Mercy and Grace in Prison

For three years, I lived in a desert area. When the rains came, the thorn trees burst out with fresh leaves. Overnight, it seemed a transformation took place. Butterflies appeared and songbirds flew about.

In that hot, dry area, another transformation took place. My father was a full-time chaplain ministering to thousands of Kenyan men who had been apprehended by the British colonial administration. Some were sentenced to one year in prison, other men in the uprising against Great Britain had to serve two years.

With a strong British accent, it might have been dangerous for my father to spend hours each day in the cells. In some of them, upward of 100 men were housed in what had been former airport hangers. Theoretically, he could have been physically hurt in one way or another.

Instead, hundreds of one-time rebels against the Kenyan government were saved as they trusted in the Savior. One man said, “Before the Gospel was preached to us, everyone here was talking about rebellion; now, everyone is talking about the Lord Jesus.”

Another stated, “We get food and water and medical care, but it isn’t those things that made us different. Only the Word of God could have done that.”

A Christmas thought: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God… to all who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:1,12,17

The Health Hidden in Laments

 

The Seige and Destruction of Jerusalem, a painting by Roberts

A lament comes from the depth of one's soul. It reaches down into the common memories of a group of people, and there comes a painful cry. Mourning, with multiple levels and reflecting hundreds of memories, rises to the surface. 

I think of the lament at the death of King Saul and David's best friend, Jonathan. Both Saul and Jonathan were defeated in a battle. That terrible event marked the end of King Saul's life and the beginning of David's rule.

More poignantly, Jeremiah's lament comes to mind. I never get tired of reading the majestic poetry, among the best in the Bible. The lament has endless depth, gripping pictures of destruction, and the collective moan of loss.

Two comments about laments come to mind. First, a lament combines both a personal situation as well as one's entire society.

Burning the Temple, a painting by Fransico Hayiz

When Jeremiah witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem's walls and the temple being burned, he recalled his frequent trips to pray inside those walls, to offer a sacrifice at the temple. But it wasn't only his loss. His entire society had been laid to waste. Personal and societal loss were bound up in the same expression of grief. 

Secondly, within a lament, within the awareness that the end of something precious has been lost, there is a new beginning. For David, the kingdom was now going to be his to govern. For Jeremiah, the awesome nature of God's judgment because of idolatry led him to an eternal confession, one we still sing about frequently. His words became our words. 

Monument of General Titus Capturing Jews in Jerusalem, Rome 

Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22,23

Looking around at our world right now, I wonder if we as Christians could agree on a lamentation. How ready we are to hoard more stuff, especially on Black Friday or Boxing Day. And how slow we are to think of the poor. How quickly do we approve of the third vaccination against Covid-19, when more than 50% of the world's population doesn't have access to even a first dose? How easy it is to buy even larger vehicles, store extra stuff in our garages and storage units outside our homes. At the same time, people south of the USA border and in at least 65 of the poorest nations in Africa and Asia have suffered through decades of inadequate governance. The list of ills seems endless. Not only that, the list seems to be growing ever longer. 

We need to reflect on this time of global crisis. Each of us has an image of something we have lost in these past years, perhaps a sense of security, perhaps a job, even a lost loved one. Our combined grief is deserving of a healthy lament.

Why "healthy"? Because it is in the moment that we accept our loss that we have to return, as Jeremiah did, to the everlasting faithfulness of the Lord. Jeremiah didn't ditch his people. They kept on sinning. They simply would not leave their idolatry. He loved his people and even followed them to Egypt, dying there. In the same way, we will love our neighbors, our friends, and our beloved family members, many of whom we might consider a lost cause. Why do we stick with our people when there seems to be no hope? 

It's because of the Lord. It's his faithfulness that holds us firm through the storms of life. 

Rebuilding after a Rotten Foundation

Rebuilding after a Rotten Foundation crumbles. That was the challenge my father faced when I was four years old.

We were living in the western Kenyan village of Kabatronjo, about five hours drive from the urban center of Eldoret. Travel is quicker and more accessible now, but in those days, the steep drop down the Elgeo escarpment, the perilous trip over the deep, rushing waters of the Kario River, and the agonizing climb back up the other side of the Rift Valley took longer. Paved roads and safer curves mean it's easier to find materials these days. But in that year, my day needed to rebuild a house being destroyed from the ground up by termites.

A few days before, I was playing with my toy cars beside the living room wall. I pressed the wheels of my toy against the wall, and a hole instantly appeared behind the yellow paint. Calling my father, I went running to where he was typing out lessons for the young men studying in the school. He came in to see what was the matter, and then he called out, "Hazel, you'll have to come and see this!"

Termites had taken most of the wood, finding a better place, I suppose, deep in the ground to chew things over. Support that the two-by-fours and the planks attached to them were supposed to give to that wall had been eaten away by tiny creatures looking for nourishment. Soon, the fundi, the carpenter on the mission station, was beside my parents, poking his fingers into the wall here and there. He went to other rooms in the house, and then his verdict came as he sadly shook his head. "Mr. Phillips, you are going to have to rebuild the entire house."

And that is what happened. Our house was torn down, as you can see in the photographs. A team of four carpenters came from the nearby, larger town of Kabarnet, ten miles to the south. Those strong young men took down the walls, first having moved all the furniture out. The old house, built by Stuart Bryson, the remarkable Australian who translated the entire Bible into the Tugen language, had not thought about the considerable damage termites could bring about.

Within a few weeks, the new timbers were erected on treated wood, the new foundation, and that house was our home for another two years before we moved away. At that time, polio attacked the muscles in our bodies. 

Sometimes I think about the invisible damage done to our lives. Yes, there is an unseen but very real eating-away at our foundations. Greed for money, prestige, and grasping for precious objects can eat away at our souls, even if it's not observable to others. Course language, pornography, casual relationships do the same thing, working quietly and insidiously.

