The Greatest Social Need

"THE GREATEST SOCIAL NEED in the world today is not HIV/AIDS outreach. It's not hunger. It's not global warming. Not ending poverty or eliminating malaria or tuberculosis. Not even clean water. Not racial reconciliation. Not sexual trafficking. Not abortion. And it's not peace in the Middle East, and not even world peace... [it] is alienation from God...Of course, this alienation is much more than a social problem. It is fundamentally a spiritual problem that constitutes humanity's greatest crisis: billions of men and women who do not know the love and grace of their Creator."

I read this out of a Christianity Today magazine today. It was sitting on the couch and I have seen the cover many a times as it sits in our common room at the CSM housing site but never read it until just a few minutes ago...it said "the #1 social issue". It drew me in because I was curious as to what it said. I opened to the article and read it. I was happy to hear that they signified the importance of the gospel. I think so often, we as Christians seem to give a dollar here and there and call it a day, or even serve weekly at a homeless shelter, but don't tend to say the words of Christ by sharing the gospel. I think social justice is important, in fact Micah 6:8 talks about it, but I can't help but think...sharing the gospel is more important. Fight to get homeless of the street and into houses so that they can live through the night, but also give them the gospel and they can live for eternity. Now this isn't to say that they shouldn't still be fought for to help get them off the street, but just a reminder that their soul is more important when it comes to salvation.
I think that sharing the Gospel is something that we as Christians need to work on. We need to remember we can be his hands and feet only so much before we also need to speak words of our risen Lord and Savior! I am excited for the group to come tomorrow and I look forward to getting to know the people in my group as well as start to form relationships with the people that we work with at different ministry sites. I think that that will be a great opportunity to share the gospel with the people at the ministry sites.

-Jeni Ellis, CSM Houston Summer 2009 City Host