Pastor-Tom
A PICTURE OF THE GOSPEL
When we meet the needs of the one out of every sixteen persons in Zambia that are vulnerable and in need of orphan care, we provide a picture of the gospel, that is, the good news of how God saves people in Jesus Christ. In Galatians 4:4-7 we read:
But 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. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!'” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
Here we discover that a person who has never trusted Jesus as their Savior is like a slave, in bondage to sin and brokenness, not part of the family of God. Yet, when we trust in Jesus Christ as Savior, we are adopted into God’s family.
What difference does this make? In the 17th century Westminster Shorter Catechism, adoption is described this way: “Adoption is an act of God’s free grace by which we are received into the company of God’s children and have a right to all the privileges of his children.” What are those benefits? Here are just a few: We are forgiven of our sins and declared righteous because of the righteous of Christ credited to us, we are set apart unto God and enabled more and more to do God’s will and stop doing those things that dishonor him, the assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, fellowship with Christ, joy in the Holy Spirit, access to God for prayer, the ability to persevere in our faith, the certainty of being with Christ when we die, and finally we will someday live in the new heaven and new earth with perfected spirits and bodies, never to sin again, never to die again, and never to be ill again.
My oldest daughter and her husband adopted a girl a few years ago from India. Though she was not born into the family, yet, she has the same rights and privileges that her sister and brother have—as being part of that family. At the top of the list are having her physical and spiritual needs met.
When we engage in orphan care in Zambia we meet physical needs (food, clothes, shelter, in some cases, the need to be part of a family) and spiritual needs (telling children about Jesus that they might follow him and have eternal life). As we do this, we give a picture of what God has done with all those of us who are part of his family.
So, we have multiple motivations for orphan care in Zambia. We get to meet the significant needs of children and to reflect God’s glorious good news.
What a privilege to be part of what God is doing!
Joyfully involved in orphan care with you,
Tom Barnes
A Faithful Team
In October, I had the privilege of visiting Zambia for the first time and seeing in person the work done there to help at-risk children and orphans. There are several things that impressed me during that almost two-week visit. At the top of the list are the members of the Zambia Mission Project Board in Zambia. A ministry will rarely surpass its leaders. Given what I saw, I believe the orphan care ministry there should do well.
The board in Zambia reminds me of Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2, where he instructs Timothy on the kind of people he ought to look for as ministry partners and those in whom to invest. He says they should be “faithful persons who shall be able to teach others.”
Every one of the team members fits this description. Each one has planted a church, each is either currently pastoring a church or in the case of one teaching and providing leadership at a Christian university. Each one has a family. Each one is heavily investing in and equipping others for ministry. And, on top of all this, each one of them takes significant time out of their busy schedules to care for orphans.
Once a month they travel to the village being served by the Zambia Mission Project orphan care center. And this is no small thing. One travels overnight to get there, two travel 3-4 hours, and two have to travel a couple hours.
I saw firsthand their ministry to over forty children during one such visit. They brought food, clothing, and teaching from the Bible. The looks on the faces of the children were priceless!
The vision that the ZMP board has there is to plant a church that will not only bring the gospel to the children and others in the village but will be at the center of economic development in the area and care for children. Their vision also is to have a self-sustaining ministry that is able to multiply and to reach more and more children.
I came away more enthused and committed than ever to serving with the ZMP board here in the United States as we seek to come alongside the team in Zambia to make an eternal difference in the lives of children. Given the team I met, I expect God to do great things!
Joyfully Serving the ZMP US Board,
Tom Barnes
