Just Do It

Nike gets credit for one of the world's most famous slogans, but the concept behind those three words didn't begin there. I wonder if the marketers behind the "Just Do It" ad campaign didn't glean a little insight from the Bible for their inspiration. Specifically, from the book of James.

While the Bible is full of great instruction for us, James 1:22 is probably the pivotal instruction to make the rest of it work. Without this one sentence, Christianity would've likely ended up as a religion that sounded good on paper, but one that no one actually lived.

James 1:22 simply says that we shouldn't just listen to and read the word of God, but we also need to do what it says. We need to take it in, and then live it out.

Sadly, one doesn't have to look very far to see the results of believers who take it all in, but never do anything with what they learn from scripture or in church. One of the biggest complaints the world has against Christians and the church is that very few actually follow the teachings of Jesus. The world sees all the problems that exist: poverty, AIDS, disease, etc., but the one force that should be working to end these problems seems more concerned with internal affairs.

I can't speak to the churches around the world, only to the ones here in America. Since history has a tendency to repeat itself, I imagine the issues of the American church are not new. In fact, they are probably the very thing that James was addressing when he penned verses 22-25.

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the Leadership Summit that the Willow Creek Association puts on every year. A constistant theme was that too many churches sit idle while the world suffers with poverty and sickness, the very things Jesus told us to take care of.

I'm afraid that American Christians have gotten too comfortable letting government and para-church organizations handle these issues. It has become too easy to just let lawmakers set funding levels and try to pass legislation to end poverty. (NOTE: Government does nothing well, and we still have poverty worldwide as proof). It has become too easy to let organizations like Compassion International, the Christian Childrens Fund, Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity take our money and do the work.

In return, the American church has mostly become nothing more than a giant clubhouse where people can go to avoid the people Jesus told us to have compassion on. We have found it too easy to pay someone else to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth, and to solve all those problems.

Sure, many of us just aren't equipped with the means to go to Africa, Asia or the other parts of the world. But, for most of us, that mission field is in our own back yard. Our own cities and neighborhoods are filled with people who need help. They don't need a handout, they need someone to show God's love to them. They need someone to have compassion on them. They need someone who can help empower them to overcome their situation.

Whether you choose to help the poor, sick and orphans in your neighborhood or around the world, the important thing is that you DO SOMETHING. Romans 2:13, James 2:14-20, Matthew 7:21, Matthew 7:24-27, Luke 8:21 and John 13:17 all reference this. Live out your faith by what you do, and you will see a world transformed by the power of God.