慈惠事工如何帮助教会福音事工
美国很多教会已将慈惠事工与福音事工分离。一些会众认为，向有需要的人显出友好本身就是善事，基督徒不应该觉得必须传福音以合理化自己的慈惠行为。事实上，一些人甚至会说，将慈惠作为福音事工的途径是不纯粹的。
另有会众相信福音事工是我们能够对邻舍实施的最重要的慈惠行动，这是正确的；但是他们错误地得出结论说，其它行善方式可有可无，或者不必要。
我认为，教会不应该把传讲福音与慈惠行动分割开来。若是会众热心于向穷人显出友好，就得承认我们最大的贫穷是灵性的贫穷，我们能够施舍的最好的粮食是生命的粮。但是，若会众特别热心于传福音，他们也得意识到，神造我们并非无形无体的游魂。因此，为了以耶稣命令的方式爱我们的邻舍，我们应该也能够同时解决他们实际的需要。毕竟，好撒玛利亚人没有给受伤的人一本福音册子，而是包扎他的伤口。
慈惠事工如何帮助福音事工？
尽管慈惠事工可能阻碍福音事工，但是实际上其仍然能够以多种方式促进福音事工和培养门徒，以及为这两者创造机会。以下列出5种方式。
1. 慈惠行为彰显基督的性情。
福音见证的一个重要方面就是向非信徒显出基督的美好，而我们救主的性情中最美好的一个方面是他对有需要之人的仁慈（例如，路7：13）。当我们向有需要的人显出爱心和怜悯时，我们就彰显基督令人折服的爱心和性情。
2. 慈惠行为显出福音改变人的能力。
同样地，我们帮助邻舍时，就是证明我们的信息是真实的。如果我们传讲福音有改变生命的能力，我们的慈惠事工就是证明之一。
在一个大部分人不与他人往来，也只关心自身利益的世界，基督徒有机会以难以言喻的爱心和无私的服侍让他人惊叹。我们想要人们被我们的关心所困惑，以致他们意识到唯一的解释就是，基督徒真实地被好消息转变了。
3. 慈惠行为为门训关系的样式树立榜样。
大使命呼召我们造就门徒，教导他们遵守基督吩咐的一切（太28：18-20）。当基督徒顺服主的指示，爱仇敌，对邻舍一味牺牲地怜悯，我们就是树立榜样，告诉人们背起十字架跟从耶稣这一呼召的内涵。
4. 慈惠行为承认人类的情况。
如同上面观察到的，神创造人类是有形有体的。我们身体的状况极大影响我们的生活。我们若是饥饿，寒冷，醉酒，患病或是处于危险，生活就如同雪上加霜。因此，在传福音时，若未能意识到对方生活中有影响的实际因素，就可能被认为不着调以及冷漠。
重要的是，我们要意识到我们的需要是有次序的，有时候我们最大的需要不是最紧急的需要。因此我们可以凭信心说，每个人最大的需要是借着信靠基督，与神和好。但是，若有人头破血流地来到你家门口，这个需要虽然没有那么重要，却是更为紧急。首先你得包扎受伤的头，然后你才分享福音。
5. 慈惠行为创造分享福音的机会
有句老话说：你若想要朋友，先成为朋友。我们都想和对我们友好的人、对我们生活感兴趣的人以及愿意帮助我们的人交往。因此，向他人显出切实的关心是连接社区的简易之路。
我们都应该跟那些生活与我们自然连接的人分享基督，比如我们的邻舍、朋友和同事。但是，以慈惠行为接近有需要的人提供机会，与那些我们很难接近的人建立关系。
我所牧养的会众提供了一些例子：
食品储藏室向成百上千有需要的人提供食品百货。在分发食物时，这些人听到福音，他们开始和教会的人建立关系，并被问及是否可以到他们的家里拜访谈论圣经。
一群无家可归的人受邀到一个教会成员的家里每周吃晚饭，学习圣经。他们享用一顿比收容所的食物更好的晚餐，享受在一个家庭里的机会，以及脱离日日在街上单调乏味的生活，还有建立友谊、被人尊重的机会。时间久了，他们被挑战回应福音，开始参与到教会生活中。
教会每周招待身处险境的青少年。他们享用一顿饭，有机会在安全的环境中和朋友们出去闲逛，也有机会和积极向上的成人楷模建立关系。
一个家庭为受到性虐待的青少年提供寄养关怀。他们接她到家里，为她提供安全和保护，开始带她归向基督。
在每一种情况中，慈惠行动开启了与需要福音之人的联系。没有初步的关心和爱心，就没有分享基督的机会。努力向众人行善——特别是永恒的善事。
努力向众人行善——尤其关乎永恒的善事
简言之，若是使福音和慈惠事工互相竞争，就会于我们有损。相反，这两者互补的方式是，慈惠事工帮助福音事工。所以，我们应该努力向众人行善（加6：10），特别是，我们或许能向他们行有永恒意义的善事。
How Mercy Serves Evangelism in the Church
Many American churches have separated mercy and evangelism.
