Message by Larry Thacker Jr from May 26, “The Goal Is the Soul”
Sometimes I stop to think about the mission our church. Why do we do what we do? What drives us to keep going even when things get messy? I think there is genuine compassion and a desire to give, to comfort, and to love. I also think that occasionally we need to remind ourselves that there’s a greater mission than what appears on the surface. We can get caught up in all the good things we do. Pastor David used to exhort us each week to go out and do something good for someone, but why? We can and should spend ourselves doing good for others, but we dare not forget the greatest good. Our objective is ultimately that people are led to the place where Jesus becomes Lord and savior of their lives. If we miss that, we’ve wasted everything. We’ve provided a bit of temporary comfort in the place of eternal salvation.
So are good works important? Absolutely yes! On Sunday, we’ll read from Matthew 5:14-16. There we find that it is our good works that should lead others to glorify our Father in Heaven. But it is not the works themselves. Many well-meaning people do good works but they don’t necessarily point to God. It is the light, illuminating the good works, that draws them in. The reasons why we do what we do are more important than the works. When we reach out in compassion for the broken bodies, let us not forget that it is the broken souls that we really must reach. Sometimes a doctor can heal the body, but only the Holy Spirit can heal the soul.
