Faith calls believers to live sacrificially

While we are still in the early weeks of the new year, it is a good time to review and update the principles we intend to live by in the year of our Lord 2026.

To be a follower of Jesus is to embrace lifelong learning and growth in a Christian value system, continually deepening our understanding of — and obedience to — His Gospel.

The Gospel is a message of liberation. Ultimate liberation is freedom from the condemnation of eternal death. But for those who truly believe the Gospel of salvation in Jesus, it also brings liberation from selfishness — the root of our failure to love God, follow His ways and love our neighbors as ourselves.

By freeing His followers from selfishness, Jesus unleashes His disciples to bring other forms of liberation to disadvantaged people throughout the world.

We know that billions of people lack basic necessities such as food, clean water, shelter, medical care, education and freedom from oppression. The message of salvation in Jesus carries credibility when those who profess faith in Him demonstrate His love and power through sacrificial living that helps relieve the suffering of the world.

Richard Stearns, longtime former president of World Vision, addresses this gap between professed faith and Christian action in his book "The Hole in Our Gospel." He describes a middle-class church culture in which many give token support from their abundance to feel good about themselves, rather than living frugally and sacrificially to share more fully with those who lack life’s basics.

In one illustration, Stearns tells of people who walk miles each day to carry home polluted water, resulting in disease and death. He contrasts that with clean water projects that dramatically improve life for entire villages. The cost of such projects averages about $2 per year for each person who benefits.

Jesus’ words of judgment are sobering: “Inasmuch as you have done to the least of these, you have done it to Me.” Many churchgoing people likely spend more on their pets than they contribute to helping the world’s poor.

As we begin this new year, let us update the principles of Christian faith by which we choose to live. We may fool ourselves and others, but we can never fool God about what we truly value.

Gordon Warner is pastor of Wesley Community Chapel. He can be reached at 330-415-4766.