I admire teachers and counselors who can help young men and women detect the rot that sets in. I found the damage to our walls when I poked around, not suspecting to find anything wrong. Let's pray for families, moms and dads, who work with teens and young adults, helping them build a foundation that will not rot and decay and bring the house down around their ears in later life.

It's Thanksgiving time in the USA and Canada. Let's give thanks for moms and dads who lay good, solid foundations for their families.  

Five Conditions for Prevailing Prayer

 Five Conditions for Prevailing Prayer:

1 Entire dependence on the merits and mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Keep separated from all known sin.

3 Have faith in God's word of promise as confirmed by his oath.

4 Ask in accordance with his will.

5 Be willing to wait for the right time, even as you are constant in supplications.

The Four Ways God Answers Prayer

 1 If the timing is wrong, God says, "Go slow!" Wait. See John 11, the story of Lazarus.

2 If the request is immature, God says, "Grow!" The reason is to develop our character, not to provide comfort or convenience. Is. 59:1-2

3 If the request is out of God's will, he says, "No!" Jesus prayed for the cup to be taken from him while he was in the Garden of Gethsemene, but he still was willing to obey the Father.

4. When the request is right, God says, "Let's Go!" 

James 4:14-17 Keep our motives pure, believe, don't doubt, focus on possibilities, not limitations, and never stop praying!

Reconciliation in an "Almost-failed" church

 

My first visit to the rural city of Coxim in Mato Grosso do Sul in Western Brazil confirmed every negative opinion I had heard about this place.

 Close by, the expansive Pantanal spreads all the way to the Paraguay River. The Pantanal is one of the largest swampy places in the world. I had heard about the flies zooming down around the food in Coxim, but not the other challenges I would meet. 

Once a flourishing church with a private Baptist school, the church had fallen headlong into a miserable state. The school closed following the abrupt departure of most church members from worship services. The three-hour direct bus service from Campo Grande to Coxim was extended an extra hour, or more if it was a "pinga-pinga" service. Pinga was a kind of beer. Pinga-pinga meant the bus stopped at each and any dirt entrance to the fazendas. Cattle raising is the chief occupation there. An extra hour was well worth the investment of time if you wanted to meet rural people in the northern part of the state. 

A new military man had come as a trainer of army recruits, and he asked me to be there at 2:00 pm sharp at the military base. I had never spoken to a room full of 60 new recruits. The topic given to me was unique: "Christian Beliefs!" The memory of dozens of flies circling the rice and beans on my lunch plate quickly left as I spoke to those young men. If I made dozens of mistakes in Portuguese, they didn't show it in facial gestures. Amos, the wonderful Black Brazilian, also had me go on the radio each time I went. He carried on the 15 minutes, daily programs. What happened there next was mostly because of him.

The church services had been canceled, so I simply visited every home I could find that was associated with Coxim Baptist Church. 

Two weeks later, I arrived early on Saturday morning and went to visit one of the two elderly women still faithful to the Lord in that congregation. She lived in a spread-out, beautifully decorated, ranch-style house with gorgeous flowering plants inside and outside. I prayed with her and asked about her ten children, unable to fix each name with the current family status, numerous grandchildren, and where they all lived. 

Leaving her home, I almost bumped into a man about my age. The entranceway into her home was kind of dark since flowering shrubs grew all around. "Are you walking in the light?" were the words I uttered. I left, confused as to the reason those words came out when I was kind of making a joke with someone I had never met. 

That weekend, we had a prayer meeting instead of a worship service. But six weeks after I first arrived,

I was met with a request to open the doors of the church building. Coxim gets sweltering hot temperatures on a regular basis, and this was the middle of Brazilian summer. Every window was wide open to catch a bit of the breeze. And there, sitting with his mother, was the man I encountered two weeks before. 

"I had a vision the night before I visited my mother," he said after the service. "I heard strange words, 'Are you walking in the light?' and I saw someone like you at my mother's home. Distressed, I went there as soon as I could because I didn't want a foreigner coming to our family home." He went on to say, "I repented of my sins, which are many, and I want to see this church flourishing again."

Many such stories happened in the following three months. I spent much time visiting homes. Each Sunday evening, I barely made it to the bus station, usually as the bus was already backing away from the platform. And since it was a "pinga-pinga," letting men off as they went back for the Monday rounds on horseback, I usually arrived at our home in Campo Grande about 1:00 am. I left aside the petty differences that had coalesced into internal divisions. The beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ took over. 

Three months later, I led a baptism with 21 young people confessing their faith in the Coxim River. Two months after that, we witnessed a powerful moment with people confessing their bad feelings and bad words to each other. Seven months after I first visited, we had a graduate from the Seminary in Rio de Janeiro come to assume the pastorate. That service saw benches lined up outside the building, all the way to the street with over 300 in attendance. 

Reconciliation had taken place in an amazing way. The Spirit of the Lord had come upon us. Those humble believers, many with less than nine years of schooling, were willing to put away their differences. An "almost-failed" church came back to life in the most amazing way.

Oh! I don't dwell on flies and piranha fish when I remember Coxim these days. It's something else, something heavenly. "I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought." I Corinthians 1:10. 

A Family Reconciliation

Living anywhere in the world, one finds conflicts embedded in family relationships. This was true in Brazil, where we lived for many years. 

One of the families took us in with our weak Portuguese skills. The Monteiro extended family numbered in the hundreds, although I didn't know it when we first moved to Campo Grande in western Brazil. For the first year, I'm sure we gave them oodles of hilarious phrases, hundreds, probably, things they had never been taught about in school, but which were a more than serious attempt to murder the wonderful linguistic cadence inherited from Portugal.

Over the years, we had dozens, perhaps scores of pleasant encounters with various family members. I remember the day when I came home and told my wife, "Do you know that so and so is related to the person we had a meal with yesterday?" I was only beginning to understand the complexities of family extensions in South America. Oh, how much I had to learn! And how many mistakes I made!

