Jesus Desired Their Good – Hit the Mark
I suspect there is nothing in this lesson that we don’t already know. That’s not a bad thing. It is good to be reminded of truths we hold dear. It’s good to reexamine the stories of the Bible that illustrate the love and compassion of Christ. What is troubling is that we often have difficulty putting what we know into practical use.
As a church family, we may need to have more honest conversations about what we are trying to accomplish, and if we are reaching those goals. If not, it is healthy to have a discussion on how we can do things better.
The church of 2016 is vastly different than the church a decade ago. The urban sprawl that has changed the landscape of our communities has also affected how we operate as a church. In many of our churches, especially in our larger cities, the demographics of the attendees is often strikingly different from those who live in the community.
Members like myself commute weekly into the church. Our missionary outreach efforts are mostly confined to the organized church initiatives that are placed on our church calendars. That fact alone makes it very challenging to build a consistent influence in our communities. How this adversely affects what we do as a church in our communities cannot be overstated. If we are serious as a church in fulfilling our gospel commission this issue must be addressed.
“For the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.” Luke 16:8
Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images
Over the last decade there has been a heightening tension in America between the police and the communities they patrol. Almost monthly, if not weekly, there is another shocking report of an interaction gone fearfully wrong between the community and the officers sworn to uphold the law.
As more serious minds have looked into this matter we have begun to see a rise in what is called community policing. It’s a concept that in its simplest form means assigning specific police officers to specific areas in a manner where the officers and the community become familiar with each other. Think Sheriff Andy of Mayberry.
“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” Paul J. Meyer
Beyond creating friendships, community policing has three key components that the church of today should consider for how it interacts with its community.
Community Partnerships. Collaborative partnerships between the law enforcement agency and the individuals and organizations they serve to develop solutions to problems and increase trust in police (1)
The key word is collaboration (the act of working with another or others on a joint project). We must resist the temptation to believe that we have all of the answers and are the only white knight who can ride in and save the community. Finding a way to work with individuals and other organizations (even churches of other denominations) could help us accomplish our goal of carrying out the gospel commission.
Organizational Transformation. The alignment of organizational management, structure, personnel, and information systems to support community partnerships and proactive problem solving (1)
This would be a harder pill to swallow. To follow this example would be to reexamine the layers of bureaucracy and procedure on how we normally function. If our priority is really service, we’ll have this conversation. If our priority is maintaining our traditions regardless of the needs of the communities we serve, this is a conversation we will not entertain.
Problem Solving. The process of engaging in the proactive and systematic examination of identified problems to develop and evaluate effective responses (1)
This third component is tied directly to the lesson title, Jesus Desired Their Good. Our goal as a church should not be to find a way to fit what we think best into the community. Instead, if we followed this example, we would have serious conversations and develop real, practical, implementable plans to address real problems. And beyond that we would have a mechanism to determine what actually works. There is no one size fits all when it comes to service in our communities.
“Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Alan Lakein
If there is one thing I have learned as a believer is that we must constantly grow. We can never rest satisfied that we have figured out everything there is to know about God and how best to work for the up building of His kingdom. He is always calling us to a higher level. He knows if we link up with Him we can do things we never thought possible.
(Make sure to check out this week’s Hit the Mark questions below. I’ll be looking for your responses in the comments section.)
Here are a few Hit the Mark questions for this week’s lesson discussion:
- What does desiring the good of others mean to you?
- How does a church influence a community for good?
- Are you a member of or do you know of a church where the majority of its members reside in the same community as their church? If so, please elaborate in the comment section. We want others to be inspired.
- Is it advisable for members to start home churches in their communities if there is no Seventh-day Adventist church nearby or should they always commute to the nearest church? Why yes or no?
- If you have started or know of someone who has started a home church please elaborate in the comment section. We want others to be inspired.
- Is there a danger in being fully involved in the local church’s missionary endeavors and yet not be involved in any outreach endeavors in your own neighborhood? Please explain your answer.
- Is the following statement True, Mostly True, Somewhat True or Not True: The more we can convince non-members that the church is a place to have good, clean fun, the better our churches will grow. Explain your answer.
We close this week with The Message version of some very familiar texts. They are quite revealing:
“If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.” Philippians 2:3-5
Until next week, let’s all continue to Hit the Mark in Sabbath School!
