Should Christians preach Christ while doing charity?
I had an experience that nearly ruined my ministry. A few years back I met a man who was willing to fund the works of charity that did not lay emphasis on Gospel proclamation but concentrated exclusively on the act of charity. According to him, “Humanity comes first before religion.” I humbly declined the offer. I believe that charity is an expression of the love of Christ to humanity. Therefore, Christ must be the focal point.
On another occasion, a friend of mine contacted an international non-governmental organization to partner with my ministry on medical mission. We arranged for a medical outreach to a remote community. As we were getting ready for the outreach, I was informed that one of terms and conditions prohibited us to pray or talk about Christ during the outreach. According to them, it is against their rules of engagement. The journey was cancelled because I insisted that the only reason why I do what I do is because of Christ, and every of my act of charity is to point people to Christ.
I have often wondered why most charity organizations, including those founded by Christians, do not allow the preaching of the Gospel while carrying out humanitarian interventions. I have seen churches doing charity without talking about Christ because they do not want to offend their funders. Non-Christians excluding the Gospel from their charity agenda is at least logical. Christians doing that is downright heretical. There is no act of charity that has more of an eternal value to the beneficiaries than the gift of salvation through Christ.
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A look at the Scripture will show that Christian charity is a response to the instruction of Christ and not what Christians do because they have good hearts. “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35 ). Paul in his farewell speech to the elders of the church in Ephesus encouraged them to do charity by reminding them what Christ said.
Christians who exclude the Gospel in their act of charity do not really know why they do charity. If they do, they must place the salvation of their beneficiaries above their physical needs. “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungry, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me” (Mathew 25:34-36).
Have we ever wondered what would happen to those whom we have fed, clothed, accommodated, visited in their time of sickness, incarceration, tragedy, and grief after they have died? Shouldn't where they would spend their eternity bother us? The compassion which moves Christians to go extra miles to meet the needs of the underprivileged should also move them to care for their souls and do everything to bring them to the saving knowledge of Christ. The greatest indifference to the poor and needy is not to ignore their physical needs but to neglect their soul’s needs. Every act of Christian charity should be an avenue to bring people to Christ and preserve their souls.
Christians should not emulate the standard of the world in their Charity works by excluding the Gospel. We should always be reminded that when the Church does good works it should not be seen as the work of a social service agency, but the work of the Gospel. Paul believed that preaching the Gospel is not negotiable for Christians: “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:16). These words should be in our mind as we undertake charity works.
Every Christian work should be carried in the spirit of sharing Christ. Our faith must be made manifest in our act of charity and should not be mistaken for philanthropy. When the beneficiaries of Christian charity receive our packs, they should feel the spirit of Christ and understand who is motivating us to do what we do. In their joy and expression of thanks, we should point them to the love of God towards humanity and how He crucified His only begotten son for the salvation of mankind.
Oscar Amaechina is the president of Afri-Mission and Evangelism Network, Abuja, Nigeria. His calling is to take the gospel to where no one has neither preached nor heard about Jesus. He is the author of the book Mystery Of The Cross Revealed.
