Which of these did the work of the father

Yesterday, two of the ladies from the church came to visit the orphanage. When we knocked on the door we were met by Gil, the father of the house, and at first he was very defensive and did not want them to come in because he though they were going to attempt to evangelize the kids, all of whom are Catholic. After I calmed him down and convinced him they were simply there to see the house and then maybe figure out a way to help them out, he let them in and told them a little bit about the house.

He explained that the house consisted of what most would consider "the rejects" most of the kids had been turned away by other orphanages (unfortunately many of which were run by the Catholic Church) because the kids had disabilities or were ill-mannered. He explained that it was one of the main reasons he has stopped going to mass on Sunday mornings. He said that what he follows is the way Jesus lived. Jesus visited with prostitutes, tax collectors, lepers, and the like. This is why Gil has adopted a policy of not turning any child away for any reason except that there is no longer any space for more children (which he is trying to fix by opening up another 30 child orphanage down the road from the current one but there is not enough money to even start the building). He said that many people in the church claim that they are Christians yet they fail to do the work of Christ . There are drug dealers and prostitutes in Ayacucho that have turned to such professions because they make more money and so they are able to use the earnings to help out their family and friends that are in need. (I´m not approving of either, but bringing up something that may not be known).

Gil is a prime example of a person who has turned away from "the church" because they have become hypocritical. They preach about helping those in need on Sunday mornings and then on Monday mornings they wake up to ignore the problems of the world and live their own lives. Being a Christian, for some, just means that you go to church on Sunday. Gil, and many like him, have decided they would rather live their life like Christ did, and stay away from "church people". He unfortunately is missing much of what it means to be a Christian such as corporate prayer and worship, music, accountability, and the like but what he has done that many haven´t is lived out the Gospel . He literally sold everything he owned and moved to a third world country to start an orphanage. I´m not saying that everyone needs to do the same, but what would it look like of people actually start living the Gospel rather than simply worshiping it.

Many of my blogs have become mini sermons and so I am going to try and share some verses that go along with my blog entries.

Matthew 21:28-32

"What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work today in the vineyard.'" 'I will not,' he answered, but later he changed his mind and went."Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, 'I will, sir,' but he did not go."Which of the two did what his father wanted?"

"The first," they answered. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

James 2:14-26

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.