The commission that Jesus gave His followers to go into all the world and preach the Gospel is a mission that continues for the Church today. However, the questions, “What is the Gospel?” and “What is the message we are called to present?” are at the core of the Church’s mission today, as they are in any age. This chapter will invite you to consider that the Gospel Jesus calls us to present and embody has far more implications than just spiritual salvation. It invites you to think about the Gospel of Christ as the hope of the world because it addresses every aspect of life in a broken world.
I don’t think I have to convince you that the world is full of injustice: violence and oppression, corruption, pain and suffering, chronic hunger, extreme poverty … the list goes on. Often these injustices exist because of structural evils that may be part of cultural, ideological, or religious systems that are utterly antithetical to God’s ways.
There are displaced people around the world who have experienced persecution, war, violence, or human rights violations and have fled their homes with whatever they could carry. According to the United Nations 2022 statistic, globally, there are 84 million people who have fled the safety of their homes and communities, now living internally displaced or as refugees in other countries.
The UN reports that between 20-40 million people globally are trafficked into modern slavery. Millions of these are women and children trafficked into the sex trade.
In many cultures, girls and women are oppressed; livestock is valued more than females, it is not a priority to educate girls, and sons are fed first with more nutritious food than daughters.
There are countless communities around the world that don’t have access to clean water or a sufficient food source, places where people die from preventable diseases like malaria. There are areas where there is degradation of the land and creation through misuse, pollution, and a lack of stewardship for the creation God has called us to care for.
It is not just overseas that these realities exist. In Canada, we have been reminded of the injustice to Indigenous Peoples through residential schools, the 60’s scoop, and the Doctrine of Discovery by European settlers over the last several centuries. In Canada, what we would refer to as a developed country, we still have communities that experience extreme poverty, homelessness, chronic hunger, racism, or lack of potable water.
During my ministry with The Alliance Canada as the director of Justice and Compassion, I have travelled to over 55 countries and throughout Canada and heard stories firsthand from many who experience realities like these and my heart breaks. How can a good, just, and loving God allow so much injustice in the world?
When we examine the Scriptures, we find a narrative that reveals a God who deeply loves humanity and all of creation and hears the cries of those in extreme poverty, the oppressed, and those suffering injustice. It breaks the heart of God to see how the world is broken and not functioning as He intended it to.
One of the key ways that God responds to these realities is to create a people for Himself—people (Israel, the Church) who will live in a way that reflects the principles and values of the Kingdom of God to a broken world. As the Church, we must get the message of the Gospel right, a message that calls us to live not only individually but collectively as Christ-following communities that seek to bring healing to all that is broken.
The evangelical tradition has taught that to share the Gospel, our starting point must be that people are sinners and are separated from God. In this chapter, we will consider that to accurately proclaim and live out the Gospel, the entire narrative of Scripture needs to be considered. We must begin in Genesis 1 and 2, where the Garden narrative provides us with a picture of how God intended the world to function. There is complete unity, reciprocal respect, and intimacy in the relationship between God and humans, male and female, and between humans and the rest of creation. There is no shame or fear, as symbolized by Adam and Eve’s nakedness and walks with God. Adam’s responsibility to name all the animals shows God’s desire for humankind to care for all living creatures. Genesis 2 is where we see the first commission given to humankind. In the Garden, God gave them the mandate to abad (to work, to serve) and to shamar (keep, guard, observe) the creation. The Garden story reveals how God originally intended the world to function. It shows all of creation at peace with God and each other in a space where all spiritual, physical, and relational needs are met.
Sin brought pain, strife, and hostility to all these relationships. Yes, humans’ relationship with God but also between male and female, and with humanity’s relationship with the land and the rest of creation. Genesis 3 explains how sin brought brokenness and disharmony to all these relationships. The Good News of the Gospel is that the work of Christ on the cross offers healing and reconciliation to all these relationships that were broken.
In Colossians 1:15-20, Paul describes this work of Christ, the creator and redeemer of all things.
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together… For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
The word “to reconcile” in Greek is apokatallassō which means “to bring back to its original state of harmony.” The disharmony we read about in Genesis 3 is to be brought back into harmony through Christ’s death and resurrection – His victory over sin and death. His work is to “…reconcile to himself all things…” not just people!
In Romans 8:18-22, Paul also teaches that even creation is longing to be free from its bondage to decay:
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
The idea here is that the children of God – humankind, made in God’s image, would embrace that first call to serve, guard, and take care of creation.
