Healing and Hope

What is our calling as the church of Jesus Christ?

If we look to the ministry of Jesus, we see that He demonstrated equal zeal for the ministries of preaching the Gospel and bringing healing to the broken.  Luke 4:40-44 gives us a great example of the spiritually balanced ministry of our Savior:

“When the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various diseases brought them to Him.  As He laid His hands on each of them, He would heal them…When it was day, He went out and made His way to a deserted place.  But, the crowds were searching for Him.  They came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them. But, He said to them, “I must proclaim the Good News about the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because I was sent for this purpose.”

This was a consistent pattern in the life of Jesus.  He always preached the Gospel, but He also demonstrated compassion on the sick, the hungry, and the broken.  The church is called to follow this pattern of Jesus Christ, as we seek to fulfill the Great Commission and share the life-changing hope of our Lord.

Baptist Global Response (BGR) was organized in 2006 by Southern Baptists to help implement a more effective and efficient international relief and development effort.  Global disasters and human tragedies give believers strategic doors to share the Good News of Christ, as we offer a hand of compassion to the hurting and wounded.  BGR was established as a partner of our International and North American Mission Boards to assist Southern Baptists in maximizing our resources and enhancing our opportunities to impact the world with the Gospel.

Kentucky Baptists can be part of this Great Commission effort.  You can be part of the “Preaching and Healing” work of Christ by:

• Giving to the World Hunger Fund.  One hundred percent of the money given to the World Hunger Fund goes to meet real needs of hurting people in North America and around the globe.
• Becoming a Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer.  Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief has entered a partnership with BGR to be a primary responder to disasters in Sub-Sahara Africa. This partnership has resulted in sending a medical team to care for refugees in Mali, an assessment team to the refugee crisis that displaced over 100,000 South Sudanese from their homes, and two teams that brought clean water to villages in Madagascar and Mozambique.  Has God given you the gifts and the heart to offer compassionate ministry to suffering people?  Contact Coy Webb in the Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief office to discover how you can become involved in this Great Commission work that opens doors for the Gospel.
• Leading your church to get involved in a BGR Community Development Project that combines practical help to chronic problems with the life-changing message of Christ. Kentucky Baptists have been involved in ministering to AIDs victims, child-headed homes, and orphans in South Africa, a hospital renovation in Zimbabwe, construction of a mission training center in Suriname, and medical ministry in Pakistan.  Contact Doug Williams, Missions Strategist for the Kentucky Baptist Convention, to find out how your church can connect in a project or partnership that can make a difference for Christ.

iGO Do You?