Time passed and we moved to Brasilia. I received an invitation to be a speaker at a family gathering. To my surprise, 219 out of 263 persons in the extended family arrived for the five-day event over Carnaval. I spoke on family relationships in the book of Genesis: the first generation - "Abraham: How faith comes into a family"; the second generation - "Isaac and Esau: how conflicts come between brothers"; the third generation - "Jacob: how long-term patterns separate people"; and the fourth generation - "Joseph: how reconciliation brings relatives together." 

I did an exceptionally un-Brazilian thing the last morning of the retreat. It was still early morning when I asked people not to come to the front; instead, they would stand and make a prayer request, and people around that person would pray in a low voice while we sang choruses. I expected this to take about 15 minutes. Then the next person would make a request for prayer. 

I looked up at the end of the first chorus, opening my eyes, and there were several people standing at the front of the massive lean-to that had been built on the ranch/farm for the event.

What followed was amazing. For several hours, the Holy Spirit fell upon that wonderful extended family. Broken marriages were healed, distant relatives brought together, commitments made to live in harmony, fathers reconciled to their children, and children repented of wrong-doing. I didn't know any of the family secrets. Thank God, I didn't need to know. It was the third time I witnessed such a blowing away of the cob-webs from the dark places of the soul. Those people did not quench the Holy Spirit. 

Oh, how I came to love those dear people! The family made a commitment to go back to the fifth generation, 957 persons, and it was discovered that with the sixth generation, a total of 5,005 persons were descended or married into that family! Each of twelve children of the fourth generation gave enough through the donation of cattle each month over the course of a year to provide for a "family missionary" to travel throughout Central Brazil, locating each of those persons and bringing the message of God's grace, forgiveness, reconciliation, healthy relationships, and light in the face of Jesus Christ. Having been reconciled, they simply could not stop telling the good news of Christ's grace.

Thirty-four years later, I'm sure the family is well into the eighth generation of this family. Originally, the first man and wife came from elsewhere in Brazil. And now, they are scattered, usually because of work opportunities. Yes, I continue to hear precious things from family members through social media. Churches continue to multiply in Campo Grande one of the largest patterns of church growth I've ever heard of. May the name of the Lord be praised and uplifted for what those dear, humble people did in letting the Holy Spirit do his everlasting work.

Confession followed by Reconciliation - 4

 What is it about the power of confession?

That's something I wondered as I got on the airplane in Cochabamba, Bolivia, returning to Brasilia, Brazil. I had shared two weeks with Bolivian brothers and sisters. We studied the book of Acts for one week, and during that time, I learned an unforgettable lesson in October 1989. 

It came through Bolivian pastors and leaders, not from me as a visiting speaker. 

The topic being discussed was the power of the Holy Spirit to witness. I asked for their opinions on the Bible passage we had been reading during the previous 45 minutes. The complete silence that followed left me feeling uncomfortable, and I wondered if I should step into the conversation to keep that silence from getting unbearable. 

One of the pastors, Emigidio Veizaga, shifted in his seat as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. When he spoke, his comments seemed to have nothing to do with the topic! 

"I didn't want to come to this meeting," he began, "and almost didn't buy the bus ticket." His next words explained the reasons for his discomfort. I learned that stress existed between the various departmentos, or provinces/states, of the country. I can't remember how long he spoke, but his sincerity in desiring unity among the leaders was matched by his distress caused by a few recent occurrences. He wanted to love others but was finding it difficult to do so.

When he stopped speaking, another silence! Wow! Then, first one man and then another came to him, speaking gentle words. They thanked him for his honesty. Expressions of love were given with joy, forgiveness, and not a few tears. Hard feelings began to break down. One man went across the circle to give Emigidio a warm hug. Then another did the same thing. People waited patiently to publically ask for forgiveness. For a while, I felt the power of God. We were in the presence of the Lord. Past hurts were put aside. An atmosphere of genuine love and caring fell over the group. No one wanted to take a coffee break. Just being together in the Lord's work, sitting in the seminary chapel, and basking in the warmth of the Holy Spirit was enough.

Some unplanned events took place in the next few evenings. We had amazing breakthroughs, positive experiences that bound everyone together, men and women, urban pastors and Campesinos, rural pastors. 

That smaller meeting folded into an even larger one during which young people demonstrated their love for the Lord through their beautiful combinations using guitars, Andean flutes, and drums. 

What is it about the power of confession? How can ordinary people know the love of Christ if small problems in churches become big ones? 

Reconciliation between leaders in that experience, and in subsequent encounters, taught me how wonderful are the words of Jesus, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." 

Oh, that we, here in our nation of Canada, might repent before the Lord and one another of the attitudes we have sometimes held towards one another, judging without knowing all the facts, being jealous without reason, or putting one region of the country before another. 

Thank you, my dear brother, Emidgio Veizaga. The day you humbled yourself for a few moments taught me more than I could ever teach you. Praise God for the revival that followed. 

A Shameful Act followed by Reconciliation - 3

Many people talk about the beginning of a revival, saying, "It all started when so-and-so confessed a sin publically," or something similarly dramatic.

A great movement towards the Lord Jesus Christ took place in Bolivia. I don't know how many others call it a revival, but I certainly do. I will explore the reason for my deep conviction in various blog posts. 

This revival in Bolivia did not begin with a confession of sin. It happened after the forgiveness of sin!

In 1948, there were only a few thousand evangelical believers in Bolivia, a landlocked nation in the heart of South America. For half a millennium, the Roman Catholic Church dominated all aspects of life, economically, legally, and certainly spiritually. 

"Bolivians celebrate the sixth of August as the date of the emancipation from Spanish colonialism and the birth as a nation, taking the name of their liberator, Simon Bolivar (1783-1830). They enjoy the three days of August 5, 6, and 7 to affirm their national identity with the family of nations." Jaime Goytia R in Bridging Cultures and Hemispheres: The Legacy of Archibald Reekie and Canadian Baptists in Bolivia. 

