string(7) "m-66998" Burnt Hickory Baptist Church

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Nov 14, 2021

To Stand for the Vulnerable

To Stand for the Vulnerable

Passage: Mark 10:13-16

Speaker: Matt Petty

Series: We Are

Category: Sunday Sermons

Keywords: story, sermon, adoption, parenting, special needs, orphans, adopt, inspirational, international adoption, foster care, motivational, vulnerable children, foster care adoption, burnt hickory baptist church, family stories, we are, burnt hickory worship, orphans and vulnerable children, childrens story, adoption story, adopt me, heartwarming, my adoption story, adopting a child, foster care and adoption, foster care story, foster care and adoption story, foster care stories

When Jesus speaks of faith in the bible, he says that children have an incredible faith, and we would do good to mimic it. We see throughout scripture that children have a special place in God’s heart, especially for those who are vulnerable. As a Christian, we are to seek private purity and public charity. Our acts should not publicly show that we are concerned with ourselves, but with the wellbeing of others. Rescuing hurting children is not just a charity for us to support, it’s a rescue mission for all of the church. And that action of rescue begins with compassion. Have you considered standing in for the vulnerable and being the voice for the voiceless? Join us by participating in the ONE ministry - https://www.burnthickory.com/one/ and meet one need, encourage one child, and together we can be one family. You can also sponsor a child in Kenya or Guatemala through one of our missions’ partners - https://www.burnthickory.com/missions/sponsorship-guatemala--kenya/.

I love the fact that we can have days that we celebrate together and not only just celebrate together but look at how God has moved us and intertwined people into our paths and how we have been able to, as a church, come behind the families that we just saw in front of us, as well as families and kids across this world. About twelve years ago, God brought a person into our life as a church named Peter Abungu and we have over those last years partnered with him on trips and retreats. A lot of you have sponsored children or girls in the ministry that Peter runs called Swahiba and this morning we wanted to have Peter with us, but things didn't work out this morning. So, we have the second-best thing that we can do, and we are going to spend a couple of minutes hanging out with Peter this morning via video. So, Peter Abungu, welcome to church this morning. Would you guys say hello to Peter this morning? Here he is.

Hello, Church.

Here is that smile, Peter, we love it, we love it. Well, Peter, I know we have a lot of new people in the house and as part of this church spend just a minute and give everyone a little bit of a who you are. What do you do and what are we talking about this morning?

Well, it's a great privilege to join you via this medium about close to 19 plus years ago, God led me into the heart of one of the largest slums in Africa called Kibera.

We have about 1,000,000 people living in four-mile radius with limited plumbing, roads, electricity and in very hot situation. So, over the last 19 years, we have we have labored there. The Lord has been faithful. We have seen over 20,000 young people surrender their lives to the Lord, and we have been able to witness to a great number of graduating high school going on, and some of them are starting to come back into the community and actually transforming lives in Kibera. And so, we've walked this journey with you, and about twelve years ago, you locked arms with us as a, as a, as a family and started really bringing teams to work with us in the slums, in the community and the pastoral team of Burnt Hickory. So, they need to train pastors and engage with them so that they can correctly divide the truth. And it's been an organic god thing that has happened that has allowed us to go far beyond what we had even imagined.

Well, Peter, six months ago, you were with us. I think it was in May and this church came behind you and had had a vision to plant a church in the slums, as well as a resource center to be able to launch you to impact even more girls and people in the slums that you're working in. What's been happening over those last six months, Peter, where are we in the process? What's things looking like? Just bring us a little update.

So back in May, we, you as a church, blessed us beyond our wildest dreams, we've a gift to allow us to buy land and to build. And so, when I came back, we started on the journey of a gracefully, very actively looking for a piece of land, and we looked for several pieces of land, some of them had issues. And just about a month and a half ago, we had a breakthrough with two pieces of properties that aren't just into the next to each other that has allowed us that will allow us to actually realize our dream. And in this coming week, because the funds have been sent to us and this coming week, we'll be signing and acquiring titles, words now getting ready to start the process of building.

