mission: M25 pastor stated, \u201cWe leave the sterile office and get our hands dirty in the \u2018mess\u2019 of the broken world.\u201d It is our heart not to \u201cwait until they come\u201d but go to the cemetery of demonic possession and find the people who live in chains.<\/p>\n
Mission:M25 continues to fight for and speak up for the unborn, Native Americans, veterans (who were met with silence when they came home from Vietnam), Jewish people, the homeless, those who currently live
\nin prison, inmates who have been released from prison, and those caught in the bondage of addiction.<\/p>\n
We attempt to do this by what I call \u201cviolent love\u201d\u2014which is defined as risky, costly, and sacrificially serving people. You can see our list of efforts at www.missionm25.org, or you can connect with us on Facebook for more information.<\/p>\n
May we fulfill Christ\u2019s commission by showing \u2018violent love\u2019 to those all around us who have fallen in the cracks of\u00a0society.\u00a0David, the shepherd boy, shouted to Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:45: \u201cI come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.\u201d When injustice takes place, we must see it as an insult. It is a defaming of the name of the God of the armies, not the army itself. We must confront it.<\/p>\n
Secondly, we minister to people from a heart of compassion. Our guiding light is Matthew 14:14: \u201cAnd Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jesus said this right after His cousin, John the Baptist, was beheaded. Jesus\u2019 grief did not stop Him from showing compassion to the multitude. We must see broken people as the Creator\u2019s sheep who have gone astray.<\/p>\n
To \u201cheal the sick,\u201d according to Strong\u2019s Concordance, means \u201cto serve the weak.\u201d May our fear of the Lord drive us to obedience. May\u00a0we fulfill Christ\u2019s commission by showing \u201cviolent love\u201d to those all around us who have fallen in the cracks of society. May the church today recapture our lost credibility by shining the light of Jesus\u2019 love through acts of kindness and justice.<\/p>\n
Originally published in Encourage<\/a> magazine<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":4340,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[305,1,610],"tags":[618,149,29,572,896],"class_list":{"0":"post-4339","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-encourage-magazine","8":"category-general","9":"category-justice","10":"tag-618","11":"tag-encourage-magazine","12":"tag-gary-burd","13":"tag-justice","14":"tag-missionm25","15":"entry"},"title_es":"Por favor, deja de ignorar a las personas olvidadas","content_es":"El ap\u00f3stol Pablo dijo que nuestra lucha espiritual es invisible. \"No luchamos con carne y hueso\", se nos dice en Efesios 6:12. Hoy muchos cristianos han hecho esta lucha muy egoc\u00e9ntrica. \"Luchamos\" para mantenernos puros, \"meditamos en la Palabra\" para permanecer limpios, y \"estudiamos\" para crecer en gracia. Sin embargo, todo esto termina siendo ego\u00edsta. En la sociedad narcisista de hoy, hemos hecho sin querer los mandamientos del Se\u00f1or sobre nosotros en lugar de sobre \u00c9l. Nos hemos olvidado de las personas quebrantadas que nos llam\u00f3 a servir. \u00a1Nuestra \u201cguerra\u201d se trata de llevar el evangelio a otros! La justicia es un rasgo de car\u00e1cter predominante de nuestro Dios creador, pero el mundo de la iglesia en el que vivimos lo pasa por alto. James habla de la injusticia de honrar a los ricos; Corintios habla de honrar a los miembros menores del cuerpo de Cristo. Jes\u00fas naci\u00f3 en un pesebre para poder identificarse con aquellos que no tienen una herencia religiosa o rica, pero hoy pasamos por alto ese hecho. La justicia es uno de los elementos clave para convertirse en rey. Proverbios 31: 8-9 dice: \u201cHablen por las personas que no tienen voz, por los derechos de todos los que se van a la calle. \u00a1Habla por la justicia! Defiende a los pobres y los indigentes \u201d(El Mensaje). Este es un texto escrito de una mujer piadosa a su hijo que toma el papel de realeza. El Salmo 72: 4 dice: \"Por favor defiendan a los pobres, ayuden a los hijos de los necesitados, vengan a los tiranos crueles\" (El Mensaje). Aqu\u00ed, de nuevo, es un llamado continuo para ser un buen rey. Uno de los rabinos jud\u00edos lo declar\u00f3 de esta manera: \"El papel de un rey es proteger a los d\u00e9biles y pobres de los fuertes y ricos\". Es natural que una persona de poder, influencia y riqueza pase por alto e ignore Mateo 25, donde Jes\u00fas habl\u00f3 claramente del costo de maltratar a los pobres. Cuando leo la Biblia, veo claramente que la falta de justicia afecta nuestra adoraci\u00f3n (Isa\u00edas 1: 13-17) y tambi\u00e9n afecta nuestra oraci\u00f3n y ayuno (Isa\u00edas 58: 2-7). \u00a1La justicia no es algo que podamos ignorar! Misi\u00f3n: M25, que se organiz\u00f3 oficialmente en 2004, comenz\u00f3 a hacer justicia a los ignorados e ignorados en 1990 cuando pastoreaba la Christian Heritage Church en Amarillo, Texas. En un intento de \"nivelar el campo de juego\", se determin\u00f3 que todos los ni\u00f1os, incluso los m\u00e1s pobres, vendr\u00edan a nuestro campamento cristiano de forma gratuita y que todos recibir\u00edan el mismo trato. No estaba preparado para la gran cantidad de resistencia