Those three days in 1949 were chosen by missionary Norman Dabbs and the congregations in Oruro for dynamic, special meetings. On Monday, August 8th, Norman Dabbs and several church members went in an open truck to preach in Merk'Amaya, a mining center high up in the mountains. Unknown to them, a meeting had been held to plan a violent clash. 

In the raid that evening, stones rained down from all sides. Among the bodies were those of Norman Dabbs and Pastor Meneses. Luis Guerrero was pulled from the mission truck, pleading, "Don't kill me! I have six children!" Four members of the Merk'Amaya community were killed. Six were driven to nearby Catavi, three of them women. In all, eight were stoned to death and six badly wounded. 

Time magazine picked up the story and published it on August 22, 1949, reporting that "300 drunken Indians used stones in their attack on a home where Baptist Missionary Dabbs was conducting a Bible Study for some 40 believers."

Walter S. Ridgeway, in the well-known publication Redemption, wrote: "What attitude did the evangelical Christians of Oruro take when they learned about the untimely death of their pastor and their other spiritual leaders? Was it a reaction of hate and vengeance? No, but "Father, forgive them for they know not what they ." This was the biblical text most frequently cited through the whole funeral service." Lorna Dabbs expressed her forgiveness towards the men who took her husband's life. She said she was not there to condemn but to love them and show them the way to a loving, forgiving God.

 This forgiving spirit moved many Bolivians. The flicker of forgiveness and reconciliation grew and spread throughout the land from a cold, distant mining center few had ever heard about. This movement gradually ushered in a growing wave of redemption and reconciliation. The work of the Holy Spirit was evident as numerous lives were changed. Churches were planted, and many came to know the power of salvation. Instead of vengeance and resentment, humble brothers and sisters became bold to speak of their relationship with the Lord. 

On August 8th, 1998, I was one of a delegation of 110 Canadians who met with the nation's highest authorities. The Bolivian Baptist Union leaders were present, too. The event was held to celebrate 100 years of evangelical witness in Bolivia. The nation's highest authorities represented the Judicial, Legislative and Administrative arms of the nation.  Amazingly, these politicians would normally not be with each other on the same platform. In some ways, they promoted opposing ideologies. But during their two-hour presentation that day, they put aside their differences. Each distinguished authority, speaking in their most erudite Spanish, publically recognized the effectiveness of humble, forgiving Christians living honest, productive lives. It was an event I will never forget. The list of social changes and improvements they commented upon deserves a blog post of its own.

From a few solitary evangelical believers in 1898 until today, when about 25% of the nation confesses "Jesus is Lord" within one of a variety of church groups, I positively affirm: revival is at work in Bolivia. It sometimes appears openly in special meetings or events. But most of all, revival in Bolivia, as in the rest of Latin America, is lived out in the ordinary rituals of daily life. Revival in Bolivia takes place through the gradual ingathering of people who repent because the Kingdom of God is at hand. 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." II Corinthians 5:17-19

 

Blame, Shame, and Reconciliation - 2

Over several decades, I have been privileged to witness seven small revivals. The first one took place in Kenya. I was a child there and then as a teenager, so I didn't have the tools to really understand what was happening in the East African Revival. Many other events were going on at the same time, something like countercurrents. 

Basically, European powers controlled African colonies, and African leaders were seeking their independence. Political comments were usually topics for adults to chew over after we children went to bed, not talking about around the meal table. 

At the time, I couldn't stand back and observe things analytically as I could later on. But Holy Spirit-led movements honoring Jesus Christ were a topic of profound interest at home. I wondered if I would ever see a real revival, and if so, what brought it about?

In the mid-1970s, a short-lived revival broke out on the Western Canadian Prairies. The topic of revival was important since my parents had an entire collection of books about the subject in their bookcases. Was it because of distrust among pastors and leaders that this movement faded away? Spontaneous meetings began, some lasting until late in the evening. Were church leaders uncomfortable with laypeople standing up, giving their testimonies, and with some confessing their sins?

Shortly after arriving in Brazil, and before I was entirely fluent in the Portuguese language, I was one of about 80 pastors attending the annual Pastor's Conference at Piraputanga, the beautiful Baptist camp not far from Campo Grande, in the western state of Mato Grosso do Sul. After a morning session, Pastor Jonathan de Oliveira, pastor of First Baptist Church, stood up unexpectedly. He called a deacon to the front. The surprised layman and all of us, too, heard this pastor say, "I'm sorry for what I said several years ago. Please forgive me. I was wrong." As they hugged each other, I could not control the tears flowing into my eyes. There was something about the sincerity of public repentance, forgiveness asked for, and reconciliation born that moved me deeply. 

Out of that event came the concept of forming a local seminary, away from the major cities of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Where leaders had lived with a defeatist attitude, harboring past wrongs, a tiny flame was sparked. Several other events had recently taken place in Dourados, a nearby city.

Leadership formation of an extraordinary kind was born. What happened over the following years is a story too long to repeat here. Some people like numbers to use as a measurement. In Campo Grande, where there were eleven churches in 1978, there are 110 Baptist churches today, according to one of my former students. The city tripled in population while the number of disciples grew tenfold. Truth be told, many other evangelical churches were also planted in that city and all over that western Brazilian state. God was glorified and is being glorified in thousands of lives. 

"Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand," said Jesus. 

I have given much thought to that single event in 1978. There was a public shame, a gentle, godly, courageous, and humble spirit of humility breaking down emotional separation. Would the same growth have come without that confession of sin? Confession, looking back on it, was such a simple act. For Pastor Jonathan, it must have been like dying to a whole part of his former self.

Arriving in Campo Grande, significant emotional turmoil existed between people. 

And I didn't know a thing about it. Things are usually that way. We can't come into a room, a school, a church, a business, or an institution and instantly be aware of past shaming or contemporary blaming. The same thing happens in family life, congregational life, sports teams, within businesses, across political lines, and even among entire ethnic groups. 

