Perspective - Winter 2005
The One and Only Hope
by Jim Murray - CMI Executive Director
In life there are moments, though
few, which radically reorient our thinking and
purpose. One such moment occurred for me in Ecuador
more than 30 years ago. It was 1973. My wife Ginny
and I were participating in a two-week missions
trip. Guayaquil, Ecuador was our last stop.
It was not an easy trip. The days
were long, the nights short and the workload heavy.
The emotional toll was equally taxing. I was
horrified by the poverty that I saw and burdened by
the reality of my own impotence for meeting needs so
vast. Investing millions of dollars in such a place
would be like a drop in the bucket compared to the
need.
One night after seeing several of
these needy people come to trust in the Lord, I
confessed my struggles to our team leader, Harry
Burr. Cynically I said, “Given these people’s plight
they’re going to grasp at anything that gives them
hope. What difference does it make here and now?
Tonight they are merely going back home to their
impoverished existence. How are they going to be
Christians in this sin-sick environment.”
Harry looked at me and said
something that I would never forget.
“Jim, we’re dependent on the power
of the gospel to transform lives. The gospel is the
only hope!”
He was right! The conditions that I
observed were the outcome of a fallen world. They
were the consequences of sin – sins of corruption,
greed, hate and more. While meeting the physical
needs of the poor is important, such solutions
address the symptoms, not the disease.
As I read the articles in this issue
of Encounter Quarterly, I was struck by the unifying
theme of Hope in Christ. Whether it be the loss of
an infant child, the challenges of restoring a
broken home or the healing from emotional trauma or
lifelong addictions – apart from the gospel there is
no hope!
The Apostle Paul understood this
truth. Many times in his letters he reminded the
churches that their hope rested in Christ and Christ
alone. He reminded the Ephesians that before they
knew Christ they were “without hope.” To the
Colossians he wrote that the “hope of glory” is
“Christ in you.”
Serving the poor is crucial. Helping
the suffering is essential. Healing the broken is
imperative. But to attempt these things apart from
proclaiming the Good News of Christ is to short
change the recipients of the only true hope there
is. Hope for the nations will not come in government
programs or increased funding, though they may be
helpful. True, eternal hope can only occur through
the nationwide transformation of the hearts and
minds of the people – a transformation manifested by
the power of the Holy Spirit.
It was this burden to see true
nationwide discipleship take place that ultimately
drew me to work with the Encounter with God churches
of Latin America. These churches are uniquely
positioned to impact nations in ways that can lead
to true nationwide discipleship. Whether to those in
poverty or those in the halls of power, Encounter
churches provide comfort, compassion and healing.
Most important of all, they offer the one and only
true hope – Jesus Christ!
EQ Winter 2005
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