Questions for the 21st Century Church

Question:  In the following verses, what does Jesus say separates the sheep from the goats; i.e., the saved from the lost?

   “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” (Matthew 25:31-36).

Question:  How does James, a Jewish Christian leader in the early church, describe pure and faultless religion?

  “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:  to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27).

Question:  When James, Peter and John offered Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, what one thing did they ask of them?

  “James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me.  They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews.  All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.”  (Galatians 2:9 & 10).

Question:  In the following parable, what does Jesus say about how we are to treat the vulnerable?

   An expert in Jewish law put Jesus to the test by asking him the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus answered, “Love your neighbor.”  He then asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”  Jesus told him a story about a man in dire need, two religious men who passed by without helping, and an outsider who came to his rescue.  

   Then he asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’  The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’  Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”  (Luke 10).

Question:  As church, do we pass by the vulnerable and disenfranchised, searching instead for an elusive gimmick designed to draw the masses to our church buildings?

Jesus died for everyone.

Father, take over the reins of your church.  Lead us; guide us.  We don’t always know what we’re doing.  Amen.

Sandra Milholland

Abilene, Texas