I recently came across an article that I wrote over twenty years ago:
On the road to Jericho lay a man beaten, bloody, broken… unable to help himself.
On the road to Jericho lay a man beaten, bloody, broken… unable to help himself. Religious leaders by chance came by and were confronted with this uncomely sight. Sad to say, they turned their heads and walked away, presumably clutching their appointment books stuffed with greater priorities. “The man was foolish for getting into such trouble,” or “God was probably judging him” were simple rationalizations. Soon, as they sat down to a delicious dinner, the man in need was but a distant memory. Yet, his sobbing and suffering did not stop. There was just nobody to listen.
Gratefully, a Good Samaritan man was willing to LOVE a neighbor whom he had never met. Demonstrating God’s Love, he set aside his own personal comfort and racial bigotry (Jews and Samaritans wern’t suppose to get along). By investing the necessary time and money, he went beyond mere pity to actual Christian compassion.
Today, it seems the church has fled the city and has found comfort in their quiet suburbs. Although the church is no longer there to listen, the countless cries of hopelessness and despair continue on. We are willing to send a missionary to the “uttermost parts of the earth” while we overlook the “Judea” and “Samaria” in our own back yards. These missionary efforts must continue, but we must not forget that we need not cross an ocean to enter a mission field. There are mission fields just as open to the gospel- needy, dependent on outside support, and even sometimes dangerous, right here in America.
If you are not now giving a percentage of your mission funds to the inner city, prayerfully consider helping New Life Ministries (NOW WWW.BodyofChristCares.org).
RIGHT NOW IN OUR OWN COUNTRY, THE INNER CITY (urban) REMAINS A MAJOR UNREACHED MISSION AREA.
Please pray for me and the ministry.
Sincerely,
Scott Reese – late 1980’On the road to Jericho lay a man beaten, bloody, broken… unable to help himself.
Religious leaders by chance came by and were confronted with this uncomely sight. Sad to say, they turned their heads and walked away, presumably clutching their appointment books stuffed with greater priorities. “The man was foolish for getting into such trouble,” or “God was probably judging him” were simple rationalizations.
Soon, as they sat down to a delicious dinner, the man in need was but a distant memory. Yet, his sobbing and suffering did not stop. There was just nobody to listen.
Gratefully, a Good Samaritan man was willing to LOVE a neighbor whom he had never met. Demonstrating God’s Love, he set aside his own personal comfort and racial bigotry (Jews and Samaritans wern’t suppose to get along). By investing the necessary time and money, he went beyond mere pity to actual Christian compassion.
Today, it seems the church has fled the city and has found comfort in their quiet suburbs. Although the church is no longer there to listen, the countless cries of hopelessness and despair continue on. We are willing to send a missionary to the “uttermost parts of the earth” while we overlook the “Judea” and “Samaria” in our own back yards. These missionary efforts must continue, but we must not forget that we need not cross an ocean to enter a mission field. There are mission fields just as open to the gospel- needy, dependent on outside support, and even sometimes dangerous, right here in America.
If you are not now giving a percentage of your mission funds to the inner city, prayerfully consider helping New Life Ministries (NOW WWW.BodyofChristCares.org).
RIGHT NOW IN OUR OWN COUNTRY, THE INNER CITY (urban) REMAINS A MAJOR UNREACHED MISSION AREA.
Please pray for me and the ministry.
Sincerely,
Scott Reese – late 1980’s
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