Part 1
On what basis, for what reason, should Christians care about the lame, deaf, or blind? The fundamental reason is God Himself. In biblia02/vz03/Levit19.htm#1">Lev. 19:1-18, God gave to Moses the fundamental rules of human conduct toward each other, and He based them on "Be holy, for I am holy." After each group of rules, God said, "I am the LORD (Yahweh = I AM)." In other words, because God exists (He is the I AM), we must live accordingly. In this overview of the moral law, God included care for the blind and deaf biblia02/vz03/Levit19.htm#14">(Lev. 19:14). At the end of this passage is the command, "Love your neighbor as yourself" biblia02/vz03/Levit19.htm#18">(v.18), which is echoed several times in the New Testament. The Old Testament is full of teachings about the need to not only worship God correctly, but also to give special attention to the needy biblia02/vz23/Isaia01.htm#13">(Is. 1:13-17; biblia02/vz23/Isaia35.htm#3"> Is. 35:3-6; biblia02/vz33/Mikhei06.htm#6"> Mic. 6:6-8; biblia02/vz38/Zakhar07.htm#9"> Zech. 7:9-12).
The Greek word "agape" means divine love or unselfish, unconditional love. It is sometimes translated as "charity." At the very start of His ministry Jesus, quoting from the 61st chapter of Isaiah, said that He had come to preach to the poor, heal the broken-hearted, give sight to the blind, and bring release to the lame biblia02/nz03/Luka04.htm#16">(Luke 4:16-21). Twice in one chapter, perhaps for emphasis, He repeated that His followers are to invite the poor, lame, maimed and blind into our fellowship biblia02/nz03/Luka14.htm#12">(Luke 14:12-14 and 21).
When a certain expert in Jewish religious law came to Jesus and asked what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus repeated the teaching about loving God and one's neighbor in Lev. 19 (see above), and illustrated this with the parable of the good Samaritan biblia02/nz03/Luka10.htm#25">(Luke 10:25-37). To sum it up, Jesus might say, "Do you really want to inherit eternal life? Then act like this Samaritan did!" Jesus gave His new commandment to His followers: "Love one another" biblia02/nz04/Ioann13.htm#34">(John 13:34-35). This is the one way the world will believe that we really are His followers.
Jesus repeatedly demonstrated His love for the sick and lame by healing them biblia02/nz02/Mark07.htm#25">(Mark 7:25-30; biblia02/nz03/Luka08.htm#43"> Luke 8:43-48; biblia02/nz04/Ioann05.htm#1"> John 5:1-9). Most of the miracles that Jesus performed, in fact, were healings and other care for people's physical condition. Even in His parables, such as the story of the rich man and Lazarus biblia02/nz03/Luka16.htm#19">(Luke 16:19-23), Jesus often showed that the poor and lame have a special place in the Kingdom of God.
Western Evangelical Christianity often stresses the need for faith alone in order to receive eternal life. Certainly faith is important, but we must be sure it is a living, working faith biblia02/nz06/Iakova02.htm#17">(James 2:17-20; biblia02/nz16/Galata05.htm#6">Gal. 5:6). Dead faith, a faith that does not produce good works, will not save a person biblia02/nz06/Iakova02.htm#14">(James 2:14-16; biblia02/nz09/1Ioann03.htm#16">1 John 3:16-18). A living, working faith brings into reality the connection between physical rehabilitation, holiness and moral behavior biblia02/nz26/Evream12.htm#12">(Heb. 12:12-16). True religion proves itself by caring for widows and orphans, and not preferring the rich over the poor biblia02/nz06/Iakova01.htm#27">(James 1:27 - biblia02/nz06/Iakova02.htm#1">2:9). When we lose sight of this, our churches become little more than social clubs for respectable people who can all take care of themselves, or a museum piece, an ancient curiosity. If we think we are all right in ourselves, we are actually blind, Jesus said at the end of the passage about His healing the man born blind biblia02/nz04/Ioann09.htm#39">(John 9:39-41).
How did the early Church demonstrate its care for the handicapped and needy? In biblia02/nz05/Deania03.htm#1">Acts 3:1-8 Peter and John healed the man lame from birth. In biblia02/nz14/1Korin12.htm#18">1 Cor. 12:18-25 the Apostle Paul wrote that those members of the Body who are less "noble" in outward appearance deserve special attention. After the First Council in Jerusalem, which resolved the controversy about whether all Christians must observe the whole Old Testament law including circumcision, Paul adds a valuable insight that isn't mentioned in Acts 15. He wrote in biblia02/nz16/Galata02.htm#10">Gal. 2:10 that they also determined to "remember the poor." Repeatedly St. Paul wrote about collecting funds for the needy saints biblia02/nz05/Deania24.htm#17">(Acts 24:17; biblia02/nz13/Rimlia15.htm#26"> Rom. 15:26; biblia02/nz14/1Korin16.htm#1"> 1 Cor. 16:1; biblia02/nz15/2Korin09.htm#1"> 2 Cor. 9:1). So we see from all of these Scriptures abundant evidence of concern for "the poor, the lame, the maimed and the blind." In the second century, Justin Martyr described in chapter 67 of his First Apology how the early Church combined worship with service to the sick and needy.
