WHAT’S YOUR RELIGION?

James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

We can’t escape the fact that God loves the unlovable, helpless and hopeless.  And in the Bible they have a face: poor, aliens, widows, and orphans.  God often calls them the “least.”  God made a provision for them in the Law in the Old Testament.  In the New Testament they are still being mentioned.  God still calls to care for them.  When Jesus came He was with these kinds of people.  But somehow things have changed for the church.  If you look carefully right now many churches has no ministry for these kinds of people.  Why is that so?

Let me give several reasons why many churches do not have a ministry to the least.

It’s really not a priority in the budget. Church budgets are often determined what would give them returns.  Put your money where it can earn.  Sadly ministry to the least can be expensive with very little returns (if we talk of monetary gains and if that is your purpose).  Even if they end up as members of your church, will their tithes and offering make a jump in the church income?  The church blinds itself that there are more important ministries to do than to include them.

It’s very uncomfortable. These people are not like us.  They don’t smell like us and probably worse.  They think differently from us.  They are always driven by desperation.  And for us to go and minister to them especially where they are is really not that glamorous or comfortable.  Ministering to them would mean you’d get your shirt dirty.  It would mean some financial cost for you.  It would mean to stay late at night and even wake up early in the morning.  It’s very uncomfortable and something that we would not want to be part of our ministry.

But it’s just weird that we are a church that is supposed to believe in God and obey Him.  But why is the command to help the least, least obeyed? Christians and the church should really help out.  It should be part of the life and the ministry of the church.  I think it’s an obligation.

It’s a moral obligation. I really can’t imagine a Christian seeing a dirty little kid begging for food and be not moved.  For most it’s really a nuisance.  I find it hard to believe that when we look at the real picture of our society we are not moved at all.  Seeing the dirty and malnourished kids, the sick and the helpless, and the old folks who cannot support themselves.  If we can’t sense anything arousing from these pictures, there must be something wrong with us especially if you call yourself a Christian.

It’s a social obligation. It would be sure great to pass the responsibility over to the government.  I know the government should very well take care of them but their hands are full and it’s really not a priority.  But there is something that we should all take into consideration.  If we don’t do anything about the least, they may get worse and turn out to be criminals.  And one day we may end up as their victims.  It’s quite funny we want a better society but we’re not helping the least.  It’s not about the church having a social ministry, the church is after all a social ministry because they are part of the community/society.  We should be responsible.

It’s a spiritual/legal obligation. I feel the spiritual and legal obligation is just the same.  If God says it and it’s there in the Bible, we ought to obey just like any other commands.  It’s written alright, we should obey.

James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

This verse is a shocker.  Should it be right doctrines that make a religion pure and faultless?  If you measure the church by this verse, I don’t know how will we fare.  Why did God ever mention them?  The least ones are helpless and hopeless.  They really cannot do much in their power.  They have none or so little to improve themselves.  Let’s not go deeper why they are the way they are as we will only play the blame game.  They are hopeless because nobody is giving them interest so they can’t hold on to something that would make them hope.  But God loves them nonetheless and so should we.  God is broken over these people.

If God would be seen and felt by the least, the lost, the helpless and the hopeless, it should be through the church or the Christians.  It should be those who knows a lot about God.  Those who know what Jesus went through just to reach mankind.  Those who act on what the believe.  The church should act on what it believes.

I’m reminded of a verse that says:

God has no hands except our hands;

God has no feet, except our feet;

God has no face except our face;

God has no money, except our money;

God has no food except our food.

MAIN POINT: The church will be measured by what it DOES more than what it KNOWS.

After all we only act what we believe in.  What the church does is only a product of what it knows.  So, what does the church know?  What does it do?

Let me just ask again, “WHAT IS YOUR RELIGION?”

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This was the message given last June 27, 2010.  Our church is emphasizing the need for the church to be MISSIONAL.  By missional we mean that the church should be a missionary to its own community.

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Some ministry helping out the least that we recommend you can help or partner with

PROJECT PEARLS – Melissa Villa Wilcox.  She’s a great friend of ours, partnering with the PASA LOVE ministries.  SHe’s helping out the underprivileged children in the Philippines.

CHILDREN’S CUP – INTERNATIONAL RELIEF – Dave and Jean Ohlerking.  They have this great ministry for feeding children in Africa.  And they are also branching out.