Leveraging for the Gospel

Certainly, we here at the mission would agree that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is at the heart of our ministry. Ultimately, all that really matters is Jesus and our connection (or lack of connection) to Him.

Still, there are questions of poverty and homelessness screaming at us from all sides that demand that we think carefully about how we choose to leverage our resources while sharing the Gospel. Here are some such questions:
• Will we stop serving someone if we conclude he/she is not responding, or is hostile to the Gospel?
• Are we ‘ok’ helping one out of homelessness and/or poverty who has no interest in Christ?
• Are we here to: 1) share the Gospel (or) 2) help the poor (or) 3) share the Gospel by helping the poor?
• Will we continue to sustain those who are not willing to take on the level of responsibility required to be self-sustaining?

How we answer these questions will determine how we use our resources and establish our system of Rescue.

Personally, I sense a call to serving the homeless/poor out of love for Jesus and a desire to please Him. My “Gospel” focus here in my work is the same as at home in my neighborhood. It motivates and permeates any acts of kindness in a manner that I hope reflects the high value I place on Jesus Christ.

To me, it does not seem Christ-like to leverage my resources to compel a gospel response. Could such a response ever be heart-felt? It seems better that others would see His lavish goodness and desire to come to Him freely than to ‘have to’, begrudgingly, to get sustenance for life.

In Rescue we are fond of saying, “Hope begins with a meal,” but then we make the meal leverage to get an individual to Chapel; we also make the shelter bed leverage to get them to Chapel. We may be fostering compliance and resentment more than love for Jesus.

In the Renewal part of our ministry, I think high expectations and accountability are good. In the Rescue part of our ministry, I think far fewer ‘strings attached’ will be best. In the gap between the two, I envision lovers of Jesus inviting without coercion those who would risk beginning the journey of hope.

Living in the tension, between Rescue and Renewal is not easy. We err repeatedly by getting them mixed in our minds. Mostly though, I think, this happens when we are too concerned about "them" taking advantage of "us."

In the “Good Samaritan" story, the Samaritan told the innkeeper, “Take care of him and when I return I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.” I see this as a huge risk for abuse.

Will we ever entice others with the lavish goodness of Jesus if we will not take the risk of abuse? Is not ‘taking our abuse’ exactly how Jesus convinced us to begin the journey into Him?

Freely given, freely give.

- Aaron Eggers, Men’s Ministries