que esto desencaden\u00f3. Muchos miembros de la iglesia estaban acostumbrados a los privilegios especiales otorgados a los miembros sobre los \"ni\u00f1os de la calle\". Pero elegimos mostrar compasi\u00f3n a los pobres, y lo hemos hecho durante 30 a\u00f1os. Nuestros campamentos contin\u00faan creciendo en todo el mundo. A continuaci\u00f3n puede ver un \"halc\u00f3n de la tuber\u00eda\", que es una tuber\u00eda de paz en un lado y un hacha de guerra en el otro. Creo que Dios es muy parecido a este implemento nativo americano. Es un Dios amante de la paz. \u00c9l desea sentarse alrededor del fuego y comunicarse con nosotros. Sin embargo, hay un lado de Dios que trae la muerte. Amabilidad y justicia: este halc\u00f3n nativo americano revela dos aspectos de la naturaleza de Dios. Nuestro Se\u00f1or declar\u00f3 en Mateo 10:34: \"No vine a traer paz, sino una espada\" (NKJV). Dios es nuestro poderoso guerrero. No solo est\u00e1 involucrado en batallas internas de santificaci\u00f3n personal y santidad, que son de vital importancia. \u00c9l est\u00e1 en una misi\u00f3n de libertad. \u00c9l defiende a aquellos que no pueden hablar por s\u00ed mismos. En su libro, Live Dead Joy, Dick Brogdon afirma que da\u00f1amos el car\u00e1cter de Dios al tratar de conciliar su misericordia y su ira. Nosotros, como humanos, no estamos equipados para explicar los dos lados extremos de Dios; por lo tanto, nos haremos bien a nosotros mismos y a nuestros seguidores si simplemente celebramos los dos opuestos. Considere el gavil\u00e1n como una representaci\u00f3n visual de la iglesia. Somos buenos en presentar el lado pac\u00edfico y amoroso de Dios a nuestro mundo. \u00a1Pero ese es solo un lado de su car\u00e1cter! A trav\u00e9s de la Misi\u00f3n: M25, nuestro objetivo es predicar la paz. Usamos Colosenses 4: 6 como gu\u00eda, que dice: \u201cS\u00e9 amable en tu discurso. El objetivo es sacar lo mejor de los dem\u00e1s en una conversaci\u00f3n, no menospreciarlos, no cortarlos \u201d. Mostramos el amor de Cristo a todos. Pero tambi\u00e9n sabemos que debemos luchar contra la injusticia que existe en nuestra sociedad. A veces esto requiere confrontaci\u00f3n. Hay un lado violento del gavil\u00e1n. Luchamos contra la injusticia de nuestra sociedad a trav\u00e9s del mandato de Jes\u00fas de \"Id, por lo tanto\". Nos esforzamos por involucrar al mundo a trav\u00e9s del servicio personal y el sacrificio. Como una misi\u00f3n: el pastor M25 declar\u00f3: \"Dejamos la oficina est\u00e9ril y nos ensuciamos las manos en el\" desastre \"del mundo roto\". Es nuestro coraz\u00f3n no \"esperar hasta que vengan\", sino ir al cementerio de posesi\u00f3n demon\u00edaca y encontrar a las personas que viven encadenadas. Misi\u00f3n: M25 contin\u00faa luchando y defendiendo a los no nativos, a los nativos americanos, a los veteranos (que se encontraron en silencio cuando llegaron a casa de Vietnam), los jud\u00edos, las personas sin hogar, los que actualmente viven en prisi\u00f3n, los reclusos que han sido liberados de la prisi\u00f3n, y los atrapados en la esclavitud de la adicci\u00f3n. Intentamos hacer esto con lo que yo llamo \"amor violento\", que se define como arriesgado, costoso y al servicio de las personas. Puede ver nuestra lista de esfuerzos en www.missionm25.org, o puede conectarse con nosotros en Facebook para obtener m\u00e1s informaci\u00f3n. Que podamos cumplir la comisi\u00f3n de Cristo al mostrar 'amor violento' a quienes nos rodean y que han ca\u00eddo en las grietas de la sociedad. David, el pastorcillo, le grit\u00f3 a Goliat en 1 Samuel 17:45: \u201cVengo a ti en el nombre del Se\u00f1or de los ej\u00e9rcitos, el Dios de los ej\u00e9rcitos de Israel, a quien has desafiado\u201d. Cuando ocurre la injusticia, nosotros Hay que verlo como un insulto. Es una difamaci\u00f3n del nombre del Dios de los ej\u00e9rcitos, no del ej\u00e9rcito mismo. Debemos enfrentarlo. En segundo lugar, ministramos a las personas con un coraz\u00f3n de compasi\u00f3n. Nuestra luz de gu\u00eda es Mateo 14:14: \"Y Jes\u00fas sali\u00f3 y vio una gran multitud, y se conmovi\u00f3 con compasi\u00f3n hacia ellos, y cur\u00f3 a sus enfermos\". Jes\u00fas dijo esto justo despu\u00e9s de que decapitaron a su primo, Juan el Bautista. . El dolor de Jes\u00fas no le impidi\u00f3 mostrar compasi\u00f3n a la multitud. Debemos ver a las personas rotas como las ovejas del Creador que se han extraviado. Para \"sanar a los enfermos\", seg\u00fan la Concordancia Strong, significa \"servir a los d\u00e9biles\". Que nuestro temor al Se\u00f1or nos lleve a la obediencia. Que podamos cumplir la comisi\u00f3n de Cristo al mostrar \"amor violento\" a todos los que nos rodean y que han ca\u00eddo en las grietas de la sociedad. Que la iglesia hoy recupere nuestra credibilidad perdida al iluminar la luz del amor de Jes\u00fas a trav\u00e9s de actos de bondad y justicia.\r\n\r\n
\r\n\r\nPublicado originalmente en la revista Encourage<\/a>","author_name":"Gary Burd","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/Feat-Image.png","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb62Bx-17Z","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4339"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4339\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4340"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/gso\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}