Printing press – In the 1440s, Johann Gutenberg produced an invention called the Printing press that in effect brought the written word to the masses, resulting in a complete revolution.

Cotton Gin – The cotton gin (short for engine) was invented in 1792 by Eli Whitney. In many ways, this brought on a complete revolution in agriculture and manufacturing.

Electricity – While not a singular invention like others, electricity is arguably one of the most important innovations ever. It was first noticed by ancient Greeks, who saw the static charge when you rubbed an object against fur. It was not used in the modern sense until quite a few years later, starting in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Light Bulb – Most people believe that the light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison. In fact, it was invented in 1809 by Humphry Davy, an English chemist. Unfortunately, it did not completely work, and Edison developed it into a functional reality.

The Telephone – Where would we be without the telephone? While the credit for the invention can be disputed, Alexander Graham Bell is generally given credit for it’s modern day functionality. While Bell may not have been the first to invent it, he was one of the men responsible for thrusting it into the public eye. Unlike many other inventions, he had to fight tooth and nail to get credit for it’s use.

Penicillin – Penicillin was actually discovered a bit by accident. It is credited to scientist Alexander Fleming in 1928. He noticed that certain mold could kill bacteria, which proved that there was an antibacterial agent in the mold, but Fleming did not actually invent penicillin though – he merely made popular the knowledge that there was an anti-bacterial agent in the mold “Penicillium notatum”. It was originally noticed by French medical student Ernest Duchesne in 1896. Fleming, however, saw the potential importance of what he named penicillin. In a 1929 paper, he noted that the results he observed could have medical implications if the anti-bacterial agent could be isolated and produced in quantity.

So, as you can see, not all inventions are by design. Fleming merely noticed something that was interesting – he didn’t set out to find what many would consider a “miracle drug.” But once he made an observation, he made theorized what the implications of this discovery would be, and the rest as they say today – is history.

The moral of this is to never give up when you believe in your invention – even if it is a difficult road, it’s worth it in the end. You can make a difference in this world if you will persist with your dream and belief. It only takes one person to make a difference to the entire global population.

Do you want to be a world-changer – Someone who makes a lasting difference in the lives of humanity?

Then to become such a person, you need to read on and find out how Jesus Christ as one person, has made a permanent change to the entire world. The world has never been the same since Jesus lived on earth.

One Man that Changed the World

• Throughout history, the influence Jesus Christ has had on the lives of people has never been surpassed.
• No other great leader in all of recorded human history has inspired so many positive changes in the lives of his followers.
• People who encounter the risen Christ are totally transformed. Their outlook on life is altered forever.
• Staying true to their faith, they do not hesitate to face hardship, persecution and even death.
• Many devote their lives to serving others, minimizing    their own needs and desires.

First Century Christians

Following Jesus’ crucifixion, his disciples were devastated. They had forsaken him in the Garden of Gethsemane to save their own lives. But after they met the resurrected Christ, they were radically changed. Suddenly, they were willing to give their lives to tell Jesus’ story to the world. Many were tortured and killed because they proclaimed Jesus was alive.

Skeptics and enemies were also transformed. Jesus’ younger brother, James, didn’t think Jesus was the Messiah. But after his resurrected brother appeared to him, James not only believed Jesus was Lord but became the leader of the Jerusalem church and died a martyr in 62 AD.

Saul of Tarsus was a chief persecutor of early Christians. He dragged people to prison. When they did not recant their faith, he participated in their execution. But he had a dramatic encounter with the risen Christ on his way to Damascus and he was transformed from Saul, the enemy of Christianity, to Paul, the main propagator of its message. He left his position of prestige in Jewish society to become a traveling missionary who experienced incredible suffering while sharing the love of Christ throughout the Roman Empire.

Roman governor Plinius Secundus wrote in his Epistles X96 that Christians were people who loved the truth at any cost. Although he was ordered to torture and execute them for refusing to curse Jesus, he was continually amazed and impressed with their firm commitments “not to do any wicked deeds, never to commit any fraud, theft, adultery, never to falsify their word, not to deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up.” For centuries, true Christians around the world have stood as shining examples of the standards of truth and love established by Jesus of Nazareth.

Historian Philip Schaff in his book “Life in the Roman World of Nero and St. Paul” described the overwhelming influence which Jesus had on subsequent history and culture of the world. “This Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammad, and Napoleon; without science…he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.”

Modern Day Christianity

The power of Christ knows no boundary of time or space. In our own age, many skeptics have been convinced just as thoroughly their first-century counterparts. For example, Lew Wallace, a famous general and literary genius, was a known atheist. For two years, Wallace studied in the leading libraries of Europe and America, seeking information that would forever destroy Christianity. While writing the second chapter of a book outlining his arguments, he suddenly found himself on his knees crying out to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.”

When confronted by solid indisputable evidence, he could no longer deny that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Later, Lew Wallace wrote the book Ben Hur, one of the greatest English novels ever written concerning the time of Christ.

Similarly, the late C.S. Lewis, professor at Oxford University in England, was an agnostic who denied the deity of Christ for years. But he, too, in intellectual honesty, submitted to Jesus as his God and Savior after studying the overwhelming evidence for his deity. Over the years, he wrote many books to uphold the ideals of Christianity, including Mere Christianity, the Chronicles of Nania and The Screwtape Letters.

Many other men and women in our century have dedicated their lives to spreading the Christian message, often braving torture and death. You can read of them in “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.” For example, one of Romania’s most widely known Christian leaders, Richard Wurmbrand, spent 14 years in prison and was repeatedly tortured for running the underground church under Communist rule. Even after international pressure secured his release from Romania, he continued to receive death threats from the Communist regime. But these attempts at intimidation did not silence him. He kept publicly spreading the good news of Christ.

Similarly, in Korea, Joon Gon Kim, a well-known Christian leader, witnessed his wife and father slaughtered before his eyes by Communist sympathizers from his own village. He himself was beaten senseless and left for dead. He survived the beating and asked God to give him love for the souls of his enemies. He eventually led 30 Communists to believe in Christ, including the person responsible for the death of his family members.

Not only does the love of Christ impel Christians to face persecution and death but also to work to make the world a better place. Mother Theresa was an outstanding example of a life poured in the service of Christ. Of her well-known ministry among the poor, she said: “Our work is only the expression of the love we have for God.” How profound is that!

Like her, many others have given their lives to serve the destitute and the outcast, either in their homeland or abroad. William and Katherine Booth, founders of the Salvation Army, during the great industrial revolution of England the emerging new world, believed that ministering to the poor was like ministering to Christ Himself. The movement they launched enlisted the tireless efforts of enthusiastic people who wanted to make a difference in the world around them.

All of these followers of Jesus have found fulfillment and joy in following the teachings of Jesus. They were transformed when they met Christ and yielded their lives to him. Each of them has made a positive impact on the world. They realize that agnosticism, atheism, and secular humanism hold no true answers. Christianity is still relevant to the needs of today.

You may also wish to encounter the living God and experience His transforming power. Christ’s desire is to become the Lord and master of your life, but requires you to make a personal choice to surrender to His right of Kingly Rule.  If you desire to talk further about this, simply click on the email contact box and send us your personal contact details, and we will have some communicate with you very quickly. May God richly bless your house, filling  you with His peace and grace, and may He be all that you need to live each day for His Kingdom.

by Bryan Johnson, Ph. M, B.Th, A.C.A.

The key-note speech delivered recently to the Forum on Public Theology, Otago Univerity, Dunedin, New Zealand ……..

Introduction

Jesus said in John 18 vs 36 – 38, that His kingdom was a different kingdom to that operating in Israel in his day. Jesus also said he was different type of King to the King of Israel. Jayakumar Christian, a development practitioner and colleague in India, has explored the reversal of power in Revelation. It was the lamb of God that was slain who is worthy to open the scroll, not the British lion, the Indian tiger or the American eagle.1. Jesus told many parables and stories about money, wealth, justice and poverty. 2.

We can conclude from a study of these scriptures that Jesus’ worldview was holistic, so that money, finance, barter and trade were an integral part of that worldview. 18 years working for his father as a carpenter would have exposed him to the world of business and commerce.

When Jesus made disciples, he would have included in that process the use of money, employment, work, and the reward of labour. Jesus disciples were economically interdependent as a mobile band of religious brothers learning how to live by Jesus’ strange new kingdom life principles. His instructions to the disciples when first sending them out as a ministry team included very specific instructions about money and ministry. Introducing the disciples to the ideas of abandonment of non essentials, and voluntary poverty, he instructed them to “take no food, no traveller’s bag, no money, wear sandals, and take only one coat?” 3.  Most modern Christians look at Jesus life during his 3 years of public ministry, and dismiss it as not having any relevance for modern lifestyles that extend to 70 years and more. In-depth research, and application of Jesus’ teaching, and how the New Testament Church functioned are full of robust economic lessons relevant to our present global financial crisis.

