He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
The church over the past several generations has become good at mercy ministries and in some cases we've even become great at being merciful to those around us; donating to others our provisions, serving the less fortunate, sharing the Gospel with the down and out and demonstrating genuine compassion for the least, last and lost among us.
But are we great, or even good at providing justice?
God said through Micah; "do justly..." Do we weep over the injustice of a neighborhood that no longer can be afforded by it's residents? Are we concerned with the plight of our brothers and sisters, who attend our services but return to the drug infested neighborhood in which they live?
In short, could it be that the Great Commandment to "love your neighbor as yourself" means that we must do more than the mere spiritual transformation of a person? Mercy causes me to share Christ for the purpose of Spiritual Transformation but justice causes me to share Christ for the purpose of Social Transformation.
Please remember that as the Church in your City, you are the most powerful certainty on the planet! No other entity has God said "Jesus is the Head of you." But also please know my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, if we're not careful we're going to lose the right all together to be heard in our communities.Love mercy - please. But while we're at it, let's add justice to our plans, action steps, strategic sessions and yes ... to our prayer for one another. Then I think we can be like Nehemiah, who when after the weeping went to work to bring justice to a troubled city.
What do you think?
Dan Rogers
