The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” —Joe Aldrich
My goodness, we seem to have forgotten what we’re here for...
There is a great deal of emphasis in the Church these days on social justice, and certainly as followers of Jesus we must take the side of the downtrodden and disadvantaged, seeking freedom and justice for all that fall within our sphere of influence.
But we must know that injustice resides deep in the human heart, far beyond the reach of human effort. Systems are corrupt because the human beings that institute and inhabit them are corrupt and no amount of systemic deconstruction will ever change that dynamic. Tear down one evil system and evil will simply inhabit another. Nothing can truly change until the human heart is changed through the good news of Jesus’ love. This is our evangel.
Jesus’ last words ring in our ears:” Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:18-20).
“Having gone out,” or “wherever you go,” (the verb is a participle) make disciples, like Johnny Appleseed, who traveled hither and yon, scattering good seed wherever he went, for he never knew when and where he would encounter good soil. This is the mission of those who are truly woke: Paul writes, “Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God.” Paul adds, “I speak this to your shame” (1 Corinthians 15:34).
Indeed, to my shame, for what is left for those who gain the world through my efforts, but lose the Savior: A lonely, loveless, meaningless existence forever.
So what can I, a mostly irrelevant old timer, do in the face of calls for radical social action? I can prayerfully stand against injustice in my own heart and wherever I find it nearby, but I must also share the story of Jesus’ love. He came into the world in order to save sinners (1Timothy 1:15). This must be “the main thing” for me.
And so I pray, as Dallas Willard prayed: “May I be a simple, humble, and thoughtful witness, as I listen to others and help them come to faith in the One who has given us life forever.” Amen.
David Roper
9.3.20
