Check out this quote … “The South Wales Valleys stand out on every measure of poverty and deprivation” (The Bevan Foundation). It’s got me thinking about the ministry of Revive in relation to the poor and especially how churches in Cardiff, the valleys and beyond can respond to the spiritual, economic and relational deprivation found in much of the valleys.

I’ve been reading through Galatians the last few weeks. In the midst of 6 amazing chapters unpacking how much better the gospel is than rules, Paul writes 3 words that reverberated with me when I read them. “Remember the poor” (Gal 2:10). As he speaks of how the other apostles approved of his ministry, he is keen to let the churches in Galatia know that this was the one instruction the apostles gave him at the outset of his missionary journeys. I’m sure the apostles could have told him to read more, be more strategic in who he preached to, spend hours in prayer, brush up on his systematic theology or find a wife. Those are a few things leaders may say to those emerging in Church leadership these days. But the one thing that Paul highlights is not their concern for his theology, his prayer life or his mission, but their concern for the poor. And on top of that Paul himself claims that remembering the poor was “the very thing I (Paul) was eager to do” (Gal 2:10).

Just as it was of key importance for Paul to remember the poor, so Jesus, as He began His ministry, declared the fulfillment of the words from Isaiah 61 in Himself … “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18). The first directive of Christ’s Spirit-anointed commission for His ministry was the proclamation of the good news. Whoever we are, if we are followers of Jesus, our commission should be the same. Proclaiming the gospel in church, in family, in work, in friendships, in cities, in valleys. But notice who the good news is first addressed to. It’s good news to the poor.

This is backed up at many other points in the gospels. The sermon on the mount starts with the words “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:3). People often talk about the significance of the words “in spirit”, emphasizing that the Kingdom is not reserved to an economic class but rather to all who will acknowledge their utter depravity and desperate need for God and His grace. However, this sometimes negates the huge importance the bible & Jesus in particular puts on reaching the economically poor with the good news. He had a heart inclined towards the broken and downtrodden and forgotten.

And so should we.

As the Church, called to be Christ’s body and people, we need to care about the things He cares about. And the poor are one of these things. They need the gospel so much. And we need to take it to them in word and deed. The gospel always has been, always is and always will be GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR. We don’t need to dress it up. It simply is good news to the poor. The salvation, forgiveness, restoration, reconciliation, justification offered in the proclamation of the message of the cross is the best news the poor could ever hear.

We need to remember the poor. Pray for us at Revive as we work out what that looks like for us. But more than that, pray for churches across Wales, the UK and the nations of the world – that we may together be faithful to the commission of Jesus to preach the gospel to those in need. For His glory.