Whenever I think about that pastor's conference in 1978 (which is often), I think of these wonderful words: "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:4-32

 

Blame or Reconciliation -1

We are living through momentous days. I think everyone has the same conviction. Change is in the air. I come to this topic believing that we all want the world to be a better place. We want happiness, but we mourn past sins, aggressions, loss of life, and other disappointments.  

This raises an issue for us all. How do we approach societal, moral, and ethical changes? What is our first reaction? When we do respond, what kind of language do we use? 

I see a dramatic difference between these two poles. One might be called "Laying Blame." Another response could be named "Finding a path to reconciliation."

Much of what I see on the TV, in print, and on social media reveals dark things. 

There's lots of horrible stuff happening, to be sure. To blame another person almost invariably means looking at the PAST. We seek to bring a distance between ourselves and the person or persons who caused such outrage.

Laying blame means asking a series of questions? What happened? Who did it? How much abuse was there? What can be done about it? Will the police charge someone? Why did people get away with it for so long? How much has been covered up? How high up the ladder are those protecting the ones who were caught? I call these investigative questions, and they must be asked. However, it's all too easy to stay stuck in the past, digging further and further, distancing ourselves, creating social and relational distance, and saying, "You are to blame!"

I have deliberately defined this as a polarization because in later blogs I hope to tease out some of the more subtle nuances we face in decision making. So, the one side tends towards laying blame.

At the same time, there is another aspect to our lives. We have to work towards the future. If we go beyond laying blame, we will seek reconciliation. 

Reconciliation has to do with another set of questions. Each question brings us into the FUTURE. 

In the Gospel, I find a marvelous truth. God was in Christ Jesus finding a way to reconcile the world to himself. Mercy trumps judgment. Finding the path to reconciliation has as its goal to live in peace with one another. (2 Cor 5:18) I don't see Jesus coming to lay blame. He comes into a world, recognizing evil, but showing how to form an entirely new approach to life.

People who seek to live out the demands of the Kingdom of God will ask additional questions. 

Reconciliation involves the difficult but necessary conversation between people who have been at odds. Maybe punishment must happen, but there's a deeper foundation. It's based on agape love.

 Yes, conflicts happened. But now what? The path to reconciliation asks a relational set of questions. How can our relationship be restored? What kind of a world do we want to live in? How can we change things so that this abuse doesn't happen again? Do the laws need to be changed? Will private or public acknowledgment of guilt be sufficient? Is it possible that we might even learn to love and appreciate one another? 

(I will write more on "Reconciliation" in my next blog post.)

Faithfulness is Love Going Beyond Reason

During days when things seem chaotic, 

Faithfulness means staying calm because you care deeply for the people in your life.

     Being a child of our faithful Heavenly father helps us imitate his character.

Faithfulness is not falling into old habits, some of which may be sinful.

    Staying the course happens because the vision is clear. We desire to please the Lord.

Keeping a relationship alive brings joy during little and big events. 

    Little decisions each day add up to a lifetime of character formation.

Love helps us stay faithful to the wife/husband of our youth, despite trials and difficulties.

Faithfulness enables us to meet each day's demands. We do this because of God's faithfulness.

Jesus was faithful every day. His character is constant. The Lord is present during our most difficult moments. "God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up to it." I Cor. 10:13. 

 

The Kingdom of God: Understanding its demands

Following Jesus Christ produces the most dramatic life changes. Not only do we receive everlasting salvation, but we are also baptized into his body, the church of the Living God. 

Jesus calls for all things to be united in him. I believe that putting the teaching of the Kingdom of God in practice, as taught by our Lord, will give us an insight into how to live holy lives in contemporary society. Knowing what the Kingdom of God demands of me will orient my decisions on hundreds of smaller but still vital issues.

Jesus called twelve disciples to be close to him. He had many other followers, as well. Right after his death and resurrection, 120 disciples met in Jerusalem. Among them were the Eleven (the Twelve, minus Judas Iscariot.) Paul tells of an encounter Jesus had with more than 500, presumably those who followed him in Galilee. 

 Jesus did not call followers who would agree with each other on all things. We know Simon the Zealot was politically motivated before he was called. To be a Zealot was to plan an overthrow of the hated Roman occupiers. Andrew may have followed John the Baptist, who was likely influenced by the Essenes, who escaped contemporary society's corruption. Nathaniel may also have been an Essene. Certainly, most of the disciples, Simon Peter, James, and John, were influenced by the Pharisees, those who were conservative. Probably, Matthew was more inclined to the life of the Sadducees, those who tolerated the Roman presence. After all, Matthew was a tax collector, working on behalf of the hated soldiers and foreign administrators. Why did Jesus call people together who came from polar opposites?

What did Jesus do with such a diverse group? He taught them about the Kingdom of God. His earliest preaching was, "Repent for the Kingdom of God is near." Jesus addresses the sin issues, those things that cause division, hatred, misunderstanding, and enmity. His teaching included dozens of parables, most beginning with the words, "The Kingdom of God is like a ..." By the evening before his death, he had shown them how to live life according to the Kingdom of God.

If we can grasp this key concept, we will have a unique insight into our decisions. We have to act within a complex modern society. But the teaching of Jesus speaks to any place, language, family, or earthly kingdom. God works with people who come from every point on the political compass. We should not worry or be intimidated by current events. We will not shy away from the topic of sin, nor will we live in despair because of the brokenness that comes upon us all.  

God intends to create a new people, walking in along a new path, displaying a new kind of servanthood. Jesus illustrates this over and over in his life. He showed love and gave attention to the least, the last, and the lost. 

God intends to draw all things to himself in Jesus Christ. God desires unity. This is not an artificial political unity that favors only one group over another. That is something that quickly passes. We never find Jesus crying out for a revolution against Rome. (SOme people rewrite the life of Jesus, twisting his words, so he appears to criticize the Roman Empire.) 

