Following Judah's Lion

The Only Way

Jn.14:6 - Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Everything is hollow and temporal without Christ. There has been a debate, which has intensified in these last several decades, concerning social justice, social gospel, and the emphasis or de-emphasis on humanitarian works in the lives of believers and the church as a whole. One side emphasizes humanitarian works to the detriment of the gospel, while the other side gives a disingenuous nod to humanitarian works without any real concern.
But let us be unequivocal concerning the gospel message. There can be no compromise, no dilution, and no downplaying of the Lord Jesus and His gospel. Any humanitarian works done by the church and/or its individual believers must have a gospel message component. And when I say component, I do not mean the ambiguousness of kindness that is duplicated among unbelievers and other religions. Kindness can open doors, but it is not the gospel.
There is perhaps no greater mistreatment of lost sinners than showing them kindness without sharing Christ. That just may be the most unkind thing you could do to them. In essence it mocks them and keeps from them that which alone can save their souls. And yet many believers feel fulfilled when they lend a helping hand to the needy, even when they leave them without lifting up Christ. This is no spiritual elective, this must have at its foundation the message of redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ.
I realize that the claims of Christ are scandalous and that He is a stumbling block to this darkened world, but He must always be the banner that is flown high in our lives and in the life of the church. We should be quick to help the poor and needy, but that must be wrapped in Christ. Every cup of cold water is meaningless if not given in His name.
We must never let loose of this basic, universal truth:
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
If we ever get too sophisticated to believe that then we will have left Christ.