Boots On The Ground

God came to earth, incarnating as the man Jesus and demonstrated how to serve our Creator in a meaningful and tangible way. He walked among us and talked with us and showed us the ultimate expression of that love by going to the cross as the perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins. Christ conquered death – not with force, but through submission.

Jesus is not a king that sits on a hill and watches from a distance while his soldiers do the dirty work, but a King that leads His armies into battle. His willingness to put His “boots on the ground” as the physical presence of Immanuel (God with us), sets Him apart from anyone else in history. Jesus is the first fruits (1 Corinthians 15:20-23) and the rock that would smash the kingdoms of the earth and set up a dominion that will never be destroyed (Daniel 2:34-45).

He said the kingdom of God was like a mustard seed and He was that seed. His earthly ministry began in the most-humble of settings, as a baby in a manger. He spoke of love and peace and led by example. Then He commissioned the apostles to make disciples of all nations and little by little His disciples preached the gospel to civilization and the church grew and spread throughout the world.

As each of us plants a seed, collectively they grow into a crop. And as the crop ripens, it brings forth a harvest that is ten times or a hundred times greater than the seed that was planted. (Mark 10:30). And we can plant crop after crop after crop.

The seed can be a ministry of spreading the good news or it can be a mission of serving others. But it begins with one small step followed by another. It can be a collaboration with like minded Christians and it is a partnership with Christ Himself. But it all begins with looking in the mirror and asking yourself, “If not me then who? If not now then when?” Doing nothing must not be an option.

FAITH WITHOUT DEEDS IS DEAD

James encourages us to have a faith that is alive and active because faith without deeds is dead (James 2:17-23). That is what the scripture means when it says we ought to be doers of the word and not just hearers of the word (James 1:22-24). That is what Paul implies in his appeal to imitate Jesus, in 1 Corinthians 1:11, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

We are saved and freed from the consequences of sin in order to produce fruit for God. That is the purpose that Israel lost sight of. Jesus prophesied in Matthew 21:43, “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” Ephesians 2:10 reveals, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We are to be fully engaged participants in serving our Lord.

Paul provides further insight in Romans 8:28, where he writes, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Not our purpose but His purpose. We were bought with a price, therefore we are not our own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). 1 Peter 4:10 adds: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

1 Peter 2:9 describes believers as a royal priesthood, suggesting service to God. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” This verse highlights that we are called out of the world to reflect the character of our King. The King who washed the feet of His disciples – who disrobed Himself of glory, thereby illustrating the loving nature of God.

LOVE IS A DEFINING CHARACTERISTIC OF GOD

The Bible says, “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8). Love is a defining characteristic of God and a lack of love is an indication of those incognizant of Him. Shall we accept the goodness from His hand without reciprocating goodness?

Jesus said, “The greatest among you will be your servant.” (Matthew 23:11). He also said that the first will be last and the last will be first in God’s kingdom (Matthew 19:30, 20:16), meaning that from God’s perspective true greatness is found in servitude and humility and that the people the world marginalizes are considered valuable in His sight. Jesus epitomized this.

In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus shares the parable of the sheep and goats. He illustrates that kindness and compassion will be rewarded by God and that selfishness and indifference are indicative of feigned belief and will be considered worthy of condemnation.

“The king will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.’

Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?’

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.’” True believers will see the needy and less fortunate, not just as byproducts of society or the result of unlucky circumstances, but as extensions of Jesus Himself. This perspective reflects the very heart of God, who rescued us while we were still dead in our own transgressions.

LAYING UP TREASURE IN HEAVEN

This is laying up treasure in heaven by serving vulnerable populations. The poor and the homeless, the fatherless and widows, the sick and crippled. Innocent victims of violence and war. The oppressed, the depressed, the elderly and infirmed. Starving people and those in prison. (Matthew 25:40). Our mission field can be in our own back yard or it can be half way around the world. But we do have a mission and we are called to be engaged in it.

We will be blessed if we are busy with the King’s business when He returns. In Luke 12:42-44, Jesus states, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the Master puts in charge of His servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the Master finds doing so when He returns. Truly I tell you, He will put Him in charge of all His possessions.”

The Jews wanted a conquering Messiah that would drive the Romans out of Judea and never perceived Jesus as the rock that Daniel wrote about. Yet, their rejection became the fulfillment of Psalm 118:2, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;” (Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17). The Messiah they refused to accept won the battle by unleashing a militia of compassion.

The early church emulated the love of Christ through their actions and changed Roman society one heart at a time (Acts 2:42-47). And the subsequent growth of the Christian church overpowered the Roman Empire – not with the sword but with the love of Christ.

They accomplished this with boots on the ground just as Jesus did. In the streets and back alleys; on hillsides, in homes and quiet corners. Despite persecution, God’s people grew in number and flourished, and now Christianity spans the globe. We serve a King who has been in the trenches and experienced our plight. He is able to empathize with our weaknesses because He has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). He forever changed the world because He stood in our midst.