Passing this note along (with permission) from Kristin Steele, a former BBC teen now at Foothills Christian Bible College:
I was sitting in class listening to what Dale Elwell was saying about Evangelism and Spiritual Formation and he said something that I had never noticed before about the orphans and widows of the world.
In James 1:27 the Bible says "Pure religon and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."
Once someone has accepted Christ as his/her Savior they are called a child of God. (Gal. 3:26) A "child" is a person between birth and full growth, a son or daughter, boy or girl, with parents. We, as children of God, have a Heavenly Father. Thus, making all unbelievers "orphans" because of the absence of the Father in their lives.
The body of Christ, the Church, is also commonly refferred to as the bride of Christ, for which He, the Bridegroom, will one day return for. There cannot be a bride without a bridegroom, therefore making any non-believer a widow.
So if all unbelievers are, in a way, orphans and widows they are without a doubt "in their affliction" on their way to hell. It is therefore our job, as people who possess that "Pure religon", to visit them and share with them the wonderful news of Jesus. In doing so, we are required to be IN the world, however not OF the world; thus keeping ourselves "unspotted from the world."
I realize this verse (James 1:27) has another more simple meaning, refferring to Christians helping with and taking care of the physically orphaned children and/or a wife whose husband has died or husband whose wife has died; thus making them a widow. This is how I have always taken it, especially because I believe God wants me to invest my life in the orphans of Africa; but I thought it was a very neat and interesting "interpretation" of the verse, and really shows how important it is to witness to people around you as well as people in foreign countries. Just thought i'd share this with yall. Let me know your thoughts on it.
I was sitting in class listening to what Dale Elwell was saying about Evangelism and Spiritual Formation and he said something that I had never noticed before about the orphans and widows of the world.
In James 1:27 the Bible says "Pure religon and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."
Once someone has accepted Christ as his/her Savior they are called a child of God. (Gal. 3:26) A "child" is a person between birth and full growth, a son or daughter, boy or girl, with parents. We, as children of God, have a Heavenly Father. Thus, making all unbelievers "orphans" because of the absence of the Father in their lives.
The body of Christ, the Church, is also commonly refferred to as the bride of Christ, for which He, the Bridegroom, will one day return for. There cannot be a bride without a bridegroom, therefore making any non-believer a widow.
So if all unbelievers are, in a way, orphans and widows they are without a doubt "in their affliction" on their way to hell. It is therefore our job, as people who possess that "Pure religon", to visit them and share with them the wonderful news of Jesus. In doing so, we are required to be IN the world, however not OF the world; thus keeping ourselves "unspotted from the world."
I realize this verse (James 1:27) has another more simple meaning, refferring to Christians helping with and taking care of the physically orphaned children and/or a wife whose husband has died or husband whose wife has died; thus making them a widow. This is how I have always taken it, especially because I believe God wants me to invest my life in the orphans of Africa; but I thought it was a very neat and interesting "interpretation" of the verse, and really shows how important it is to witness to people around you as well as people in foreign countries. Just thought i'd share this with yall. Let me know your thoughts on it.
This is so good! I've never heard that put that way. Amazing! Keep up the good work Brother! You should feel thankful for God using your former teens even when they are gone from BBC. What a blessing!
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