Peter, what are we building? What's it going to look like? Give us a little glimpse into what this resource center that is going to literally transform what you're able to do. What does it look like?

It's man, it's phenomenal, it's such a great blessing for those of you who've come to with that similar kind of space we do have. But this is going to allow us. It's going to be a building with multiple floors. You will have an underground that will allow us to have parking. Then on the ground floor, we will have offices, we will have meeting rooms, will have a kitchen, full kitchen. There will be a reception area that will be will have a lot of washroom facilities. Those who have come and served with us, we only have one that serves good boys and girls and everybody on the team. So, this is going to be such a great blessing.

And then on the first floor, it will be an auditorium. It will be a facility that can host between four 500 people. And I know in Africa we have very, very little sense of personal space. So, we will be able to allow more people there. So, we'll be able to provide. The church will be able to continue to have conferences of purity program and the mentorship programs and Prosperity Club trainings and the pastors training and be able to plant a church in that facility on the second floor.

We will have a hotel set in the rooms that will allow us to host teams so that we can effectively and cheaply host teams that come to set with us and allow them to stay longer if people are able to pay a little bit less. People can stay longer and serve with us in this community, so it's super exciting to see what it is about to do and we just so humbled.

Peter, what is this? What is this building going to do? Obviously, we rallied behind the church here, gave incredibly gifted the ministry there at Swahibe, and our partnership was with a half a million little over half a million dollars in this. What is this facility going to do?

Well, this facility will enable us to do ministry in a far much greater capacity than we have been able to do before. What we have right now, we are renting and every time we have an event, even when we've hosted teams from bunting, we want to rent offices just to do a children's, a children's Bible club or our pastors training. And that has been very limiting because sometimes the facility is not even available. So right now, we will have our own space where we can plan and not be disappointed and use it for multiple ministry opportunities.

The pastors training, they have the church plant all their purity programs and the mentorship and empowerment, the prosperity clubs and this facility will also use. I mean, the hall when it's available for other people to rent, they'll be able to rent and fund above it. When we when it's when we, when the ministry has been built will have a big sign on it and declares it as a ministry center where people can come and be prayed with, receive ministry and it's just it will transform how we've been able to engage even with the community in the past.

Peter, really quick, what are we looking at on a timeline? I know that's what all the questions that I get is what are we thinking?

OK, so we live in a. In a place where timelines don't necessarily work. Yeah, but we I pray that we will be able to break ground by February and in and officially launch. I mean, start the building process in February and then have it ready by September. Because on the 20th of September 2022, it will be 20 years since I landed in Kibera, and it will be my desire and my prayer to officially open the building unveiled the building and celebrate what God has done over the last 20 years. We are hoping that in February, be able to have a couple of you guys come and celebrate this groundbreaking ceremony with us and just and just bless the Lord for what he's been able to do.

Amen Well, Peter, I'm not sure how many people you can see, but you've got a whole bunch of people right here with you. What's two really fast things that they can be praying for you over these next months?

Number one could you kindly pray for the event we have in the next month? We will be distributing over 3000 pair of shoes, two pairs of socks for each of the children, and we will also be giving them a snack meal and above all, as we give them shoes.

We're sharing the gospel with them. Would you pray that the Lord will prepare their hearts, that as we interact with them, that the light interest in the word of God would bring light and that they will make Jesus, Lord and savior for their lives? The second thing is, could you kindly pray for the filing of the building plans so that we can have the permissions? Because that sounds like a very simple thing here. It is a complicated pray that the Lord will give us favor and grace that as we once we have titled this this week, as we sign and get the titles, we will now start the process of applying for our building permissions and all the necessary documentations for us to start building. So, pray that that will go smoothly and that will enjoy the favor of the Lord.

