“[The church] was organized for service; and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world. From the beginning it has been God’s plan that through His church; shall be reflected to world His fullness and His sufficiency. The members of the church; those whom He has called out of darkness into His marvelous light; are to show forth His glory.” –Acts of the Apostles; p 9 The purpose of being a disciple is not only to proclaim the good news; the word of salvation; but also to demonstrate the love of God to people who are in need. We cannot come out of the darkness and simply bask in His marvelous light; we need to go back into the darkness and make a difference. We are chosen by God to be “salt” and “light.” Wherever we are in the world—individually or collectively as the Adventist Church body—the surrounding environs must be different; transformed by our faithful presence amongst them. When we say we are Christians; we are not talking about self-serving Christianity; but other-serving Christianity. A Christianity that reflects Jesus’ heart of servant hood. We must make the shift from just going to a church to being a church in the world around us. We must pray for God’s intervention in our own lives; listen to people’s struggles and challenges; and look for opportunities in the neighborhoods and communities that surround us to serve and demonstrate God’s love. Only then will we witness real change—changes in lives and changes in our communities.