Craig Sorley, a contributing author in the book, Creation Care and the Gospel, says,
Across the globe, communities are facing unprecedented environmental challenges… the assault is mournfully obvious in terms of what is happening to forests, grasslands, water resources, rainfall and climatic patterns, wildlife and bird populations, and soils. The situation is urgent, if not critical. These problems converge to cause greater hardship for people. They perpetuate poverty, hunger, heightened competition among ethnic groups, civil unrest, disease, and even deaths.… 1
It would take an entire book to discuss the truths in the Scriptures that teach about God’s love for and interaction with creation and His original desire that humans would steward and care for it. However, this quote from Sorley reveals that the lack of stewardship of creation (part of the fall of humankind) perpetuates much of the world’s brokenness.
Hosea describes how the land suffers as a result of human behaviour.
Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites, because the Lord has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away” (Hosea 4:1-3).
There is a correlation between humankind’s actions and the health of the land. When the land suffers, humans suffer, as Sorley points out. Throughout all of Scripture, God calls His people to return to His ways in order to experience healing on multiple levels. He also calls us to care for the vulnerable, the marginalized, the widow, the foreigner, and the oppressed and to address issues of injustice.
One key passage that teaches this is Isaiah 58. In this passage, we see that the people of God are seeking Him and desiring His presence. They are going through the proper religious motions. (Isn’t that what we want in our churches as we gather for worship? To know and experience the presence of God?) Yet, Isaiah is rebuking the people of God for having a form of religiosity and spirituality but living selfishly, arrogantly, and in disunity. He then gives them a picture of a true expression of spirituality for the people of God. (Perhaps a reflection of what Jesus would teach about the Kingdom of God.)
“Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?” (verses 6-7)
Isaiah goes on to say,
If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, THEN your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called repairer of Broken walls, restorer of streets with dwellings. (verses 9-12)
In other words, if you will be a community that administers justice and mercy, God’s transforming presence and power will be experienced by all and in all areas of life. A community where healing and wholeness reign. Another way to state this is that the message to the community of God’s people is: If you think you have a relationship with Me, and you don’t have a relationship with the vulnerable (the poor, the widow, the foreigner, the oppressed, the naked, and the hungry), then you are not truly honouring Me with your worship.
This continues to be a powerful and sobering message for the Church today. A message that Jesus stressed in His teaching on the Kingdom of God.
In Isaiah chapter 61, Isaiah prophesies a future reality that will be fulfilled in Jesus. As He begins His public ministry, Jesus reads this passage from the scroll of Isaiah as recounted in Luke 4,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (verses 18-19, 21).
This declaration by Jesus must expand our understanding of the Gospel.
Jesus modelled compassion and justice in His ministry. He cared about more than just the spiritual healing of people; He physically healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, offered dignity to the marginalized and fed the hungry. His ministry embodied a Gospel that started with a proclamation, encompassed compassion, and mandated justice – even economic justice through His proclamation of the year of the Lord’s favour.
The Gospels highlight how Jesus constantly taught about and described what the Kingdom of God was like. In Luke 9 and 10, when He sent out the 12 and then the 70, He instructed them to go and proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick and cure diseases. The ministry was not just spiritual; a physical care and healing component was also available in the Kingdom of God.
Immediately after the 70 came back to report to Jesus the impact of their ministry, an expert in the law who was nearby and heard these things jumped up and asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus replied to this one who knew the law, “You tell me what is written.” The man 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” (Luke 10:27). Jesus commended his answer. Justifying himself, the man asked, “Who is my neighbour?” Jesus answered by telling the story of the Good Samaritan.
Most readers may be familiar with the Good Samaritan parable, but to summarize it: A man was walking on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho – robbers beat him and left him for dead. A priest (let’s envision an Alliance pastor) comes by and sees the man and does nothing. Then, a Levite, a teacher of the law (consider perhaps a theology professor at Ambrose or ETEQ), also comes by and sees the man lying there and does nothing. Then the Samaritan comes along and stops to help. He bandaged his wounds, took him to an inn and paid for the total expenses to see him get well.
Jesus is teaching what is essentially the Good Samaritan Principle: The Samaritan had nothing to do with the assault on the man yet took it upon himself to care for the victim’s needs even at personal cost, inconvenience, and possible danger to himself.
Jesus instructs the expert in the law to go and do likewise. If Jesus were teaching this parable to us today, He would also tell us to go and do likewise.