Amen. Would you guys do me a favor? He might not be able to see it, but he can hear you. Will you just express how thankful we are to Peter and his ministry in Swahiba and Kenya? Bless you, Peter. We will talk soon. Go to bed. I know it's been a long day. All right. In the year 2000, I was freshly out of college. I got invited to go on a speaking team that went to the country of Romania that had just not too long before that come out of come out of communism. If you remember that time period wasn't a whole lot of churches around there were just beginning to rebirth themselves and grow a whole generation have been lost for not being able to worship during communism.

And part of this team, what we did as our responsibility was, we visited every single church that had been identified to encourage them to preach in them, to offer the gospel and to encourage people to give their lives to the Lord. I loved it because every single day we were in eight to ten different churches scheduled in and out and in and out preaching in these churches. So, all day long, there was a team of about four or five of us that that's what we did all day long. It was the life. It was a dream life for a preacher just to be able to go and preach. Well, one particular Sunday, we went outside of town super early that morning. We drove, we preached in one church on our way to the second church. They kept telling us that we were going to be late to the services that we were going into. Well, if you've ever been in another country where time really doesn't matter, a.k.a. with Peter, you'll know that you can go for days in worship.

So, we walked into this worship service that had been started for about 25 minutes already, and they looked at me because I was next up and said, this one word, preach. That's all they said. And it was like, Well, all right. So, I threw my bag down and walked up to the front. And I mean, I went at it. I mean, I went for it as all that I had in me. My little Romanian lady translator beside me was just ripping. I think she was basically saying whatever she wanted to because they were laughing when there was nothing. There was funny and they were laughing when I thought I was funny, but that didn't matter for about 30 or 45 minutes. I mean, I went at it hard as hard as I could. I got finished, gave a time of response, an altar calls, and some people left their seats. They began to respond to the gospel during that worship time. We had a response time of about five or ten minutes, and after that response time was over. I was thinking, OK, well, that was great. It's on to the next church. Little did I know that's not how it operated in this church.

They looked at me after that response time and said that same word to me again. Preach. And I was like, Well, OK. I mean, I thought, well, maybe they just wanted me to wrap it up again or give a little devotional moment to close us out. They said, Oh no, no, no, no. Do it again. Do it again. So, I said, well, OK, flip to another passage in the Bible, open it up for another. 30 or 45 minutes went at it again with everything I had got to the end. We did it again. We gave the response time. A couple of people responded, and God say, well, in this one, I walked over to the side, grabbed a sip of water and I'm sitting there ready to go again, right?

I'm thinking, what might happen again? Well, we closed the service out and it was lunchtime and we ended up eating with the leadership of this church. Now when I say church, I mean, like a little tin shack with about 100 people in it. Most of them, about 75 of them were probably 70 years of age and above, and 25 of them were little kids. We went into once that day into this little back courtyard, and I looked up and there were two little structures in the back that look like little bunkhouses.

And there was one little structure that had a sign over the door and Cyrillic and in Romanian, and it said the word school over the door. And so, I started asking the church leadership. There's about four of them that stayed with us. What was happening? And they said, oh, those are our kids. And I looked up and noticed that the 25 kids that were at church that morning were having lunch with us, which caused a lot more questions in my mind.

And it came to be that this little church of 75, 70-year-old and above people had adopted these 25 kids as their own. They fed them, they schooled them, they educated them, they led them in the Lord. And there was this gap of a generation in the middle of them that should have been their parents that were nowhere to be found. That day in a small little town of Romania, God did something in me that changed me. He showed me what it looked like to be a church that follows the heart of God. No one you can preach as long as you want. That was incredible. But number two, this church cared for kids and not just kids.

