O.R.P.H.A.N. Ministry - Observing God's Word

Back on October 19th, I posted an introducing a vision for coordinating a ministry related to Orphan and Adoptive/Foster Family Care; using the acrostic O.R.P.H.A.N.  With this post, we'll take a look at:



Observing God's Truth regarding Adoption, the orphan, and His commands to the Church


WHY?  Let's see what the One, True, Living God reveals through His Word   

• God is the Author of Adoption

Romans 8:15 - ¹⁵For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"

Romans 8:23 - ²³And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Romans 9:4 - ⁴They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.

Galatians 4:4-5 - ⁴But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Ephesians 1:3-6 - ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

• God Loves and Defends the Orphan

Deut 10:18 - ¹⁸ He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.

Psalm 10:14 - ¹⁴But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation,
   that you may take it into your hands;
to you the helpless commits himself;
   you have been the helper of the fatherless.

Psalm 68:5-6 - ⁵ Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
   is God in his holy habitation.
⁶God settles the solitary in a home;
   he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
   but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

Jeremiah 49:11 - ¹¹ Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive;
   and let your widows trust in me."

Hosea 14:3 - ³ Assyria shall not save us;
    we will not ride on horses;
and we will say no more, 'Our God,'
   to the work of our hands.
In you the orphan finds mercy."

Deut 24:17 - ¹⁷ "You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widow’s garment in pledge,

Psalm 10:17-18 - ¹⁷O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted;
   you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
¹⁸to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed,
   so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.

Psalm 146:9 - ⁹ The LORD watches over the sojourners;
    he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
   but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

Proverbs 23:10-11 - ¹⁰ Do not move an ancient landmark
   or enter the fields of the fatherless,
¹¹for their Redeemer is strong;
   he will plead their cause against you.

• We are to love Our Neighbor

Matthew 22:36-40 - ³⁶"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" ³⁷And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

Romans 13:8-10 - ⁸ Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. ⁹For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." ¹⁰Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Galatians 5:13-15 -  ¹³For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. ¹⁴For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." ¹⁵But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.

James 2:8-9 - ⁸If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. ⁹But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

•  The Great Commission

Matthew 28:16-20 - ¹⁶Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. ¹⁷And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. ¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

•  God Commands His people to care for the orphan

Deut 14:29 - ²⁹And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.

Deut 16:11 - ¹¹And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name dwell there.

Deut 16:14 - ¹⁴ You shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are within your towns.

Deut 24:19-21 - ¹⁹ "When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. ²⁰When you beat your olive trees, you shall not go over them again. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow. ²¹When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not strip it afterward. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.

Deut 26:12-13 - ¹²"When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled, ¹³then you shall say before the LORD your God, 'I have removed the sacred portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandment that you have commanded me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, nor have I forgotten them.

Psalm 82:3 - ³ Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
    maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

Isaiah 1:17 - ¹⁷learn to do good;
seek justice,
   correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
   plead the widow’s cause.

Jeremiah 7:5-7 - ⁵"For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, ⁶if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, ⁷ then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.

James 1:27 - ²⁷Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

•  God opposes those who would harm the orphan

Exodus 22:22-24 - ²² You shall not mistreat any widow or fatherless child. ²³If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry, ²⁴and my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.

Deut 27:19 - ¹⁹ "'Cursed be anyone who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen.'

Jeremiah 5:28 - ²⁸ they have grown fat and sleek.
They know no bounds in deeds of evil;
    they judge not with justice
the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper,
   and they do not defend the rights of the needy.

Jeremiah 22:3 - ³Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.

Zechariah 7:10 - ¹⁰ do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart."

Malachi 3:5 -  ⁵"Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.

HOW can we observe God's Word?

• Reading, studying, and applying Scripture

• By sitting under preaching and teaching that reveals God’s heart for the orphan and fatherless.  

• Forming and/or participating in Bible Study/Small Groups that address the orphan crisis and our command to care for the orphan

• Resources related to the Doctrine of Adoption and application within the context of the Great Commission

Have any other ideas or examples to add?  Please consider leaving a comment.

One verse...

...which sufficiently address all of my "WHY ?!?!" questions regarding the "waiting game" portion of this adoption mission.

One verse...

²¹ Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21)

One verse...

Scripture is God-Breathed
Scripture is inerrant
Scripture is infallible
Scripture is SUFFICIENT

Amen?

O.R.P.H.A.N. Ministry

As Stephanie and I patiently await the Lord's orchestration of events in Kathleen and Gayle's home country, I wanted to take a moment and share something that the Lord, through His Sanctifying Grace, has also instilled in our hearts.


