Lost youth need guidance, not the stink-eye

There is much talk today about the disillusionment of today’s youth toward the church. I agree. It exists in full force, and is quite a problem. Someone once said that “Christianity is one generation away from extinction.” That was said in the middle of the past century, and I couldn’t agree with it more. But before we point fingers and shake our heads at the youth of today, it must be noted that this statement is true of all times:

And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.
(Jdg 2:8-10)

This passage introduces one of the most interesting, yet saddest books of the Bible. Yes, everything from here through Chronicles tells the story of Israel’s rebellion. But this new generation that rises up in Judges could have been prevented from abandoning their faith if they had had some leaders to teach them. This is where I see our failure today. We shake our heads and grumble at the rebelliousness of today’s generation, yet do nothing to fix the problem. We need leaders, mentors, disciplers to teach our kids how to live lives worthy of the calling of God.

We try to fix this problem in our churches with programs aimed at teaching the Bible and how to live it. But once students leave their youth groups there’s no follow-up to see how they’re applying that week’s teaching. Jesus chose twelve with whom he shared his life. These men were (for the most part) uneducated commoners, who ended up building the foundation for the Church of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, we leave the work of teaching and spiritual development to those who work in or for a church. We think they have been called to such a task. But think about this: Jesus taught the masses, but then had his twelve–and from that he had his inner three (John, James, Peter). Was it the masses that changed the world? In a sense, yes. But only through the teachings of the twelve. The lesson here is that only through the direct teaching of a few can lives be impacted. So who are your one or two or three with whom you are sharing your life and what God is teaching you (and whom you are allowing to share their lives back)?

This is where change occurs. It is not through weekly programs aimed at the masses. It is through intentional discipleship. We are called to “make disciples of all nations.” Yes, there is the implication of global evangelism, but the key word here is disciples. We are not called to save and move on, or teach the word and see you next week.

Who are your disciples? What are you doing to save and transform this present generation?

Some good books on this topic of discipleship are:

Greg Ogden, Transforming Discipleship (reading this now)

Robert Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism (previously read. In depth focus on Jesus’ methods)

A.B. Bruce, The Training of the Twelve

William Hendriksen, Disciples Are Made, Not Born

Leroy Eims, The Lost Art of Disciple Making

CIW and Whole Foods

For those who don’t know what CIW stands for, it is the Coalition of Immokalee Workers. It is a community-based initiative in Immokalee (i-MAH-kuh-lee), FL that seeks fair wages for Florida’s immigrant farmworkers. Florida is one of the nation’s largest producers of tomatoes, and most of Florida’s agriculture is found in South Florida. CIW started due to many reports of these immigrants receiving virtually no pay (dollars per day), basically working as slaves (i.e. slave labor). The organization made national headlines several years ago with its Taco Bell Boycott. Taco Bell was buying its tomatoes from these farms where workers were basically being treated like slaves. CIW was able to gain support from religious denominations, whole communities, even former President Jimmy Carter and former guitarist for Rage Against the Machine, Tom Morello.

To keep this post from being pages long, I will briefly say that Taco Bell gave in, and is now putting forth efforts to make sure that its workers are paid fair wages. There have also been victories of the same type with Burger King, McDonald’s, and Yum Brands.

But there are still companies out there that are buying “slave” products (it’s not just tomatoes, it’s virtually all crops, including coffee and chocolate). Chipotle and Whole Foods push images of integrity, yet their tomatoes are purchased from slaves in Immokalee. Producers of goods in mass quantities, like Subway and Wal-Mart, are also guilty.

But my purpose here is not to organize a militia against these companies (although boycotts like Taco Bell’s may need to grow in popularity). My purpose is to share some great news about one of the previously mentioned companies. Whole Foods has just announced a partnership with CIW to help improve the conditions in South Florida. The CIW website states:

“This is not only our first agreement in the supermarket industry but, in working with Whole Foods Market, we have the opportunity to really raise the bar to establish and ensure modern day labor standards and conditions in Florida.”

If you would like to read the rest of this article or find out more about slave labor and the products you consume, check out the CIW website.

John Bowe: Call+Response, a film

John Bowe, author of “Nobodies,” a book chronicling the slave labor that is still going strong in America today, has recently posted this to his blog:

“Call + Response is documentary created by musician Justin Dillon set for release this fall about the horrors of modern-day slavery. Dillon came across the issue of human trafficking while on tour in Russia where he met many women who, eager to improve their lives, ended up enslaved instead.”

To read the rest of his blog and find out more about slavery in the states, click here.

You can also watch the trailer for the documentary here.

Promises of God = A Better America?

I am not one to get on a soap box about politics, mainly because I do not have enough experience or knowledge to even pretend to be an authority. But when a candidate for president claims to be a Christian and then misrepresents scripture, something must be said.

