In a recent critique of a book on Ed Stetzer’s blog, here, J.D. Greear made a great comment on “adorning the gospel,” a reference to Titus 2:10. His comments were encouraging and timely, Poppets, so I excerpted this portion, hoping it would encourage you, too.
But I would caution us against underestimating the role serving our community adorns the gospel.
A reformed, gospel-loving brother once objected to me that if we take upon ourselves the role of caring for the needs of the community there would be no end—should the church take upon itself responsibility for all the potholes on roads, for example? If so, he said, the church would be distracted from its primary mission.
I agree. But my response to him was, and is, that if the primary need of a community is the potholes, then yes, that we should see that as a great opportunity for the gospel. But i know of no community where that is the greatest need. On the other hand, caring for at risk kids, unwed mothers, and etc, often are the greatest needs in a community, and these provide wonderful opportunities for the church to demonstrate the gospel. Plus, we are commanded to care for the “stranger” and the poor in our midst, so, gospel-witness aside, loving the poor is just the right thing to do.
I agree that preaching is our primary task. But I also agree with Francis Schaeffer that in a skeptical age love on display is the most persuasive apologetic.
