How to Earn Others’ Trust to Talk About Their Souls

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Pastor Foley

Part VII of our series on Visiting and Remembering

In Friday’s post, we learned that being abased for Christ’s sake – by visiting the poor, the prisoners, the sick, the orphans and the widows – is cause for rejoicing.

John Wesley’s instruction was helpful there, but it’s important to remember that physical care isn’t the only part of the lives of others in which God intends for us to mirror his love.

Wesley says that caring for people’s bodies is how we earn people’s trust to be able to talk about their souls as well:

These little labours of love will pave your way to things of greater importance. Having shown that you have a regard for their bodies, you may proceed to inquire concerning their souls.

And here you have a large field before you; you have scope for exercising all the talents which God has given you. May you not begin with asking, “Have you ever considered, that God governs the world;—that his providence is over all, and over you in particular?—Does any thing then befall you without his knowledge,—or without his designing it for your good? He knows all you suffer; he knows all your pains; he sees all your wants. He sees not only your affliction in general, but every particular circumstance of it. Is he not looking down from heaven, and disposing all these things for your profit?

You may then inquire, whether he is acquainted with the general principles of religion. And afterwards, lovingly and gently examine, whether his life has been agreeable thereto: whether he has been an outward, barefaced sinner, or has had a form of religion.

See next, whether he knows anything of the power; of worshipping God “in spirit and in truth.” If he does not, endeavour to explain to him, “without holiness no man shall see the Lord”; and “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” When he begins to understand the nature of holiness, and the necessity of the new birth, then you may press upon him “repentance toward God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We can follow up our visit with books and articles that allow people to go deeper into spiritual matters. Wesley says:

When you find any of them begin to fear God, it will proper to give them, one after another, some plain tracts… At the next visit you may inquire, what they have read—what they remember—and what they understand. And then will be the time to enforce what they understand, and, if possible, impress it on their hearts.

So let me encourage you, dear reader, to build your own file of books and website links and magazine articles that helped you better understand the Christian faith. Most importantly, share passages of the Bible – ideally from memory – and then follow up by showing them where it is in the Bible. You can say, “There’s a story in the Bible that comes to mind for me in this situation. May I share it?”That way you’re sharing God’s Word with them rather than your own.

Key reminder, though: Books, magazines, and Bible verses are great. But don’t forget to invoke God’s presence through prayer during your visit! You can—and should—lead the one you visit to cry out for God’s visitation and friendship-love.

You minister through your own eyes and hands but always through God’s care and in his name, and always according to his purposes.

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Rejoice to be Abased for Christ’s Sake

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Pastor Foley

Part VI of our series on Visiting and Remembering

As we learned in our last post, in the Work of Mercy of visitation we’re sent as God’s ambassadors. That means we need to learn how to incarnate his presence wherever the widow, the orphan, the sick, and the imprisoned dwell. Central to that Work of Mercy, says Amy L. Sherman, is imparting life:

It [visitation] mustn’t be limited to providing them merely with commodities. We are to share our own lives, and invite them to taste of Christ’s life. We are to pray for fullness in the places where they are empty. Where they experience deadness, our ministry aims to quicken. Where they experience barrenness, our ministry helps them connect to Jesus and experience fruitfulness. He is the life-giver to all who are destitute, empty, dead, and barren.

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, once wrote a script for what we should say or do when we visit the sick, but I think it also works well when we visit the prisoner, the widow, or the orphan:

As to the particular method of treating the sick, you need not tie yourself down to any, but may continually vary your manner of proceeding as various circumstances may require. But it may not be amiss, usually, to begin with inquiring into their outward condition. You may ask whether they have the necessaries of life; whether they have sufficient food and raiment; if the weather be cold, whether they have fuel; whether they have needful attendance; whether they have proper advice, with regard to their bodily disorder; especially if it be of a dangerous kind.

In several of these respects you may be able to give them some assistance yourself; and you may move those that are more able than you, to supply your lack of service.

Wesley says that others may know how to do certain tasks of care giving better than we do, but he says that “delicacy or honour” (our fear of becoming sick ourselves, our perceived self-worth which would prevent us from washing out others’ underwear or help them go to the bathroom, those kinds of things ) ought never to stop us from mirroring Christ’s care and love into the life of the one who is suffering.

Wesley says:

You will then easily discern, whether there is any good office which you can do for them with your own hands. Indeed, most of the things which are needful to be done, those about them can do better than you.

But in some you may have more skill, or more experience, than them; and if you have, let not delicacy or honour stand in your way. Remember his word, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these, ye have done it unto me;” and think nothing too mean to do for Him. Rejoice to be abased for his sake!

“Rejoice to be abased for his sake”—that’s a powerful (and challenging) thought.

In what present circumstance can you rejoice to be abased for his sake?

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The Place Where God Visited

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Pastor Foley

Part V of our Series on Visiting and Remembering

In our last post, we discovered that God visits those in need around us…through us!  This is key for us to understand Visiting and Remembering. It is not that God visited us, so we should visit others.  It is that God visits others, through us. Peter’s visit to Cornelius is instructive for us, here.

But note something else that’s really significant about the way the Bible looks at our visitation. When Jesus’ brother James later describes Peter’s visit to Cornelius, he doesn’t describe it as Peter’s visit to Cornelius but as God’s visit to the Gentiles:

And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. (Acts 15:12–14, ESV) 

God continues to visit orphans and widows in their distress, often sending as his ambassadors those he has also redeemed from their distress. James says this is one of the two marks of authentic faith:

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)

Biblically, the word “orphan” is broadly defined. The Greek orphanas can mean not only those without a parent but also those without a teacher. 

Jesus uses the word that way when on the night before his death, he promises ongoing visitation to his disciples, saying, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18).

And when prisoners are beyond our reach as his ambassadors, he calls upon us to change the way we think and live so that we will never forget what they are experiencing:

Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also. (Hebrews 13:3, NKJV) 

Scripture portrays God as always making good on his pledge to visit those who invite his presence either by their word or their distress.

He visits through his messengers at present, but the Bible affirms that he will once again return in person. 

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (1 Peter 2:12)

Daily we are mindful that he will return. He will not leave us. He will visit us again—here, on what C.S. Lewis called The Visited Planet. That is our distinction in the galaxy: not just that we have air and water and carbon-based life forms. But that this is the place where God visited—and where he will visit again.

That’s what we affirm every when we join together to in saying this great mystery of our faith:

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

Who did God send to you in your time of distress?

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