{"id":159,"date":"2007-09-07T03:01:50","date_gmt":"2007-09-07T03:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2007\/09\/sent-to-enact-the-good-news-part-3.html"},"modified":"2007-09-07T03:01:50","modified_gmt":"2007-09-07T03:01:50","slug":"sent-to-enact-the-good-news-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2007\/09\/sent-to-enact-the-good-news-part-3.html","title":{"rendered":"Sent to Enact the Good News, Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 13 of series: The Mission of God and the Missional Church<\/em>
\nPermalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nUntil a few months ago, most people were unfamiliar with William Wilberforce. The recent movie Amazing Grace<\/em> has changed that considerably. This film, starring Ioan Gruffudd as Wilberforce, narrates the first part of Wilberforce’s truly amazing, grace-filled and gracious life.
\nBorn into wealth and privilege in 1759, Wilberforce was known in his early years only for his love of socializing and his several physical infirmities. He had no guiding purpose for his well-to-do yet meaningless existence. When he was elected to the British Parliament as a young man, he sought nothing more than his own fame.
\nBut when a Christian friend shared the good news of Christ with him, Wilberforce realized the emptiness of his life. He considered withdrawing from politics altogether. But, as he trusted Christ for salvation on Easter Sunday, 1786, Wilberforce sensed a new zeal to serve the Lord within the sphere of government. Ultimately he seized upon the abolition of slavery as the focus of his Christian and political energies. Though discouraged by many Christian leaders because of the apparent impossibility of the mission, Wilberforce believed that God had sent him into politics to fight against the evils of slavery. (Photo to the right: The real William Wilberforce was not quite as good looking as Ioan Gruffudd.)
\nIn 1788 he introduced a measure in the British Parliament to end the slave trade, and was resoundingly defeated. Similar measures were defeated in 1791, 1792, 1793, 1797, 1798, 1799, 1804, and 1805. Finally, in 1807 Parliament voted to abolish the slave trade, though leaving the institution of slavery untouched. This is where the film Amazing Grace<\/em> ended. But Wilberforce had much more to do.
\nFor the next 26 years Wilberforce continued his crusade. Finally, on July 26, 1833, the emancipation of slaves was insured when a committee of the House of Commons ironed out the details of Wilberforce’s anti-slavery bill. Three days later, after 45 years of God-honoring effort, William Wilberforce died, leaving an unsurpassed legacy of Christian concern for justice. His efforts encouraged American evangelicals who worked tirelessly for the abolition of slavery in the United States.
\nUnfortunately, some Christians have driven a wedge between the proclamation of the good news and the enactment of that news. The 20th century witnessed debilitating arguments between proponents of “evangelism” and “social justice,” as if we had to choose between two activities that are both essential to our full mission as Christians. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that Christ died both<\/em> to reconcile us to God and<\/em> to bring reconciliation among people (Eph 2:1-18). What God has joined together, let no one put asunder!
\nIncreasingly in our time, the unbiblical breach between proclamation and enactment of the gospel has been mended. Many well-known and respected Christian organizations combine evangelism with social action, offering the fullness of healing as a demonstration of the gospel. World Vision leads the world in caring for and empowering the poor. Habitat for Humanity builds homes for the homeless in the name of Christ. Prison Fellowship seeks to lead inmates to Christ, to improve their treatment in prison, to care for their families during their incarceration, and to help them become contributing members of society upon their release. Many churches invest their time, talent, and treasure in spreading the gospel and living the gospel through works of charity and justice.
\nYou and I can enact the good news through our participation in some facet of Christ’s ministry. We might visit shut-in senior citizens, or feed the hungry at a homeless shelter, or pound nails with Habitat for Humanity. Moreover, we can show our world the truth of the gospel by loving everyone God’s brings into our path. When we love our Christian brothers and sisters in particular, the reality of the gospel can be seen in our fellowship. As Jesus said to His first followers, so he says now to us:<\/p>\n

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples (John 13:34-35).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 13 of series: The Mission of God and the Missional Church Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series Until a few months ago, most people were unfamiliar with William Wilberforce. The recent movie Amazing Grace has changed that considerably. This film, starring Ioan Gruffudd as Wilberforce, narrates the first part of Wilberforce’s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mission"],"yoast_head":"\nSent to Enact the Good News, Part 3 - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}