By Michael Kelley | Executive Director, Rooted Network
The following is an excerpt from the latest release from the Rooted Network, Serve the Community. This resource is a part of the Rhythms series. Introduced in Rooted, the Rooted Rhythms series reinforces the 7 rhythms of discipleship found in the early church of Acts 2. These are essential practices for every follower of Jesus to integrate into their lives.
Every generation wrestles with the brokenness of the world. We see injustice, sorrow, division, and decay, and we ask hard questions. Why is there so much pain? Why do people hurt each other? Why does the world feel so fractured? Sometimes we ask those questions while we read or watch the news; other times, we ask them in hospital rooms, funeral homes, or on sleepless nights. We may even ask them with tears in our prayers.
The Bible is not silent on these matters. Scripture is honest about the condition of the world. It doesn’t paint a naive picture of life on earth. Instead, the Bible gives us language for lament, categories for suffering, and clarity about the root issue—sin. The problem isn’t merely that the world is hard to live in. The deeper truth is that the world is not as it should be. Creation groans. People rebel. Systems break. And behind it all is a spiritual battle more real than anything we can see with our eyes.
But into that darkness, God sends light.
The gospel is not just a message about how to be saved from sin. It’s a declaration that God is making all things new, starting with people. Jesus came not only to rescue individuals but to launch a kingdom. That kingdom advances through grace and truth, and now, Jesus sends His people into the world just as He was sent.
That’s a big part of what makes the Christian life so radical. We aren’t withdrawn from the world or resigned to its brokenness. We are sent into it. We are not the answer to all of the world’s problems, but we do point to the One who is as we embody the principles of His kingdom. The mission of God continues through ordinary believers who live gospel-shaped lives in the midst of pain and confusion.
That’s why Paul tells the Philippians to shine like stars in the world, holding firm to the word of life (Phil. 2:15). The darker the sky, the brighter the stars appear. And the more broken the world, the more powerful it is to see believers live with hope, humility, courage, and compassion.
This kind of witness usually begins in ordinary places—in homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods. When we serve someone in need, refuse to retaliate, stay faithful in hardship, or forgive someone who has failed us, we reveal something about Jesus. And when we speak the gospel, not as a slogan but as our source of life, we do what Jesus did: We bring light to dark places.
God is doing this through His people. In His wisdom, He chooses not only to save us from the world’s brokenness but to send us right back into it—with love, truth, and the hope of new creation. You are not a spectator to the pain around you. You are a citizen of heaven, placed in this time and this place to shine.
Activate Your Church to Serve: A 5‑Week Study into Spiritual Gifts, God’s Calling, and Real‑Life Needs
Through the Serve the Community, your church will understand that God has uniquely formed and made them, providing them with natural talents, spiritual gifts, and particular passion, in order to serve inside and outside the church. It is through engaging these God-given gifts and passions that we find our place and change the world.
Download the Serve the Community Free Preview
