Are We Doing the Work of the Gospel?

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching..."
2 Timothy 3:16-17

Yes.  I answer an emphatic YES!  But, I think there is more...  Please read on...

Together we focus on 5 Impact Points... Evangelism, Discipleship, Education, Social Compassion and Community Development.  The Gospel requires this.  This is why we exist.

I have had some unique experiences recently that have really caused me to deeply reflect upon the needs of the church here in Haiti.  Out of respect for the Haitian church and people, I won't share the details.  Please understand, I fully understand that there are grave and troubling problems in the US church as well.  In fact, RMI considers both lands when we consider what we hope to accomplish in our push to "transform lives in Christ".

Let me be clear, our teams come and do a lot.  As an example... together we feed the hungry, we give clean water, we share the gospel in open air meetings and yard2yard conversations, we provide schools for education, we enable kids to have hope through education, we hug each other and are simply present with one another, we provide generators so people have power, we train leaders, we build school and church benches, we pray for one another, we provide medical care, we encourage the faithful, and the list goes on and on...  and all of these are REALLY important Gospel activities and we have no desire for these to slow down.  In fact, we want to do more.  But, today I want to encourage RMI and our partners to increase our efforts in the area of discipleship.

What do I mean by discipleship?  Biblical teaching on what it means to follow Christ more and more in every aspect of our lives.

I recently sat in my office talking to one of our national RMI leaders, sharing my experiences mentioned above and asking them to give me insight.  Their response was "Director, it's a problem of discipleship.  They simply don't know any different.  No one has told them what the Bible says about that."

Go and MAKE DISCIPLES, teaching them to observe all that He has commanded.  America is an educated society with LOTS to share.  We are blessed, so let's not be stingy.

Why not set aside some time while you are here with your team to bring together the church people, maybe specifically the various leaders of the church, and do some teaching.   This can be a special gathering, and/or you can do this in our normal gatherings... youth, kids, men, women, deacons, etc.  Consider the following...

What is Biblical Holiness?
As fellow members of the Church, what is our responsibility to one another?
What does the Bible say about stewardship?
What does the Bible say about jealousy?
What does the Bible say about marriage?
What does the Bible say about purity?
How can we use our bodies to honor the Lord?
What does the Bible say about pre-marital and extra-marital sex?
What does it mean to be "Christlike"?
What is truth and why is it important?
What is grace?
What is Love?
What is the role of men in the church and family?
What does the Bible say about the exploitation of women?
What does it mean to "not conform the the pattern of this world"?
What are the Fruits of the Spirit?

Remember, don't teach what the American culture says.  Teach what the Bible says.  If you would find it helpful, our field team would love to talk with you about your content ahead of time to help you contextualize with Haitian culture.

Why not encourage the AWANA discipleship program more in your Haitian church?  Ask us how.

BTW, some other day, I will share what I think the Haitian church can uniquely teach the American Church.  American Church, we have problems too!