1 Corinthians 4:20 (NIV)
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of
power.
No matter where we live, we will encounter poverty. There
will always be people in need as well as individuals who are hurting. All of
these people are desperately looking for hope.
What will we do about it? Is our church just a building
where we can securely worship God for a couple of hours each week, or is it a
beacon that shines like never before? Staying safely within our four church
walls is not what we were destined to do.
Let us travel on the other side of this world, to a
country renowned for its past racial apartheid, South Africa. Let us meet
Senior Pastor John Thomas from King of Kings Baptist Church located in Fish
Hoek. He, too, with his staff, had to face those who were hurting and were
desperately looking for hope. In 1999 he was made aware through statistics that
44% of the residents of the township of Masiphumelele, a nearby town, were
suffering from HIV. What would he and his church do about this?
He couldn't let this rest. Something had to be done about
this situation, especially since they were in his very neighborhood!
He expected some of his members to be opposed to even
considering helping their neighbors. Going against the grain of Apartheid isn't
easy! Would the church be supportive or could this possibly even affect his
long term future of his position at the church?
With any God-given task, opposition will always arise,
and we all know where it comes from. If we don't give up, God will shine like
never before! And shine He did!
Pastor Thomas learned that, "When I am weak, then I
am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10b, NIV2); and "The one who is in you
is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4, NIV2).
"For God to move in our lives we have to move with
God. We have a major part to play in God's moving. You can't just sit back and
say 'Well, God you've made certain promises, now it's your responsibility to fulfill
them - Do it God.' Just because God has promised something, doesn't mean that
you are freed from doing anything. It's not a case of you sitting back and
relaxing while God works. In virtually every situation where God has worked
mighty wonders, there has been somebody or people who've done a whole lot in
actively cooperating with God."
Now, fourteen years later, this very church is known in
the neighborhood as the "caring church". It all started with the
creation of the ministry named Living Hope, whose goal was to "seek to
reach people for Christ, bringing hope and breaking the despair of poverty and
disease." They did so by providing "prevention, care, treatment and
support of people infected and affected by HIV and AIDS and other chronic
illnesses."
14 years ago many who lived in Masiphumelele had no hope
at all for a bright future. Kids as young as six were addicted to alcohol and
drugs. By the time they were 11; most kids actually hope to obtain AIDS! Why?
So that their suffering would end by the time they were twenty! They literally
had nothing to look forward to.
All of this changed when Christians went beyond the four
walls of their church and started to show compassion to the downtrodden. Living
Hope currently has a budget of 1.2 Million dollars a year and a full-time staff
of 185 and several missionaries who have come to serve with Living Hope. It
isn't easy to work amidst a dying population, but the hope this team provides
is what energizes them. God's Word becomes a reality amidst such realities.
Interestingly, the church itself only has a $300,000 yearly budget and a total
staff of 9. Their focus is clear: to make a difference in this world and bring
hope to the downtrodden.
The people dying of HIV no longer have to die alone. They
can face death without fear. Prevention and counseling happens in multiple
Support Groups reaching several thousand and support is given to those facing
the harsh facts of their condition. Many are provided with treatment that keeps
their disease under control so that they can live a normal life, and hope is truly
blossoming among that poor community. This one local church of about 450 people
now has an outreach to around 30,000 people per year in their area that face
the despair of poverty and disease. The hope of Jesus is brought to these folk.
When we make a difference in this world, people around us
notice. Bringing hope makes a huge difference amidst the hopeless. The local
government actually asked that this very same church to consider running the
government's health infrastructure! Hope is catchy!
Wherever we live, be it in the most luxurious city in
this world or in a well-to-do country, we will always notice hopeless people who
are in dire need. In such situations it is so important that we don't dismiss
them, but instead, that we approach God to find out what He would like for us
to do.
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