ONE HEART – ONE VOICE – THE COMPASSION OF CHRIST
LUKE 10:25-37 - ©DR. LARRY L. THOMPSON (2005)
SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 2005
Introduction:
On July 6th - 8th, President Bush and other G8 leaders will discuss the major social, political and economic conditions that leave nearly ONE billion people living in extreme poverty – nearly half of whom live in Sub-Saharan Africa. The G8, or the ‘Group of Eight’ Summit is an annual gathering of leaders from the world’s eight wealthiest and most powerful countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States). This summer, these leaders will gather in Scotland to decide the fate of an entire generation living on less than ONE dollar a day. With your support and voice, President Bush and other world leaders will know just how important these issues are, and together as ONE VOICE and ONE HEART, we can Make An History Difference this July. The is ONE ministry that is doing everything possible to make a difference and that is the ONE organization.
What is The ONE Campaign?
ONE is a new effort by Americans to rally Americans – ONE by ONE – to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. The ONE Campaign is engaging Americans through a diverse coalition of faith-based ministries and anti-poverty organizers to show the steps people can take, ONE by ONE, to fight global AIDS and poverty. Some of those involved in this movement include; Rick Warren, Pat Robertson and CBN; Mercy Corps; Bread for Life: World Vision; and our own International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Listen to me, most Christians are for social justice but tragically it has been the evangelical Christians who have been slow to respond to the call for international compassion.
The ONE purpose statement is simple:
“WE BELIEVE that in the best American tradition of helping others help themselves, now is the time to join with other countries in a historic pact for compassion and justice to help the poorest people of the world overcome AIDS and extreme poverty. WE RECOGNIZE that a pact including such measures as fair trade, debt relief, fighting corruption and directing additional resources for basic needs – education, health, clean water, food, and care for orphans – would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation in the poorest countries, at a cost equal to just one percent more of the US budget. WE COMMIT ourselves - one person, one voice, one vote at a time - to make a better, safer world for all.”
What is ironic is the Evangelicals have invested more money in this fight than any other religious organization. It apprears we are willing to put the money to the need but have not articulated the urgency of the message. The example we have of this type of movement comes from Christ Himself in a parable He taught from Luke 10:25-37.
“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" 27 He answered: "’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’" 28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30 In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ’Look after him,’ he said, ’and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" 37 The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37)
2,000 years after Jesus answered the question we are still asking, “WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?” Sadly, just like this one expert of Jewish law, we are still not following His directive.
Jesus taught this parable to challenge the religious establishment of the day and today Christ needs to once again get in our face to challenge us to open our eyes to the poverty and AIDS pandemic that is killing over 4 million people annually. The word pandemic is derived from the Greek pandEmos of all the people, from pan- + dEmos people -- occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.
Just how obvious is this person lying on the side of the road in our world today?
I. WORLD POVERTY
• 852 million people across the world are hungry, up from 842 million a year ago.
• In essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families cannot afford to meet their most basic need for food.
• Hunger manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine. Most poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and extreme susceptibility to illness.
• Countries in which a large portion of the population battles hunger daily are usually poor and often lack the social safety nets we enjoy, such as soup kitchens, food stamps, and job training programs. When a family that lives in a poor country cannot grow enough food or earn enough money to buy food, there is nowhere to turn for help.
Southern Baptist Mission Relief Worker in Africa reported a family of five had one horse and used the horse for the only source of income. One child got sick but the only way they could afford the medical care was to sell the horse. The mom and dad came to a decision to allow the child to die in order to save the rest of the family for without the horse they could not survive.
• Today our world houses 6.39 billion people.
• The United States is a part of the industrialized world, which consists of about 50 countries with a combined population of only 0.9 billion, less than 1/6 of the world’s population.
• In contrast, approximately 5 billion people live in the developing world. This world is made up of 125 low income countries with a lower standard of living with access to fewer goods and services.
• Over 1.2 billion people live below the international poverty line, earning less than $1 a day.
• These people have many have problems obtaining adequate, nutritious food. As a result, 815 million people in our world are undernourished and about half of those are starving.
• 153 million children under 5 in the world are underweight. Worse yet, nearly a million children die every month, most from hunger-related causes. One child dies every 3 seconds.
It is tragic that most of us are not aware of this crisis and yet the SBC International Mission Board has created an agency called “World Hunger Fund.” Last year they provided more than $6 million in hunger assistance: Here are some examples…
• $69, 305 which provided 125 wells and 600 latrines to improve the health in Africa
• $55,000 from World Hungar Fund provided lunches and milk for eight months taking care of hundreds of teachers and children in Central Asia.
