Tangible: Making God Known Through Deeds of Mercy and Words of Truth

by Chris Sicks

In today's Church there seems to be two well-intentioned groups. "Deed" people feed the hungry and help the poor while "Word" people proclaim the Gospel and engage in apologetics. The two often seem to compete with one another, but God always intended them to be partners. Sacrificial love can grab the attention of those we serve, opening their ears and minds to the words we share. In Tangible , author and pastor Chris Sicks explains how God's people can effectively introduce hurting people to God through intentional acts of kindness. This book does more than discuss these good ideas--it's full of ways to make God known to the needy in your community today. Extra By sharing both words of truth and deeds of mercy, God's people will reflect Christ's love--the most tangible proof of God's existence.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Nonfiction, Social Justice, Evangelism

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2013

About the author

Once an atheist who rejected the very existence of God, Chris Sicks now serves as Pastor of Mercy at Alexandria Presbyterian Church in Virginia. (God is good, and persuasive!)
Previously Chris was a deacon and Director of Mercy Ministry at the church. He also has worked at a homeless shelter and drug recovery program in Washington, DC, and served as executive director of a mentoring and scholarship program for DC children.
He is a member of the Christian Community Development Association and Evangelicals for Social Action. He leads periodic workshops on mercy ministry for CCDA and the Presbyterian Church in America.
Prior to his work in ministry, Chris was an editor and reporter for The Washington Times, a restaurant manager, and an Army officer. He and his wife Sara have three fantastic children.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a look at mercy based apologetics. This fantastic book makes the reader assess how we think ministry should be done. Is it all acts of mercy, service, and seeking some form of justice? Is it simply preaching the word and prayer without addressing physical needs? Chris Sticks argues that a healthy church must imitate Christ and do both. Christ didn't just tell people they were sinners. He didn't just preach good news. He also addressed their very real physical needs. We need a holistic approach to apologetics. It cannot be purely academic. It cannot be solely needs based mercy ministry. We must address both the physical needs of people as well as their spiritual needs. We show God not only through words and erudite arguments, but through our actions. They will know we are Christians by our love.

[Samuel Kassing · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quality introduction to why we can’t separate good deeds and proclamation. It’s a small book so sometimes Sicks can come off a little simplistic, but I don’t think that should be held against him because this is an introduction to the topic that seeks to navigate the false dichotomy or deed vs. word. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to learn in this area.

[Charleigh Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a great way to start the year!! ministry has to be done holistically and through our words and our actions, amen!

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tangible is a wonderful exhortation to align Christian ministry of words and deeds, in a sense an apologetics of mercy and proclamation, where the the believer talks and shows the redemption he believes in.

Chris Sicks, a PCA pastor in the Washington, DC region, who speaks out of years of experience, in living out the Christian faith to those on the margins of society, wants the reader to share the enthusiasm he has for genuine relief and joy of his Christian life. So in a sense, this is not a how to manual, but more of a how great (is God), so let's be busy with ministry to widows, orphans, strangers in our midst. As someone who has served as a deacon in a PCA congregation, I certainly will share this work with as many as I can.

This is a short book that would excellent for small group studies and personal reflection. The reader and students of this little book should hopefully come away with increased enthusiasm, not forced, but flowing outward, for what real word and deed ministry looks like, when not an either or proposition, but a real complementary action.

[Taylor Flowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find it fascinating that Jesus chose to help hurting people as the most frequent proof of His divinity. (30)

The answer to everyone's question is the gospel. Ministry is spending enough time with people to help them figure out what questions they are asking. (Fred Harrell, p. 35)

Adversity is our opportunity to learn God's sufficiency. (80)

Preaching, sacraments, evangelism, and Christian social action . . . all center on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Lord is risen. (Cornelius Plantinga, p. 82)

It is "eros" when I love others because they are lovely. It is "agape" when I love them because I am loving. (105)

[Taylor Rollo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be the best resource on mercy ministry available. Chris does an excellent job explaining why mercy ministry is part of the church's call and how it supports gospel ministry and the spread of the Kingdom: words articulate the gospel; deeds authenticate the gospel.

It is also an easy read with good supporting stories and illustrations. I highly recommend it.

[Andrew Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely top-class.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent little book that makes Christians think about how they minister to others through both the gospel AND deeds.

[Jeff Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tangible is a beautiful look inside the heart, mind and life of a man called to love others well. When my 11-year old nephew asked me what it was about, I told him it was a book about being Jesus to people who were in pain, so they could meet Jesus face-to-face.

This book is about mercy as an apologetic, which makes the gospel tangible for people who have real world pains. Chris weaves his own stories of personal need coupled with biblical truth to share how Jesus has cared for him and his family. He also shares his years of experience in caring for others and demonstrates the transformative power of grace to change lives through the gospel ministry of mercy. The word and deed ministry of grace brings Jesus to a hurting world in desperate need of his saving mercies. Chris demonstrates how Jesus comes into the darkness to bring others into the light through greats acts of love, humility and mercy.

If you want to learn and see how to tangibly love others, then I would highly recommend reading Tangible.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent take on mercy work with a different twist

I loved Chris's approach to unfolding real apologetics! We live in an empirical world that requires both engaging the mind & your heart!