Jesus even accepted Rome's demands for the payment of taxes. If anyone follows Christ's teaching, then the lust for earthly power, prestige, and glory (that which 'Rome' constantly offers) will quickly disappear. A new light has dawned. It is a new Kingdom. Earthly politicians will forever seek temporary power and glory. Lies, exaggeration, causing division, and self-serving attitudes are easy to detect. 

Christ's followers will make decisions that overcome racial prejudices, economic stereotypes, and self-promotion. His is a kingdom built on love and self-sacrifice. It is a kingdom that unmistakably seeks the best for others. The Kingdom of God is not about what most favors me, my family, and my limited group.

All kingdoms are built on power. Just examine the eleven mighty empires that came crashing down between the years 1949 and 1992. (Allworld empires gave up their powers, usually reluctantly, as colonies became modern nations.) How many thousands, no millions, or people died or suffered as these empires were built up? Think about the demise of the British, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Belgian, Dutch, Ottoman, Russian, and Japanese Empires.

The Kingdom of God is built on a heavenly power, not on earthly powers. "That power is like the working of his mighty strength which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in his way." Ephesians 1:19-21

Making Decisions in a Conflicted World-Understanding Worldviews.

 

"Which way do I turn to get to my destination? When should I take the next turnoff? There's so much traffic on the road, I can't see the signposts!"

Thanks to our smartphones, such questions aren't so common nowadays.

Many decisions have no easy answer. I am writing about complex decisions facing Christians in today's world. In this blog post, I outline five basic world views that confronted the early disciples. These worldviews still are with us. 

In later blog posts, I'll elaborate a bit more on these, and then, as we get into the summer, I'll begin to tackle some of the decisions we face in the light of Scripture. 

Everyone in the time of Jesus expected, no, demanded: Change! We want justice!

My intention is to help us see that Jesus' teaching of the Kingdom of God brings light and love to all the complex realities of modern life. I am thrilled to examine the ways a specific incident could be understood from so many different angles. So, let's summarize five basic approaches to life as we turn the pages of the Gospels.

On the far right were the Essenes, those who opted out of society. The world was so evil! Redemption was not possible. One could only withdraw completely, live within the walls of a limited, trusted community. Days were spent studying, praying, meditating, and writing. Traditions had been broken by everyone else in society.  And justice and righteousness: how they wanted these! Things would only change if and when the Messiah came.

The Second worldview emphasized several values: God, tradition, country, laws, honor, community with like-minded, sharing, being visible for the whole world to see, and providing for their own. In New Testament days, Pharisees and their sharp arguments jump off the pages. Each time Jesus did a miracle, someone was there to criticize him for breaking the Sabbath law. Jesus ate with ordinary people, and once again, Pharisees were down his throat. Things would only change if everyone obeyed the Law the way they saw it. Then, justice and righteousness would arrive.

The third approach was seen in the lives of the Sadducees. Their position in society did not hinge upon tradition. No, honor, position, wealth, success, power, and providing for one's future depended upon cooperating with the powerful, the high, and the mighty. In the time of Jesus, the Empire kept everyone under Rome's strong thumb, so "success" depended upon keeping the approval of those who held power. Change in society meant keeping other worldviews from gaining power. Then justice and righteousness would come. Reverting to traditional values was highly undesirable. Talk about angels, the resurrection, the afterlife, and miracles made no sense. What was important was the immediacy of one's comfort in society. "Serve me this way..." was often heard.

Fourthly, Zealots brought the wrath of Rome upon Judea. A small active group demanded immediate change. That meant removing occupying forces. Only a few people sought societal change this way, but these warriors were powerful, mean, and ruthless. Justice and Righteousness had to come. Thus violent means were approved of. That was the way to bring about change.

Acting against all four worldviews was Jesus' teaching of the Kingdom of God. What were his values? Self-sacrifice, not self-interest. Service for others, not expecting service from others. Kindness, compassion, tenderness, lifting up the broken-hearted, joy, service, thinking of others, taking time with the poor, preaching, bringing hope, and forgiveness are at the core of this new Kingdom. The inner life of the spirit led to the forgiveness of sin and one forgiving one's brother. Furthermore, love included your enemy, not just your friends. This was something new indeed!

Jesus taught his followers to live with a new understanding of love. Love God and love your neighbor; these were the fundamental laws governing every other law. 

Change was to be expected. Just as a small seed grew into a big tree, so this Kingdom would grow everywhere. Much of what society expected was going to be turned upside down. The grain of wheat that died in the ground brought forth new life, and so the disciple who follows Jesus must be willing to take up his cross daily. Jesus didn't utter long speeches about political situations. He illustrated his values by how he spent his time, with whom he sat down for a meal, and how he brought completely diverse points of view together in his core group of followers. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

"Keeping on the Path" (Part Three in a series on Christians in the Modern World)

 

"Father, I want to walk on your paths, to follow the road you have laid out for us. Your promise states, 'Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it.' (Isaiah 30:21) How wonderful!

"But walking on your paths in daily life is not easy. If it was simply a matter of staying on course through a canal, there would be no challenge. However, our days are full of twists and turns. 

"Early in the morning, I turn on the TV. Oh no! Another mass shooting. Nine persons were killed. It's terribly upsetting. And this year, there have already been 232 mass killings in the USA, leaving aside those killings of three persons or less. Have we become numb to such evil? Will there ever be a day without a needless death?

"And now, here in Canada, is reason to feel national pride? People say, 'We don't have those kinds of deaths.' Now, I learn of 215 children dead and buried at a residential school in BC between 1890 and 1970. Those children, educated under the protection of the Roman Catholic church, were supposed to be safe. What brought about the deaths of so many Aboriginal children? Who caused their deaths? What is going to happen as this First Nation seeks justice? 

"It seems as if endless violence surrounds us. I know this is not really the full picture, for much good is done every day. Thank you, Lord, for the thousands of persons helping on the front lines against the Covid-19 virus in hospitals, labs, clinics, and pharmacies. Thank you for scientists, surgeons, engineers, educators, and people in all kinds of professions.