• $87,000 provided a community development center training more than 3,500 farmers.
• $24,312 provided agricultural machines and supplies to assist in teaching the farming of the land.
• $11,500 went to provide three meals a day for 750 children for 12 months in one village alone.
• Last year more than 25,000 people came to Christ as a direct result of World Hunger Fund.
In addition to what the IMB is doing our own church provides hunger relief programs in Nicaragua and Russia. Your dollars given to missions provide meals every day for people who would have none. MIKE JEFFRIES INTERVIEW!
We not only take this social justice seriously but we are committed to being even more of a part of the solution. We have a great denomination and yet at times we have been slow in responding to specific needs. This is an hour when we can be the leader and set the pace for others to follow.
WHAT ELSE DO WE NOTICE ABOUT THIS PERSON LYING ON THE WORLD’S PATH?
II. AIDS IN AFRICA
• The HIV/AIDS epidemic has become a major obstacle in the fight against hunger and poverty.
• The majority of those with AIDS are young adults who normally harvest crops. Food production has dropped dramatically in Africa, who has the highest HIV/AIDS rates.
• In Africa alone 46 million people are infected with AIDS. Over 500,000 died of AIDS in ‘01 resulting in serious food crisis in 02-03--More than 14 million people are facing starvation.
• Infected adults leave behind children and elderly relatives, who have little means to provide for themselves. 1 in 5 adults has AIDS in Southern Africa. In 2001, Southern African had 2.5 million NEW orphaned children last year because of AIDS.
• Since the African epidemic began, 35 million people have died from AIDS, which has caused more than 13 million children to lose either their mother or both parents.
• 42 million people have HIV/AIDS in our world – 92.8% of them in developing countries. 3 million are children under age 15. 2.9 million of those children live in in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• By 2010 UNAIDS estimates over 107 million orphans and 25 million will be AIDS orphans.
IMB VIDEO: It is difficult to imagine the gravity of this situation by me only sharing with you these numbers. Please allow me to ask one of our Southern Baptist Missionaries to share his personal first hand perspective. This video will last about five minutes so please pay close attention.
III. WHAT IS OUR RESPONSE?
In 2002 the evangelical organization, WORLD VISION, commissioned Barna Research Group to determine the willingness of the Christian community to get involved in the fight against the AIDS epedemic. Tragically, here are the results of the survey:
“Would you be willing to donate money to help children orphaned by AIDS?”
• Only 3% of Christians said they “definitely would give.”
• More than 50% of the Christians surveyed said they “would not give.”
• Survey concluded, “Non-Christians are more responsive to helping fight the AIDS epedemic. American awarness of the AIDS crisis is a Mile wide but their personal commitment to fixing it is an inch deep.” The Barna Research Group
• Dr. Bruce Wilkerson, author of Prayer of Jabez and Walk through the Bible heard the call of Christ to see the hurting humanity and took action. Bruce and his wife, Darlene Marie, have two married children (David and Jennifer), one still at home (Jessica), and five grandsons. The Wilkinsons recently moved to Africa to help fight famine, poverty, and the AIDS crisis. They are enlisting churches to adopt a church in Africa to help fight this epedemic and minister to the suffering people.
What should be our response as Christians to this epedemic? THIS AIDS AND HUNGER CRISIS IN OUR WORLD DEMANDS A GOD-SIZED RESPONSE FROM GOD’S PEOPLE. Jesus gives us the example to follow by looking at the actions of the Samaratan in His parable.
What do we know about this man who stopped to help? We know he was despised by the respected and established Jewish community. Racial hatred was great and the Jewish culture had nothing to do with the Samaritans of this day. Were this parable shared today the Samaritan helping the victim on the road may instead be given the name; the homosexual community; the Hollywood political liberals; the US Government; the United Nations; the secular humanitarian organizations; even rock stars like Bono seem to have the prophetic voice: “Will American Christians really stand by as an entire continent dies?”
TODAY, WE WILL NOT BE GUILTY OF SUCH INDIFFERENCE. We will follow the action steps Jesus articulated in this great passage of scripture. You will easily recognize these steps because a year ago I presented our church with a strategy to impact our culture for Christ. This strategy is called the “P.O.P. Strategy.” Partnering on Purpose. This strategy is exactly what is needed in answering the call of those so desperately in need today.
