It sometimes is true that the more we attempt to improve social situations the less good we do for people from the standpoint of eternity. The more we turn our attention to God and the things of Heaven, the more practical and eternal good is done for people. The Lord Jesus was completely occupied with the worship and service of His Father. Yet He did more practical and eternal good for the world than any other person.

There have been instances where God has directed Christian people to work in a social endeavor. In this case, actual good will be accomplished.

The problem of the world is not physical in origin, but spiritual. When we rage at the physical symptoms of spiritual bondage, such as homosexuality, we lose sight of the fact that the homosexual is bound spiritually. It would be like raging at a dog because he barks.

In order to spoil the strong man's house, the strong man must be bound. The power of Satan must be broken before people can behave righteously.

When the sins of society become blatant, outraged Christians may tend to ignore the Lord, except in token prayers, and attempt to force righteousness by politics or some other physical means. What Christians should do, when there is a social problem such as abortion, is to go to prayer, seeking the Lord's solution.

The Lord may provide the believer with a practical manner of approaching the problem. Or, the Lord may point out to the believer that the world practices the abominations it does because it is bound with evil, and God is preparing the Church to remove the evil from the earth.

The world, without realizing it, is awaiting the maturing and unifying of the Church of Christ. When the ministries have performed their work, and the Church has arrived at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, Christ will return and the world will be delivered.

He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law (Isaiah 42:4).

God eternal, universal purposes can be accomplished only in a perfected Church. He has given gifts and ministries to bring into being an unblemished Church, the Wife of the Lamb, the Body of Christ.

God has a long-range plan which shall be totally successful. Because of our lack of prayer and communion with the Lord, we may spend ourselves on short-term solutions, only to find the same problems appearing later in a worse form. It is wise to spend ourselves on God's long-range plan, while being totally diligent in the good works the Lord may lead us to do in the present moment. (from A Study Guide for the Book of Ephesians)