Episode 7: Part I: The Widows, The Fatherless, and Worship, Oh Why?

Pleading the Case

In II Corintians 11:2-3 Paul tells us "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ" (NIV). So, how do we know if we have been led astray from our pure and sincere devotion to Christ? After studying James 1:27 "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (DBY) for more than 25 years I am more than convinced that this single passage is the key for being able to accurately determine the condition of the church at any time and place in history. And the key to unlocking this passage lies in our understanding of worship. This two part series begins with the first part of the first line of this passage, "pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:"