Often when Jesus healed a person or fed a crowd, He required them to do what they could. In biblia02/nz01/Matfei15.htm#30">Mat. 15:30-34, He asked the disciples, "How much bread do you have?" And then He blessed their contribution, and fed the multitude. Each participant in an Agape Restoration Center (ARC) will be expected to do what he can biblia02/nz15/2Korin08.htm#13">(2 Cor. 8:13-15). The Acts of the Apostles is also filled with miracles of healing, but another important miracle in that book is the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Because they tried to deceive the Apostles about the amount of money they had and were giving, God struck them dead biblia02/nz05/Deania05.htm#1">(Acts 5:1-11). It will be important in each ARC that residents or others seeking assistance make full financial disclosure, so that people don't pretend to be poor in order to gain some benefits.
In the same passage that teaches about God's holiness and our duty to care for the needy and handicapped, biblia02/vz03/Levit19.htm#11">Lev. 19:11 warns against deceit, and biblia02/vz03/Levit19.htm#13">Lev. 19:13 requires that workers be paid on time. biblia02/vz20/Pritch22.htm#22">Prov. 22:22-27 echoes this concern for the needy, but also warns against becoming a surety for their debts. During seven decades of socialism the state instilled an attitude that people were entitled to all sorts of social services, but this has deprived them of the will to work. Now people ask for money, but they have forgotten that God exists and it is He who gives people the ability to create wealth (biblia02/vz05/Vtoroz08.htm#17">Deut.8:17-20). We must not naively just give money, but rather restore a moral infrastructure for society, real pay and on time for real work performed, and no stealing by workers or misusing their time at work. biblia02/nz17/Efesia04.htm#28">Eph. 4:28 and biblia02/nz20/1Fessa04.htm#11">1 Thess. 4:11 tell us that the thief must no longer steal, but work with his own hands. Restoration must reach into the moral and spiritual as well as the physical and educational areas of life. St. Paul wrote in biblia02/nz16/Galata06.htm#2">Gal. 6:2-5 that we should bear each other's burdens, but in the final analysis each person must give account for himself. He also wrote in biblia02/nz17/Efesia04.htm#13">Eph. 4:13 and in biblia02/nz19/Koloss01.htm#28">Col. 1:28 that the goal of the Gospel is to make people mature and responsible Christians, not to be children who are perpetually dependent on us. That is what rehabilitation means. Christians, both Evangelicals and Orthodox, need to restore these practical aspects of the Gospel to their proper place in our lives. We need to recover the primary relationships of loving our neighbor in a small community, i.e, face-to-face where people begin again to feel responsible for and to each other. Faith-based non-governmental organizations are often much more effective and much less expensive than government bureaucracy. When we leave it to the state, to secondary relationships, "agape"-love is eventually replaced by lack of concern and even scorn for those who most need Christian love. We will incorporate these principles into the Agape Restoration Society.
The people of the world will only know we follow Christ when they see that Christians really love one another biblia02/nz04/Ioann13.htm#34">(John 13:34-35). Therefore, Evangelical participants in Agape Restoration Society will be required to accept Orthodox believers in this society as sincere followers of Jesus Christ and live in harmony with them. Western Evangelicals coming to Russia to work with ARS must read two books selected from a list about the Early Church Fathers, Seven Ecumenical Councils and Eastern Orthodoxy before they arrive, and will be expected to visit Orthodox worship in order to gain a practical understanding of it. Orthodox particpants of ARS will also be required to accept Evangelicals in this society as sincere followers of Jesus Christ and live in harmony with them.
biblia02/nz13/Rimlia14.htm#1">Rom. 14:1-6 and biblia02/nz13/Rimlia15.htm#1">15:1-7 teach us to be tolerant toward others who hold debatable positions. "In primary things unity, in secondary things liberty, and in all things love." Regarding baptism, each person should be convinced in his own mind. Some Evangelicals such as Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and Reformed practice infant baptism, while others such as Baptists, Pentecostals and Adventists baptize only upon personal confession of faith. Therefore the ARS defines valid baptism to be that which was performed in full agreement with the teachings of an ARS particpant's church that confesses the Nicene Creed.
Also, nearly all Christian groupings use various forms of religious art to communicate their faith, and respect and strive to imitate the saints who have gone before them. In accordance with the Seventh Ecumenical Council (Nicea, 787 A.D.), Evangelical participants of the ARS will not call the use of icons "idolatry," and Orthodox participants of the ARS will abide by that Council's decision to only give respect ("proskunesis") and not worship ("latreia") to icons. Both Orthodox and Evangelicals in an Agape Restoration Center will be free to invite their respective clergy to the center. In the open end of the U-shaped common area a chapel will be built, and the residents of each center will decide by majority vote what kind of chapel it will be, Orthodox or Evangelical. Thus, the majority of residents in some centers may be Orthodox, and in other centers Evangelical Christians.
Part 3