Scott Freeman

If Not Now, When?

We, in the church are good at talk.
We have honed the fine art of homily and discourse
We can orate, debate, pontificate and dissertate with the best of them.

We can lay out our doctrinal position with acute clarity and passionate vigor.
We can quote Acts 2:38 and do the “five-finger” exercise.
We can expound on our need for evangelism and sharing the good news to a lost world.

We hold conferences, lectureships, debates, forums and workshops throughout the year in countless locales.
We talk a lot about Matthew 25 and recognizing Jesus in the poor, hungry, needy and homeless.
We talk about looking after orphans and widows in their distress per James 1:27.

Now is the not the time for talk.
Now is the time for Christians to stand up and be Jesus in the midst of tragedy.
We must go the extra mile and extend grace and mercy to the hopeless.
We must give food to the hungry.
We must provide homes to the homeless.
We must be Jesus to the world.

People are homeless–with no hope of returning to their home in the foreseeable future.
I was homeless. Did you take me in?

I have said much in this space in the last few months about loving people more.
About reaching out across racial, geographical, economic and cultural lines to truly minister and to be a reflection of Christ.

Now is the time for me to stop talking and start doing.
Now it the time for me to risk. To make myself vulnerable.
To stop counting the cost of opening my home to others. I need to be counting the cost if I don’t.
It is time to stop worrying about how monetary contributions will effect our budget and start relying on God’s faithful provision.

May it never be said that we had the opportunity to minister and we shrunk back in fear.
May it never be said that we had the opportunity to feed others and we simply fed ourselves.
May it never be said that the world mobilized while we sympathized.

Now is the time for the church to move and to act.
If not now, when?
Will there be another opportunity in our lifetime of this magnitude to model Jesus?
Will there be more need, more poverty, more pain than what we see now?
Will there be a greater call for Christians to reach through the viciousness of despair and proffer hope?
Will there be an instance in the future where we will be better prepared, more willing and able to aid others in the throes of desperation?

No, this is the time.
So much good is being done in the midst of so much bad. So many people willing to help out, to aid, to assist, to love.
Let us be a part of that. Let us make a difference.

For if we fail to BE Jesus in the time of their greatest need then we forfeit the right to PREACH Jesus in the calm moments of their soul.

The time is now.
Let’s open up our church, our homes, our lives.
Jesus is calling us to go.
Now.