How closely do you follow?

I've been feeling that uneasy feeling again lately. You know the feeling I'm talking about - it's that feeling that you aren't doing everything that you know you should be doing. What am I talking about? I'm referring to how I serve and live for Jesus.

My entire life I've attended churches where God's truth has faithfully been proclaimed by godly men. I've also been taught that there are other congregations across our land that water down the Word of God and therefore don't address the serious issues of sin and the need for repentance and forgiveness. But it seems like those "other" churches, while weak on theology, are doing a much better job at loving their fellow man than the ones who stand steadfastly on God's truth. I've learned that just because you stand on God's truth doesn't mean you will actually move yourself off of it to obey what it commands.

That's why I'm so uneasy. I feel as if I'm not doing enough to actually live out God's truth that I believe in my heart. Some of my uneasiness comes from the fact that I don't know if I have the resources or even the know-how to live out His truth. I want to feed the poor, provide aid to the sick, and clothe the needy but there seems like so little that I can do on my own. Another reason for my uneasiness is that I am too content to throw what little money I have at the problem instead of actually discovering how I can be an active part of the solution.

I believe that it's time that followers of Christ begin to rethink how we are trying to reach out in Jesus' name. Do people need the salvation that only Jesus can bring? Absolutely! But a backyard Bible club or a big revival meeting isn't going to help the family down the street in crisis because the father got laid off and can't afford to put food on the table. Instead of holding events where we hope people will come in to hear the gospel, maybe it's time that we focus more on how we can take the living gospel to them. After all, building the kingdom is much more than hosting an event in a building. It's going out into the world to take the kingdom to those who don't believe.