1 - Introduction - Living like a real Christian When will you show you care? | Page 10

spoken about this week, did not just give things to the poor, but He, Himself, became
poor.
This great condescension of God is a truth that will never cease to blow our minds;
that the God of incredible glory, the One who sits enthroned in the heavens, the One
who is worshipped by millions of angels, is the same God who took upon Himself
the form of a baby and was born in a smelly stable. He grew up as a blue-collar
worker, never experiencing the luxuries of worldly living, ultimately to die a
criminal’s death upon a cross and He did all of that for us! How amazing is this
truth! I believe that when we truly grasp the magnitude of God’s gracious act and
display of incredible mercy, that we can never be the same again.
Jesus’ example to us of developing a mind-set of compassion and mercy is
something that everyone, who chooses to be a follower of Christ, should endeavour
specifically to follow. As much as this is an individual challenge to us, it also is a
challenge that we face as a church. Our Norwegian Settlers Church has been
positioned in our community in the most unique situation. We are surrounded by
every demographic group possible, ranging from those who are affluent and welloff, right through to those who are hungry and naked, and we find ourselves right in
the middle of all of this. This brings with it incredible opportunity for us to imitate
Christ in addressing the needs of our community. I know full-well that people may
take advantage of us as we seek to do this, but let’s do it anyway. If we are going to
err in regard to generosity, let us err on the side of extravagant compassion. Let us
not try and work out who is more deserving than another, but let us, as a church,
rise to the challenge to be a true Isaiah 58 church, where we realise that the blessing
of God and the approval of God is of far higher worth than anything else. I don’t
know about you, but to win God’s approval and for Him at the end of the day to
say,“Well done, good and faithful servant”, is something that should motivate us and
cause our hearts within us to break for the needs of those mentioned in Isaiah 58.
Remember too, that as we said on Monday, Jesus is so beautifully and mystically
entwined in the lives of the hungry and the homeless. I trust that we will respond
appropriately.
Today let me close with another Tony Campolo story:
“Will Campbell at one time handled civil rights issues as an employee of the National
Council of Churches, but he is now a self-appointed missionary to “rednecks”. I heard
him preach a sermon once, critiquing “the invitation” as it is given in most Baptist
churches. Those of us who are acquainted with such invitations know that at the end