It is clear that loving our neighbour is NOT doing it as a means to an end, when it is convenient, or if they believe what we believe. Carrying out justice and showing compassion is an important spiritual discipline that individuals and churches must cultivate in our lives and ministries if we want to reflect an accurate image of God to the world—a God who is committed to justice, compassion, reconciliation, and healing.
I have a theologian friend who attended a national conference of church leaders in an African country a few years ago. The pastors of this African nation were discussing the fact that while 70-80 percent of people in their country claim to be Christian and attend church regularly, the country remains rife with many issues: corruption on multiple levels, tribal conflicts, domestic abuse, extreme poverty, garbage strewn in rivers and ditches, wildlife endangerment, environmental degradation, still one of the most vulnerable countries with HIV/AIDS … on and on they listed the realities. They turned to my friend and concluded, “The missionaries brought us too small of a Gospel!”
Oh, that we in the Alliance family would not be guilty of offering too small of a Gospel to the communities where we minister. As a global family of Alliance churches, we are seeking to be more intentional about cultivating holistic ministries, reflecting the Kingdom of God that will be fully recognized when Christ returns.
The Alliance World Fellowship Guayaquil Manifesto, affirmed in 2021, speaks about compassion as “the outflow of missions to the whole person; mission must integrate faith and life, word and deed, proclamation and presence; to preach the Gospel is to be committed to its demands for justice and peace.”
As we minister in communities where dominant worldviews or belief systems perpetuate oppression, poverty, and injustice, we must live out the values and priorities of the Kingdom of God. A Kingdom where justice prevails, where everything Jesus taught His followers involved living counter-cultural to the way of the world, seeking first His Kingdom.
God is reconciling and redeeming all His creation and calls us to join Him in establishing His Kingdom.
- When the Church engages in caring for the refugee, we are living out the Good Samaritan Principle for those that are hurting and in need.
- When the Church feeds the hungry and ensures that communities have sustainable food sources, we are instilling the principle that there is food for all in God’s economy so that no one goes hungry.
- When ministries engage in teaching public health programs, we seek to nurture wholeness and flourishing within communities.
- When ministries seek to empower women through education, savings groups, or skills training, we are introducing the truth that women have dignity and value.
- When churches seek ways to address poverty in their communities, we are communicating the message that there is provision and generosity in God’s economy, not scarcity and fear.
- When the Church cares for the widow and the orphan, we are reflecting a loving and compassionate God who hears and sees the cries of the vulnerable.
- When the Church seeks to reach out to rescue people who are victims of human trafficking, we demonstrate that we serve a God who longs for justice to be done.
- When the Church works with smallholder farmers in the Global South to adapt agriculture practices that mitigate the challenges of a changing climate, we are demonstrating that in God’s Kingdom, there is provision and land that produces.
- When the Church demonstrates concern for pollution and assists communities in mitigating it, we enable people to recover their calling to steward creation.
Why do we in the Alliance global family want to see local church communities and international missions committed to living out the Gospel in its wholeness? It is because the Church, living out a biblical theology of the holistic message of Christ’s work of reconciling all things, is the only hope for the world. It is the only answer to the systemic issues of poverty or injustice. Will our work for justice and community wholeness fix the brokenness completely? No, but as the Church addresses these issues, it is a sign to the world of what we hope for … for Christ’s return to establish His Kingdom in its fullness. His Kingdom is marked by His just, peaceful, and prosperous reign forever.
Jesus taught His followers to pray: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Let’s be challenged to pray this each day and ask, “How can I work to see Kingdom principles done on earth in my sphere of influence?” Imagine if we all lived called to this kind of priority. Imagine if all our local expressions of Christ’s Body committed to living out this prayer!
How the Church lives out our faith reflects the hope that we anticipate in the future when the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. The Church should, in fact, must live into the vision of what will be experienced completely when Christ returns, and all things will be reconciled, renewed, and restored. The Church, as Christ’s followers, is to live this reality out now.
We pray, “Come, Lord Jesus, come!” But Jesus is here, abiding in His Church. Let His Kingdom come on earth, as it will someday in its fullness, but until then, let His Kingdom reign in and through us, His Church.
This is an excerpt from the book, On Mission Volume 5. Download your free copy today.
- Sorley, Craig. “Creation Care and the Great Commission.” Creation Care and the Gospel: Rediscovering the Mission of the Church. Bell, Colin, White Robert, S. (editors), Peabody, MS: Hendrickson, 2016. 72-3.