The purpose of the church is to provide bread and swords. To the spiritually hungry, the church offers bread; it offers nourishment. To the fugitive, the church offers swords—weapons of truth! Romans 8:28 (NKJV) says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Food and equipment. The church exists to provide both.
Does always it succeed? Not always. People-helping is never a tidy trade, because people who need help don’t lead tidy lives. But Jesus calls the church to lean in the direction of compassion. At the end of the day, the question is not how many laws were broken but rather, how many desperate were nourished and equipped? God’s sanctuary: where he gives food to the hungry and tools to the soldiers.