Some congregations think that showing kindness to those in need is a good thing in its own right, and Christians should not feel compelled to evangelize in order to legitimize their deeds of mercy. In fact, some would go so far as to say that using mercy as a doorway to evangelism is disingenuous.
Other congregations rightly believe that evangelism is the most important act of mercy that we could possibly undertake for our neighbor, but they wrongly conclude that other kinds of mercy are optional or unnecessary.
It is my contention that churches should not separate the proclamation of the gospel from deeds of mercy. If a congregation is passionate about showing kindness to the poor, it must acknowledge that our greatest poverties are spiritual ones, and that the best bread we can give away is the Bread of Life. But if a congregation is particularly passionate about evangelism, they must also recognize that God has not made us disembodied spirits. So, in order to love our neighbor as Jesus commands, we should, as we are able, address their practical needs as well. After all, the Good Samaritan didn’t give the injured man a gospel tract, he bandaged his wounds.
HOW CAN MERCY SERVE EVANGELISM?
While mercy ministry can detract from evangelism, there are many ways in which mercy actually serves, and creates opportunities for, evangelism and disciple-making. Here are five of them.
1. Deeds of mercy demonstrate the character of Christ.
An important part of our evangelistic witness is showing unbelievers the excellence of Christ, and one of the most beautiful aspects of our Savior’s character is his kindness to those in need (e.g., Luke 7:13). When we show love and compassion to those in need, we display Christ’s compelling love and character.
2. Deeds of mercy show the power of the gospel to change us.
Similarly, when we help our neighbor we give evidence that our message is true. If we claim that the gospel has the power to change lives, then our mercy is one thing that proves it.
In a world where most people keep to themselves and only take care of their own, Christians have an opportunity to stun others with our inexplicable love and selfless service. We want people to be perplexed by our care so that they realize the only explanation is that Christians have been genuinely transformed by the good news.
3. Deeds of mercy model a pattern of discipleship.
The Great Commission calls us to make disciples and teach them to obey all that Jesus commanded (Matt. 28:18-20). When Christians obey the Lord’s instructions to love our enemies and be sacrificially merciful to our neighbor, we model what is meant by the call to take up our cross and follow Jesus. The recipients of our mercy are invited to join us in a life lived in submission to the Savior.
4. Deeds of mercy acknowledge the human condition.
As we observed above, God created humans as physical beings. The state of our flesh greatly impacts our lives. Life is more difficult when we are hungry, cold, intoxicated, sick, or in danger. And so evangelistic proclamation that doesn’t recognize the physical factors at work in the lives of its hearers risks being tone-deaf and insensitive.
It’s important that we recognize that there is an order to our needs, and that sometimes our greatest needs are not our most immediate needs. So we can say with confidence that the greatest need of every human being is to be reconciled to God through faith in Christ. But if someone comes to your door with a gaping head wound, that need, though lesser, is more urgent. First you must take care of the head wound, and then you should share the gospel.
5. Deeds of mercy generate opportunities to share the gospel.
There’s an old saying: if you want a friend, be a friend. We all like to be around people who are kind to us, who take an interest in our lives, and who demonstrate a desire to help us. So, showing practical care to others is an easy way to build bridges into your community.
We should all be sharing Christ with the people whose lives naturally intersect with ours, such as neighbors, friends, and co-workers. But moving towards needy people with deeds of mercy provides opportunities to build relationships with those with whom we might not otherwise come into contact.
Here are a few examples from the congregation that I serve as pastor:
A food pantry provides groceries to hundreds of needy people. These people hear the gospel when the food is distributed, they begin to build relationships with people in the church, and they are asked if they’d like a visit in their home to talk about the Bible.
A group of homeless people are invited into a church member’s home for a weekly dinner and Bible study. They receive a meal that’s better than the food in the shelter, a chance to be in a home, a relief from the monotony of daily life on the streets, and the opportunity to build friendships and be treated with dignity. Over time they are challenged to respond to the gospel and to begin to integrate into the life of the church.
A group of at-risk teenagers are hosted at the church each week. They get a meal, a chance to hang out with their friends in a safe environment, and an opportunity to build relationships with positive adult role models. Each week they hear a lesson from the Bible that presses the gospel into their lives.
A family provides foster care to a teen who has been sexually abused. They welcome her into their family, provide her with safety and shelter, and begin to point her to Christ.
In each of those situations, the act of mercy initiated the contact with the person who needed the gospel. Without the initial step of care and love, there would not have been an opportunity to share Christ.
STRIVE TO DO GOOD TO ALL—ESPECIALLY ETERNAL GOOD
In short, we pit evangelism and mercy against each other to our own detriment. Instead, one way they complement each other is that mercy serves evangelism. So we should strive to do good to all men (Gal. 6:10), especially that we might do them eternal good.
作者：Michael McKinley
作者是Sterling Park浸信会牧师。该教会位于弗吉尼亚州的Sterling。
翻译肢体：王悦
用圣经视野和实用资源装备教会领袖
进而通过健康的教会向世界彰显神的荣耀
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