Reply to #1:
Scripture is clear that we are to both “go and make disciples” and “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength – and to love your neighbor as yourself”. While these directions were given at significantly different times, they hold a shared construct of reasoning as a foundation. To love your neighbor is to care for them. To care for your neighbor is to love them. The correlation of the two commandments, meeting human needs and evangelism is blatantly evident, perhaps even synonymous.
Don Richardson explains this further in his article, Do Missionaries Destroy Culture? – “There are reasons why the missionaries had to go into the isolated areas like Irian Jaya as soon as they could. History has taught them that even the most isolated minority cultures must eventually be overwhelmed by the commercial and political expansion of majority peoples… They are going in anyway. Often to destroy. Cheat. Exploit. Victimize. Corrupt. Taking and giving little other than diseases for which primitives have no immunity or medicine” (490). Don Richardson explains the urgency to reach these people groups before a political or commercial expansion influences, most likely harming, the endangered persons. A friend of mine once told me to go into the mission field not only as a teacher, but as a learner. It’s crucial to understand how to properly meet human needs as needed in the specific area, not assume all needs are the same. For example, the church I work for was made aware of a water crisis in Mozambique, so we partnered financially to specifically build wells. This provides healthy drinking water, easy access for hygienically specific needs, and a more reliable water source for farming. Through our partnership and their wise utilization of the wells, their community has flourished. Asking our neighbor what their need is will always serve them better than our assumptions.
Reply to #2:
The relationship between meeting human needs and evangelism , I believe at times it can be more focused on the reaching the gospel without meeting human needs. The relationship between evangelism and meeting human needs is doing God’s call by taking the gospel to the people with providing the needs of the community you are called to. In article 77 by, Rick Love we see a good combination of the relationship of evangelism and proving human needs. Bob Blincoe moved to Iraq and hired 100 Kurdistan veterinarians to vaccinate up to 5000 animals a day. This Godly act of love by seeing the needs of the community he was in, showed what the love of God is all about. When people see you help with their needs out of the unselfish kindness God has showed each and everyone of us, they are more willing to want the same Godly love you have in your heart. We see earlier in this article to where the people saw the love of God, in Google-Proof Transparency by L. Mak. A non-Christian friend said to L. Mak’s wife,” My friends tell me that you are missionaries, but I keep telling them that you’re not.” Intrigued, I asked,” why do you feel this way. Her answer stunned his wife after she heard the womans answer. The woman told her,”You can not be missionaries, you love God and people.” The relationship between meeting human needs and evangelism needs to be done out of love for the people without trying to change their culture. Once people are saved, the Holy Spirit will direct them to what they need to change. 1 Corinthians 13:1 says” If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but do not love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate” (The Message)
Identity with Integrity by, Rick Love
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