• WE MUST IDENTIFY: (v.33) “But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.” This man was, at the very least, willing to IDENTIFY and admit the needs of a fellow human. He did not look the other way and he did not walk by the suffering when confronted with the truth. Today, I pray the Lord has forced all of us to look and IDENTIFY this suffering on the PATH of life.
• WE MUST INVEST: (v.34-35) “He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ’Look after him,’ he said, ’and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.” It is one act of faith to IDENTIFY the person on our PATH who is in need but we must be willing to move beyond identifying the need to the second step of INVESTING personally to help meet the need. This was not a minimal response of personal investment. This man invested his time, his talent and his treasure in order to help meet the need of human suffering. You can begin immediately to invest by simply signing the ONE petition encouraging, not only America, but all the G-8 nations to make this plight a priority. ONE Petitions & wristbands for $1 are available today in the foyer. Also please note the ACTION STEPS IN TODAY’S WORSHIP GUIDE.
• WE MUST INVITE: (v.34-35) “He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ’Look after him,’ he said, ’and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.” Once again we see his progression of a heart felt response. He not only IDENTIFIED AND INVESTED but he also INVITED THE MAN TO COME WITH HIM. He could care for him and his witness and example is an invitation to others to join him in meeting this needs of those who suffer. My own daughter Taylor has been used of the Lord in my life to help make me aware of this global need and by her actions the Lord has convicted me to join her in this fight.
• WE MUST INTRODUCE: (v.36) “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” Our heartfelt response by faith in Jesus Christ provides us the platform to introduce others to the Gospel. Our response validates the fact that we are “in Christ” and He is “in us.” Toni Hamilton shared with us that just last Sunday two adults came to our counselling center following the morning worship service and when they were asked about their personal relationship to Jesus Christ the woman said, “I haven’t been able to think about that…all I can think about is where can we get something to eat.” Often, before we can meet the spiritual need of the heart we must be willing to also meet the physical need. Jesus cared for the whole person; Body, Soul and Spirit. We must also follow that example.
• WE MUST INSTRUCT: (v.37) “The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Jesus ends this parable with some of the most powerful spiritual teaching we have from the Messiah: A command of just four words: “GO AND DO LIKEWISE.” Having had the privilege of introducing those to the Christ we serve and demonstrating the difference He has made in our lives, we can then instruct them through the Word on how following Christ and the principles of our faith can make a difference in their lives as well.
KAREN SPARKS ILLUSTRATION: One of our former members took this challenge seriously, Karen Sparks went to Africa with the IMB. She produced a tremendous video that revealed once the Baptist missionaries started caring for the physical needs of the community in Uganda then the people responded to the spiritual truth. The link to Karen’s compelling video is on our website. The IMB INTRODUCED “True Love Waits” and in ONE YEAR AIDS decreased by 25% in ONE YEAR!
CONCLUSION:
Years from now this tragedy of suffering we see today from both Poverty and the AIDS pandemic will be viewed through historic lens. Every generation stuggles with great challenges that defines their time on this earth. We are not perfect. We have all sinned and we have all come short of God’s standard of perfection. We have our sins of commission and sins of omission. Yet the bottom line is history will be brutally honest with the response of our generation.
• How could American pioneers justify treatment of Native Americans?
• How could pre-civil war America tolerate slavery?
• How could Christians turn blind eyes and deaf ears to racial discrimination of 40’s – 60’s?
• How can the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ fail to respond to what may be the greatest physical threat ever to face mankind?
Obviously, Jesus expects His people to ACT, not to remain silent and ignore this suffering. I am absolutely certain the Lord sees the orphans, the widows, the suffering and the pain of the helpless on the path of mankind. I am equally certain He has called us to stop, show compassion and comfort to them and see that in whatever small way possible…we too can help bind the wounds and see that the children are cared for…it is the least we can do. “Who has been the neighbor?” Jesus asked. “The one who had mercy…” “Go and do likewise.”
Research for this Message came From the Following Sources:
1. Bread for the World Institue; www.bread.org
2. ONE; www.one.org
3. Southern Baptist International Mission Board; “AIDS Epedemic Creates Missing Generation”
4. Mike Jeffries; Mission’s Pastor, First Baptist Church of Fort Lauderdale; www.fbcnet.com
5. Richard E. Stearns; “Samaritans in the AIDS Crisis.” www.beliefnet.com