This church cared for the vulnerable kids of the world. I grew up in church. I'd heard thousands of messages. I knew every kid song that was out there. But until that point in my life, I never saw what Jesus meant when he said, Let the little ones come unto me. In fact, if you have a copy of scripture this morning, I want you to turn with me to mark Chapter ten, mark chapter ten. And I want you to see this morning what God showed me in that place, and I coveted before the Lord that day and said, God, if you ever allow me to be part of leading a church, it's going to look like this one right here. Mark Chapter ten If you know the story, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem. He is doing miracles. He's feeding people. He's teaching in parables. There's a large crowd that is around him, and he stops in his tracks right here.

And he begins to teach his disciples an incredibly big lesson and that he rebukes his disciples. Some of my favorite parts of the whole Bible is when Jesus rebukes his disciples, because every time Jesus rebukes the disciples, he's really rebuking me and he's really rebuking you. And he teaches them this little lesson in Mark Chapter ten that goes along with the theme of our day. Look at it, Martin, Verse 13, says this says people were bringing their little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. But the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. That's just a fancy word that meant he was mad. He said to them, let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly, I tell you, Jesus says anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. And he took the children in his arms. He placed his hands on them, and he blessed them.

Did you catch the rebuke? Did you catch the lesson? Did you catch the moment this incredibly short four verse significant moment in the disciple’s life, where Jesus shows them two principles that we need to grab hold of? And the first principle is this it's that kids have an incredible faith that we should mimic. Kids have an incredible faith. What does that mean? That means that kids have this inept ability, this built-in ability to 100% sell out to something.

Those of you, the kids, you know what I'm talking about, right? It doesn't matter if it's G.I. Joe or The Wiggles when they're growing up. It doesn't matter if it was that song at VBS that you are tired of hearing. It doesn't matter if it's a sport or it's a person that they have latched on to kids. They ave this amazing ability to put their mind on something, whether it's ice cream or a particular food, and nothing else matters to them.

They don't care what anybody thinks. They don't care what anybody says. They don't care how anybody else is directing them. They get their mind set on something and come hell or high water. They will chase after it, amen. You know what I'm talking about. You, everybody. Remember teaching your kid how to swim if you have one? You remember you started after they learned a little bit of how to swim, you put them on the side of the pool, and you'd let them jump and they would jump right into your arms. You'd let them job, they jump right into the arms. And remember that day you were in the shallow end of the pool, and all of a sudden you heard the splash in the other end of the pool. What did they think they thought you would catch them?

They thought why? Because they were 100% in a faith moment that you had them. Any of you with bigger brothers and bigger sisters. You would do anything they told you to do anything, no matter how dangerous it is, one because you trusted them. And I got to thinking about kids this weekend, and I thought about this one they don't even care what people think about them. Some of this is evident in the fact that your kid didn't even wear shoes to church this morning. Kids don't care what they look like, they don't care what their hair looks like, they don't care if they still have on their pajama bottoms. When you get to school, they don't care. That's what Jesus is saying right here when he says in verse 14 for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.

It means they get to this place in their life where there is no short-sighted reason. There is no counting the cost. There's this idea of Yes, Lord, no matter what else happens, I'm running after you kids have an incredible faith that we should mimic.

My question to all of us is this Do you see your heavenly father through a childlike faith, or do you see it through a guarded faith that culture has put blinders over your eyes? The second principle that Jesus teaches them is this one right here, it's that it's that God has a special place in his heart for kids. He has a special place in his heart for kids, especially vulnerable kids, especially. Jesus just showed us this right. Verse 14 Watch what he says. I mean, ministry is happening. People are being fed. Miracles are happening. There's a huge crowd around him.

I'm sure the disciples had him on a schedule that he was supposed to be keeping. There were things that needed to be done that day. But verse 14 what did Jesus say? Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. We find this part all over scripture. Deuteronomy ten, verse 18 says that God or he defends the cause of the fatherless. Some 68 says that a father to the fatherless, a defender of the widows is God and is wholly dwelling in God sets the lonely and the families.