Leslie Newbigin has shown how the modern separation of the physical and spiritual realms explains the wide range of modern dichotomies that are prevalent in the modern worldview.4. The modern Church in the Western world has largely ignored economic discipleship because relationships within dichotomist Church communities are too shallow to embrace economic inter-dependency.

Jesus used the love of money, and the sin of greed to strike at the heart of human affection for things, rather than a meaningful relationship with God. Jesus carefully explained that greed hardens the heart, and makes it difficult for greedy people to show love, justice and compassion for the poor. St Jerome spoke bluntly: “The Gospel rightly calls riches ‘unjust’ because they have no origin other than injustice, and nobody can own them without losing them.” 5. Roman Catholic Church orders, and some European evangelical orders, embrace economic inter-dependency. Most ordinary Church members see these orders as only useful to those who have taken oaths of celibacy.

The post war European Church prophetic voices for economic discipleship have been few. Ron Sider shocked American evangelicals in 1977 with his book “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger”. Sider advocated new forms of Christian Community that would redistribute wealth and create economically interdependent churches. The shift to these new forms of Church were difficult to embrace in the very competitive and consumer hungry western society. Consequently poverty in the west is appearing at an ever increasing rate. The Church is ill-equipped to speak prophetically to this need because it has not made economic disciples of its members. Most Christians live ineffectively in highly competitive, and an increasingly intense economic world trying to find the difference between the economic systems of the world, and those of the Kingdom of God. Sider concluded his book in chapter nine stating that structural change was essential for the Church and the world. He quoted C.I. Schofield, author of the Schofield Bible Notes, 1903, “The present social order is the most abject failure the world has ever seen…

Governments have never learned how to so legislate as to distribute the fruits of the industry of their people. The countries of the earth produce enough to support all, and if the earnings of each was fairly distributed it would make men toil some, but no man toil too much. This great civilisation of ours has not learned how to distribute the product of human toil so that it shall be equitably held”. 6.

Christians have been victims of the global economic melt down for the same reasons non-Christians have.  The slick investment advertising, and the offer of income without work, has been driven by greed that deceived so many people from many religious backgrounds. In New Zealand the prophecy preachers of the 60’s to 90’s tried to warn Christians of the dangers of the “mark of the beast” and other secret banking codes. That was as far as economic discipleship went. It did not address the heart and root of the misuse of God’s generously provided resources. Christians were not taught the root cause of economic evil, and how to practice kingdom principles. Sider observes, the “neglect of biblical teaching on structural injustice, what we might call institutionalised evil, is one of the most deadly omissions in evangelicalism today”. 7. A few Christians who were labelled “alternative life-stylers” tried to voluntarily reduce consumption, produce household vegetables and fruit, establish alternative energy sources, modify their lifestyles, and experiment with cooperative based communities. They were on a quest for long term sustainability, but very few achieved it.

Early New Zealand history ignored

Economic interdependency was at the heart of early Maori prophetic movements. Maori culture was holistic and as the gospel brought redemptive patterns to Maori society the prophets were captivated by the concept of the city of God. Jesus prayer in Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven” was a future reality Maori prophets longed for. Two such prophets were Te Whiti O Rongomai and Tohu Kawaru. They applied kingdom economics in a cooperative pattern of economic interdependency that created the city of Parihaka in South Taranaki in the 1870’s and 80’s. The City of God on earth became a reality. Prophet Rua Kenana formed his Christian community at Maungapohatu in the Urerewa among the Tuhoe based on the New Testament. Maori had an Old Testament view of many economic concepts, including land ownership and use in particular, and this made them very receptive to Christianity as they discovered these concepts in the Bible. Christopher J. H. Wright states that “the land gift to Israel was declaration of God’s dependability. Every harvest reminded Israel of this. This land whose produce they now enjoyed had not always been theirs”. 8. Maori prophets, empowered by their new found authority from the Bible, were bold enough to experiment with the implementation of Jesus’ teaching of kingdom economics, but sadly it was “institutionalized evil of the domination system” that led to the annihilation of these communities.

Theological foundations for economics

Most good theology has its roots in the Godhead and the actions of God in creation. R. Paul Stevens describes the Triune God in three terms of people-hood, vocation and leadership. Stevens charts these three terms in operation in each of the three persons of the Godhead.  God had a vocation. 9. God measured his outcomes and productivity. So does our understanding of God as Father extend to Him being a provider? If we can accept that God is a providing God in creation it gives us a sound basis for exploring the foundations of Kingdom economics. Genesis 1:11-12 tells us that God created plants and fruit. In Genesis 1:20-22 we see God creating fish and birds. Genesis 1:24-25 records God’s creative acts in producing a vast array of animals. As a caring providing father, God has set the stage to make it possible for His first command in Genesis 1:26-28 to be obeyed without the threat of starvation. God provided for human success. The rate of reproduction in the animal, plant, bird and fish kingdoms is generally faster than in the human kingdom. Mankind could multiply and fill the earth without fear of starvation. Sustainability was in the mind of God. Understanding God’s fatherly love for us in the creation order is vital for our learning how to trust Him with our economic welfare and future. God continued to show His power to provide in Joseph’s journey to Egypt and his provision for Jacob in the time of famine. During the Exodus from Egypt under Moses God provided, water, bread and birds to feed the newly forming nation of slaves heading for the Promised Land. Throughout the Bible, stories of God’s provision for his people are not just occasional occurrences, but a continuous theme. God is seeking to get his people to learn to trust him in all circumstances even the economically challenging ones.

Paulo Freire in his book “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” states that “An epoch is a full realisation of something that impedes full humanization.” He states that “A critical and dynamic view of the world strives to unveil reality.” “To achieve the full realization of the human task requires permanent transformation of reality in favour of the liberation of people.” 10.

What are these hidden realisations? The hidden realisations that change our economic worldview are;

God is a providing God; God has a vocation; God loves everyone on earth; God has created entrepreneurial people in each people group; God has given mankind incredible talents of creativity; and God intends for mankind to live in caring sharing communities.

“Jesus is the happy God”, exclaimed some Hindu women in Kolkata, after they experienced economic liberation. This was the result of applying economic discipleship in their community liberating them from their former condition of destitute poverty. They were part of the formation of a sustainable community of people bonded together in love, work, play and worship. The realisation that their former destitute poverty had impeded their full humanisation liberated them into permanent holistic transformation.

The creation, earning, and sharing of wealth is vital to the success of a viable community.

God’s objective is for mankind to live in clusters of viable holistic communities comprising nations. For us this becomes a study in kingdom micro and macro economics.

Why the current Global economic crisis?

When the 20^th century arrived it brought an explosion of democratic freedoms associated with the development of human wealth distributed to new classes of rich people who had no background or history of creating or managing wealth. The lust for power produced by this new found wealth was the “Achilles” heal of the world economic crisis. The status orientation of wealthy societies fuelled speculation based on perception, feeling and greed rather than the tangible industrial production that took place in the 19^th century. The world had few new inventions that made a major difference to the enhancement of the wealthy lifestyle. Investment focus changed from productive assets to buildings, and property speculation driven by rapidly expanding populations in developed countries moving to greater urbanisation, placing pressure on limited land resources in large cities. William Easterly makes the statement “The potential for future high income is a potent incentive to do whatever it takes to get there”. 11. Abuse of power in the economic sense emerged, and investment fund managers gained a very powerful role in an economy driven by investors looking for greater and greater returns, and the huge bonuses fund managers’ could earn if successful. So these people gained a vested interest in the property speculation markets. The vast sums of money they controlled, and sought to “invest” in the property market gave them the power to buy and sell property at inflated prices created by their own buying and selling.

They lost focus on the value of essential productive assets. These investment managers were driven by the competition between investment firms to show higher and higher returns. The higher the returns, the higher the number of investors they were likely to attract. Unsustainable greed underpinned the entire speculative industry, not production of vital commodities and services to alleviate world poverty. The unbridled greed of the global rich sought higher and higher returns from illusory asset values based on an immoral method of valuation, rooted solely in economic considerations. This unbridled greed was contributing directly to increasing global poverty. In the last six years the number of destitute poor in India has risen from 300 millions in 2003, to 460 millions in 2009. At the same time Western charities held fundraising rock concerts promoting the idea that we can reduce global poverty without a fundamental change to the status seeking, and greedy powers of the celebrity industry. Today as I write this article the New Zealand Herald business section has a half page article that features how celebrity appointments to Company Boards can enhance share prices. 12. This type of triviality is evidence that the value of the shares of Companies traded on the stock exchange are influenced not by the measurable production of essential commodities, but by the perceptions of the rich who have made a lifestyle of status seeking, spending their money according to perceived value and not actual value. Greed has caused such poor judgement among the rich, and powerful that they cannot see the fallacy of their ways. Over-valuing assets based on perception and feelings will always lead to financial collapse and bankruptcy.

