I thought we were doing all we could for the addicted people in our ministry. Our church gave money to the local rescue mission and hosted an occasional special service. Little did I realize how a prodigal son from our church would change the way we helped those chained by their destructive sins and open new opportunities to impact our community.

When Jesus asked His disciples in Matthew 16:13, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” the disciples answered honestly. The average person didn’t know Him as the Christ, but they put Him in good company. Some compared Him to John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets. Even those that didn’t know Jesus as the Messiah knew Jesus was someone who “went about doing good.” Knowing Jesus was good led to many knowing Him as Lord. Because of His good works, Jesus was able to spread His message farther, faster, and to more receptive listeners.

What do the citizens of our areas think of our churches? Our churches should be known for standing for truth, but are they known for doing good? The Christ-like church must have a testimony of “doing good” in its city to effectively share the good news of salvation and witness real change. How did God transform our community?

THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD
God’s Word is life changing. When lives change, families change. When families change, communities change. Knocking on doors, witnessing and preaching the Bible must remain in the forefront of our ministries. The Gospel still works.

For more than forty years, our church had been faithful to reach others through house to house visitation, nursing home ministries, Sunday school, bus routes, and services in the local jail. The Lord blessed our efforts to reach people through these more “traditional” methods, but our church seemed to be neglecting some members of our community.

When Steve Curington stepped back through the doors of North Love Baptist Church, it was a miracle. He had attended our church as a boy but had chosen a life of sin. God gripped his heart through a serious automobile accident, and after his recovery he went back to the place where he could find hope.
God began to change his life. He listened to the preaching of the Word of God and personally studied his Bible. As he grew, he looked back on his old, wrecked life and felt compassion for the thousands of others who were just like he was—bound by their addictions and looking for answers. Steve and I began to talk, and God burdened our hearts to begin a Bible study on Friday nights for people with sinful addictions.

The Lord began turning my life and our church into a passionate body of believers, and our town is changing for the better. Through the influence of a young developing member of our church whose personal life had been absolutely transformed, we began reaching the least loved in our city.
Steve, like every new believer, needed biblical training to grow into a mature Christian. Your church may achieve this through small groups and one-on-one discipleship programs where accountability is encouraged and expected. The Bible can transform any life.

INVOLVEMENT IN OUR WORLD
We directly confronted the scourge of addictions among the residents of our region. Adults came to our church for help with their addiction, and our church members reached out to them with a Bible-based curriculum that led to salvation and spiritual growth. By word of mouth and with minimal advertising, new members flooded into North Love Baptist through the Friday night class. Our community took notice.

This new emphasis in ministry changed my life and energized our church with passion. Our teens frequently volunteer to help with community projects—living a testimony of genuine care. Today, with seven weekly ministries in our local correctional institutions, the local law enforcement officials have become supportive of our ministries. Judges are sending troubled adults and teens to our church for help. We meet on a weekly basis with over sixty teens and more than three hundred adults. God has blessed the Reformers Unanimous addictions program, which has now been implemented in more than seven hundred other churches worldwide.

Jesus helped people with the practical matters of their lives. Because of His genuine concern for their well being, they opened their hearts to His message of eternal life. This is our goal in community involvement. We want our church to be a refuge for building a dynamic personal relationship with the Lord and finding the power of the Spirit-filled life to overcome stubborn habits.

INTEGRITY IN OUR WALK
The world has become skeptical of our churches. Numerous scandals over the last thirty years have sown mistrust in our country toward churches. Because of this, each church must locally establish its own honest reputation.

We are told in 1 Timothy and Titus, “A bishop then must be blameless.” In order to effectively minister in their community, the pastor and his people must live righteously and reputably before all men. Managing the Lord’s business ethically, paying the bills on time, and properly caring for His house all better enable us to share the Gospel.

The apostle Paul explained his careful handling of money in 2 Corinthians 8:20–21: “Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us: Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.” Paul did not want anything to hinder his ability to share the Gospel.

We must avoid harming the name of Christ and His church through personal dishonesty or professional mediocrity. News of moral, family, or financial compromise within the church spreads like wildfire.
The Son of God promised that His kind of church would prevail against the gates of Hell. When we preach the Gospel, we should expect a changed community. However, the inspired Word of God must be presented by sincere Christians who are neither afraid nor too busy to become actively involved in their world through creative biblical ministry. Then, with a consistent growing relationship with our Lord Himself, we can serve Him and others, making Matthew 16:18 a reality and not simply a goal. “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”