Isaiah, 117, says Learn to do what is right and seek justice, defend the oppressed, take up the cause of the fatherless and listen to me. This goes farther than just though it's the moral thing to do, right? This goes farther than it's just the right thing to do to take care of kids. God desires us in a pure religion mindset to chase after the kids in the hurting and the vulnerable of our world. In fact, isn't this exactly what James, the brother of Jesus, said?

You see, James boils everything that we do as a believer in Christ into what he calls pure and faultless religion. And interestingly enough, James doesn't describe pure and faultless religion as discipleship or doctrine, although those things are important, right? Those things are bedrock of our faith. Those things matter. And you know us well enough to know that we are a disciple group here in this church. That doctrine matters to us. Interestingly enough, James doesn't describe pure and faultless religion as just worshiping or coming to church or just giving, although those things matter.

Those are big parts of who we are in Christ and how we walk out our faith. What James says is pure religion. Watch this James, 127, says religion that our father accepts as pure and faultless Is this, look after the orphans and the widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world? James breaks down all of religion, right? All of our following after who God is into two categories. Number one, he says that pure religion seeks private purity. Pure religion, if you want to know that you're live in God's plan for your life, the number one thing in any believer’s life should be that we are chasing after holiness. There were chasing after purity, there were chasing after the heart of God. Look at James 1:27 verse b is the second part. Or should it say. He says pure religion is keeping oneself from being polluted by the world.

Now notice that word oneself because here's what to know about me, and here's what I know about a lot of us. We are really good at pointing out the unholiness of others. Really good. In fact, for some of us, it's a hobby or spiritual gifts. We're really good at it. But what James says is the number one thing in our life needs to be that we are pursuing holiness, pursuing the holiness and the righteousness of God, pursuing the tracks that God has us on that is leading us to his very heart. Now what does that mean? That means that our question in life is not is that a sin or is that not a sin? That is a horrible question. Or how far is too far or how many being too many?

Or can I have that many and not this many? That's a terrible question. The question is this is that holy? Is it wholly and if the answer is no, didn't run away from it, purity privately in our live is where God is pointing us? Are we seeking the heartbeat of Jesus to a point to where His Holiness is beginning to saturate our lives and we notice our path beginning to skew exactly towards who God is? That's pure religion. That is the bedrock religion, and nothing can supersede that in our lives because everything else in our lives boils down to, Am I seeking the purity of God? The rest of it happens because of that. But No. two. Says this pure religion displays public charity, and I want you to write down beside that compassion. Pure religion after holiness displays public charity and compassion. Especially to those who are vulnerable. So, what we're seeing in the text today, in fact, look at James, 127, again says religion that God, our father accepts as pure and faultless. You can't find anything wrong. That's what it means.

Is to look after the orphans and the widows in their distress. Now let me deal with the widows just for a minute because it's not the theme of our mourning, but I just don't want you to think we're throwing them out, right? Man, this church has an incredible ministry to the widows through a deacon ministry, and I just want you to know that that is what they do, and they love on them. In fact, at least three or four times over this course year, over the course of this last year, I've called one of our widows had something going on in their life and their deacon had already taken care of it. I just want you to know that, but this morning's theme wants you to look at it. Is this pure and faultless. Is to look after the orphans.

Now what does that mean? I love this language to look after because it means way more than looking at. Can I tell you we're really good at looking at the orphans? But here's my question. Are we looking after them? Are we looking at them? Because here's the deal. Here's the principal write it down just to clear it up. Rescuing hurting kids is not just a charity for us to support. It's a rescue mission for the whole church. It's a rescue mission. Now, notice what Jesus is saying as part of this principle. Part of this principle is telling us as a church that it is our job primarily to take care of the vulnerable. It is not the government's job.

