The Holy Spirit, the Church and Justice in the Midst of Poverty Bro. Viv Grigg He has shown you, O...
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Transcript of The Holy Spirit, the Church and Justice in the Midst of Poverty Bro. Viv Grigg He has shown you, O...
The Holy Spirit, the Church and Justice in the Midst of Poverty
Bro. Viv Grigg
He has shown you, O man,What is good and what the Lord
Requires of youBut to do justice
And to love mercyAnd to walk humbly
With your God(Micah 6:8)
Tena kotou katoa greetings from New Zealand
Story: Land Rights Confrontation
½ the world are dispossessed, and landlessOwnership of land is the basis of entrance into the economic systemsView a Video of Manila Slums
The Biblical Basis for Doing Justice
• I like God for he is a God of Justice (Jer 9:23,34)
Story of Hector, man of justice
• We are to Seek first his Kingdom, his justicia (Matt 6:33)– Story of Raineer - rescued five communities
from bulldozers – the justice bringer
The Spirit Anointed Justice Servant Foretold
Behold my Servant whom I upholdMy chosen one in whom I delightI will put my Spirit on him and he
will establish justice in the earthHe will not falter or be discouraged
till he has established justice in the earth.
Isa 42:1-4
Discipling and Justice• Matt 28: 18-20 Go, disciple the nations• If we disciple the nation,
– We bring it under the rule of God– Thus it becomes a just nation
• But ONLY IF discipleship is to obey all that the scriptures teach – economically, socially, politically, spiritually
• i.e. holistic discipleship brings justice to the nations– Simply planting spiritual churches does not bring justice
to the nation– e.g. Los Angeles burning down, 12,000 churches for 12 million
From Discipling Movements To a Just Nation
Four Levels of Doing Justice
1. Personal justice
2. Family & Community Justice
3. Movements that Seek Justice
4. National / International Justice
1. Personal Justice
• Just Lifestyles: Hunger for God does not lead us to pietism, but into the thick of injustice
• Social justice includes personal uprightness in our daily lives – Peter, the apostle didn’t live in a palace, but
wore the cheapest wooden sandals– A true apostle is among the poor.– A true bishop lives among the poor, or near the
poor, or works with the poor.
Bringing Justice begins in being one of the people= just living
HOME⏎
What is Justice?
There are 1000 definitions
Being and Doing
• The right thing
• The right place
• The right way
• The right timing
2. Spirit & Relational Justice
• God Cares about Garbage
• Relationship to Authorities – Speaking Truth + Submissive Spirit
• Equity: – Favoring the poor in order that justice is done
• Is God biased– No, he equalizes, so he helps the poor
3. Development of Justice Movements
• Forming the church, developing economic discipleship– Credit coop
• Society is strong when small organisations multiply– Economically – small businesses– Spiritually – movements of churches– Politically – grassroots organizations– These diffuse power in society
• Seek the welfare of the city (Jer 29:7)
Confronting the Powers with Community Organizing
ElectricityWaterGarbageLand Rights
Style of Movements for Justice
• Two levels of movements to transform society– Mass: Religious movements among the poor
• Penetration of systems through Uplift of 10,000’s
– (Middle Class Oppositional: Signficance of “social protest movements”?)
– Insider: Social transformation movements among the elites
Discipling Movements = Justice Making
(Pickett, McGavran, Grigg)
Justice Making
Justice and Justice Makers
1 Sam 10:26 A band of men whose hearts God had touched became his constant companions
Toynbee - a suppressed minority, released has tremendous drive for national transformation
Ask for Mighty Men and Women from among the Dispossessed
• Corrie – 500 Preschools = 500 churches – mighty woman
• Pr Jun – 5 churches, 100 trained workers, 3 pre-schools, a school of 800 – my constant companion – he took his stand for 30 years
Pr Jun
National/International Movements
Upper Level Justice
• Joseph, entrusted with the care of his masters house (Genesis 39:6).Doesn’t belong: live as exiles (1 Peter 1:14,15)God is with him = success at every stage and
blessing of those he servesVicious opposition. Good actions may bring evil
consequencesSees two Kingdoms, but fully engagedSets clear boundaries
Reconciliation of Peoples in New Zealand
• The story of Tuapekapeka
4. National/International Justice
• How does a country become injust? (Isa 58:9-16)– Transgressions are multiplied– Denying the Lord, Turning away– Speaking revolt ------------- Speaking oppression
(Breakdown of Consensus)– Violence ------------- Law & order
– Beyond Ethics
• Solution: a man or woman to intervene
Justice & Bringing Peace
Justice as peacemaking: Required reconciliation between parties; rectifying unjust situations
• Injustice cried out from the land: We must understand the history of exploitation that force people
• Upper class evangelism: The rich can be the key to unlocking the poverty of the poor
• The loyal reformers: Bible as textbook for issues of labor, profit, work, management, business
• Demonic politics: We reject demonic philosophies, but honor and respect all humans
• Contention with authorities: Love, honor and reconciliation should define our contention
Justice & Bringing Peace
• Contention with authorities: Love, honor and reconciliation should define our contention
• Time and change: Change comes through suffering servants who disarm evil, hatred and violence
• Political options: Spiritual discipleship or holistic discipleship
• Squatter politics: Steps we can take as Christian people in the slums!!
• Unattached: Though we are unattached to this world, we serve it because justice compels us
50,000 from the slums to the slums
The Encarnacao Alliance of Slum Movement Leaders
International Movement Mobilization
MessyColaborativeSeeds spring up all over the placeCommonalitiesNo command and control
Indigenous movements in the slums are multiplying far more rapidly in some cities. In others there are still few churches, no movement.
Manila, 2500Nairobi, 2500
Mexico, 1500 Addis Ababa, 6
Kolkata, 10
Phnom Phen, 3Mumbai, 400
Sao Paulo, 10,000
Bangkok, 3
Chennai, 2500
Indigenous Movements in the SlumsWhat is God doing? They are now exploding
Girding an international movement with knowledge and workers
MA in TRANSFORMATIONAL URBAN LEADERSHIP
Spirituality and Building People Power
• e.g.Deposing Marcos• e.g.Praying out the BJP• E.g. Seeing God’s Kingdom principles being utilized by
non-believers in alternative economic systems. – Bless his work in secular dynamics. – His kingdom is far wider than the church.
• 50 years after revival a nation peaks (McLelland)– Brazil, Philippines, Nairobi all struggling with a new phenomena
of Christians in parliament who have not learned the principles we are talking about. Wonderful catastrophe!!
Upper Level Justice
• Joseph, entrusted with the care of his masters house (Genesis 39:6).
• Training Elite: Those of us who have gone among the poor, God may use to speak to the elites of the nations. – Oyay– Ed Jiminez– Bolette– ….Prayer
» Tenakotou, tenakotou, tenakotou katoa
Spirit and Justice
• The God of Justice
• Anointing you to be a servant of Justice
• Pray• Tenakotou, tenakotou, tenakotou katoa
References
• Grigg
• McGavran
• Pickett
• McLelland