"One way to avoid the pain of modern life, Lord, would be to simply turn off the TV and radio. If I lived as a hermit, things such as covered-up, hidden graves would not cut into my conscience. One way to leave the path of righteousness would be to close my mind to it. Let it all stay "out there." That might be like turning to the right.

"Another way would be to scream in rage, lashing out on social media, implicating innocent people before the normal course of justice has its day in court. That might be turning away from your path and going to the left. Hatred is easy to foster. Encouraging the love of our neighbor seems impossible.

"Perhaps at moments like these, the way to walk in your path is to cry out with words found in Scripture, quotations from many psalms. Back then, godly men and women called for justice and righteousness. Were people that much different in millennia-long gone? 'Your tongue plots destruction. It is like a sharpened razor you who practice deceit. You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. You love every harmful word, O you deceitful tongue!" (Psalm 52:3,4)  Surely, the powerful sentiments passing through my heart because of great injustice are not new to you.

"Heavenly Father, I fall down at your feet. Help me to walk in your paths! Enable us as your people in this day and age to discern what words accurately echo your Word. In this world, there is much falsehood, much evil, multiplied violence, and great ignorance of your path. 

"So, loving Savior, I come to you in humility, for I know you want us, like the earliest Christians, to be joyful, living abundant lives, displaying your kindness through good works. May we, as your people, honor you this day. I want to be known as People of the Way." Amen. 

Foundations for living in a Conflicted Society. (Part two on Christians in the modern world)

Few would disagree with this statement: “We are living through challenging times. Conflicts in society are growing, tearing us apart.” This is the second in a series of blog posts looking at how Christians may make the most of our present opportunities.

First Building Block. We need to know our starting point. The temptation is to start with the never-ending news, which is coming at us like a tidal wave. Suppose we begin a conversation by commenting on the latest happenings and not basing our thoughts on something permanent. we will like the people Paul talked about in Ephesians 4:14 “…infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitfulness.” Many texts in the New Testament describe our present unsettled, conflicted, sinful, and harming society. Godlessness will abound in the Last Days. 1Timothy 3:1-9

Instead of being taken captive by captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy which “depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” Col 2:8, we need to be mature in the faith. We grow up “by speaking the truth in love, we grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ.”

Second building Block. We cannot do this on our own. North American life is primarily built on the preferences brought about by individualism. The quest for freedom has brought significant advances. Still, when taken to an extreme, we are tempted to live our Christian life apart from the Body of Christ. Hundreds of interpretations are available on every topic, it seems.

Yet, the Christian is bound to others. Our lives are joined in the Body of Christ. “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work.” The emphasis throughout the New Testament is this: Christ calls us to live in him. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to interpret our thoughts and actions in the light of Christ’s righteousness.

Third building Block. Beware of judgmentalism. It is easy for us as Christians to look at the world and impose our values upon other people. Each one of us, everyone, comes short of the glory of God. Only through Christ are we given the grace to be saved from the wrath of God. We cannot begin to live in the world, making decisions about society, from the point of self-righteousness.

When we live in a society that is marked by “sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like” (Gal5:19-21) we need to beware of the danger of judging others. Jesus said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye!” (Mat 7:3)

(To be continued)

Protests and the Drive for Social Justice

Portia White: A great Canadian Opera Singer; 

One of the most difficult decisions for a Christian is living in a complex modern society. Yes, we want to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. His words continue to stir our hearts. We love to worship our Triune God. Sharing the Gospel is a privilege, something that we wish to do more often. 

After leaving a marvelous, heart-warming hour or two with the congregation, we head back to our homes. The TV gets turned on, and the events from the wider world flood into our consciousness. It seems that over the past decade, there have been no shortages of "causes" or motivations for protest. 

There is a common element throughout these marches. "We want justice!" people cry out.

In Canada, the most recent concerns concern accusations of sexual impropriety among the top leaders of our military. There is a steady drip of discouraging news from our nation's highest officials, men, and women. One person was recently heard to say, "How can we trust anyone anymore?" It seems only a few years ago that cities across North America were flooded with millions of women protesting the "Me Too" movement.

The causes cross national borders: racial inequality, racist attacks against persons of Asian heritage, and Anti-Semitism. Right now, voices are raised for and against the great divide between Israel and Hamas. Violence in large urban areas in the USA came after countless Black men were killed by police. Ongoing court cases do nothing to diminish the fervor of protests, largely motived with the phrase "Black Lives Matter." Endless hours of TV bring the lives of previously unknown people into our minds, so we talk more about a deceased person a thousand miles away than about our neighbor next door, whom we barely greet, and about whom we know nothing.

As Christians, how do we respond to these daily events? Should we shut our eyes, saying in the quiet of our homes, "I wish all this would just go away!" Should we look at things generically: "Lord, we pray for world peace." Or, are there other ways to understand these happenings and other ways to respond?

Portia White overcame incredible obstacles.

What is the basis for our response? Should we, as followers of the Lord Jesus, avoid talking about these events? Should we get involved in any way? 

In the following blogs, I want to address some of the issues of living in a fallen world. For a start, I want to quote the words of Jesus Christ on the night before he was killed on a cross. "I have told you these things so that in me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

A good story for those who have ever felt discouraged ...

 THOSE WHO SOW IN TEARS...

In 1921 David and Svea Flood went with their two-year-old son from Sweden to the heart of Africa, to what was then called the Belgian Congo. This missionary couple met up with the Ericksons, another young Scandinavian couple, and the four of them sought God for direction. In those days of much devotion and sacrifice, they felt led by the Lord to set out from the main mission station to take the gospel to the village of N’dolera, a remote area.

This was a huge step of faith.

There, they were rebuffed by the chief, who would not let them enter his town for fear of alienating the local gods. The two couples opted to build their own mud huts half a mile up the slope.

