A Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future

A new article on ChristianityToday.com. An appeal to live the biblical narrative.

Need some motivation?

Asia's Young Entrepreneurs

Human trade - what can we do?

I was going to give this post a different name - "Hate / Passion / Compassion / Fear". Today I read an article at the Jakarta Post that details how Human Trafficing is a major issue in Indonesia. Human Trafficing is an issue that makes my blood boil. Hearing of the stories of some of the women, children (and boys) who are trafficed across the world for prostitution, sex slavery, and slave labor brings tears to my eyes.

I can honestly say that I hate people who profit from human trafficing. I hate those people who use the services of trafficed human beings. And I hate those who who exploit trafficed human beings. I hate them with a pure hatred. Do you know what these girls suffer? I have had to force myself through the testimony of the humanitarians who have worked to free these girls. These girls are lured from their kampungs (villiages) with promises of work in the city and moeny to send back to their poor struggling families. Rather, they are kidnapped, smuggled abroad and sold as sex slaves. Others are locked in dungeons and used in forced prostitution. They are constantly drugged to numb the pain. The average life span of a girl forced into this work is 14 years.

Here is an extract from the article...

Indonesia is a hub for trafficking. Young local women are often hired under the pretense of overseas employment as domestic workers, only to end up in forced prostitution in Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

High rates of poverty and unemployment, along with low levels of education, have been blamed for the ease with which people in Indonesia are exploited.

I have strong feelings for Indonesia. I love the Indonesian people, and I would like to help in some way. But what can I do? What can someone from a different culture do? I have a passion:
I want to start a school in Indonesia. I want to provide a safe place for the vulnerable Indonesians to come. A place where they can be accepted, protected, cherished, and grown. I want to be instrumental in making this happen. But what can I do? I have no money? I have no skills in teaching? No social services, limited cultural knowledge? What could I possible do? This is the fear.

Due to underlying religious hostility in Indonesia, it is hard to get humanitarian Visas, and once granted, you are monitored for proseltyzing. Indonesia is majority muslim. But the way that I see it, this is not a muslim issue - it is a human issue. We have an obligation to our neighbours, to protect them from exploitation. To protect and serve the vulnerable. If not a human issue, the disciples of Christ are without excuse - We are commanded to protect the vulnerable. We are commanded to serve them. The Prophets made this clear for us.

So what can I do? I don't know. Pray? Seek? Knock? God, please make a way. Lead me in Your will.

What do I want to say to these girls? You are never dirtied. Though the world exploits you, you will never lose your value in the eyes of God. And because of that, I will never view you as dirty. I will accept you as my own family and in someway, try to show the love of God for you. You are precious in Gods sight.

What do I want to say to the human trafficers, and all those who profit from, or exploit the services of human trafficers? Your days are numbered. God will rip the cover off all iniquity and your blackness will be exposed for all the world to see. Repent and pay restitution while there is still time for you to do so.

What do I want to say to every person who labels them selves as "Christs"? This is YOUR problem. It is not the missionaries, or the Indonesians. It is your problem. If you don't act, who will. Don't use the bullshit excuse that God has not called you to help. Poverty is your problem. Oppresion is your problem. The poor are your problem. Read the prophets. Read Christs words. You were told to prioritise two things. Love of God and love of others. If you are a follower of Christ, don't you believe that you are to follow Christ? What did Christ say?


and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday. (Isaiah 58:10)

learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow. (Isaiah 1:17)


The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed, (Luke 4:18)


I am preaching to myself here as much as anyone else. God help me to stop being selfish. Help me to live beyond myself. Help me to live by example. Help me to be a humble servant of Christ. Like Christ, not viewing myself more highly than I ought to, but to humble myself and be a servant of others. God, may Your kingdom come, and may Your will be done.

What world is real?

What world is real? The more I read the bible, the more it becomes obvious to me that there is two worlds. A physical world, and a spiritual world. It's not that I ever denied or doubted that, but sometimes, I become oblivious to that.

We're spending this month on the topic of prayer at church. One thing that I know is that Prayer is natural. It is something in every human being that always tries to cry out beyond ourselves. Even in communist regimes, where the government has tried to stamp our religion by force, they still cannot stamp out the internal yearning for more beyond ourself.

For instance, in communist Russia under Stalin, and communist China under Mao, the people were taught to "think" of their dear leaders when their work was difficult, or when they were dissuaded by the communist ideologies. In China, people were often forced to confess their sins to Mao in a prayerful form. They can try to wipe out religion, but they can never wipe out what is natural to every human - an internal desire for a spiritual Father. These regimes simply put man in the place of God.

I was encouraged tonight by a story of Elisha. It is found in 2 Kings 6:8-22. Here Elisha and his servant, surrounded by an enemy army. The servant was distressed but Elisha was calm. Elisha prays a simple prayer "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha". (2 Kings 6:17).

