{"id":25475,"date":"2020-07-15T23:36:33","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T03:36:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=25475"},"modified":"2020-07-15T23:36:33","modified_gmt":"2020-07-16T03:36:33","slug":"worship-wednesday-the-hands-and-feet-of-christ-do-something-matthew-west","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debmillswriter.com\/?p=25475","title":{"rendered":"Worship Wednesday – The Hands and Feet of Christ – “Do Something” – Matthew West"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Blog<\/a><\/p>\n

[Adapted from the Archives]<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start right here.<\/p>\n

Worship<\/a> with me to Matthew West<\/a>\u2018s Do Something<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n

Do Something by Matthew West<\/strong><\/p>\n

I woke up this morning
\nSaw a world full of trouble now
\nThought, how\u2019d we ever get so far down
\nHow\u2019s it ever gonna turn around
\nSo I turned my eyes to Heaven
\nI thought, \u201cGod, why don\u2019t You do something?\u201d
\nWell, I just couldn\u2019t bear the thought of
\nPeople living in poverty
\nChildren sold into slavery
\nThe thought disgusted me
\nSo, I shook my fist at Heaven
\nSaid, \u201cGod, why don\u2019t You do something?\u201d
\nHe said, \u201cI did, I created you\u201d
\nIf not us, then who
\nIf not me and you
\nRight now, it\u2019s time for us to do something
\nIf not now, then when
\nWill we see an end
\nTo all this pain
\nIt\u2019s not enough to do nothing
\nIt\u2019s time for us to do something
\nI\u2019m so tired of talking<\/strong>
\nAbout how we are God\u2019s hands and feet<\/strong>
\nBut it\u2019s easier to say than to be<\/strong>
\nLive like angels of apathy who tell ourselves<\/strong>
\nIt\u2019s alright, \u201csomebody else will do something\u201d<\/strong>
\nWell, I don\u2019t know about you
\nBut I\u2019m sick and tired of life with no desire
\nI don\u2019t want a flame, I want a fire
\nI wanna be the one who stands up and says,
\n“I\u2019m gonna do something\u201d
\nWe are the salt of the earth
\nWe are a city on a hill
\nBut we\u2019re never gonna change the world<\/strong>
\nBy standing still
\nNo we won\u2019t stand still
\nNo we won\u2019t stand still
\nNo we won\u2019t stand still*<\/p>\n

Songwriter: Matthew West (Into the Light<\/em> album) 2014<\/p>\n

*Lyrics: Publishing: Songs of Southside Independent Music Publishing \/ External Combustion Music \/ Songs for Delaney (ASCAP)<\/a><\/p>\n

We want to do something, but where to even start in the world all broken around us. After four months of social distancing, I find myself fighting against an odd fatigue…the usual ways of reaching out to others, to serve, to encourage are all disrupted. COVID-19 and the social distancing that comes with it have turned community and ministry on its head.<\/p>\n

Yet, the Lord continues to draw near…reminding us to draw near to Him, pointing us to our neighbors near and far, holding Himself to promises that are as constant as He is.<\/p>\n

I’ve been thinking lately about muscle memory. Is it possible that as we practice our faith in Christ, no matter the situation, that we develop muscle memory of a sort that keeps us near to God and His mission.\u00a0 Is it possible to give into a lie? Do the problems we face seem too big for us to do anything about them? Is God still with us, still for us? Of course, He is.<\/p>\n

If our faith has taken a hit and we have faltered, we are not done.\u00a0 So what if the culture around us says what we think or do is insufficient?! God is at work…always at work. We can take both hope and courage in that truth.<\/p>\n

If God is at work, then we can do something. Whether a great thing or a small thing made great in love and obedience.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe world has yet to see what God can do with a man fully consecrated to him. By God\u2019s help, I aim to be that man.\u201d<\/em> – Dwight L. Moody<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord, but few of us are willing to do little things.\u201d<\/span><\/em> – Dwight L. Moody<\/a><\/p>\n

As we pull ourselves out of the doldrums of COVID19, we can lean into a ministry of reconciliation – of serving, as individuals and the church, a world badly broken. I am reminded of 5 things…in these 5 things, we can do something.<\/p>\n

1) Be informed.<\/strong> Every day we are slammed with bad news by the media.\u00a0We are not immune to\u00a0compassion fatigue and, in fact, can just let the news wash over us, suspicious of what\u2019s true or not. As believers, we must not turn a deaf ear. We must weigh, every day, what is happening in the world, what grieves the heart of God, and what is ours to do about it. So what if we don\u2019t always get it right? We take the news and op-eds, as well as conversations we have with real people, and sift not just the information, but considering (prayerfully) what we are to do as His people. How we answer His call has little to do with the news or social media…but with planting ourselves in the Word.<\/strong> He informs our hearts and infuses our hands and feet with His love and His resolve.<\/p>\n

2) Refuse to be silent.<\/strong> \u2013 If we are silent, we align ourselves with the persecutors in this world. However, there is a way for Kingdom people to be the voice of the persecuted and oppressed. Language of hate and blame will not glorify God. Will not. We speak love.
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3) Pray.<\/strong> Unbelief has to be the worst sin of all. We as Christ-followers resist this temptation, especially in a world so racked with cynicism, lethargy and self-absorption. So pray<\/a>, believing, dear ones. Every day. Together and alone. Pray.<\/p>\n

4) Give.<\/strong> There is so much in the Word of God about giving. Again, the world\u2019s thinking creeps into our decision-making when we don\u2019t give (either through our churches or to relief organizations). \u201cIf anyone has the world\u2019s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God\u2019s love abide in him?\u201d<\/em> \u2013 1 John 3:17<\/a><\/p>\n

5) Go. <\/strong>\u201cGo therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,<\/em>\u00a0<\/sup>teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.\u201d<\/em> \u2013 Matthew 28:19-20<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When Jesus\u00a0gave this\u00a0Great Commission, He wasn\u2019t just speaking to those within His immediate hearing. He was speaking to the Church through the ages. He means for us to go, in obedience \u2013 to our neighbor, our co-worker, our friend. He may also mean for us to\u00a0go short-term (2 weeks or 2 years) to another part of the world. He may mean for us to take a job with our company or another organization and spend much of our life among the nations. God definitely means for us to go next door\u2026and to those most marginalized in our cities, towns, counties. In obedience. For the lives of the people. For the glory of God.<\/strong><\/p>\n