In James 1:27, the author writes an amazing provocation:
“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress…” (James 1:27, NASB)
What is James saying through this verse? Genuine faith in God will produce in us as believers a desire to “visit” the orphans and widows in their distress. Faith must overflow the banks of our hearts and flood our communities with genuine kingdom compassion and concern.
Paul writing to the church in Galatia recounts a discussion he had with James, Peter and John about his ministry to the Gentiles (or non Jews) and this is what he says their response was …
“But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised (for He who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles), and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. They only asked us to remember the poor — the very thing I also was eager to do.” (Galatians 2:7-10 NASB)
“Remember the poor – the very thing I also was eager to do.”
I believe that an authentic expression of the Kingdom of God in Peterborough requires that we as a local church live and breathe these verses. James doesn’t say wait till the orphans and widows show up on your doorstep and then help, but to go out and ‘visit’ them. In the days of when James was writing orphans and the widows were those within society that fell through the safety net. They were the ones on the bottom of the pile with little to look forward to and much to dread.
I don’t believe we have the liberty to see this as a bolt on to our role as ambassadors of the Kingdom of God. When Jesus was starting His earthly ministry He used a prophetic picture from the Old Testament to describe the nature of His ministry…
““The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are downtrodden, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”” (Luke 4:18-19 NASB)
Jesus said, My ministry would be a poor engaging, captive releasing, sight restoring, and downtrodden reinstating ministry. These are the marks of authentic kingdom life!
“visit the orphans and widows … remember the poor”
I believe that one of the great tragedies that has taken place in the church has been the divorce of what some have termed the ‘social gospel’ and the ‘preaching of the gospel’. In the early church there was no separation. If the kingdom of God burst out through the church it was both preaching the good news and demonstrating the good news.
I remember reading about William Booth the founder of the Salvation Army. There was time when he was living in the east end of London and would walk down the streets and every other shop would be a Gin joint. Many of these drinking holes would have makeshift wooden steps up the side of the bar so that young children could place their order for the ‘hard stuff’. He also saw around him child poverty, and social decay and he was moved to action. Nearing his death he said this …
“While women weep as they do now, I’ll fight; while little children go hungry as they do now, I’ll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight – I’ll fight to the very end!
This was a man who had captured the heart of the Kingdom and knew what it meant to “remember the poor” and “visit the orphans and widows”.
Reason 14 for moving to Peterborough is very simple. Peterborough needs an army of people who have been moved by the Christ’s compassion for the lost, poor, marginalised, alienated, abused, broken, abandoned and downtrodden!
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