In an important New Testament passage, the Apostle Paul remarked to the Corinthian believers, “I determined to know nothing while among you except Christ, and Him crucified.”

As Christians among the people of the world, we should be careful not to try and know everything. For female believers, this may be easier than for many males. As a somewhat typical male, I have to consciously work at keeping some of my opinions to myself. (For example, see the last post.)

And there are also causes, movements, major issues, etc. that we would well not to try and promote at the expense of the Gospel message. We can either be an effective witness for Jesus Christ, or we can become a champion for a lesser cause, but we may not be able to do both.

For example, we can speak out against gay marriages, citing Bible passages and Christian doctrines that condemn homosexuality. Or we can preach Christ crucified, the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the whole world. Which is more important? In eternity will it matter that we put gays in their place or would it be better to have spent a lifetime drawing all sinners — gays included — to faith in Jesus Christ?

Then there are the many humanitarian causes. People are suffering all around us. In every society there are outcasts and poor and diseased and imprisoned people who need attention and some kind of relief. We can devote ourselves to helping relieve the suffering of people or we can devote our time and prayers to sharing the Gospel message.

But can we do both?

For me, there is a world of difference between political causes (fighting gay marriage through protests) and giving a hand to people in need. Jesus preached and taught quite a bit while He was on the earth. But the huge crowds that gathered to hear Him were drawn, in part, by the hope of physical healing and relief.

Wherever Jesus went, He reached out to touch and heal broken, crippled, and diseased bodies. He even fed the hungry and raised the dead to life again. This part of Jesus’ ministry is central to the Gospel accounts in Scripture. It’s also central to the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah.  For example, one passage in Isaiah says:

“The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners;  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;  to provide for those who mourn in Zion—to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.” (Isaiah 61:1-3 NRSV)

Even the causes we may not undertake to join directly, we can certainly pray for.  We can also pray for any need that comes to our attention.

For example, I am not much on protesting and organized marches, and I’m certainly not a college or university student, but I recently came across web sites belonging to the Students for a Free Tibet.  And on those websites I learned more about the desire and struggle of Tibetans to be free of China’s rule.  To my mind, such efforts appear potentially dangerous to Tibet than helpful, since China is more apt to punish than to release their hold on what they see as their own possession.

Should I simply ignore the cause, then and go my way?  Or should I pray for the people of Tibet , and for the efforts of students and others who attempt to shame China into granting the Tibetans freedom?  I must pray.  I must take the whole matter to the Lord and add my voice to anyone else petitioning the God of the universe for help and action in this matter.  What men can never accomplish on their own, God can certainly do.  And He often demonstrates that He will answer the prayers of otherwise powerless individuals.

There are more needs in the community and in the whole world than any one of us can ever hope to meet.   Even when we act as larger groups, we often fail to accomplish all that needs to be done.  But when we join our voices in prayer with all who pray for specific needs, and when we allow God to direct our actions (as the Father directed and used Christ Jesus) we can see miracles.  The world can be transformed, one human life at a time.

The good news of Jesus Christ is always more effective when we add the labor of our hands, the cry of our hearts, and whatever resources we have at our disposal.  When Paul preached, he also labored with his hands.  For him the Gospel was not a means of income, but a means of literally sharing Christ Jesus with the world around him.

Something to think about.