We often print our job title on the cards we give to other associates in business or ministry. But what if we were to actually describe what we do? What would you write? Staff members at our Dorcas Center have started using the term advocate for their ministry. As I pondered the word and considered the results of advocacy, I am more and more convinced that we need more of them!
We are familiar with I John 2:1 which states that if we do sin then we have an "advocate" who pleads to the father on our behalf. Bible scholar John Stott says the word "advocate" is passive and implies, "being called alongside someone to assist them." In a very real sense, God is calling us to come alongside those who are needy to be on their side and help them.
Let’s look at a couple of examples of how it works.
- People who know they have needs: Many of our urban and ethnic communities have scores of people who fit this category because of poverty and/or immigration issues. Newcomers to this country face a new language, new culture, and challenges at every turn. One elderly Chinese man was being turned over to mental health authorities on the testimony of family members because they wanted him out of the house. When staff members at the Dorcas Center heard about this injustice, they became advocates for someone who could not speak for himself. They spent days pleading on his behalf and at times it had the drama of a suspense novel. Eventually he was helped. Other newcomers arrive and don’t know where to get help. Hundreds have attended English classes, taught by people who genuinely care for them. Is it any surprise that there have been decisions for Christ from this population of nominal worshippers of Buddha?
Then there are people who didn’t realize they needed an advocate. Kids on the street learn how to be tough to survive. They are not aware of any other way. Some street-hardened kids began attending the youth ministry at Iglesia Ev Libre de Newark and were able to go to this year’s Urban Week at Camp Orchard Hill with the help of scholarships collected through the district and through Montgomery EFC in Belle Mead, NJ. One young man was so touched by the staff and volunteers who befriended him, that his defenses melted and he gave his heart to Christ. He renounced his involvement in gangs. He never knew he needed an advocate but when he gave his heart to Christ, he realized that these people at camp were exactly that… advocates who were now trying to help him determine if he could find another place to live to escape retribution from gang leaders. How beautiful to begin to trust.
I know what it means to me to have people on my side. It encourages me greatly. But yet, I have an education. I know the culture and how to get around in it. I have a loving family and extended family, and so on. What about those who have none of those things? Who will be the advocates for them? It is a justice issue that God calls us to address. It is also a spiritual issue… these people represent lives that can be ripe for the Gospel.
This summer, groups ministered at some of our urban and ethnic churches, BUMP groups and VBS ministries shared their lives and shared the Gospel. And there are people who regularly serve as advocates for those who have no voice. We need more advocates.
Pray about needs that you can meet. No matter where you live, there are people who need an advocate to come alongside of them. Some of those people are fairly obvious and some, like the youth at Camp Orchard Hill’s urban week, have an exterior shell that when melted away, reveals the harsh reality of someone desperate for God’s love.
