Christian Charity vs Worldly Niceness
IF OPRAH AND THE MORMONS CAN DO CHARITY LIKE YOUR CHURCH… THERE IS A PROBLEM! I have been both shocked and grieved lately as I see Christians get so excited to share “random acts of kindness” as if these acts are equal to Christian charity.
Christian charity by definition is gospel centered- not man centered. In other words, the gospel message must be the center to the act of kindness, not an option.
Now I know from a Christian worldview that all love comes from God as its source and every good and perfect gift is from our heavenly Father. However, at the same time, do you consider when Mormons do earthquake relief or celebrities fund an orphanage that these acts are equal to the gospel?
Furthermore, if Ashton Kutcher can do your charitable work the same exact way you do it then it’s missing the most important part- Jesus Christ.
Though we don’t restrict our charitable efforts to only Christians or try to manipulate suffering people with our charity to become Christians- we do however have an obligation to preach the gospel and make disciples in all that we do- especially when we do charitable giving. Otherwise, we are simply making the journey to hell more comfortable.
This is all troubling to me because I’m seeing a trend for Christians to move away from biblical gospel-centered charity to “viral pop culture feel-good charity.” I believe this is because they are looking for a share from Will Smith or a mention on Jennifer Lopez’s instagram. Most celebs wouldn’t want to share Jesus’ acts of kindness or His disciples because it came with the teachings of the Kingdom of God- not social “niceisms,” i.e., “love yourself, believe in yourself, you’re special, you can make it, have an awesome day, we love you, etc.”
Niceness without the gospel is powerless and leaves sinners lost in their sin and still under the wrath of God.
One Christian commented on a pastor giving a large tip to a pizza delivery gal that he was so happy that she was never asked if she was saved or knew Jesus. As if this was true love because he avoided the “messy gospel.” If this woman never hears the gospel and repents she will go to the lake of fire (despite getting a $1,000 tip).
Once again, I’m not saying that people have to be Christians to receive Christian charity, but I’m concerned that as Christians are being disobedient to be public witnesses for Jesus they are hiding behind worldly style charity and calling it the “the gospel.”
The ole’ quote, “Preach the gospel. Use words if necessary,” is a lie. You cannot preach the gospel without words. Words like repent, believe and turn form your wicked ways and be born again should be front and center. That was Jesus’ way and the early church’s way of doing charity.
Dear Christian, we are to do more than just give away pizzas to homeless people, give gift cards to fire fighters, tip pizza drivers in the middle of service and build playgrounds in the inner city—- we are to be Good Samaritans that preach the gospel and make disciples.
Moving forward, before sharing some viral “feel good act of charity” video ask yourself- “Does this gift help people know Jesus more or could a Mormon or Chance the Rapper have done the exact same thing?”