They prayed for a spiritual breakthrough, but there was none. Their only contact with the villagers was a young boy, who was allowed to sell them chickens and eggs twice a week.

Svea Flood—a tiny woman only four feet, eight inches tall—decided that if this was the only African she could talk to, she would try to lead the boy to Jesus. And she succeeded!

Meanwhile, malaria struck one member of the little missionary band after another. In time, the Ericksons decided they had had enough suffering and left to return to the central mission station.

David and Svea Flood remained near N’dolera to carry on alone.

Then, Svea found herself pregnant in the middle of the primitive wilderness. When the time came for her to give birth, the village chief softened enough to allow a midwife to help her. A little girl was born, whom they named Aina. The delivery was exhausting. Svea Flood was already weak from bouts of malaria, so the birthing process was a heavy blow to her stamina. She died only 17 days after Aina was born.

Something snapped Inside David Flood at that moment. He dug a crude grave, buried his 27-year-old wife, and then went back down the mountain with his children to the mission station.

Giving baby Aina to the Ericksons, he snarled, “I’m going back to Sweden. I’ve lost my wife, and I obviously can’t take care of this baby. God has ruined my life!”

With that, he headed for the port, rejecting not only his calling but God Himself.

Within eight months, both the Ericksons were stricken with a mysterious malady and died within days of each other. Baby Aina was then turned over to another American missionary family who changed her Swedish name to “Aggie.” Eventually, they took her back to the United States at age three.

This family loved Aggie. Afraid that if they tried to return to Africa, some legal obstacle might separate her from them, they decided to stay in their home country and switch from missionary work to pastoral ministry. That is how Aggie grew up in South Dakota.

As a young woman, she attended North Central Bible College in Minneapolis. There she met and married Dewey Hurst.

Years passed. The Hursts enjoyed a fruitful ministry. Aggie gave birth first to a daughter, then a son. In time, her husband became president of a Christian college in the Seattle area, and Aggie was intrigued to find so much Scandinavian heritage there.

One day she found a Swedish religious magazine in their mailbox. She had no idea who had sent it, and of course, she couldn’t read the words, but as she turned the pages, a photo suddenly stopped her cold.

In a primitive setting, there was a grave with a white cross—and on the cross were the words SVEA FLOOD.

Aggie got in her car and drove straight to a college faculty member she knew could translate the article.

“What does this article say?”

The teacher shared a summary of the story.

"It is about missionaries who went to N’dolera, Africa, long ago. A baby was born. The young mother died. One little African boy was led to Jesus before that. After the whites had all left, the boy, all grown up, finally persuaded the chief to let him build a school in the village. He gradually won all his students to Christ, and the children led their parents to Him. Even the chief became a follower of Jesus! Today there are six hundred believers in that village, all because of the sacrifice of David and Svea Flood."

Aggie was elated!

For the Hursts’ 25th wedding anniversary, the college presented them with the gift of a vacation to Sweden.

Aggie sought out her birth father.

David Flood was an old man now. He had remarried, fathered four more children, and generally dissipated his life with alcohol. He had recently suffered a stroke. Still bitter, he had one rule in his family: “Never mention the name of God! God took everything from me!”

After an emotional reunion with her half-brothers and half-sister, Aggie brought up the subject of her longing to see her father. They hesitated...

“You can talk to him, but he’s very ill now. You need to know that whenever he hears the name of God, he flies into a rage.”

Aggie walked into the squalid apartment, which had liquor bottles strewn everywhere, and slowly approached her 73-year-old father lying in a rumpled bed.

“Papa,” she said tentatively.

He turned and began to cry.

“Aina!"

"I never meant to give you away!”

“It’s all right, Papa,” she replied, taking him gently in her arms.

“God took good care of me.”

Her father instantly stiffened, and his tears stopped.

“God forgot all of us. Our lives have been like this because of Him.”

He turned his face back to the wall.

Aggie stroked his face and then continued, undaunted.

“Papa, I’ve got a marvelous story to tell you!"

"You didn’t go to Africa in vain. Mama didn’t die in vain. The little boy you won to the Lord grew up to win that whole village to Jesus! The one seed you planted in his heart kept growing and growing! Today 600 people are serving the Lord because you were faithful to the call of God in your life!"

"Papa, Jesus loves you. He has never hated you or abandoned us.”

The old father turned back to look into his daughter’s eyes. His body relaxed.

He slowly began to talk.

And by the end of the afternoon, he had come back to the God he had resented for so many years. Over the next few days, father and daughter enjoyed warm moments together. A few weeks after Aggie and her husband returned to America, David Flood died.

And a few years later...

Aggie and her husband attended an evangelism conference in London, England, when a report was given from Zaire (the former Belgian Congo).

The superintendent of the national church, representing some 110,000 baptized believers, spoke eloquently of the Gospel’s spread in his nation.

Aggie could not help asking him afterward if he had ever heard of David and Svea Flood.

“Yes, madam,” the man replied in French, his words being translated into English.

“Svea Flood led me to Jesus Christ! I was the boy who brought food to your parents before you were born. In fact, to this day, your mother’s grave and her memory are honored by all of us.”

He embraced Aggie for a long time, sobbing.

“You must come to Zaire! Your mother is the most famous and honored person in our history.”

When Aggie and her husband went to N’dolera, they were welcomed by cheering throngs of villagers. Aggie even met the man who had been hired by her father to carry her down the mountain in a hammock cradle.

Then the pastor escorted Aggie to see her mother’s tomb with a white cross bearing her name. She knelt in the soil to pray and give thanks to God.

Later that day, in the church, the boy turned pastor read...

“I tell you the truth unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:24

“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” Psalm 126:5 

NOTE: Connie Smith recently posted the following story on her Facebook page, perhaps reflecting upon her life in the DRC.  It is taken from the book "One Witness" by Aggie Hurst, published in 1986. This year is the 100th Anniversary of the arrival of David and Svea Flood in the Congo.