That's why every time you see the government doing something like this, they fail at it horribly. Because it's our job and we failed at it, so they had to do it. You know, it's time for us as a church to not only fight for those that are unborn, but also to fight for those that are born that need us. And I'm not sure we can do one without the other because it's hypocrisy. If we're going to say that we support life, then we've got to look at this idea that it is the rescue mission of the church to speak into the life of these vulnerable people across the globe. In fact, the book of Matthew Jesus is speaking to the crowd. This is last message to the crowds as a whole, not to the disciples, but to the massive crowds. And Jesus describes to them what the end time is going to look like for people when he returns. He describes to them what the litmus tests of his separating is going to be. And let me just read over to you really fast. How all this connects Matthew 25 verse 31 says this. When the son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne and all the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. You're going to want to be a sheep, by the way. Watch the first 34. Then the king will say to those on his right, that's the sheep, you who are blessed by my father, take your inheritance. The kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. Watch verse 35, It ties it together for I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me. I was in prison, and you came to visit me. Then verse 37, then the righteous. That's us, right?

Those that know him will answer him and say, This Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink? When do we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing of clothes and clothe you? And when do we see you sick or in prison, and when do we go to visit you? You may want to underline this next verse. Then the King Jesus will reply. Truly, I tell you. Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine. You did for me. You see how the pieces come together. Do you realize that every single action that we take on behalf of Christ in the life of a vulnerable person, we are literally doing it for King Jesus, for King, Jesus? And look, I know some of you are like, well, Matt, this text is not. It does not specifically say, kids know, but implicitly it includes them. For sure.

So, what is Jesus saying to us? He's saying, listen, your sympathy is not enough. Sympathy is just realizing or having these feelings of pity, right? We're really good at that. It's like the Sarah McLaughlin. Like little deals online. Save the pets. I mean, we are we feel bad about it. He's also saying, listen, you're your empathy is not enough. We can empathize, can't we? Oh man, I know how you feel. I stub my toe one day. I know you just lost somebody. No. He's saying your empathy is not enough. What does Jesus say? And here's the principal Jesus says this it's compassion that leads us to action. It's compassion. You see, compassion is this feeling of not all, I'm sorry.

Compassion is this idea of I see that, and I am going to take action in this to try my best with whatever means that I have to make it right. That's compassion. And here's the deal. Can I just tell you that's exactly what Jesus did for you when you were orphaned? When you were not a son of the king, when you were not a daughter of the king, when you needed rescuing. It was not the empathy of Christ, and it was not the sympathy of Christ. It was the compassion of Christ that reached down and delivered you and made you, his family.

In fact, Romans 8:15 says this the spirit you receive does not make you slaves so that you live in fear again. Rather, the spirit you receive brought about your adoption to sonship and by him, we cry Abba father. And put the pieces together for us just for a minute and say this. If this is what Christ has done for us, it is now what he is asking us to do for others. Here's the question. What are we doing?

What are we doing to show our compassion to the fatherless? What are we doing as a church to live this out? What are we doing as a body of believers to live this out? And here's the second one.

What are you doing? What are you doing? Do you know there's 153 million orphans in this world? 153 million. Did you know in the state, in the United States alone, there's 437,000 foster kids available to be taken into a home for a little while.

Did you know there's over 115,000 kids that are ready to be adopted tomorrow? Hundred and 15,000. Here's the deal. I know that not every single one of us are called to be on the front lines of this ministry. I get that. I would never assume that. But let me just say this every believer is called to be in the line somewhere. Somewhere in the line. A pure, faultless religion. How in the world can we look at the adoption of Christ that he gave us and not yet turn around and live that out in the life of someone else? I want you to do something a little bit different as we close this morning, I know it's a little bit of an. A little bit of a different kind of service. I want you to close your Bibles aren't want you to close your notes.

I want you to shut down Angry Birds and I just want you to only look at me for a minute. I'm. I'm fully aware that is not my job to talk you into anything. It's not I'm nowhere near that good. But I'm also fully aware that the Holy Spirit speaks and still small voices that are mighty that are mighty. So, this morning, I want you to open your heart up just for a few minutes this morning, and I want you to ask yourself four questions. And not only do I want you to ask yourself these four questions, but I also want you to in a spirit of prayer because you can talk to yourself and talk to God at the same time. That's OK. I want you to ask God to do a couple of things in your life, and some of these are going to be a little bit scary. I'm not going to lie. So, I just want you to do something this morning, and this is a little weird, it's not how we normally do things, but that's OK. I just want you to bow your heads where you're at.

