‘If My People’ campaign seeks to address social issues and change communities for God’s glory
- Jun 16, 2009 - 1
What if the people of God lived lives of intentional service in communities across the nation? What if believers stepped outside of their comfort zones and into the midst of those in need? What if we submitted our plans for our lives to His authority and His call?
Spiritual and physical needs would be met. Families would be strengthened. Neighborhoods and communities would be changed. God would be glorified.
Such is the desire of the “If My People” emphasis from the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. The initiative theme is based on principles gleaned from 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
The ERLC is joining with the Southern Baptist Convention in calling the people of God to seek His direction, through prayer and humility, as this Scripture outlines. Through such an encounter with a Holy God, a believer will be better prepared to live purposefully to His glory.
A life lived intentionally for the sake of Christ will bring believers into all types of situations where they will be exposed to the many manners of sin and struggle in this world. At the ERLC, we are uniquely positioned to address the social and moral issues that all of us will likely confront at some time in our lives. It is the ERLC’s desire to help believers become bearers of truth and instruments of change in their communities
As a source of encouragement and inspiration, we have identified individuals and families who have followed the call of God, changed their lives, and gone into uncharted territory for the sake of Christ. We hope their lives and work will guide the way for others to do the same. The videos documenting their stories will debut at the Southern Baptist Convention and will be featured on erlc.com soon.
We also have created a commitment statement that represents the message of “If My People”: “I will seek to live my life in complete surrender to the will of God. In His power, I will strive to glorify Him by serving my community as an instrument of hope and transformation, reflecting God’s truth to the culture.”
Join us in this effort by inviting an ERLC staffer to your church or event to share the message of “If My People,” signing the commitment, and living a life of service to the Kingdom. For more information, visit erlc.com/ifmypeople.
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1 On Jun 16th, 2009, at 3:42pm, Robert T. Butts wrote:
I applaud your efforts to get Christians involved in our communities. It will make a great difference. Here comes the “but”! It is never a good idea to take scripture out of context, as I assert that you are doing by using 2 Chronicles 7:14. First of all the “if” doesn’t start with a capital I, it is in the middle of a statement concerning what God will do when he has brought disaster on His people, the nation of Israel. This verse is clearly not talking about Christians, since Christians have already: 1)humbled themselves, 2)prayed and sought His face,and 3)turned from their wicked ways. Christians are already forgiven of their sins. Also Christianity is not about our nation, it is about individuals accepting Jesus as their Savior and Lord