The size of the Global economic problem?

One third of the world’s population, are 2 billion urban poor slum dwellers. 1 billion of these people are destitute poor – they do not know where their next meal is coming from. Paul Collier states that “The problem matters, not just to the bottom billion who are living and dying in fourteenth century conditions. It matters to us. The twenty-first century world of material comfort, global travel, and economic inter-dependence will become increasingly vulnerable to these large islands of chaos. And it matters now. As the bottom billion diverges for the increasingly sophisticated world economy, integration will become harder not easier.  Already this problem is surfacing. The World Bank has not a single resident in the Central African Republic. Development agencies find it very difficult to get staff to serve in Chad and Laos”. 13. Despite the hype of so many global poverty initiatives we are losing the battle against poverty. The methods we are using will not create a sustainable and just economic order. US Prophet Bruce McLaren stated that “the prosperity crisis was the key symptom of an unsustainable economic system”. 12. The end result of the abuse of power by the rich and greedy will probably be a violent revolution, either by the poor overthrowing the rich, or the rich continuing to use abusive power to control the poor.

The end result of the present economic system is that everybody would be investors and there would be no producers. This will result in bankrupt economies with worthless non-productive assets.

A Biblical view of humanity?

The Bible has the best theology of humanity. The creation story reveals God as creating mankind as the climax of His creation. The “least to greatest” theme of the Bible is revealed in dust being transformed into intelligent design. God states that “he has created mankind in His own image male and female he has created them”. God created us for community. God’s compassionate fatherly and motherly heart for mankind is consistently spoken about by his prophets down through Biblical history. God’s genius in creation results in myriads of varieties of species and sub-species all with unique differences. Man strives to invent and produce, but this results in mass production where the attempt to demonstrate the intelligence of man is done at the expense of degrading mankind to a repetitive production machine. This also rampantly consumes wastefully the resources of the earth. The human machine is expected to produce without thought for his unique creativity, and without building meaningful relationship with the owners of the business or the productive unit. There must be a better way.

Cooperative communities and Kingdom economics?

The New Testament teaches that every member of the Body of Christ is uniquely gifted to contribute to the welfare and growth of the holistic Christian community. Marva Dawn interprets Romans 12 so we can have a vision of how “we can invite those who have the gift of showing mercy to exercise that gift with ‘cheerfulness’”. 15. This theology reflects the vision of the City of God, a society where every member is valued, has latent creativity, and is of immeasurable value. Everyone belongs, relates, speaks acts, contributes, and lives in the Body. Work is best seen in the theological framework of worship to God as expressed by Jesus in his carpentry work for his earthly father Joseph. Everything Jesus did was intentionally designed to bring honour to his heavenly father. When work is seen in this perspective the joy of creating is realised;

Work and obedience = blessing.

Work and disobedience = curse and poverty. 16.

The latter opens the door to the exploitation of other human beings by the greedy.

Two are better than one, and in cooperative economics inspired by the new community of believers in Acts 2, more than two are even better still. When the Church becomes a holistic fully interdependent community it has the potential to start realising the dream of the City of God. The deep heart change that the Spirit of God incarnates into believers breaks fear, and replaces it with unselfish love. Incarnational abandonment becomes a possibility. The Spirit’s divine power can break through the stronghold of self-aggrandisement and greed. The result is intergenerational stewardship and creative utilization maximising the beauty of creation rather than mindless exploitation of humans and resources.

Dichotomistic worldviews prevalent in western societies are the result of the sin of independence. Without embracing a holistic worldview it is very difficult for the vision of the City of God to be realised. The sad history of New Zealand is that Pakeha have tried to use their dichotomistic worldview, and abusive power driven by greed to dominate Maori who had a holistic worldview and a vision for the City of God. Maori embraced the Gospel of the Kingdom so profoundly that by 1860 90% of Maori were Christians and over the next 20 years their prophets tried to lead them into a practical expression of the City of God through the building of Parihaka and Maungapohatu.

Foreign examples of economic models serving the poor

Probably one of the best examples of a new model of economics for the poor is that developed by Mohammed Yunus, 17, of Bangladesh and his Grameen Bank and its productive investments. In recent times a new breed of benevolent entrepreneurs in India have birthed “Inclusive Capitalism”, 18, through the formation of Fabindia, a marketing Company selling the handicrafts of large scale cooperatives with 22,000 artisan shareholders across five states. Fabindia has access to 86 retail stores in 39 cities throughout India selling their art to the rich. Finally, a group of benevolent business executives with superb marketing skills have used their extensive expertise for the uplift of the poor. This has produced and excellent model where poor artisans can access rich markets and transfer money from the rich economy of India to the poor. The previously poor artisans not only have a guaranteed market for their art but they receive dividends form their share in the success of the Marketing Cooperative.

This concept of a production based marketing cooperative has been critical to the international success of the New Zealand dairy industry. This industry owned by farmers who receive the profits of their production invest it wisely in increased productivity that has resulted in the most efficient dairy industry in the world. There are no non-participating shareholders in this industry. Everyone involved in Fonterra has a vital interest in the industry’s success and long term viability.

Land – a sacred trust

Maori held the biblical view of land that it was a sacred trust from God. They held land in collective ownership. The British Colonial Government actively and deliberately destroyed that system of collective ownership undermining the heart of the holistic worldview of Maori and the potential for collective economic development. Land is essential to the welfare of a nation. Its wealth and productivity is vital to the expression of God’s pastoral care and provision of a nation’s basic needs. Remove land from a nation and they will lose their power to provide for their people. Bryant Myers states that “Land and natural resources are gifts to all humankind, not only a few. While this does not mean there can be no private land ownership, Wright argues that ‘the right of all to use is prior to the right to own.’” 19.

The poverty faced by 2 billion people around the world is primarily an issue of land rights and access. The powerful control far too much land and the poor have no access to land. A rich country like Australia with a per capita income of US$28,780 per annum, 2003, 20, has huge tracks of land that could be made productive if it was inhabited. The powerful rich classes of Australia, Canada, the United States of America and Russia fear and oppose the migration of people to inhabit their under-utilised land. These wealthy countries are controlled by the greedy who invest their wealth primarily in non-productive and speculative buildings and property, withholding investment in productive investments that would alleviate poverty.

In New Zealand we have sufficient land for every citizen to own a piece of land and thereby enable everyone to have an asset for collateral lending and business development. Singapore has practiced a system for 35 years where every Singaporean receives an inalienable apartment when they reach 25 years of age. This has created a nation of millionaires and redistributed wealth in this tiny island nation with no natural mineral resources.

The Poor

The Kingdom of God is unshakable (Heb 12:28) because it is the true reality, the way things really are. 21. Christ is the unchanging person (Heb 13:8) the reality of the kingdom in human form, the only way to enter God’s kingdom. God’s concern for justice is evident throughout the Bible and his prophets were continually advocating for the poor and broken in heart when pondering the plight of the poor (Leviticus 25: 35-37). 22. They captured the Spirit of God’s fatherly concern for the marred image of God reflected in the faces of the poor. Mother Teresa so aptly described this brokenness when she said; “looking into the face of the poor and dying I see the broken body of Christ”. God’s redemptive action for the plight of the poor is through a people who have humble hearts. A humble and contrite heart is a pre-condition to entering the kingdom of God. Compassion for the poor is the barometer of the condition of the hearts of God’s servants. Incarnational lifestyles among the poor are the most powerful way to walk with the poor. Bryant Myers states that “there is no greater loss, no greater pain for the three-in-one God than abandonment. This must shape our view of poverty. Poverty is about relationships that don’t work, that isolate, that abandon and devalue. 23. Transformation must be about restoring relationships with God, with self and with community, with the “other” and with the environment”. Myers states that “the triune premise is that love is completed when it is invested in the other”. 24. A rich Christian abandoning a wealthy lifestyle to live among the poor is an act of incarnation that demonstrates the reality of Christ’s message for the poor. This is a possible a universal first step we could take towards redistribution of wealth for the benefit of the poor.