In the physical world, there was every reason to fear. But Elisha realised that the spiritual world was much more real. He could see into this spiritual world. What is stopping us from seeing into this spiritual world? I believe that we have become numbed and too attached to the natural (too much tv, too many sensory experiences, too much visual entertainment). It's time to examine ourselves and ask, what world is more real to us?

Artificial

Everyday we see their screams on the media screens
But we just sit here relaxed protected by our serenity scenes.

These scenes we build based on the marketing speel.
True happiness always seems so real.
But in our serenity scenes, we will never feel.

We've made a god of ourself.
We bow to its every word through deed and mis-deed.
Striving to satisfy.
Planting descrated seed. These seeds only grow into desecrated trees.
No healthy fruit. No green leaves.
It doesn't matter though. We can make it artificially good anyway.
Where there's a will, there's a way.

After all, we make our own way.
We build our own empires, get fat, but all the while, we remain detached -
from humanity.
Depravity has become our tradition.
Seeking first our own desire, aiming higher and higher
but sinking lower and lower.
Until there's nowhere else to go.

We stop and see that we have destroyed our souls.
Now we want to change.
But it's too late. We're dead.
The Universal Sustainer heard the cry of the dispossessed and the transfer has taken place.
The land is theirs.

Countless denials

How many times did I ignore His voice –
Calling me to follow Him?
How many times did I close my eyes and sleep –
When he wanted to talk?
How many times did I give less than my best –
When that’s all He has given me?
How many times did I disobey –
Bringing shame to His name?

I cannot count but I know it’s many
Each fault has added a brick to the wall of my heart
Driving me from my God – further apart
Not by His will, or by mine
But just a part of humanity
It happens all the time.

When will this wall come down – how will I know?
Rescue me God from this prison of self.

Favourite movie

My favourite movie of all time is “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”. Here are two quotes from the movie.

There’s nothing we can hold onto in this world. Only by letting go can we
finally possess what is real.

Crouching tigers and hidden dragons are in the underworld. But so are
human feelings. Swords and knives harbour unknown perils, but so do human
relationships.

Thursday night thoughts from North Perth cafe

I found a cool cafe in North Perth that offers free wireless, so I am here now blogging. I don't usually blog this much, but since I spent the past week recovering from a flu, and now I just cant be bothered going to the gym. I will start the gym again next Monday.

My fiancee messaged me today with a simple message "77 days". A constant reminder to my wedding date in October.

I'm still in a lost period at the moment. Thinking about where I want to live, what I want to do, etc. I am a university graduate and I have a good job. I am also commencing the path to getting professionally certified as a solution developer by Microsoft. But, man, life is full of so many choices. The desires of my heart are drawing me in a different direction. It's now that I need God's peace. I see two paths set before me - both are viable options: 1. Will I set my life to just buy a house, have children, play golf, play church, and then die? or 2. Will I set my heart on Jesus and live for Him in every decision, every thought, and every action? Will I follow where he leads even though I don't know where we're going? Will I put my own desires to death and seek the will of God? It is no loss to seek and live God's will. I heard a quote recently: "Man is no fool to give up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

This Saturday I am going to a meeting to listen to a Chinese business man speak about mission work in China for professionals. Although I have no real desire to go to China for missions (my heart is in Indonesia), I'm hoping to get alot out of it.

People I have felt comfortable around.

I’ve been thinking about the people in my life who have made me feel comfortable and free in my relationship with them. Sometimes I feel that I am being judged or measured up by the people I know. But, there are many people who I have felt free to be openly and honestly me. Here are some of these people.

I remember Eyob. Eyob was by far the most genuine person that I had ever met. What you see is what you get. Eyob was the loveable and friendly guy with an abundance of friends. Yet, even when we couldn’t have been more different, Eyob proudly took me as his friend. He took me to his friends and family and help me up as someone who was a true friend. Eyob is a great influence and blessing to everyone who knows him.

I remember Christina and Peddy. They were associates / friends while I was at uni. Although our cultures differed greatly, I felt very comfortable around them. I could be myself freely. Peddy is an Iranian Muslima. She knew my stance for Christ, yet she happily counted me as a friend. I am grateful for these girls.

And yes, I remember my Zambian mate – David. I felt free to be the annoying person that I sometimes can be around him. If you can still be a friend even after seeing my annoying side, then you are quality.

I think of my family. This is the place where I feel most at home. I have never been judged or condemned for anything that I have ever said or done. I have spoken harshly to them, yet I have never heard a bad word in return. I’ve only received love and acceptance back from them. For this, I am eternally grateful.

And then I think of Gayle – my beautiful fiancée. Her example of acceptance and love is strong. Gayle knows everything about me and she still chooses to marry me and journey with me for life. In Gayle’s company, I experience the meaning of love, forgiveness, and acceptance. Words cannot express my thankfulness.

And then I think of Yahweh. Although I was an enemy of God, a sinner, living for myself in everyway, God chose me and took me as His child. God chose to take me – scars and all – and give me His robe of righteousness. He gave me His only Son to be tormented and spill His blood so that I can be forgiven and accepted. Nothing I had done, and nothing that I could do will ever separate me from the love of Christ. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). Christ has done this for me. I am eternally grateful. I am eternally His.

