Christian Mission and Poverty
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Christian Mission and Poverty
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
~ Luke 4:18–19
What are the commands of Jesus that he has commissioned us to teach? Jesus’ commandments to his followers are to love God with all that we are and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matt 22:37–39). When we love our neighbor as ourselves, we work for our neighbor to have access to the whole life we desire for ourselves, spiritually and physically. Christian mission is spiritual and physical. Christian mission is salvation from sin and liberation from oppression. Christian mission is charity and justice. Christian mission is personal and political. When we engage in the kind of either-or thinking that encourages us to choose one or the other, we elevate adherence to an ideology above faithfulness to Jesus; we pledge allegiance to a kingdom of this world rather than God’s kingdom. However, when we read the Bible with the mothers and fathers of the faith, we hear a different story—a more complete story. We hear the story of God’s love for the world in redeeming the lost and setting the captive free. We hear the story of God’s justice for the world in having mercy on the sinner and empowering the marginalized. We hear the story of Jesus’ redemption of all creation in inaugurating God’s kingdom and ushering in a new heaven and earth. We learn that Christian mission and justice for the poor cannot be separated.
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