Redistribution

The knowledge of economics can be used to assist the poor to make their dreams of liberation from poverty a reality. Access to capital through micro-finance schemes and business advice to set up cooperatives with access to group lending, 25, markets and marketing expertise are the vital services the incarnational worker among the poor can give to the poor. The poor have developed advanced life survival skills and have dreams that can be made a reality. The poor micro and macro economies must have access to capital and be able to access the rich economies to redistribute wealth. This must happen at a local, national and international level. The World Bank report dated the 14^th January, 2002 concluded “A better life for poor people requires stimulating economic growth that is pro-poor”. 26. Empowerment comes to the poor when access to capital is provided without collateral security. Worldview transformation comes to the poor from a new understanding that the theology of creation that is inclusive of them. Training in creative production accompanied by the wise use of money, marketing expertise, market access, business planning, budgeting and mentoring are all the “gifts of love” that will facilitate the transformation of poor communities.

This level of redistribution cannot be achieved in slum communities if exploitation of the poor by criminal gangs continues unabated. The domination system of Governments is blind to the domination system of violence used by gangs to exploit the meagre resources of the poor. “Once the spiral of violence has begun, comments Andrew Schookler, ‘No one is free to choose peace, but anyone can impose upon all the necessity for power’”. 27. Revival has the power to change social structures quickly and radically. Good egalitarian government, fair and just laws, and infrastructural development of essential services will also assist the transformation of poor communities.

Dependency to Freedom

The kingdom of God advocates help for the poor through freedom. Freedom is a reality when the poor escape the powers of exploitation. Walter Wink in his book ‘The Powers that be’ advocates the end of the ‘Domination System’ He says that “‘Jesus challenged the ‘Domination System’’ of his day right where it affected men and women in the routine of their lives, in the push and pull of relating to the institutions that shaped their times”. He quotes Luke 22: 24-27 as an example. Economic inequities are based on domination. Jesus said “You cannot serve God and wealth” Matt 6:24. The words and deeds of Jesus reveal that he is not a minor reformer but an egalitarian prophet who repudiated the very premises of the “Domination System; the right of some to lord it over others by means of power, wealth, shaming, or titles. In his beatitudes, his healings, and his table fellowship with outcasts and sinners, Jesus declared God’s special concern for the oppressed (page 65)”. 28. Amartya Sen winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in Economics titled his famous book “Development as Freedom”. Sen advocates measuring our human achievements not by the measure of wealth but by freedom. Years of seeing development used as a tool of oppression has given him the insight to seek a new paradigm for measuring human progress. 29. In New Zealand we need to urgently seek new economic models that measure our national progress not by the number of welfare dependants our Government can “Dominate” but by the success we can achieve in granting freedom to our poorer citizens from dependent poverty. God made us for freedom. We can only worship Him from the heart when we are free to choose to do so. He wants us to express our love for him without coercion or obligation. Let us advocate for a kingdom worldview that will change the direction of our nation from the “Domination System” to the “Freedom System” where everyone has access to land, resources, capital, training, markets and mentoring.

TO CONTACT THE AUTHOR

Bryan Johnson <ulftrainer@yahoo.co.nz>

Endnotes

1. B. Myers, “The Biblical Story” in “Walking with the Poor – Principles and Practice of Transformational Development”, Bryant L Myers, (Orbis Books, 2003)

2. Matt 6:1-4; 13:1-52; 17:24-27; 18:15-21-35; 19:16-30; 20:1-16; 22:12-17; 33-45; 22:15-21; Mark 4:1-20; 30-33; 10:17-30; 11:15-23; 12:1-17; Luke 12:14-33; 16:19-31; 20: 9-26; 21: 3-4.

3. Mark 6:7-12

4. L. Newbigin, “The dichotomies of the modern worldview”, in “Walking with the Poor – Principles and practice of Transformational Development”, Bryant L Myers, (Orbis Books, 2003)

5. St. Jerome, “Quite openly and unhindered”, in “Bring Forth Justice”, Waldron Scott, (Paternoster Press, 1980)

6. C. I. Scholfield, “Structural Change” in “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger”, Ronald J Sider, (Hodder and Stoughton, 1977)

7. R. J. Sider, “Institutionalized Evil Today” in “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger”, Ronald J Sider, (Hodder and Stoughton, 1977)

8. R. P. Stevens, “One God, One People” in “The Other Six days”, R. Paul Stevens, (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1999)

9. C. J. H. Wright, “The Economic Angle” in “Living as the People of God”. Christopher J H Wright, (IVP, 1983)

10. P. Freire, “Dialogics” in “Pedagogy of the Oppressed”, Paulo Freire, (Continuum, 1970)

11. W. Esterly, “Tales of Increasing Returns; Leaks, Matches and Traps” in “The Elusive Quest for Growth”, William Esterly, (MIT Press, 2002)

12. New Zealand Herald, Business Section C6, “Celebrities add sparkle to boardrooms”, New Zealand Herald, The Economist, (3^rd April, 2010)

13. P. Collier, “Falling Behind and Falling Apart – The Bottom Billion” in “The Bottom Billion”, Paul Collier, (Oxford University Press, 2007)

14. V, Grigg, “Economic Discipleship”, in “Kingdom Economics”, Viv Grigg, (Unpublished)

15. M.J. Dawn, “Preface”, in “Truly the Community”, Marva J Dawn, (Wm B Eerdmans, 1992)

16. R. P. Stevens, “Doing the Lord’s Work” in “The Other Six days”, R. Paul Stevens, (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1999)

17. M. Yunus, “Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty” in “Banker to the Poor”,  (Public Affairs, USA, 2003)

18. _________, “Inclusive Capitalism” in “Business Today”, August, 10^th 2008, (India, 2008)

19. B. Myers, “The Biblical Story” in “Walking with the Poor – Principles and Practice of Transformational Development”, Bryant L Myers, (Orbis Books, 2003)

20. W. Baumol, R. Litan, C Schramm, Unleashing entrepreneurship” in “Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism and the economics of growth and prosperity”, William J. Baumol, Robert E. Litan, Carl J. Schramm, (Yale University, 2007)

21. B. Myers, “Three important theological ideas – the kingdom of God” in “Walking with the Poor – Principles and Practice of Transformational Development”, Bryant L Myers, (Orbis Books, 2003)

22. A. Eldersheim, “Commerce” in “Sketches of Jewish Social Life”. Alfred Eldersheim, (Hendricksen Publishers, 1994)

23. B. Myers, “Jesus died alone on a cross” in “Walking with the Poor – Principles and Practice of Transformational Development”, Bryant L Myers, (Orbis Books, 2003)

24. B. Myers, “Who are we?” in “Walking with the Poor – Principles and Practice of Transformational Development”, Bryant L Myers, (Orbis Books, 2003)

25. B Armendariz, J Morduch, “Group Lending” in The Economics of Microfinance”, Beatriz Armendariz, Jonathon Morduch, (MIT Press, 2007)

26. J D Wolfensohn, “Creating better lives for poor people – 14th January, 2002” in “Voice For the World’s Poor”, (The World Bank, 2005).

27. W Wink, “The Domination System” in “The Powers that be – Theology for a new Millenium”, Walter Wink, (Doubleday, 1998)

28. W Wink, “Jesus Answer to Domination” in “The Powers that be – Theology for a new Millenium”, Walter Wink, (Doubleday, 1998)

29. A. Sen, “The 29. A. Sen, “The Perspective of Freedom” in “Development as Freedom”, Amartya Sen, (Anchor Books, 1999)

Quote of the Week
“ We can and should live now—and invest in eternity now—with the perspective that will be ours one minute after we die.”
—Randy Alcorn

John D. Rockefeller was one of the wealthiest men who ever lived. After he died someone asked his accountant, “How much did John D. leave?” The reply was classic: “He left…all of it.”

You can’t take it with you. If that point is clear in your mind, you’re ready to hear the secret of the Treasure Principle.

The Treasure Principle

Jesus takes that profound truth, “You can’t take it with you” and adds a stunning qualification. By telling us to store up treasures for ourselves in heaven, He gives us a breathtaking corollary, which I call the Treasure Principle:

You can’t take it with you—but you can send it on ahead.

It’s that simple. And if it doesn’t take you breath away, you’re not understanding it! Anything we try to hang on to here will be lost. But anything we put into God’s hands will be ours for eternity (insured for infinitely more than $100,000 by the real FDIC, the Father’s Deposit Insurance Corporation).

If we give instead of keep, if we invest in the eternal instead of in the temporal, we store up treasures in heaven that will never stop paying dividends. Whatever treasures we store up on earth will be left behind when we leave. Whatever treasures we store up in heaven will be waiting for us when we arrive.

