Detach the chains of those who are outside

One of the greatest dangers of a church is to look after only those who are already in the church, completely forgetting those from outside. Jesus spent a lot of his time with these people. An awakened church is made of Christians who proclaim the Gospel everywhere. Many believers forget the role of true religion. They spend a lot of time fasting, often for bad reasons, without realizing their responsibility.

This is the fast that God advocates through the prophet Isaiah :

"This is the kind of fast that I advocate : to detach the chains due to wickedness, to unravel the bonds of slavery, to send free those who are mistreated. End the constraints of all kinds ! Share your bread with the one who is hungry and bring home the homeless poor ! When you see a naked man, cover him ! Do not try to avoid someone who is made of the same flesh as you ! Then your light will spring forth like the dawn and your restoration will progress quickly, your justice will walk before you and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call and the LORD will answer, you will cry and he will say : Here I am ! Yes, if you move away from the middle of you the coercion, the threatening gestures and the bad words, if you share your own resources with the hungry, if you answer to the needs of the oppressed, your light will arise in the midst of darkness and its darkness will be like the light of noon. The Lord will be your guide constantly, he will meet your needs in arid places and he will restore strength to your members. You will be like a well-watered garden, a spring whose water never stops flowing. Thanks to you, we will rebuild on old ruins, you will raise foundations of several generations. You will be called repairers of breaches, restorer of frequented trails" (Isaiah 58: 6-12).

So many promises are connected to caring for others ! I pray that you can this month, untie all kinds of chains and go to these people. Pray for them, ask the Lord to put them on your way. Take some money, put it in a Gospel of John, with your phone number, and give it to someone in need. Then your light will glow in the midst of darkness, then your darkness will change into clarity.

Jeremy Sourdril