Pure Religion

"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

Disciple Now this weekend was such a wonderful time of service, worship, learning, and fellowship. I truly enjoyed this weekend because we not only learned about what we are called to do as believers, especially in regards to the poor, but we actually went out and did it, and there are opportunities for us to continue doing it. At this point, our answer is to hear God's call to be Jesus to the poor or to blatantly ignore it. James 4:17 says, "If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them." We know God's call on our lives to serve the poor, so now we have no excuse. And when I say God's call, I'm talking about the 2,000+ verses in the Bible about poverty and justice. Clearly, God cares deeply about the oppressed and those who suffer because of injustice. Here are some of my favorite verses that show God's heart for the poor:

"For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove." -Exodus 23:10-11

"If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you. Do not take interest or any profit from them, but fear your God, so that they may continue to live among you. You must not lend them money at interest or sell them food at a profit. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves. They are to be treated as hired workers or temporary residents among you; they are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee. Then they and their children are to be released, and they will go back to their own clans and to the property of their ancestors. Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves. Do not rule over them ruthlessly, but fear your God." -Leviticus 25:35-43

"If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: 'The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,' so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land." -Deuteronomy 15:7-11

"The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor." -1 Samuel 2:7-8

"Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered." -Proverbs 21:13

"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them." -Isaiah 41:17

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday." -Isaiah 58:6-10

"Then Jesus said to his host, 'When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.'" -Luke 14:12-14

"Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." -Revelation 7:16-17

Obviously, God does care deeply about the poor, and he has a plan for them. We are the hands and feet of Jesus on this earth. We are God's plan for the care of the poor until Jesus returns. This means we are called to live lifestyles devoted to being Jesus to people that are impoverished and oppressed. Is everyone called to sell everything they have to give to the poor? Not necessarily. God has blessed us with much so that we can use the resources and abilities He has given us to bless other people. However, blessing those who are not so blessed on this earth should not be done out of compulsion or to check a box. We should want our hearts to align with God's heart, and God's heart is clearly deeply concerned about the poor. A few years ago, I had little to no understanding of poverty and God's heart for the poor. As I started going on mission trips and experiencing these people, I noticed that yes, I cared about these people, but I wasn't truly burdened for them. I adjusted back to our society so easily and all but forgot about the poverty I had seen and the faces that characterized it. I didn't realize the opportunities I had to help the poor in my own home city. I started to pray for a heart that breaks for what breaks God's heart. I asked for a love for God's people. As I have sought after God, He has given me a love and brokenness for His people. I can't truly love these people on my own. My flesh is too selfish and too comfortable with where I am. However, because I asked God to give me a love and passion for the poor, He is answering my prayers. He has made me uncomfortable and disgusted with living a lukewarm life. He has given me a new passion and a burdensome brokenness for impoverished and oppressed people here at home and around the world. I think that is the key. We as Christians can't help people who are in poverty if we are just trying to help because someone told us to do it. We have to let God really break us. We have to let him strip away our selfishness and our desire for our comfortable lifestyles. Outside our four-bedroom houses and six-floor churches are people who have desperate physical and spiritual needs. These people are far away in Africa, but they are also nearby in Birmingham. These people have stories. They have personalities. They have souls. They need our resources, but they also need our love, the love that comes only through Jesus Christ. They need us more than a short visit once a week, or once ever. They need our constant prayer. They need to know that we care about them more than we care about community service hours. They need to know that we are willing to truly invest in their lives. We have opportunities to help the poor all around the world, to answer God's call to be His hands and feet, to be a part of his plan of restoration. He is making all things beautiful in time. We can choose to participate in his wonderful beautification, or we can selfishly ignore his blatant call to action. What kind of religion do we practice? Is it pure and faultless, or do we deceive ourselves with a faith that listens and never acts?

"I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end." -Ecclesiastes 3:10-11

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,  the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor." -Isaiah 61:1-3