Financial planners tell us, “When it comes to your money, don’t think just three months or three years ahead. Think thirty years ahead.” Christ, the ultimate investment counselor, takes it further. He says, “Don’t ask how your investment will be paying off in just thirty years. Ask how it will be paying off in thirty million years.”Suppose I offer you one thousand dollars today to spend however you want. Not a bad deal. But suppose I give you a choice—you can either have that one thousand dollars today or you can have ten million dollars five years from now. Only a fool would take the thousand dollars today. Yet that’s what we do whenever we grab onto something that will last for only a moment, forgoing something far more valuable that we could enjoy later for much longer.

The money God entrusts us here on earth is eternal investment capital. Every day is an opportunity to buy up more shares in His kingdom.
It’s a revolutionary concept. If you embrace it, I guarantee it will change your life. As you store up heavenly treasures, you’ll gain an everlasting version of what that man found in the treasure hidden in the field—Joy.

—Excerpted from The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn (Eternal Perspective Ministries, www.epm.org), Multnomah Publishers. Used by permission of author.

May 6, 2010

In a particularly gripping scene in Mel Gibson’s powerful film The Passion of the Christ, we see Jesus being aided by his mother after stumbling as he struggles to carry his cross up the Via Delarosa. As Mary looks into her son’s blood stained face, Jesus says with an aura of victory, “Look mother, see how I make everything new.”

These words are indeed found on the lips of Jesus, not in the Gospel accounts of the passion, but in Revelation 21: 3-5:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Many of us in the international ministry community long for unity. Yet unity requires a common vision—and a common vision is precisely what we lack. Many in the missions community are driven by a vision of spreading the gospel and planting churches in the last unreached pockets of the globe. Many Christian relief and development workers are motivated by a vision of aiding poverty-stricken communities through various projects aimed at meeting basic human needs.

It is my belief that these visions are laudable, but incomplete. What ought to be our vision? Read Revelation 21:3-5 again. Here is the answer in a word: Transformation. A vision of a world made new. Of “no more death, mourning, crying or pain.” Of no more disease, corruption, hunger, poverty, injustice or war. A vision of completely and utterly transformed individuals, families, communities, and nations. Surely this is the vision for which Jesus lived, labored, suffered and died, and which He entrusted to His disciples and the church.

In fact, evangelizing, planting churches, and doing projects to help the poor are all means to this greater end, and here is where a central problem lies. People tend to accomplish what they set out to accomplish. If our goals are limited to planting churches or implementing development projects, we can do that—but we are in real danger of not pressing on towards the ultimate goal of transformation.

Some will undoubtedly argue that such transformation will only come on the other side of Christ’s return. Until then, things will only go from bad to worse. There is truth in this. Paul starkly warned Timothy, “there will be terrible times in the last days” (2 Ti. 3:1-9). But is this the whole picture? No! Jesus overcame Satan on the cross. He appeared to His disciples before his ascension as a victorious King—the supreme authority of heaven and earth. He taught them, and us, to pray for His Kingdom to come on earth—now—as it is in heaven.

In the words of J.I. Packer, “The Kingdom of God is present in its beginnings though future in its fullness; in one sense it is already here, but in the richest sense it is still to come.” Francis Schaeffer put it this way: “Christians who believe the Bible are not simply called to say that ‘one day’ there will be healing, but that by God’s grace, upon the basis of the work of Christ, substantial healing can be a reality here and now.” The word “substantial” is key. Not full or complete healing, but real and substantial. This must be our vision.

For real, substantial healing in every life, family, community and nation here and now, and full, complete healing when Christ returns. Do we long for unity within the church and within the mission community? Unity requires common vision. Scripture provides us with a common vision. A definite goal to work for, live for and die for. We must lift our eyes to a farther horizon. One that goes beyond evangelizing, planting churches and doing relief and development projects. A vision that understands these to be means, and not ends. Our vision must be Jesus’ grand vision of global transformation. His vision of the world, and everything in it turned right side up through Christ’s shed blood on the cross.

An Inside-Out Process

Our vision determines our purpose. If we have unity of vision, we can share unity of purpose as well. As Christians, our purpose is to advance God’s Kingdom on earth, here and now, as it presently exists in heaven. It’s to see the truth; beauty and goodness of Jesus replace the lies, ugliness and evil in this world—in every heart, family, community, and sphere of society.

This revolution happens from the inside out. It begins inside human hearts and minds, transformed through faith in the living Christ. Someone once said, “God’s law must be written on the individual’s heart, then later on the stone tables of the institutions of society.” If this is true, then our primary means of advancing the Kingdom is by proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed. Transformed people then transform the world—beginning with their families. Transformed husbands and wives raise godly offspring, and such children will truly shape the future.

As transformed families band together, they form communities called local churches, and local churches are the Holy Spirit-powered engines that drive Kingdom advancement. Not just any church however. Kingdom-advancing churches are ones that congregate to worship, pray, learn from the teaching of the Word, receive the sacraments, and meet each other’s needs. Then, having been equipped for works of service, they disperse into the community where they proclaim the Gospel, minister to the poor, and bring truth, beauty and goodness into every sphere of society by means of their vocations.

The Root Problem

Why do we see nations that have been evangelized still trapped in a web of poverty, corruption, violence and brokenness? In evaluating the results of the global missionary enterprise over the past 200 years, we are forced to conclude that saved souls and transformed hearts are essential—but not adequate—for true Kingdom transformation. Minds must be transformed as well.

This is a fundamental truth that has been neglected by both those in mission and relief and development communities alike. For the Kingdom to advance—for true transformation to occur—we must get to the root of the problem. Yet roots, by their very nature, are below the surface and thus often neglected. What is at our innermost core? It is our mind—our ideas, beliefs, and assumptions. These “roots” drive our emotions, feelings and values, which in turn shape our decisions and choices, and these determine the kind of lives we will lead. They also shape the kinds of societies we will live in.

For nations to be transformed, churches must be transformed. For churches to be transformed, families and individuals must be transformed—and this transformation must go all the way to the root. Human brokenness and misery then, is not only rooted in lost souls, but equally in darkened minds. Dallas Willard describes the problem this way:

Christian spiritual formation is inescapably a matter of recognizing in ourselves the idea system (or systems) of evil that governs the present age and the respective culture (or various cultures) that constitute life away from God. The needed transformation is very largely a matter of replacing in ourselves those idea systems of evil (and their corresponding cultures) with the idea system that Jesus Christ embodied and taught and with a culture of the Kingdom of God. This is truly a passage from darkness to light.

This brings us to the topic of worldview. Worldview is simply another word for the “idea systems” spoken of by Dallas Willard. Our worldview—and we all have one—is the sum total of all the assumptions that we hold about life which forms our view of reality. These assumptions are so pervasive and essential to how we think and how we approach life that we often do not even know they are there or understand when and how they are at work. They form within us from earliest childhood from the teachings, expectations and behaviors from family and community members. Humans are social beings. We develop our mindsets—our way of seeing the world—from our culture. We tend to think what our culture thinks and value what our culture values. This is part of what it means to be human.

The Solution

However, when we accept Christ as Savior, our mindsets need to be renewed. The word “repent”—from the Greek word metanoeo—literally means to change one’s mind. Repentance results in seeing the world the way God created it, then living within that framework. Those who are saved must put on the mind of Christ. They must repent from the “hollow and deceptive philosophies of this world, which depend on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ” (Col. 2:8). They must “no longer be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of [the] mind” (Rom. 12:2). They must “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Co. 10:5). It is important that we understand that this means more than simply assenting to certain key biblical doctrines. It means seeing the world and everything in it in a whole new light, and then living accordingly.

The error of the relief and development community is in not digging deep enough, and not getting to the root of the problem. Does the community lack clean water? Let’s do a water project. Do people lack an adequate, balanced diet? Let’s do an agriculture project. And if we are Christians, then let’s do these projects “in the name of Christ” and hand out Gospel tracts on the weekends. But what if the lack of clean water or food is the result of poor choices, which in turn, are rooted in false, destructive beliefs? Then clearly these projects will have little or no impact.

The error of the mission’s community is quite similar. Evangelizing and planting churches is essential to, but not adequate for Kingdom transformation. They are means to an end—not ends in themselves. New believers, unless they are carefully discipled down to the level of their mindset, or nations, at the level of culture, will continue to be trapped in many of the false, destructive beliefs they had before coming to Christ. Being converted doesn’t automatically entail a complete shift in beliefs. The transformation of the mind is a lifelong process that is central to sanctification, and sanctification is central to Kingdom advancement. Here is precisely where many missionary efforts have failed.

