Where are the Christians?

Where are the Christians? Where are the DISCIPLES of Christ?

They seem to be far removed from many problems in this world.

They seem to be filling a pew on Sundays.

Their churches locked up during the week. Empty.

It seems to be an exception to the rule that a church be heavily involved in outreach during the week.

It seems to be out of the ordinary if a church is committed to helping the "unloveable."

We’re too busy picking out new clothes to wear to church. We’re too busy.

From my book, 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa:

There was a woman in Zimbabwe that had AIDS. She went to a Church of Christ. But when her story talks about her dying of AIDS, it says that the only support she had was her husband and children. It didn’t mention the church at all, except to say that she had been a member there. Her extended family had completely rejected her. It didn’t say that the church had rejected her, but the lack of mention in the story leads me to believe they weren’t around. If they had been around in the way Jesus was, then the story would have been quite different. It couldn’t have helped but mention the disciples of Christ that had stepped up and lovingly supported this family in their time of need if that had been the case.

This happens every day.

As Christians, we don’t like the tough situations. We just want to go to church, sing some songs, and act like we don’t have problems, and we certainly don’t want to hear about anyone else’s problems, lest we be obligated to give much of our precious time.

I’ve been reading again and again about heroes of social causes. People that stood up when others were being treated unjustly, inhumanely. These people said it wasn’t okay. These people wanted to love on the people that were being rejected by society. These people cared enough to dedicate their LIVES to caring for these people. A lot of these people that I have read about were not Christians. They weren’t Christians, but they still cared about people. Yet Christians, that are supposed to have this higher calling, that are supposed to do unto others as they would have them do unto them, these people that claim to be followers of the Christ, do nothing. We do nothing. Week after week.

God forgive me for my complacency! It kills. It kills spiritually. It kills physically. Each day I remain silent, each day I do nothing, each day I remain inactive, I am making a decision AGAINST those that are suffering.