When an emergency situation comes up—such as someone needing CPR or someone needing rescued from a burning building—sociologists have shown that a lone individual is far more likely to act than a group.

In other words, if only one person is there to witness the need, they almost always step in. When it’s two or more people, it is less likely someone will step in to help. When a group is present, people are likely to ignore the situation altogether.

Today, we have no shortage of crises.

Think of Christians being persecuted, even murdered and martyred in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Think of pre-born boys and girls being aborted and having their body parts sold by Planned Parenthood.

Think of the horrors of sex trafficking in North America and around the world.

It makes us want to shout, “Somebody do something!” That is a natural response, to assume that a response is needed by somebody, anybody. Well, anybody besides me.

What if, instead, the Body of Christ saw every crisis as an opportunity to get involved personally? Here are three things we could do.

/// Pray

What if, instead of shouting at our TVs when we witness injustice, we cried out in prayer to the Lord? When we pray, we are uniting our voices to the Lord, crying out for justice, mercy and help. It is no accident that you were born when you were born. It is no coincidence you live where you live and know the things you know. Use your prayers as a springboard and action point.

/// Give

When we give to missions, such as through the State Missions Offering or through the Cooperative Program, we know that someone is sharing the Gospel at every moment of the day at every part of the state, nation and world. When terrorist groups like ISIS persecute believers, groups like the Baptist Global Response of the Southern Baptist Convention are there to provide humanitarian and other relief.

/// Go

Where there are unreached people groups across the globe, our Southern Baptist missionaries are working to get the Gospel to them and joyfully accept short-term missions help from people like you and me. So, when we go on mission, we show that we are willing to take risks for the spread of the Gospel.

As Southern Baptists, we can do more together than we can do alone. When we pray and give and go, we are loving the Lord and seeking Him “with all our heart, soul, mind and strength” (Luke 10:27). We are not waiting for somebody, somewhere, to do something. We, ourselves, are picking up a burden and making it our own.

In the end, apart from Christ we can do nothing.

The ultimate joy of Christianity is knowing that Somebody did do something. Jesus Himself did something—in fact, everything—at the cross. When we look to Him, all of the problems of the world will grow strangely dim, and together, His will shall be done “on Earth as it is in Heaven.”