If you have been to our page on the Reece's Rainbow website, and have read over our profile, you will come across this:
"...Over the last several months, God has placed in their lives several brothers and sisters in Christ who have either adopted orphans and/or are strong advocates for orphans. God used these people to raise Corey and Stephanie’s awareness about the Biblical doctrine of adoption and how it applies to orphan care/adoption.
Back in early April 2011, Stephanie attended a workshop on how to start an orphan care ministry. ..."

The workshop Stephanie attended is the one described HERE.  A few weeks later, we made our commitment towards a petition to adopt Kathleen (and then adding Gayle in July). 

The Lord is not stopping there....

Over the last several months, certain brothers and sisters in Christ within the congregation of our home church have come together in fellowship to share their convictions towards the needs of orphans, and adoptive/foster care families.  By God’s Grace, He has led us to become more knowledgeable of His Truth regarding:

• He being the Author of Adoption
• His Love for and Defense of the Orphan
• His Commands to His people regarding Care for the Orphan

We are committed to responding in obedience to what they are convinced is God’s call to establish a coordinated, focused ministry to engage 3 areas:

• Orphan Care
• Adoption (Private Domestic and International)
• Foster Care / Foster-to-Adopt

Our vision includes the prayerful desire to be a church that is obedient to God's commands pertaining to the orphan/fatherless and adoptive/foster families through O.R.P.H.A.N.  :

Observing God's Truth regarding Adoption, the orphan, and His commands to the Church

Raising Awareness about the “plentiful harvest” and need for “workers”

Praying for the orphan/fatherless and adoptive/foster care families

Helping the Orphan/Fatherless

Advocating for the Orphan/Fatherless

Nurturing Adoptive/Foster Care families

With future posts, I hope to expand on the O.R.P.H.A.N. acrostic; including the Biblical foundation that addresses the “why are we doing this?”, and some initial ideas of how we can implement each component of the ministry.

The wait continues

I was hoping the next blog post would reveal the exciting news of a travel date to meet our girls.  However, Last Friday an announcement was made that no more appointment dates would be issued at this time.  The last dates issued were October 17, and now we know why.  For those of you who don't know what I mean by "appointment", it's an invitation from the country our girls live in to travel and meet with the State Department of Adoption.  This is necessary to receive an official referral.

To make a long story short, the adoption authority is changing to a different branch of their government.  This was announced during the summer, and we knew it was scheduled to happen mid October.  We had hoped that our paperwork was submitted in enough time that the change over wouldn't affect us.  The reality is we missed it by 1-2 weeks.  I was sad and disappointed at this news, but have to remember that everything will happen according to God's will, not mine.  It's easy to say these words, but I have to live it as well.  The announcement indicated that new appointments may be issued at the beginning of December.  Maybe it'll be over the Christmas school break, and our whole family will travel.  Just kidding, but that would make for an interesting reality TV show.

Please continue to pray for our precious girls, and for all of the other children who are affected by this news.  Pray that the rules and regulations will be worked out in a timely manner.  Maybe you can take a minute and visit http://reecesrainbow.org/ to put a face with the prayers being lifted up to our heavenly Father.

Waiting

Thursday will be three weeks since our Dossiers were submitted.  What does this mean?  The 60+ documents we collected were translated and accepted by the adoption authority in the country we're adopting from.  The next step is to receive an appointment date to travel to the country and be granted permission to visit the girls.  We will have a separate appointment for each girl.  Here is an example of what we are expecting:

• Travel to the capital of the country we are adopting from for the first SDA appointment.
• Receive an official referral to visit one of the girls, and travel to the region of her orphanage.
• Make it official that we want to adopt precious #1.  :)
• Wait for the second SDA appointment.  Once received, travel back to the capital city.
• Receive an official referral to visit second girl, and travel to the region of her orphanage.
• Make it official that we want to adopt precious #2.  :)
• The next milestone of our trip will be receiving court dates.  It is our understanding that we will have separate court hearings because the girls are unrelated and in different regions.

We are hoping to receive our first SDA appointment information this week.  However, it's probably more realistic to believe it's not likely going to happen.  Why?   There are changes taking place as it pertains to the current adoption authority.  This authority is changing to a different branch of government, and is scheduled to happen very soon.  Decisions/announcements are hopefully going to be made this week.

Thank you to all who are praying for us/our journey, and for all who have donated to our adoption fund.