By Pastor RAUL GRANILLO

It can be frustrating to hear a Christian’s response to a tragedy to be only, “My prayers are with you.”

It can be frustrating because many do not believe in the power of prayer and so they feel as if no real help is being offered, and nothing else will be done. But to be fair, for many Christians, prayer is an act that relieves them of the responsibility to get further involved in what may be happening. Prayer is important—it has the power to change the world; but it should never be an excuse for inaction.

James wrote, “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it” (James 2:15-16 NIV)? It is not enough for the Christian to pray and practice religion. In fact, religion and prayer, without physically touching and helping others, is nothing more than selfish talk and show.

At the same time however, action—even with the best intentions—done without prayer or obedience to God, will typically result in further harm. We must be a people who are willing to practice both for the sake of truly making a difference.

Jesus was criticized by the Pharisee, religious leaders, for spending time with “tax collectors and sinners” (Matthew 9:11). To the Pharisee—in fact to any “good” Jew at the time—these types of people were hopeless and would do nothing but bring harm to society if they were allowed to. And there was Jesus, a Jew of some influence, doing things that were contrary to what many thought proper and safe.

Of course, Jesus didn’t come to be safe, He came to testify to the truth (John 18:37); and He came to do this because God so loved this world that He wanted to save it from condemnation (John 3:16-17). Jesus, and everything He has done, are the physical manifestations of God’s love for us.

When criticized, Jesus responded by saying, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matthew 9:12-13 NIV). A religious Jew might have thought himself to be pleasing God by praying often and by bringing great sacrifices to the temple. This is pleasing to God, but by itself it completely misses what God actually desires—that His love be made manifest in our very lives.

This world continues to suffer from evil. We see it every day in hatred manifest in murder; we see it in pride manifest in hatred, we see it in fear that manifests in pride, and we see it in ignorance manifest into fear. This has been our legacy as humans, and it has been our legacy because people still act without prayer or obedience to God, and because others refuse to act—hiding behind religion and prayer.

If we want to change that legacy, we must become the manifested love of God. We must become the people who pray and obey God and also engage in feeding the hungry, comforting the mourners, and reaching out to the despised.

We must become love, or we will continue to become death.

To find out more about La Vista Church, or to hear this and other messages, visit our website at www.lavistanaz.org or email me at raul@lavistanaz.org. Follow Pastor Raul on Twitter @RaulGranillo007

Please come join us as we fix our eyes on Jesus. We meet Sundays at 9 a.m. for Sunday school and 10 a.m. for worship. Everyone is welcome!