“Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?” James 2:17 (The Message)

It’s a horrible question to be confronted with but I found myself challenged by the Lord with the following: If our church/ministry was to disappear would anyone in the community know we had gone or would only those who are connected to us realise we are gone and secondly would we be missed? Now like I said, I would rather stay away from these questions. The short answer is I believe that people would know and yes we would be missed! But, how much greater impact on our community can we as believers make and in what ways?

I believe the Lord wants us as individuals and as communities of believers to continue to engage with the world we live in ways that, convert our God talk into God actions that express and proclaim the completed works of God on behalf of His people, not just the words of God… Too often church communities have retreated behind the doors of church buildings and slammed them shut. Our engagement with the world has been one of moral pontificating and judgemental criticism, rather than a Jesus like approach of moving amongst the people, living out the Word of God, and proclaiming God through not only by God talk but by God acts – Hallelujah!!

May our faith in Almighty God propel us into action and see the church continue to significantly impact the communities in which we live. Sometimes we are stunned into inaction by the enormity of the problems we see in the world and are happy to retreat into the ark of our churches to escape being overwhelmed. Yet our faith demands action so that our beliefs cannot be fobbed off as outrageous nonsense. Maybe we could engage with the elderly in our communities by visiting nursing homes or holding small gatherings to comfort the lonely. Maybe we can visit the sick in hospital – not just the ones we know. Maybe we could involve ourselves in local schools scripture classes. Maybe we could provide essential needs to families in crisis. Maybe we could offer a place of refuge for those whose lives are in constant turmoil. Maybe we could engage with young people by involving ourselves in community youth initiatives. Maybe we could involve our churches in community events and committees so as to have an impact on the broader community… There are so many opportunities to convert our God talk into God Acts that confront individual and communities with the God Almighty.

Lets seek our Heavenly Father as to how we can better engage with our communities as we approach 2010. May you have a blessed Christmas and enjoy the richness of gathering with friends and family as we celebrate the birth of our Saviour Christ Jesus. Amen.