I recently went on a short-term mission trip to Mexico, where we assisted in medical clinics and otherwise supported church plants in towns afflicted by poverty.  A few of us took a break from the clinic one day and climbed a hill outside Tlayacapan to catch a bird’s eye view of the town. I spent some time alone up there to gaze out at the town and think about the people who lived there. It was humbling to see that many of the houses had fewer than four walls and only a scrap of tin for a partial roof. The poverty was so evident from up high, and my view enlarged my heart for the town. I began to think about the heart of God himself for the town - certainly for the eternal salvation of the souls in Tlayacapan, and more broadly for the expansion of his kingdom there.

In Luke 4:18-19, at the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, Jesus stood in the synagogue at Nazareth and read Isaiah 61:1-2: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.” Jesus showed early that the good news of the kingdom was closely linked to relief for the poor and oppressed and the establishment of justice and righteousness upon the earth.

God expects his children to understand their pivotal role in the establishment of the kingdom. James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” Furthermore, Micah 6:8 says, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

When I read these verses, I see that evangelism, or sharing the good news of the kingdom, is more than telling people about eternal salvation. It also includes bringing God’s justice and righteousness to bear upon this earth, as it is in heaven. So, when we assisted in the medical clinics, we weren’t only building contacts for future evangelism by the church planters. The medical attention itself was sharing the good news of God’s kingdom. What a joy it was to make a small contribution to that end.

The prophecy of Isaiah teaches us that it is not enough to assist in medical clinics a few days of the year, as I have just done. God requires his children to make their lives about seeking justice upon the earth. Isaiah 1:15-17 says,

"So when you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide My eyes from you;
Yes, even though you multiply prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are covered with blood.

"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight.
Cease to do evil,
Learn to do good;
Seek justice,

Reprove the ruthless,
Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.

When I read such exhortations after my trip, I realize that a week in Mexico is a far cry from what the Lord requires of me. I hope that God will provide me more hilltop experiences, literally or figuratively, to show me his wide love for all the towns and cities of the earth. And I pray that the Lord will strengthen me to live a life defined by doing good, seeking justice, reproving the ruthless, defending the orphan, and pleading for the widow. May his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

© 2006, Amy Lauger