I want you to quit worrying about where we are or what's going on next. I just want you to pray these four prayers, here's number one. Wont you to pray, God, would you point out the places in my personal purity that I need to offer up to you? God just point out those spots I need to give you. Can I just tell you that he already knows them? You're not hiding them from them, but your healing doesn't start until you allow him to hear you say, here it is Lord. God, point out those places in my personal purity. that's where pure religion starts. Number two, want you to pray this God, give me a personal sense of responsibility to serve the vulnerable. A personal sense. Not one of these hey, God, help those out that can do this.

No, no, no, no. God, give me a personal calling. To serve the vulnerable. Maybe for you, that's going to be here at Burnt Hickory serving in one of the ministries that serves there, maybe it's coming behind the one team. Maybe for you, it's joining up with like Calvary children's home once a month or once a week. Or maybe it's for you joining in with must ministry. Maybe for you. Your personal sense is to join that next trip to Kenya or when we jump into Guatemala or one of our partners.

God give me a personal sense of responsibility to serve the vulnerable. Here's number three. So, it gets a little bit personal, God, show my family if or how you're leading us to even consider starting the process of rescuing a child. Got show my family. If and how. We can even start this process, maybe for you, it's just to attend one of the meetings on what it looks like to be a foster parent. Maybe for you, it's what it looks like to be an adoptive parent.

Maybe for you, it's what it looks like to be part of a respite team or a support team, whether that's financially giving to the Livestrong fund to launch those that need it. Maybe for you, it's just like, I'm not really sure where my heart is, but I want to do something. God show me, show my family, all of us, God. What that looks like. Here's the last prayer. God, show this church how to speak up for those who can't speak for themselves. God just show us how-to step-in ministries like the one we just talked about with Peter. The ones that are here in our community, the families that need us. Around the world or in our backyard. How we can rise up for the fatherless God, show us. So many God opportunities for us. Got I pray that today we can take home the worship guide, we can read through the info in there, whether it's bringing socks or underwear or giving to the LifeSong Fund here at this church to fund adoptions or literally beginning the process of saying, hey, my home needs to be a place. Just like the one that stepped into Gabe's life, to give him stability, to give him hope, to introduce him to who Jesus is.

Lord, I don't know how you're going to move after this week, but I know one thing this church is going to chase after the vulnerable. And we're going to be a lighthouse for you here in whatever that looks like, Jesus, thank you today that we celebrate. And God, what a day it would be if more of us saw into the lives of those who have no one. We would change the world. Thank you, Jesus, for meeting with us. And it's in your holy name that we pray. Amen. Amen.

Bless you, guys. We'll see you next week, In the mission's area. there’re some people from one ministry. There’re some others in the back. You'll have a great week. Bye.

Follow Along with the Message

We Are Advocating for Children: To Stand for the Vulnerable

November 14, 2021

Mark 10:13–16
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” 16 And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

PRINCIPLE: Kids have an incredible in God that we should mimic.

PRINCIPLE: God has a special place in his for kids, especially vulnerable kids.

Deuteronomy 10:18
He defends the cause of the fatherless…
Psalm 68:5–6
5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. 6 God sets the lonely in families…
Isaiah 1:17
Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless…
Pure and Faultless Religion

1. Seeks purity.

James 1:27b
…to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

2. Displays charity.

James 1:27a
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…

PRINCIPLE: Rescuing hurting kids is not just a charity for us to support; it's a mission for all the church.

Matthew 25:31–40
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

PRINCIPLE: Jesus says: is what leads us to action.

Romans 8:15
The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

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