Too often, their vision ends with numbers of conversions, numbers of churches planted, or the size of church growth . When this is the case, there is little motivation for discipleship. There is little or no vision to see these precious new churches operate as engines of Kingdom transformation. Many missionaries either don’t care that these things happen, assume someone else will do it, or that somehow it will happen automatically.

A Case Study in Transformation

The following is a true story.

The Pokomchi Indians are among the poorest people in the poorest state of Guatemala. A generation ago, missionaries came to evangelize and plant churches. Many Pokomchi accepted Christ, but their communities remained desperately poor. The young Christian converts gained hope for the future, but no hope for today. In fact, they were literally waiting to die, so they could leave their miserable existence on earth and go to be with Jesus in heaven. After awhile, several relief and development organizations came to work with the Pokomchi, interested in helping them overcome their physical poverty.

They brought in large amounts of outside money and completed many projects, labeling them successful. Now, there were latrines, but they were largely unused. There were school buildings, but very few children attended or graduated. Many of the projects intended to improve the physical condition of the Pokomchi were completed, but there was no transformation in the lives and communities of the Pokomchi. The people remained desperately poor.

This began to change when Arturo, a young Peruvian pastor, began to work among the Pokomchi in the early 1990s. Unlike earlier missionaries and relief and development workers, Arturo understood the importance of the biblical worldview for individual and community transformation. Likewise, he understood that authentic Christian ministry is to be wholistic—reaching out to every area of brokenness in the community. He began to work with illiterate Pokomchi pastors. He prayerfully took them through a comprehensive study of the Bible, in hopes of challenging their mindsets. Arturo understood that true repentance involves more than spiritual belief. It also requires a completely transformed frame of mind.

As Arturo taught them from the Bible, he used everyday illustrations to teach concepts, like God’s intention that mankind exercise stewardship over creation. A common problem among the Pokomchi was the lack of proper storage facilities for harvested crops. Often, peasant farmers harvested a good crop, only to have rats eat it before their children could be fed. Arturo asked the farmers, “Who is smarter, you or the rats?” The farmers would laugh and say, “The rats.” Arturo asked, “Do you have dominion over the rats, or do the rats have dominion over your lives?” The farmers reluctantly acknowledged that, in a real sense, the rats had dominion over them and their families.

Then, Arturo pointed out the truth contained in the Bible—that men and women were given dominion over creation. He pointed out that God had blessed them with creativity because they were made in His image. With their God-given creativity and a proper understanding of their role to subdue and care for creation, they could overcome this problem.

Gradually, the mindsets of these Pokomchi pastors were transformed. As their mindsets were transformed, the church was impacted. Through the church, the community began to be transformed. Children started to go to school because the people valued education, particularly education in God’s Word. Women learned to read because they understood that God cares equally for men and women. Men began to try new farming techniques because they wanted to be good stewards of what God provided. Women built stoves in their homes so their children would not fall into open cooking fires and get burned. Women also began to create small pantries to keep insects and vermin out of their food supplies because they understood their responsibility to exercise stewardship and provide for their communities.

A seminary professor from the United States visited Arturo. He witnessed how the lives of the Pokomchi had been transformed and tears welled up in his eyes as he said, “This is the coming of the Kingdom of God to the Pokomchi!”

The Pokomchi communities in this story are representative of millions of communities all over the world. Churches exist, but are making little or no transformational impact. The same can be said for relief and development projects. Hopelessness, fatalism, poverty and despair still reign. Yet here we see a spark of real transformation! What can we learn from this story?

What Was Needed?

In this case, the agent of transformation was not a project, but a person. Not just any person, Arturo was a pastor whose life had been radically transformed by an understanding of the importance of worldview and the power of the Biblical worldview. Arturo had the right vision. As for the earlier missionaries, they had come and gone. Churches were planted. Mission accomplished. Check it off the list and on to the next frontier. The same can be said for the relief and development workers. Projects completed. Photos taken. Check it off the list and on to the next community. But Arturo was looking for something far beyond churches or projects. He was looking for transformation. It hadn’t happened yet. There was still much to be done.

The comprehensive transformation that Arturo envisioned required a comprehensive response—or as some might say—a wholistic response. The “whole” is transformed lives leading to a transformed community. The “parts” are spiritual, physical, social and mental needs being addressed in a seamless, integrated manner. Arturo’s vision demanded a wholistic response. Simply addressing one of these needs while neglecting the others would not get the job done.

Furthermore, Arturo was trained to think “worldviewishly.” He correctly recognized that the root problem was not a lack of resources, or even lack of churches (which already existed), it was the beliefs; assumptions and ideas held by the Pokomchi themselves. Or more accurately, false, destructive ideas and beliefs that were still intact and operating.

For Arturo to recognize these problems took time. Short-term missions wouldn’t suffice. It required him to deeply acquaint himself with the community; its history, beliefs, and values. This necessitated him living within the community—becoming part of it. This is what it means to work “incarnationally.”

Arturo relied on the whole council of God’s Word, both its breadth and depth. The breadth comprises the flow of Biblical history: Creation – Fall – Redemption – Consummation. The depth is the Biblical worldview, the basis and standard for Kingdom Culture of truth, beauty and goodness. With these firmly in mind, he was able to evaluate local beliefs and values and determine which ones were true and wholesome and which false and destructive. He was then able to effectively counter false beliefs with the truth. This was done in the context of informal and formal teaching using local illustrations. Yet for the truth to bear its fruit, the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit was required. At the deepest level, transformation is only possible through the direct power of the Holy Spirit translating, convicting, opening eyes, and empowering people to change their beliefs, values and behaviors. It is a work of grace. Genuine Kingdom transformation is always done by God’s power and for His glory.

Arturo built on the foundation that already existed. He started with the Christians in the community—the church pastors and leaders—because he correctly understood that the church is the key engine of Kingdom transformation. If a church hadn’t existed in this community, then Arturo would have needed to work towards planting one as an essential first step. Arturo first challenged the Christians to live out these beliefs in the context of their families. Husbands needed to see their wives in a new way. Parents needed to see their children in the light of God’s revealed truth. Families are the most basic of social units. If Kingdom transformation can happen within families—then it can spread to the entire community and beyond. That is exactly what happened in the Pokomchi community.

Equally instructive is to consider what wasn’t needed for transformation in the Pokomchi communities. It happened without large infusions of money, outside resources or technical knowledge. With the exception of Arturo, all the resources needed were already in place—eyes simply needed to be opened to seeing them. This is not to say that money; resources and technical knowledge are bad, just that we must be careful not to put our hope in them, and they must be introduced only if appropriate and then with great care.

Conclusion

Can this case study be replicated? Yes! In fact it must be. Our hurting broken world is crying out for transformation. Here we find real hope and vision for the broken nations of Africa, Asia and Latin America as well as for the confused, lost nations of the developed west. What is required? God’s vision combined with a clear understanding of the root problem and the inside-out process of Kingdom transformation.

http://rediscoveringthekingdom.info/blog/community-transformation/rediscoverng-a-vision-for-kingdom-transformation/

SCOTT D. ALLEN is President of Disciple Nations Alliance, Inc. DARROW L. MILLER is Disciple Nations Alliance co-founder and author of Discipling Nations, the Power of Truth to Transform Culture

For other resources and articles visit Disciple Nations

[Excerpted from The Monday Morning Church by Jerry Cook. Reprinted with permission from  www.jerrycook.org]

You are called not so much to do great things, as to be a great person–and that person is Jesus Christ. The Church is the resident presence of Jesus in the world.

No matter how big church attendance is on Sunday, it will never penetrate the culture with Jesus. The reason is clear: The church on Sunday is experienced by the church community; it is only observed by the unbelieving community.

However, Monday through Saturday, the church operates in the experience of non-believers. It lives on their turf, moves in their society, and operates in their culture. On Monday Jesus becomes incarnate through you. And because He can be seen and touched, He can be received or rejected. True evangelism is possible.

Your Strategic Placement
Most Christians have been trained quite well to be the church on Sunday. But what does it take to be the church on Monday?

The first step is to recognize your strategic placement. “Strategic placement” means this: each redeemed, Spirit-filled Christian has been strategically placed by Jesus, the Lord of the church. Where each believing man or woman lives and works is part of that strategy. Christians are people of destiny, purposely placed deep in our culture. We are God’s points of penetration. Because of us Jesus is present at the very heart of society. And it is this strategic presence of Christ that opens the door for his revelation as Savior to man.

