By Minister Moses – November 2011
“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.” James 1:27
When we are called into the family of God we are not only called to pursue our own purpose, but also to pursue the welfare of others, especially those most in need of help. I fear, however, that all too often we become insular. We look to meet our own needs exclusively, or reserve our empathy and support for those that are most like us, or believe exactly what we believe.
As Christians we should look beyond the confines of our own immediate communities. There are only so many expensive auditoriums or church minibuses we can really use; we’ve got to look up, and look out, to the needs of others. In Joshua chapter 20 God tells Moses to instruct the church to designate cities of refuge for foreigners and those seeking asylum. I like the phrase ‘cities of refuge’. These cities provided everything for the non-elect (equivalent to non-believers today), funded by the church – not the government.
The money we raise on Sunday after Sunday cannot just go to making us feel more comfortable in church. Let it also help the most disadvantaged in the wider community; let it be used to fund medical research, help the elderly and the poor. Let it afford advocates for those who have no voice. There is so much we can do to make a positive difference in the world; to be salt and light in action and not just word.
Tackling HIV/AIDS and Domestic Abuse
I’m particularly devoted to supporting people affected by HIV/ AIDS. Too often HIV/AIDS affected people are discriminated against by others, including, unfortunately, parts of the Christian community. Some carry the attitude that they “deserve” to have HIV because of their assumed “promiscuity”. This attitude reveals a lack of understanding of the heart of Christ and the complexities of how the virus can be contracted. Besides, who among us is without sin?
Domestic abuse is another issue I am passionate about. It is a subject that is often boxed into a corner and spoken about so rarely within the church we’d be forgiven for believing it wasn’t a problem. It is. Domestic violence takes place on a daily basis in thousands of homes across the country, including those of Christians.
Let’s be clear; violence toward a spouse or partner is unacceptable. It can NEVER be justified. It has no place in a law abiding community and certainly no place in the lives of believers. The scriptures read in Ephesians 5:28-29; ‘In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church’.
Any perpetrator of this crime should seek help very urgently, and, ultimately, the forgiveness of God and their victim.
It is an unfortunate thing that women, children and sometimes men dread going home at the end of the day. Rather than their homes being places of comfort and protection, they have become a sort of hell with four walls, where they are inhumanely abused, physically as well as emotionally. People in this predicament should feel confident that God sees their pain, and that the church of God is their ‘city of refuge’ they can always run to, where they will be listened to and practically supported. Not blamed, or simply told to pray and trust God before being sent back to the lion’s den.
And then there is the care and concern for children. We have to fight for families. Parental neglect is perhaps less brutal than physical abuse, but it can still have the same damaging emotional effects.
So often we become too busy with work and other things that we forget our first duty. According to scripture, it’s family first, then other things such as work and ministry. Jesus himself said ‘Let the little children come to me’ – Luke 19:14.
Is it any great puzzle that some young people go astray, perform poorly at school and get into unfortunate and preventable situations in later life? God help us to put our families first and give them ever more of our love, strength and attention.
How Will You Affect Your Community?
These are just some of the areas that I’ve always been drawn in by. What can you do? What is your passion?
Jesus has called us to the rescue of others, with both His word and His own deeds. Let’s follow Christ’s example and live-out our Christianity beyond the four walls of the Church. Let’s aim to leave a legacy of lasting and visible contributions to local, national and even international development in a way that properly represents the heart of our compassionate God!
MM
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