Pan Dulce

The Second Requirement

I have been writing about the foundational and first-century verse of Scripture that has guided the word of Buckner for more than 133 years. It is found in James 1:27. This is what it says:

“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.”

Honestly, I had not paid much attention to the second requirement that qualifies our religion as pure and faultless. That is, it is not enough to look after orphans and widows as I have described in my previous blogs. James also says that a second requirement of presenting pure and faultless religion that God our Father accepts is to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world.

It would appear that the second requirement might even be more challenging and difficult to do than the first. Matthew Henry says “An unspotted life must accompany an unfeigned love and charity.” It would take extra effort and constant vigilance to ensure we live unspotted lives in a society that celebrates evil and discourages and mocks godliness. Our goal would be to live an undefiled life.

I am reminded that Daniel and his three companions chose not to defile themselves by eating from the King’s table. He was able to provide leadership in a hostile environment while living in Babylon in captivity. He was a person of excellence both physically and intellectually, a values-driven leader, a problem-solver, adept at crossing cultures, and a learner in a new environment.

May the Lord give us the strength to meet both requirements that produce pure and faultless religion that our Father accepts.

“Looking after Orphans and Widows”

Last week I wrote about impure, faulty, and worthless religion. James points out what this kind of religion looks like. It involves self-deception where our worship and our words don’t match rendering our religious practice as useless and void.

Then he outlines an example of what true worship and religious practice should produce:  a motivation to look after orphans and widows.

I have been appealing to A. T. Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament for extra insight to this verse. It is fitting that I look again more closely at James 1:27 as I begin my tenure as President and CEO of Buckner.

James 1:27 (NIV) says: 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.”

The word James uses for “visit” is episkeptesthai meaning to go to see; to inspect; the habit of going to see. Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says this word conveys the idea of visiting with a dimension of being “concerned with a sense of responsibility for others.” A breakdown of the word, episkeptesthai, reveals two words: epi, meaning to be in the presence of or to be near; and skopeo meaning to pay attention, to keep one’s attention on; to be concerned about, to watch out for.

When James say “to look after” orphans and widows, he is saying we must go near, very near to visit orphans and widows. The idea of looking after involves getting into the presence of an orphan or widow with a bias toward action and responsibility. When we visit, we are compelled to pay attention, to look closely, and to be concerned about the condition of that vulnerable child or widow.
So how do we do this?

Touch, Impact, Transform, Redeem

Touch – When we serve with a temporary service or support.

Impact – When we provide a service or support that is a little beyond the temporary; this may make a difference in their lives for a longer period of time.

Transform – More of a permanent impact on their lives like finding a family for a child or a mother that moves into Family Pathways with her children to start over.

Redemption – When all the evil that was done and caused in a child’s life or a family has been converted into good; when they begin to grasp God’s purpose for their lives.

This is what we mean when we say Hope Shines Here. Hope comes through a tough, an impact, through transformation, and ultimately through redemption.

What is our part? Our part is to get close, show up, pay attention, be concerned, and be responsible for the here and now but also for the yet to be.

And our conviction is that the God of Redemption will guide us each step of the way.

 

Worthless Religion

Yesterday I commented on impure and faulty religion as it was connected to my first day as the new leader of Buckner. If you didn’t read the blog of May 1^st, take a minute and take a look.

James 1:27 is the verse that reflects the ministry of Buckner so I thought I would start my tenure as Buckner’s new leader reflecting some on this verse. Our founder, Dr. Robert Cooke Buckner held this verse high as a directional theme for the ministry he began.

The context for James 1:27 is the verse before it. A.T. Robertson says the issue in the mind of James leading up to 1:27 is self-deception found in the difference between our words and actions; saying and doing. The external markers of worship like church attendance, giving an offering, prayer, fasting and activities like these are empty, done in vain, if the worshipper does not get control of his or her tongue.

Lying is not in God’s character. Lying to yourself when you are not aware of it would be among the greatest deception possible. Do my words contradict my efforts in worship? Is there anything in my life that screams contradiction from my worship experience? Am I deceiving myself?

Ephesians 4:29 says “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that is may benefit those who listen.”

In order to avoid worthless religion, I need to ask myself if my words are wholesome, helpful, building up (not tearing down), according to the needs of others, and beneficial to those who hear what I say. This is a tall order and hard to live by but unless we make the effort to control our words, our worship is empty, void, and done in vain.

So what do I have to do to ensure my worship is valuable, pure, and faultless in God’s eyes? The answer to that question speaks to the core of what Buckner is all about. We provide solutions and real answers from the beginning to the ending of life. We shine hope into the lives of vulnerable children, orphans, elders, and their families.

I will write about that next.

Impure and Faulty Religion

Today is my first day as President and CEO of Buckner International. I am amazed at how the Lord has worked in my life over the past 38 years to bring me to this place of service. Dr. Ken Hall, the 5^th President and CEO of Buckner, has officially transitioned to the assignment of President Emeritus. I celebrate his ministry and hope to build on the foundation he laid in the months and years to come.

I spent my first day in this new role travelling with JoAnn Cole, VP for Buckner Children and Family Services Inc., and Greg Eubanks, AVP of National Operations (BCFS) to visit our West Texas Leaders from Lubbock, Amarillo, and Midland. We had a really good visit with them and an encouraging time of questions and answers.

On the flight from Lubbock I opened my devotional book and found this verse for May 1, 2012:

“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

I have read this verse over and over again since coming to Buckner but today it seemed to jump off the page in a new way, not to mention that it happened to be the verse to read on the first day of my new role..

As I read this verse, I focused on the kind of religion that God accepts: Pure and Faultless. A. T. Robertson suggests that James is not trying to define religion or religious worship, rather, he is illustrating the right spirit of religion which leads to such acts of service.

What does pure religion look like? What does impure religion look like? Purity has the quality of being genuine and clean. The Greek word James uses is kathara, meaning clean. The right spirit of worship that meets with God’s approval has a cleansing affect on me and puts me in the right spirit to serve others.

What does faultless religion look like? James uses the Greek word amiantos to describe something that is undefiled and unstained. The right spirit in worship acceptable to the Father washes away all my stains and sin. I come away from an encounter with a Holy God and am re-commissioned to do Kingdom work. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Like Isaiah who worships in the temple, we come away from faultless worship saying “Here am I, send me!” Lord, make us pure and faultless.

Pure Action for Churches

I am thrilled about the resources our team, under the leadership of Greg Eubanks, has created for churches to connect with the mission of serving vulnerable children and their families. Using James 1:27 as a foundation for our ministry, the team has developed several resources including Personal Consultation; Abba, Father: A 30 Day Devotional Guide that is available as a downloadable resource; Missions Curriculum; a Sanctity of Life Kit; a link to invite Buckner to your church; an Advent Devotional Guide; an Adoption Sunday Celebration kit; and a Christmas Gift Catalog for Churches.

The link to these resources is http://www.pureactionchurches.org/pa-resources.shtml. I hope you will take time to look over these tools and use them as you feel led to join us in living out James 1:27. We have even developed a Pure Action website at www.pureactionchurches.org designed especially for churches that wish to engage directly with hands-on experience on mission among the most vulnerable in our global village.

Our world is changing and the needs are increasing. We know that the only hope we have of transforming lives and changing the world is to lock arms with pastors and churches to make a tangible, real-time difference in the lives of people who need hope to make it through another day. At Buckner, we believe Hope Shines Here! Help us shine the light of hope into the lives we are called to serve. Call us, email us, or access our website to engage. I hope we hear from  you soon.