Christians are people of destiny, purposely placed deep in our culture. They are God’s points of penetration.
Incarnational Christianity doesn’t try to get people to God. Many men and women don’t want to get to God. Others are unaware there is a God to get to! The incarnation was God coming to us; in a similar way, incarnational Christianity brings Jesus to man.

That’s the basis for true evangelism: in the believer the presence of Christ reaches out to others. It’s also the basis for true discipleship: in the believer the presence of Christ walks alongside the new believer. Thus, the two main activities of the church–conversion and discipling–are wed, as they were meant to be. The Great Commission, after all is not simply to go into all the world and make converts; we are to go and make disciples.

Jesus said simply, “I am the way. If you have found me, you have found God.” Unfortunately, the church often adds a debilitating step to the divine program. We say, “Jesus is the way to God, and the church is the way to Jesus. Come to the church and find Jesus, then Jesus will take you to God.” We must never allow the church institution to be the way to God. Jesus himself is the Way. The goal of the church on Monday is to make the Way present and visible in the world.

Open for Business
Of course, it does no good to have a strategic force in place if the people don’t know they are strategic, don’t know they are a force, and don’t know they are in place.

Most Christians give mental assent to this idea of strategic placement, but they have no concept of its implications. Some think of inviting hurting people to a church program, others think of using some type of soul-winning gimmick to make a convert. Most, however, don’t do anything with the idea at all. It simply floats around, untapped, in the background of their experience. They’re strategically placed, but they’re not “open for business.”

Through the gifts of the Spirit, you are fully equipped and capable of responding to the needs of others exactly the way Jesus would.
“Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27) means you are filled with the Holy Spirit and Jesus is present wherever you go. You are capable of responding to the needs of others exactly the way Jesus would. The gifts of the Spirit are how Jesus works through you to touch people’s lives.

Our time on earth is about being Jesus in our world. Jesus didn’t come to our planet on vacation; He came on assignment. Likewise, you and I have not been born here and now accidentally. We don’t just happen to bump into hurting people. There’s divine strategy at work. You are where you are because God strategically placed you there.

I’m convinced that if more Christians were open for business, then more business would show up. Evangelism as a primary goal is often artificial and powerless. But when it’s a serendipity of spirit-filled believers being Jesus in their world, it is natural and unstoppable!

Excerpted from The Monday Morning Church by Jerry Cook. Reprinted with permission from www.jerrycook.org.

The Monday Morning Church: Out of the Sanctuary and Into the Streets

Unless there is a church on Monday, the church on Sunday makes no difference. Drawing from the book of Ephesians, Jerry clearly lays out how Christians can be the church on Monday–not just in buildings on Sunday, but 24/7 in the clutter, confusion, and hard work of everday living.

Incarnational Christianity doesn’t aim to get people to God; incarnational Christianity brings Jesus to them. As Christians we are people of destiny, purposely placed by God deep inside our culture. We are his points of incarnational penetration, his strategic presence in the world.

As God’s redeemed people, filled with his Spirit, we have been strategically deployed into a hungry world to bring the presence of Jesus into the very heart of society. Not a list of clever techniques, this book describes a way of seeing, a way of understanding, a way of responding.

It’s time we stop doing church and time we start being church–in the world, on the streets, among the people. This book will show you how to be the Monday Morning Church, open and ready for business.

Table of Contents

Part I: Where is God on Monday?

• The Power of the Church on Monday
• The Radical Relocation of God
• A Window in TimePart 2: Who You Are
• Where Confidence Begins
• Will the Real You Please Stand Up?
• Embracing Your New Identify
• You Are What You BelievePart 3: What You Have
• Hope, Wealth, and Power
• Alive and Free
• Transformed and Courageous
• Welcome to the FamilyPart 4: How You Live
• A Worthy Life
• The Christian Lifestyle
• A Life of Love
• Not in My Neighborhood!
• God’s Plan for You

To order click on our “e-CATALOG” button and choose the AMAZON.COM search box to make your selection at an amazingly low price!

For some time we have been seeking to bring to the forefront pertinent thought concerning the coming of the Kingdom in these turbulent and exciting days we live in. I am sure that you, like me can easily identify with the dilemma faced by Michael S. Horton the author as follows:

“It was confusing to grow up singing both “This World Is Not My Home” and “This Is My Father’s World.” Those hymns embody two common and seemingly contradictory Christian responses to culture. One sees this world as a wasteland of godlessness, with which the Christian should have as little as possible to do. The other regards cultural transformation as virtually identical to “kingdom activity.”

Certainly the answer does not lie in any intrinsic opposition of heaven and earth. After all, Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Rather, the answer is to be sought in understanding the particular moment in redemptive history where God has placed us. We are not yet in the Promised Land, where the kingdom of God may be directly identified with earthly kingdoms and cultural pursuits. Yet we are no longer in Egypt. We are pilgrims in between, on the way.

In Babylon, God commanded the exiles to “build houses and settle down,” pursuing the good of their conquering neighbors (Jer. 29). At the same time, he prophesied a new city, an everlasting empire, as the true homeland that would surpass anything Israel had experienced in Canaan.

So both of my childhood hymns tell the truth in their own way: We are pilgrims and strangers in this age, but we “pass through” to the age to come (not some ethereal state of spiritual bliss), which, even now in this present evil age, is dawning.

The challenge is to know what time it is: what the kingdom is, how it comes, and where we should find it right now”. The gospel proclaimed by Jesus was foremost a call to become part of God’s Kingdom, a call to live under God’s rule and reign. “Christianity is more than a matter of having a new understanding. Christianity is an invitation to become part of an alien people who make a difference because they see something that cannot otherwise be seen without Christ.” The unbelievers who first responded top Christianity did not view it as a new philosophy or another national religion. They saw a community of people who lived counter-culture to the world of which they were a part of at that time. The church of the first century was identified not by its theological teachings or its mystical revelations – in the beginning Christianity was a different way of life.

To become a Christian required a second birth (John 3:1-3), which created a totally new way of life (2 Cor 5:17). Christian conversion meant radical change, a redirection of life, characterized by a new allegiance at the center of the personality and by a new direction in social relationships.

When Zaccheus the Tax-collector was converted, he immediately responded by resolving to redistribute his wealth to the poor and those whom he had cheated. Jesus consequently declared when he saw the evidence of the inner change with Zaccheus “Today is salvation come to this house” (Luke 19:9).

In that Graeco-Roman world of vicious immorality, where wealth was worshipped, life was cheap, and purity and chastity were vanishing virtues, came a new moral influence. The extraordinary life of the Christians was a blazing torch of attractive moral witness that appealed to the tired world of its day.

Perhaps the most striking quality of the early followers of Jesus was their “agape” love, especially towards the most neglected of that day – the orphans, the aged, the sick, the prisoners, the slaves, and the abandoned. Tertullian once defended the Christian Faith from false accusations when he wrote in his “Apology” – “as a people we are one in mind and soul, and we do not hesitate to share our earthly goods with one another. All things are common among us, but our wives!”

In the beginning, the Christian faith was profoundly ethical. The earliest community of believers became known for their love for God, their love for their neighbor, just as Jesus had taught them (Matt 22:37-39), but sadly this truth was soon to be corrupted as the worship of the world and its systems became paramount to a persecuted church.

The Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once wrote in his journal “I want a truth for which I can live and die.” He found that truth in Christ and the Word of God concerning God’s Kingdom being established in the hearts of men and women here on earth.

Have you found the truth worth living and dying for? We have free studies for those who are interested in pursuing the subject of the challenge of the two kingdoms and how to live a new way of living. Simply write and request a set be sent to you via email file attachment.

God bless, and have a great day loving Jesus, and of course those in your most intimate sphere of life,

Kevin Dyson

By Derek Brown

For many Christians the highlight of their week is the Sunday service. Sadly many believe this is where the Kingdom of God is primarily expressed. Ministry is confined to that which is done within the church. This is demonstrated in the true story of a young lawyer who was asked what her ministry was. She replied “I teach Sunday school at my church” What a travesty!! Nothing she did during the week in bringing justice, compassion and resolution to the world in which she worked counted, in her mind, as having any spiritual value. How can we change people’s thinking to break free of this Sunday/Monday dichotomy?

Simply put we need to disavow the concept that divides the world into secular vs sacred, private vs public, faith vs work and charity vs justice.  When we understand the Kingdom of God it is evident that everything is sacred because God is the creator of all things and nothing exists outside of His love and compassion. Our faith makes us responsible to bring the Kingdom into every area of life. In the words of Justine, a Burundian living in Rwanda, “I see what Jesus meant by the kingdom of God. I see that it’s about changing this world, not just escaping it and retreating into our churches. If Jesus’ message of the kingdom of God is true, then everything must change. Everything must change.”

