“The Least, the Last, and the Lost” 10-4-08 Gal. 2:9; II Cor. 8:1-14 Dr. J. Ben Sloan
Christianity is at its worst when Christians focus on themselves and become defensive seeking comfort. Christianity is at its best when Christians focus on others, seek to help others, and sacrifice for the good of others and the glory of God. The Christians who stand out the best are the ones who had little and sacrificed even that- like Mother Teresa, St. Francis of Assissi, Calvin. You and I can focus outward or we can focus inward. We can focus on me and mine or we can focus on glorifying God outside of ourselves. Depression is really the focus on ourselves- it is a focus on what we’ve lost or what we are not. Missions is almost the opposite of depression.
One of the ways Paul was used of God to affect the church in a positive way was his outward focus. Paul was at heart a missionary. His writings and theology came from his compassion for others and his desire that people know His greatest blessing in life- Jesus Christ. The church he was in, Antioch, was willing to send out 2/5 of its leadership for the kingdom.
There has been a phrase that has been stuck in my head. I’ve heard it for a few years now, but Christopher uses it a lot- it is caring for “the least, the last, and the lost.” In my mind, these are those Paul and Jesus teach us to care for.
I. THE LEAST-
Paul and Jesus take a very low view of pride. Jesus said, “If you want to be great in God’s kingdom, learn to be the servant of all.” He said, “Unless someone humbles themselves like a little child, they will not see the kingdom of God.” Paul said, “Have the same attitude as Christ who mad himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant…he humbled himself being obedient to death- even death on a cross.” Paul began many of his letters saying, “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus…” One of the new morals Christians brought to the world, according to William Barclay, was the idea that humility was good.
Two weeks ago the president of Wachovia went on CNBC and said, “Jim, we have a great future as an independent company. We’re also focused on very exciting prospects when we get things right going forward. I didn’t have time today to talk about the good things going on at Wachovia.” The president of Bear Sterns, Alan D. Schwarts, just days before it was sold hastily to J.P. Morgan said, “We don’t see any pressure on our liquidity, let alone a liquidity crisis.” The mighty have fallen. This is nothing to rejoice over. It is sad- very sad. We have a tendency, all of us, to brag when we have nothing to brag about- we have a tendency to brag about our own strength- when it is bankrupt.
Paul would have us to not brag about our assets but instead to give generously, quietly for the glory of God to help the least of those among us. I hear of over 1,000 children in the Rock Hill school district who eat nothing but the breakfast and lunches served five days a week at school. Helping children, and helping those who cannot help themselves- like older adults is part of our calling. Paul commended the church in Macedonia who gave to the church in Jerusalem that was undergoing a famine- though they themselves had nothing. I remember reading of a church in Burma who would had absolutely nothing- but they would put aside 2 grains of rice each meal so that missionaries could be sent out.
II. THE LAST- Paul was concerned about those who were left out of society. One of Paul’s great passages in Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, but we are all one in Christ Jesus.” This is an amazing statement. It degrades prejudice and exclusivity. It calls us to think about the oneness that we can have in Jesus Christ. In heaven there will not be a room for the slaves and a room for the free. We will all be free. In heaven there will not be a room for the old and a room for the young. There will not be a room for the American and a room for the Chinese.
Paul said an amazing thing here and that is that even a slave can be set free by Christ. It is not how much you have of this world that is important.
Paul has been criticized so much about his view of women. But without statements like this one, where would women be? Paul was the one who changed the Passover from being just for the males to communion that is for all people. Paul was the one who solidified the change in the initiation ceremony of circumcision which was just for males into the initiation ceremony of baptism which is for male and female. Paul, frankly lifted up women in leadership positions, commending Phoebe as a deaconess, Priscilla who hosted a house-church, and is responsible for the first Christian convert in Europe- the woman, Lydia. If you compare Paul to the Roman patriarchal writers of his day or even the Jewish Rabbinic view of women, he comes on top every time.
The call for us, in the midst of this economic crisis is to look out for those who are left out- those who are hurting the most- the very poor. I do not believe that it is just the very rich who are hurting from this. It may be those who have lost jobs and are feeling hopeless. It may be those who have lost their homes and are homeless.
III. THE LOST-
Jesus said I have come to save those who are lost.
The trend the last 30 years is to secularize this to the people who are confused or hurting economically. Paul referred to those who did not fall asleep in Christ as lost to heaven. Paul said of his fellow Jews, “My hearts desire for them is that they be saved.” There are people who have removed themselves from their Creator. They have removed themselves from the command to worship together, to work together, to love together- and they have left the church. In a survey in USA Today 1 in 5 Americans said they never go to church- that is the highest figure ever in our history. In 2004 the unchurched was 17%. One sociologist said that only 4% of American teens today are expected to end up believing compared to 35% of the teens who were babyboomers and 65% of the WWII era grandparents. America is losing its faith. So what happens when a hurricane comes- who do they pray to? What church do they go to for help? Do they really pray with others during war time? How close are they to God when an economic catastrophe happens? We have faced devastating things lately. Things that in our history have led us back to God. But I don’t see it today. Instead I see a lot of despair and a lot of people to proud and to alienated to call to God for help. I have yet to hear any presidential candidate or any political leader make an earnest call to the churches to pray about our devastating economic situation. We have faced in the last two years, a devastating drought, devastating floods, devastating hurricanes, a war on two fronts, rising crime, rising family break-ups, economic catastrophe- but where is the call to humble ourselves before God? Instead I see movies making fun of the faith like Religulous. I would consider that terrible timing. I see a terrible trend of leaving God and then we wonder why God would allow such things to happen to us?
Those of us in the church are called to share our faith with those who are disconnected to their Creator. Not because we intellectually have all the answers- we walk by faith not by sight. Not because we believe we are better, but we are like one beggar telling another beggar where to get the bread.
Paul and his writings continually call us to be outward focused. We are at our best when we are not looking in, but when we are looking out with an outstretched hand to the least, the last, and the lost.
I knew a church once in our presbytery that was 500 members. They lost their minister in a crisis, and they went down to 350 members. They had a budget shortfall because of the lost membership and enthusiasm. They quit doing missions, they quit being involved in local outreach projects, they stopped inviting people to church and doing evangelism. Basically focused on pastoral care. They were afraid to try anything new. Today that church is a museum. That could be the story here of this church.
But even more importantly, that could be the story of us as individuals. If we are spiritual navel gazers we will die- because Christianity is always a religion that looks outward instead of inward. The church is a missions society, one wise Presbyterian said many years ago. If we cease to do missions, we cease to exist.