Friday, December 21, 2012

Newtown’s Child, Bethlehem’s Child

Dr. Scott Rodin is a good friend and a fellow participant in a small men's group here in the Spokane area. He also has his own blog (http://wp.kingdomlifepublishing.com) and from time to time we do "blog sharing."  This morning, Scott's message was so powerful that I asked if I could share it here on my website.  I hope you are as impacted as I was by is words of both encouragement and admonition.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In this brief blog I use the term ‘Newtown’s child’ to refer to all of the loss we suffered in Newtown, Connecticut one week ago today.

I’ve heard people say that the tragedy of Newton’s child was made all the worse because these children died so near Christmas.

I disagree.

The hope, the peace and the comfort for the families of Newtown’s child are embodied in the coming of Bethlehem’s child.

To every child whose life was ended in Newton, Bethlehem’s child says, ”Your story is not over, for because I live, you will live also.”

To every grieving parent who laid Newton’s child in a grave this week, Bethlehem’s child says, “I am the resurrection and the life, those who believe in me will never die.”

To a nation and world that grieve for Newtown’s child and are overwhelmed by the presence of evil in our midst, Bethlehem’s child says, “In this world you will have trials and tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

If ever there was a year for us to draw nearer the manger and kneel in wonder and adoration at Bethlehem’s child, it is certainly this Christmas.  Only there will sorrow be turned into hope, and grief give way to comfort and peace.

But there is more.

There is no ‘silver lining’ in this tragedy. We will look in vain to find one.  Evil offers no such thing.  Evil is evil to the very edge of its influence and presence.  This Christmas must remind us that Bethlehem’s child came not to help us find some good in the presence of evil, but to execute its utter destruction.

As we cry out, ‘when will this evil be ended?’, Bethlehem’s child cries out, ‘it is finished.’  Evil’s fate was sealed on the cross.

How can this be in the face of this demonstration of evil’s growing grip in our nation?  The defeat of evil happens through the small, daily victories of God’s people, who live and pray and minister and work in his name and with the power he promised us.

Our response to the loss of Newton’s child must be to claim the promise that is ours in Bethlehem’s child, and with that promise, to change the world where we live.  We are the hands and feet of Jesus.  We are the ambassadors of Christ, called to be salt and light wherever we go.  We have been given the authority to drive evil out of our homes, our schools, and our communities.  Will we claim it?

We are not left defenseless in this battle.  Our weapons against the enemy are forgiveness, love, generosity and truth. Against these, all evil is rendered powerless. And they are each available to us in unending abundance because of Bethlehem’s child.

Today we look back and remember the lives that were lost, six adults and twenty children who will never be forgotten.  All of us will ponder Newtown’s child in our hearts this Christmas.  But we must even more look forward to Tuesday, to the coming of Bethlehem’s child, believing that the final victory over evil and death that is the promise and product of this divine birth, will one day in some unimaginable way swallow up the grief and overwhelm the sorrow of the loss of Newtown’s child.

This one tiny birth brings to the world the truth of the real state of evil, and empowers us, even in the shadow of Newtown’s child, to proclaim with the deepest conviction, ‘O death where is your sting?  Oh grave, where is your victory?’

Oh come, let us adore him.

Dr. Scott Rodin | December 21, 2012 at 8:36 am

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Korea Reflection #2


During the past few years, my impression of the state of the church in Korea was one that typically put us here in the United States to shame. Huge mega-churches attracting tens of thousands, 5:00 A.M. prayer meetings every day of the week attended by all members, incredibly dedicated “saints” of the faith spending weeks and even months fasting on prayer mountain retreats—all were reasons why I have held Korean Evangelical Christians in the highest esteem.

One of the impressive church structures in Seoul, Korea
However, I was quite surprised during my visit there last week to learn that all is not quite as positive as I thought. More than one Korean church leader affirmed that the church growth trend in their country has not only slowed but is in serious decline. Ten years ago, the Operation World Handbook estimated the Protestant population of the country to be mostly Evangelical, near 30%. Today, the Handbook claims Evangelicals are more like 16%. I was also surprised to learn of some mega-church not keeping up with mortgages paying the price for impressive yet complex architectural designs of their massive buildings. On top of that, church leaders admit they are losing the battle of attracting the younger teen and twenty-something generation of Koreans.

Why the changes? Here are some of the conclusions I heard expressed:
  • A preoccupation with a “bigger is better” mentality has begun to back-fire as a people become disenchanted with big buildings and big programs that are not always impacting them personally.
  • A national increase in materialism, fueled by the successes of corporate giants like Samsung and Kia, have wooed interest away from spiritual things to what you can do instead on the latest cellphone or automobile GPS system.
  •  Authoritarian leadership, buoyed up by a deep cultural respect for elders, has prevented appropriate mentoring of younger leaders or healthy succession planning.
  • A shallow personal holiness has been the result of folks maintaining appearances of piety (prayer vigils, meeting attendance, etc.) instead of maintaining a commitment to a true, inner spiritual transformation.

However, there is still plenty to praise our Korean brothers and sisters for. Despite a slowing growth trend, South Korea is still the country with the second largest expat missionary force deployed around the world—over 20,000. People maybe skipping out on prayer meetings, but by in large, most Korean Christians still exhibit an incredible, dedicated prayer life. Regardless of political maneuvering, South Korean Christians are poised and ready to reach out to their brethren across the border in North Korea, just as soon as the doors are open for them to minister there.

There is certainly much we can learn from our Korean friends both from emulating what is exemplary in churches that are dynamic as well as how to avoid what maybe causing others to experience a downward trend in vitality.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Korea Reflections #1


Last week I attended an international consultation in South Korea.  I’m not allowed to share a lot of specifics about what happened and who I met because of security agreements. But there are some key facts, figures and information I can share.  Here are some of the highlights:

Key Information:

Despite the amazing effort of global missions during the past two decades, of the 16,565 people groups in the world, 7,107 are still considered to be unreached. The population of those UPGs is 2.9 billion equaling 42% of the world population.

Key Stories:
  • Of the million-plus Beja people found in Sudan, there is not a single known Christian.
  • In China, 250 thousand Kyrgyz-speaking people are living along high mountain passes on the border with Kyrgyzstan with no one attempting to reach them with the Gospel.
  • The Cushitic people are a dominant people group in the Horn of Africa. In the past six years, over 6000 churches have been planted among these people, 85% of which are small house churches meeting at least once a week.
  • Ministry workers in Islamic Africa have been shocked to discover that the “man of peace” they seek out to be the core of a new church plant is often a Muslim Imam.


Key Networks and Resources on Unreached People:

  • PeopleGroups.org – Mobilizing interest in UPGs
  • JoshuaProject.net – Statistics and data on UPGs
  • CreateInternational.com – Source of online media and media training
  • StoryRunners.com – Using storytelling for oral cultures
  • Call2All.org – Network and resources focused on UPGs
  • GCPN.info – Global Church Planting Network
  • LinkingGlobalVoices.com – The network of networks


Key Book:

Miraculous Movements by Jerry Trousdale – documenting the amazing results that are occurring around the world with Church Planting Movements