What a profound insight – when the Kingdom is expressed – everything must change. The change begins in us and then it finds its expression in the world in which we live and work. It is about bringing God’s mercy, compassion, justice and righteousness into every sphere of His creation. So our lawyer friend has the opportunity and responsibility to bring about change in her chosen field of endeavour by using her gifts, training and experience to be an agent for change – an agent for the Kingdom.

One of the reasons many people switch off from Christianity is that we represent a faith that has no relevance to them. Henry Drummond, writing to his own generation many years ago put it powerfully. “It is because to large masses of people Christianity has become synonymous with a Temple service that other large masses of people decline to touch it…..what they cannot follow, and must evermore live outside of, is a worship which ends with the worshipper, a religion expressed only in ceremony, and a faith unrelated to life.”  What a challenge – our faith has become self-centered and irrelevant to the real world.

What we are looking at is a rediscovery of Kingdom theology. This has many aspects but one of the starting points is the doctrine of the Trinity. In a recent Lausanne paper on ‘Market Place Ministry’ the following conclusion was presented. ”To bridge the gap in our partial perceptions of God’s work we need to be more thoroughly trinitarian instead of having in practice a unitarian (one person) theology playing favourites with the Trinity. We need to develop a three mandate/commission theology (see diagram)”

In these three commissions we see that the breadth of the Kingdom. “We are called to be part of God’s new creation, called to be agents of that new creation here and now. We are called to model and display that new creation in symphonies and family life, in restorative justice and poetry, in holiness and service to the poor, in politics and painting.” (Wright) The Kingdom is expressed in a wide variety of passions. Once we see the vastness of the Kingdom it helps understand how other people can be equally passionate about a range of issues that may not stir our hearts. This passion is an expression of the heart of God for His creation. We are to pursue the passion God has given us but equally to validate and appreciate the passion He has put in others.

When it comes to the church we can think of Sunday as the church ‘gathered’ and Monday as the church ‘scattered’. Sunday then becomes a time to strengthen, encourage and equip Christians to take the Kingdom into their world. As church growth expert, Eddie Gibbs says, churches should shift from an invitational, ‘Come’, seeker service strategy (which works in largely churched suburbs) to a ‘Go’ strategy of dispersal, with a sustained commitment to infiltrating each segment of this fragmenting world. The work place becomes a focal point for producing the Kingdom. As Kevin Costa, a London-based investment banker, states: “If the Christian faith is not relevant in the work place, it is not relevant at all.”

So from a Kingdom perspective there is no difference between Sunday and Monday. It can be argued in fact that what happens on Monday is more important.

So then, would you like to dialog more on these issues raised?  Well why not write direct to Derek Brown newsletter@usingthenet.com.au and discuss your point of view.

Have you ever thought – Why do I exist—why was I born?

What is the meaning of my life?

Were you put here for a reason? You can know—you must know!

Why were you born? Is there a reason—a meaning—for your life? Is your existence part of a divine plan?

Was mankind actually placed on earth by an all-wise Creator as part of a great Purpose—a MASTER PLAN?

Knowing the answer is supremely important!

Think for a moment. What could be more important to understand than the purpose for your life?

Ecclesiastes 10:1-12:14 – Ecclesiastes is a rather negative book written by one of the wisest men who ever lived. Solomon, however, saves his wisest words for the conclusion of Ecclesiastes. After sharing that all of life is vanity, Solomon does give the major priority of life. If we lived our lives on earth with what he shares as our first priority, the conclusion of our lives would not be vanity. The conclusion of our lives would be lives lived to the glory, honor and praise of God.

What is this priority? Solomon speaks these words of wisdom: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all” (Eccles. 12:13).

This admonition sounds very much like the statement made by the One who is all wisdom, Jesus Christ.

Jesus replied to the question, “What is the greatest commandment?” with these wise words: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matt. 22:37-39, KJV).

Each day that we live we are challenged to keep the main thing central in our focus and not get distracted by events happening around us. Interestingly both Solomon and Jesus shared with us what the main thing is.

What is the main thing? The main thing is to love God and love your neighbor.

Why do you think it is so hard to do this? Love benefits all concerned. Love benefits the one who gives love and the one who receives love. You sometimes hear people say “Life would be so easy if people would just love one another.”  This does not mean life will be without difficulties and trials, but love will carry us through every trouble.

The reason people find it so hard to love one another is simple –because love never fails. Satan the enemy of our souls knows this, so he works tirelessly to cause division and strife, bitterness, jealousy, pride and anger in our lives.

The cost required from us to love another is exactly the same. It means laying down our pride, the result of worshipping ourselves. Pride causes selfishness, strife and jealousy. Another reason it is so hard for us to love God and others is that we cannot do it in our own strength. We must depend upon God to firstly give the gift of love to us, so we can pass it on to others.

To receive His love demands that we daily submit ourselves to Him for that wonderful work to be accomplished in us. Perhaps you will want to join me this morning in a simple prayer that sums it all up:

Lord, I love You. Help me to love today as Jesus loves. Amen.

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Here is something to chew over in your spirit man ….

A very modern theologian from Sheffield, UK, Bishop Tom Wright says all mankind has clear evidence of the Kingdom within us by what he terms “the echoes of the Spirit of God”. These echoes are described by Bishop Wright as our universal desires of

• Longing for justice and mercy among all people
• Quest for true spirituality and intimacy with the Creator of the Universe
• Hunger for meaningful relationships with significant others
• Delight in both natural and created beauty

The Kingdom of God as the Living Body of Christ is predominantly happening outside the gathered church.

Now before you get upset at my statement, simply think about the allocation of available time each week.

There are 168 hours each week.

Usually as Christian believers we only spend 6 to 8 hours in each other’s presence, unless we are living in a community, or Bible College, or a monastery!

But when you read the Book of Acts you find they spent time every day with each other.

Why did they do this?

Most times it was because of persecution and the safest place to be was with each other. Otherwise it was because of the diffculty of being free to serve Christ as we can do today.

If you are employed by an employer, your first obligation to earn your wages is to do what your employer (master) wants done first.

Any spare time after satisfying your boss, or employer would be spent with family and other believers in Christ.

But when you read of the mracles recorded in the Book of Acts, they were the result of men and women who made themselves available to serve God 24/7 in their ordinary life.

Consider the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7)

Consider the conversion of Ethiopian government official (Acts 8),

Consider the Roman centurion Cornelius (Acts 10),

Consider the seekers and religious worshippers at Athenia (Acts 17

All of these events recorded here happened outside the corporate gathering time of the believers, but we are so restricted in our thinking that we only expect God to show up and do miracles at the regular weekly Sunday meeting!

God will not be confined or restricted simply to our regular weekly gathering – He wants to be active in our lives every day, 24/7! But He cannot reveal Himself unless we seek after revelation, and expect Him to do the impossible.

So dear friends, now that you have heard the Good News of God’s Unchanging, Unshakable, Eternal Kingdom” my challenge to you is “Are you living in the expectancy of the unexpected?”

There are three very unusual things that Jesus used to describe His Kingdom.

(a) He said it is “like the smallest seed” – Mark 4:30-32 Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven as being like unto a grain of mustard seed (the smallest seed of all) which when planted grows into the largest tree.  In Matt 13: He also describes the seed as being the Word of God which we first receive, and then we ourselves become transformed by the power of God to become the “living seed” that is planted in the field of God’s world.

(b) In Luke 13:20-21 Jesus says the truth of God’s Kingdom is like “yeast” that is mixed into the dough as bread is being made, built the entire mixture is affected by the yeast that was added.

(c) Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is like”salt” that gets either used or lost.  Matt 5:13 “You are the salt of the world. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty again? It’s good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled on by people”

Salt can only be useful if it is mixed into food, or used in other ways, but it must completely lose its identity in order to achieve its purpose.

All of these three elements must die before they can be of useful effect.

If we embrace the truth of God’s Kingdom we must learn that the Kingdom God works first within us, before it works in the world around us.

The truth is no use if it is simply sitting on the shelf like an urn of some dead realtive’s cremated ashes. The ashes speak to us of the person who once was. We honor the dead when we live our lives by the unchanging truth of God’s Word.

The Kingdom of God has the greatest effect when it is taken out of the gathered church and put into the world. That is what God wants from you and me.

Bishop Tom Wright of Sheffield, England said it this way – “For God’s will to be done on earth God’s passion must become our passion” (Bishop Tom Wright).

Is your passion God’s passion? If not, it needs to be. Be blessed today as you seek to live in His Kingdom,  Kevin Dyson