Last night at the DNC, Sen. Obama alluded to scripture at least twice (quotes taken from transcript of acceptance speech):

1) “Instead, it is that American spirit, that American promise, that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.“

2 Corinthians 4:18: “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Do I really even need to go into the problem with this? Obama is describing what it is that makes us rich. It’s not our wealth or even our power. It’s the American spirit. The American promise that we each can create our own future.

This unseen hope that Senator Obama is falsely alluding to does not bind us together as a nation. It binds us together as a people of God. And it most assuredly is not the American spirit. The American spirit will one day die out, whether with the second coming of Christ or our nation being overthrown (let’s hope for the former). And what is “unseen” is not just “around the bend.” We might be in the last days with Christ’s return being seen as “around the bend,” but I don’t think the second coming is going to coincide with the upcoming election. It is highly unlikely that Obama and God have worked out some sort of a deal.

2) “At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise, that American promise, and in the words of scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.“

Hebrews 10:23: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

Again, Barack’s hope is in America. This has been his whole platform: hope and change for a better America. This is not the hope found in Hebrews. This hope is the forgiveness of sins, the ability to “enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,” being washed clean of guilt (Heb. 10:19-23). We have this hope because he (Jesus) who promised (to forgive our sins and prepare a place for us in Heaven) is faithful.

If all of my hope is found in the future of this country, then that’s a sad piece of hope. The future of this country is uncertain. It is being run by fallen men and women, all of whom have made promises that depend on the votes of others who may very well disagree with them. I would rather base my hope on the sacrifice of the son of God for the forgiveness of my sins, which was witnessed by hundreds men and women and declared to be true by the one and only perfect God and Holy Spirit.

Now, with all that said, is Obama the ani-Christ? Maybe. But probably not. My point is not to say that Obama is ignorant or even a heretic (although I’m not saying he’s not either). We need to be very careful with whomever it is we decide to support. We need to listen to their words very carefully. John McCain may very well do the same thing and misrepresent scripture. So let’s listen closely to his words at the upcoming Republican National Convention. He doesn’t even have to quote scripture. But if he does, let’s see if he understands what it says.

One last thing:

“Hear, O Israel: ^The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.“

-Deuteronomy 6:4-9

We not only need to know what scripture says so that we can be aware of when other people are using it wrongly, but also so that we don’t misuse it. This is one of my favorite passages. There is a seriousness here as to how we should treat God’s word. He gave it to us so that we would know his thoughts and desires. Let us take advantage of such a wonderful opportunity and read it, learn it, use it, share it. And let’s learn it’s meaning so that we don’t misuse it or try and twist it so that it fits our own agendas.

Author Struggles to Stay Removed from Slave Trade

With $50 and a plane ticket to Haiti, one can buy a slave. This was just one of the difficult lessons writer Benjamin Skinner learned while researching his book, A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery….

An article posted earlier this year at npr.org tells the tale of a reporter’s encounter with the slave industry in Haiti. Read the rest of the story here.

Hello

The idea for this blog came out of two things:

First, it came out of a discussion recently with a friend about what the Gospel means. A great number of Christians focus too much on salvation in light of eternity. But what about salvation now, here on earth? We have been freed by God’s sacrifice of his son, Jesus Christ, and are therefore no longer under the bondage of sin. This is always nice to talk about and focus on (as it should be). But we are also called to get our hands and knees dirty to help one another–the orphans and widows; the sick and less fortunate; our brothers and sisters throughout the church universal. We don’t like to talk about this because it’s inconvenient. It makes us uneasy to think about helping someone who hasn’t had a bath in a year. But these are God’s people, too.

His church is more than just here in the United States. In fact, we are a pathetic part of his church that limps along in its complacency. We have grown accustomed to the easy gospel found here in America that’s free of persecution and hardships. We have forgotten that almost all of the church throughout history has fought an uphill battle to stay alive. The idea of the church fighting to stay alive is sort of an odd statement, seeing as how countless people have stood in the path of death in order to further the Kingdom of God. Finding a story in the Bible that relates to a “safe” Christianity is impossible. So let us all wake up and start getting dirty.

Second, I was reading recently about Zach Hunter, a 15 year-old who is traveling around the world to raise awareness about modern day slavery. Studies have shown that human trafficking is the second largest criminal activity, right behind drug trafficking (27 million people worldwide). I was moved to want to do something about this, but was quickly overwhelmed by the largeness of this problem. What can I as one person, who is currently in school and trying to support a family, do?

Therein lies the two-fold purpose of this blog. One, I want to raise awarenss about modern day slavery around the world and right here at home in the U.S. I also was to challenge people to wake up, take hold of their faith, and live through the freedom that Christ gave us. We cannot change the world if we ourselves are not changed.

So why Eliezer Project? Moses named his second son Eliezer, because “My father’s God (Eli) was my helper (ezer), rescuing me from Pharaoh’s sword” (Exodus 18:4). God saved the Israelites from slavery. As already mentioned, by desire is to see slavery abolished around the globe.

Blessings