My wife and I just got back from Salatiga Indonesia for a three days training on Disaster Respond conducted by International Disaster Respond Network. We are living in the last days and we are seeing the natural and manmade disaster on the rise.
The church should play an active role the disaster activity as the Bible clearly states that it is the responsibility of the church and her members to care for the needy and we should always cherish these acts of love and kindness to those of us who were in great need.
It is the Root of Our Faith, sometimes we see welfare as simply another gospel topic—one of the many branches on the gospel tree. But I believe that in the Lord’s plan, our commitment to welfare principles should be at the very root of our faith and devotion to Him.
Since the beginning of time, our Heavenly Father has spoken with great clarity on this subject: from the gentle plea, “If you love me … you will remember the poor, and consecrate of your properties for their support”.
The two great commandments—to love God and our neighbour—are a joining of the temporal and the spiritual. It is important to note that these two commandments are called “great” because every other commandment hangs upon them. In other words, our personal, family, and Church priorities must begin here. All other goals and actions should spring from the fountain of these two great commandments—from our love for God and for our neighbour. Like two sides of a coin, the temporal and spiritual are inseparable.
Unfortunately, there are those who overlook the temporal because they consider it less important. They treasure the spiritual while minimizing the temporal. While it is important to have our thoughts inclined toward heaven, we miss the essence of our faith and belief if our hands are not also inclined towards our fellowman.
As always, we can look to our perfect example, Jesus Christ, for a pattern. When the Saviour came upon the earth he had two great missions; one was to work out the Messiahship, the atonement for the fall, and the fulfilment of the law; the other was the work which he did among his brethren and sisters in the flesh by way of relieving their sufferings.
There are many good people and organizations in the world that are trying to meet the pressing needs of the poor and needy everywhere. We are grateful for this, but the Lord’s way of caring for the needy is different from the world’s way. The Lord has said, “It must needs be done in mine own way.” He is not only interested in our immediate needs; He is also concerned about our eternal progression.
We Are All Enlisted in this work for the Lord.
Please do not think that this is someone else’s responsibility. It is mine, and it is yours. We are all enlisted, rich and poor, in every nation. In the Lord’s plan, there is something everyone can contribute. The lesson we learn generation after generation is that rich and poor are all under the same sacred obligation to help their neighbour. It will take all of us working together to successfully apply the principles of welfare especially in times of disaster.
Too often we notice the needs around us, hoping that someone from far away will appear to meet those needs. Perhaps we wait for experts with specialized knowledge to solve specific problems. When we do this, we deprive our neighbour of the service we could render, and we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to serve.
The Lord’s way is not to sit at the side of the stream and wait for the water to pass before we cross. It is to come together, roll up our sleeves, go to work, and build a bridge or a boat to cross the waters of our challenges.
So let’s roll up our sleeves get to work, continue with our plan to get ready 1000 bags of non-perishable goods like tooth brushes, soap etc. Let Saviour’s Disaster Response Team be the light and the salt.