There are many others I could mention here, but these are the ones that spring to mind. I don’t have a strong ongoing relationship with some of them, but they are people who at one point in my life made me feel free and accepted to be myself around them.

Make Poverty Personal - Chapter 1

I have read a very good forward and intro, which could have substituded for a compelling read itself. Many of my notions of wealth and poverty were shaken in those chapters, but I have not plans to summarise them here. Onto chapter 1.

Ash makes the assertion that we cannot have a good understanding of the bible unless we have a deep appreciation of Moses and the Exodus event. After playing a little mind exercise I begin to understand why. The reader is asked to imagine himself (very detailed) as a Hebrew slave suffering under the brutality of the Egyptions. We are asked to imagine crying out to God for help, and imagine hearing of a man named Moses living in the wilderness - a man who God has called to help - but for 5 reasons, Moses declines God's order.

Moses' 5 excuses (Exodus 3:1-4:17)

Excuse one: Who do You think I am? (Exodus 3:1-12)
Excuse two: Who are you really Lord? (Exodus 3:13-22)
Excuse three: What will people think? (Exodus 4:1-9)
Excuse four: What skills do I really have for this? (Exodus 4:10-12)
Excuse five: Surely someone else can do this? (Exodus 4:13-17)

It was at excuse five that the text says "The anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses." I encourage everyone to read this Exodus account for themselves, because I am sure that we will see ourselves in Moses - in this very human response to God. Moses came up with five excuses very quickly. We can all relate to atleast one of them. And unfortunately, most of us require only one to legitimise watching from the sidelines.

Critical Questions:
What does this story reveal about what Moses was like?

This story reveals a man who was not too unlike myself. A man who thinks and feels unacceptable to God. A man who allows issues of his past shame him from stepping into the role that God had called him to (Moses had killed a man). I can relate to everyone of MOses excuses, because I have used every one of them myself. We view Moses as a hero in the biblical story, but his beginning is not too unlike our own.

What does this story reveal about what God is like?

This story reveals to me a God who is passionate for all of his children. What would have looked like a series of coincidences in MOses life, was infact (as it appears to me) a series of divine appointments. being raised in the family of Pharoa - having inside access. Being a jew. If anyone was ready for the role of liberating the Jews from oppression, surely it was Moses. God had led Moses to this moment through his whole life. It shows me that God does have a plan, and when he asks us to do something, at times - we are the only person who can do it. There is no one else. We are the unique person that God has groomed and chosen to fullfil my unique mission on earth. If I don't do it, it is a slap in the face to God, and a denial of my reason for existence. God cares enough about His children to shape and mould individuals for specific purposes.

What is the nature of poverty in this story?

I see poverty in this story as being a lifetime of hopelessness and helplessness. The Israelites were trapped - outnumbered and surrounded. They were crushed - physically and spiritually. Their Egyption captors held them as objects. Simply objects to do the dangerous work and build the Egyption empire. After full days of back-breaking labour under the whip, they would come home, see their children already asleep and feel utter dispair and hopelessness in the knowledge that their children are destined for the same future as them.

In todays world, this is still existent. Slaves are still existent. Sex slaves, child-labor, and also some slavery that is not as obvious - minimum wage workers in the US, China, South-America, etc. Complete hopelessness. They can just live on a prayer. They cried out to God for help. God heard and sent Moses.

How does God respond to the excuses Moses gives not to get involved helping liberate his people facing misery?
To answer this question, I will take an extract from the book...

After Moses fifth excuse, the anger of the Lord boiled over, and...

"This was to have long-term, tangible consequences for Moses, not least that he would miss out on entering the land promised to his people once they were freed from slavery. The Lord was not some kind of super machine to be swithed on and off. Rather, the Lord reveals a deep passion, expressing deep feelings about his people and Moses detachment. The Lord was deeply hurt, and his frustration boild over. Do anything, this text seems to say, but don't take God's patience for granted.

Still angry, the Lord worked out a solution with Moses. "What of your brother Aaron, the Levite? I know that he can sepak fluently... he shall serve as a mouth for you and you shall serve as God for him... The Lord arranged for Aaron to partner with Moses... it is a good example of the way God can ring people together, contributing strengths to others' weakenesses. Aaron could speak well, and Moses felt he needed this." (pp 28)

Make Poverty Personal - The Bible's call to END oppression

I will begin posting on a book that I am reading called "Make Poverty Personal" written by Ash Barker. I will begin by writing part of the blurb from the back of the book as a brief introduction.

There is an immediacy about the summoning God of the Bible. The call of that God draws us, without big words or abstract thought, down and dirty into the economic reality where the truth of God's kingdom is at stake. That immediacy in God's call is replicated in this powerful, compelling study by Ashley Barker. The book makes clear that the author has been seized by the near-to-hand crisis of poverty as a life-or-death issue for the world and consequently a life-or-death issue for the church.

I will post a brief overview of each chapter as I complete it.