Faith "works"
I am leading a project for the Church this year. It’s something that God put on my heart a couple of years ago and I am very excited about the opportunity.
The project is to evaluate the effectiveness of our current approach to “Deeds ministry” and to make recommendations for a revised strategy moving forward. Deeds ministry includes what we do in the areas of urban missions, poverty, orphan care, trafficking, etc… It’s basically how we serve the vulnerable segments in our community that we want to target and reach.
Briarwood currently does a lot of this ministry but it isn’t currently being done in an organized way around an overriding vision and strategy. This makes it difficult to onboard church members into the different areas of Deeds ministry and decreases our overall effectiveness.
I am in the process of meeting with 8-10 other churches in our peer group to find out how they are doing Deeds ministry. Once we gather all of this information, I will put together a committee to evaluate the different approaches and determine the best way forward for our Church. Of all of the ways that I have had the privilege to serve over the years, I believe that this role has the opportunity for the greatest impact.
James 2:14-16 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Faith “works.” Works are a byproduct of our faith as James tells us in this passage above. We don’t do works to earn our salvation - works are the evidence of our salvation. A living faith will always produce works just like a living tree will always produce its leaves and fruit.
There is no greater joy in life than understanding how God has uniquely gifted us and using those gifts for Kingdom work. An effective Deeds ministry will help others find their calling as well. I really would appreciate your prayers for me in this role this year.
Stay hungry,
Big E