Clear Conscience, Serve The Living God

Christ's blood paid the price for our clear conscious. Hebrews tell us "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleans our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" This freedom from guilt is the way ministry must be done, if we are to glorify God. It is the way we move from dead works, even good works done in the flesh, to works that serve God.

Urban ministry is too often fueled through a guilt ridden, preoccupation with privilege and injustice. People desire to set large, societal problem, right. And we must admit that we desire things to be made right as well. But whenever we are motivated by guilt we are creating a new problem. Instead of spreading freedom, we are agreeing with the enemy of our soul.  We are perpetuating sin's hold on us, rather than a heart given to God in thankfulness. He has truly set us free to serve Him.  So, our actions might even be the same as the guilty, but our hearts speak another kind of language. Inaction, could not be imagined by a thankful church. How can we love God whom we have not seen, if we won't love our brother whom we have seen.  Our love must be seen in action, but our words must be seasoned with grace. Our hearts need to be motivated by Him who sent us to the work.

Many ministries uses class struggle arguments to help fund their work, or find new workers. There is a great focus on the problems around us, rather than focus on God Himself. Some see poverty as the great societal evil, when God has declared sin to be at the core of any real problem. Some organizations look to equality conversations to set things right. These arguments are made by people who forget how often the world has used these same arguments and the destruction that has followed. Even good intentioned people find that man made answers are full of unintended consequence.

Works done in guilt are not works done from a thankful heart. Loving your neighbor as yourself is the law of every individual that God has truly touched.  Injustice is changed when we look in the mirror, receive our freedom in Christ, treat others as more valuable than ourselves, and share the news that sets people truly free.  

Hebrews 9:14, Colossians 3:15, I John 4:20, Colossians 4:6, 

Mark 12:31, Philippians 2:3, Isaiah 52:7