The past few days we have blogged about conversion and the Great Commission, so exactly what do those topics have to do with our project here in Kenya?
In my opinion they have a lot to do with taking care of orphans and other marginalized people. Most of the people we minister to here in Kenya are practicing the Christian religion.
They will attend a meeting on Sunday, and usually a midweek gathering as well. They will pray, or rather scream at God whenever they are in the building used for their meetings. The poor we minister to will often times be faithful in giving their tithes or at least will give in the offering on Sunday morning. Whatever the man or woman in charge of the meeting says they usually do, or at least make an effort to. (Certainly not every person we assist does this, but a good number of them. There are some who worship Allah, but there is very little difference between people who practice the Christian religion and those that practice Islam.)
In other words they have lots of religion, but it is not helping them. You can fill your life up with religion (defined as a set of rules or obligations designed to please God or a man made system) and still not have food on the table. No matter what the prosperity preachers say, giving money to a ministry does not force God to bless you with more money. If you want to make money that way, just invest in the stock market.
So religion is not helping them out, but Jesus can help them out. In fact in many ways he already has, but that is another article or two or three. What we do is offer an alternative. Love without religion. Love without obligation. Love unconditionally given. Jesus first loved me now I try and return that love to my fellow human beings.
We are discipling the orphans in our home. We are discipling the people we assist every week. Disciples will follow Jesus, without an expectation. I can sacrifice lunch for someone without commanding God to repay me with a hundred free lunches.
These topics are very relevant to our project, but they are also relevant to you. In each of our lives, no matter what we do for a living, we have an opportunity to be disciples and to make disciples. We just might have to lose our religion in order to be and make disciples.
Missionary to Nakuru, Kenya. Co-founder of A Future and a Hope, a home for girls.
