By Adam Faughn For some time now, and most famously during
the Super Bowl, an ad campaign has captured the attention of a lot of people.
The ads feature people in various negative and hate-filled situations, but
having their feet washed. The overarching message is that Jesus did not teach
hate and then we see the famous tagline “He Gets Us.” To be fair, I have a certain level of
appreciation for ads like these. They may not tell the entire story, but they
do at least have some semblance of a message that points people to some aspect
of the Christian faith. And, of course, there is no way that a few-seconds-long
commercial can tell the entire story. That said, there is something these ads is
missing that leave them teaching an incomplete Gospel and it is the same issue
that far too many Christians already have. Is it true that Jesus taught His
people to care for the poor and those who are enemies? Yes. 100% yes. Is it
true that Jesus told us to seek to help with the outcast and those who are
harmed by society? Absolutely yes. While no Christian and no congregation can
do everything, it should be clear that we are striving to help where we have
opportunities. However, if we stop there, we are not doing
all that Jesus told us to do! The same Jesus Who makes it clear that we will be
judged by how we treat the poor, naked, imprisoned, and hungry in Matthew 25
also told us to preach the Gospel–including baptism–to the whole world in
Matthew 28. In other words, “He gets us” in order to take us somewhere, and it
is not just somewhere up a societal or economic ladder! Too many Christians, I believe out of a
good place in their heart, want the church to become what basically amounts to
nothing more than a homeless shelter or food pantry. They love to remind us of
the old saying that “people don’t care how much you know until they know how
much you care.” The issue is that, far too often, they
don’t even get around to saying what they know! Jesus cared for people, and we love Him for
that. We are amazed at the hungry that He fed and the harmed whom He healed.
Jesus did not just give people bread; He gave them the Bread of Life. Jesus did
not just heal people; He turned around and taught them (or those around Him). |
- Adam Faughn preaches for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah
KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org Visit the Faughn
Family blog, A Legacy of Faith |
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