Remember Zach Hunter? He’s the 15-year-old abolitionist who appeared on Breakaway’s March 2007 cover. Through his ministry, Loose Change to Loosen Chains, Zach is working to end modern-day slavery. That’s right: There are an estimated 27 million slaves around the world today. Zach believes God has called him to change that, and his efforts are taking him around the nation to speak about bringing justice to those who are enslaved.
Zach is now blogging for your favorite mag—one Breakaway guy to his fellow readers. Come back to breakawaymag.com to read about this world-changer’s travels, opportunities and, most important, lessons God is teaching him.
Take it away, Zach. . . .
I’ve heard Breakaway readers asking questions such as, “You talk about doing things like ending slavery and helping the poor. Those might be important things, but there’s a whole generation of people who are lost and going to hell. Why aren’t you concentrating on salvation?”
This is the part of the blog where my heart beats harder, because I am so passionate about freeing slaves, rescuing the oppressed and helping the poor. Just to clear things up a bit—and please read this carefully—I don’t believe that freeing slaves and making a better world is a replacement for following God and leading a godless generation to Christ. I believe it is an extension of it. In other words, we should not view our role in changing the world as separate from telling the truth about Jesus and his sacrifice for people. I do get to speak to a lot of non-Christian audiences, and I think “ministering” to them should be more than presenting the Gospel, though we must do that, too.
I was recently reading Matthew 25:31-46. Check this out. Go ahead, grab a Bible (or head to BibleGateway.com) and read it yourself. I can wait until you finish. . . .
OK, in case you didn’t read it, I’ll fill you in. This is where Jesus talks about separating the sheep and the goats. I thought I knew this story, but I think I missed out on a deep truth. Get this: Jesus separated them based upon how they treated the poor and whether they offered them help or not. He didn’t ask, “How many people did you convert?” or “How many times did you tell someone that God loves him?” Jesus wanted to know what they did for the poor! That makes it pretty obvious that serving the poor and oppressed is a big deal to God.
How then can we say that we should only be concentrating on saving people from hell without providing relief for suffering here? Why can’t we introduce them to freedom from eternal hell and manmade hell on earth? How can we minimize the situations of the suffering and say that gaining physical freedom and spiritual freedom don’t go hand in hand?
Think of it this way: What if you were working in a soup kitchen and a woman came up who was really hungry? Would you hand her a Bible and send her away? Or would you give her soup, bread and water—and by doing so, demonstrate the love of Christ? By giving her the nourishment she wants and needs, you may also win the credibility to share the Gospel with her in a meaningful way.
Please take this to heart. Mold it into your philosophy about the way you view “the least of these brothers of mine,” because we are to serve them as if they were Jesus. Our gratitude to God for freeing us [spiritually and perhaps even physically] should motivate us to serve others and show compassion to the hurting. When the end comes, do you want to have really served Jesus or have thought leading others to Him was enough? Let’s be praying that our generation is known as a group of believers who really live out our faith—that we’d not only be “saved,” but that we’d sacrifice our own comforts so others can live without so much pain. 
