United for Service and Growth
And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. (Eph 4:11-12)
There is immense power and great opportunities in unity; as the adage goes ‘united we stand’. However, in this world of naturally selfish individuals, we need God’s grace to achieve this unity. Building up the body of Christ means continual progress, development, service and growth in several dimensions.
What is sustainable development? In the year 2015, leaders from 193 countries of the world came together to face the future, and what they saw was daunting: famines, drought wars, plagues, poverty among others. So, leaders from these countries created a plan called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a set of 17 goals that imagines a future just 15 years off that would be rid of poverty and hunger, and safe from the worst effects of climate change. Take time once in a while to think of your own contribution to these goals; I am personally thinking about three of them, but with an extended spiritual reflection:
The third: Good Health and Well-being, to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. The fourth: Quality Education, to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all – and this UCU Sunday provides a particular opportunity to advance this cause. And the sixteenth: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
There are some limits to physical health interventions: have you heard of a person who goes to a medical facility and does tests that reveal that everything is normal, and yet the person is really feeling unwell? Reading the details, goal number 3 which is on good health and well-being seems not to address spiritual health, yet it is crucial in life; spiritual health is the core business of God through the church and her ministers. A similar analysis can be applied to the other goals – quality education is incomplete without the knowledge of God and the way to eternal life; and there is no peace without peace with God, which is only found through our Saviour Jesus Christ. May the Almighty God lead you to pursue development that is truly sustainable in the Kingdom of God. The enemy to this is sin, which is fueled by selfishness.
God has graciously given gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to call the world out of the vices and deceptions, that we may find in Jesus Christ growth and development that are truly sustainable – physically and spiritually, in this world and in the world to come. Let us draw from the abundant grace of God in Jesus Christ to harness the power of unity to sustainably build up the body of Christ.
God bless you all.