Location: Jerusalem
Time: Circa 50 A.D.
Primary Scriptures: James 1:26-27; 2:14-16 — The call to care for the vulnerable and to live out faith through action.
James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem, stands before a gathering of believers in the early church. His tone is firm yet compassionate, the voice of a shepherd deeply concerned for the welfare of his flock and the integrity of their faith.
From James:
My brothers and sisters, we are called to be more than individuals who believe in Jesus. We are called to be a community — a body, united in love, serving one another and those in need. It is not enough to say we have faith; our faith must be seen in what we do, in how we treat one another, and in how we care for the least among us.
I want to remind you of what we concluded when the apostles and elders gathered here in Jerusalem. There was much debate about what should be required of non-Jewish believers. Should they be circumcised? Should they follow the entire law of Moses? After much prayer and discussion, we agreed: we would not burden them with unnecessary rules. But there was one thing we insisted upon, one thing that is at the heart of our calling as followers of Christ: that we remember the poor (Galatians 2:10).
