Jesus was not kidding when he told us that the “wheat and the tares” are growing together until the end of the age, when he comes to harvest. Good and bad grow side by side, both in the church and in the world at large. Here in the States we watch with a certain bemused interest as Democrats and Republican’s go through the lengthy process of selecting their best candidates for the Presidential race later in the year. What a blessing to be in a country where such processes go on peacefully, and with reasonably good humor. Compare that to the tragedy of what is currently happening in Kenya, following recent elections that have not only been disputed but which have now plunged the country into ethic and tribal hatred. Our role as Christians is to be salt and light in whatever situation we find ourselves. But for those in Kenya who have seen family members killed and raped and forced out of their homes, this is no easy call. How do we stand with our brothers and sisters facing such awful circumstances?
I recently read a story that is told of Tony Campolo preaching at a Christian conference that may help highlight how insensitive we have become to tragedies such as this. He opened his sermon by saying something to the effect that “yesterday over 35,000 people died of starvation, most of them children. Here in the West the reality is that most of us don’t give a sh*t!” Then pausing for a moment, Campolo continued, “Think about it, most of you were more offended by me using the word “sh*t” than you were by learning that over 35,000 people a day die of starvation.”
We must not be like this in relation to the tragedy that our brothers and sisters in Kenya are currently facing. We have had heart breaking emails from those that we regularly correspond with in Kenya, as have others that we know who have had the opportunity to go out and serve the emerging house church movements in Kenya. In the light of this, a number of those who know people personally in Kenya have put together a website with ways for us to directly help. Please click on this link and become involved.
Living our faith is an active thing. Jesus called us to involvement, not just passive agreement. When people ask me about house church life I usually say something to the effect that it is not about having church gatherings in a home, but rather about a new way of living. This impacts all that we do, as well as all that we are. And there are a lot of little things that we can do that have an impact far beyond just the action.
Let me give you an example: You may have read a good book and been blessed by it. Now why not buy some more copies and pass them on. Frank Viola’s “Pagan Christianity” could be a great place to start right now. Because it is newly published by a mainline Christian publisher (Tyndale) it is creating quite a stir. When you are dealing with book sales, all publicity is good publicity. Why not help get this challenging look at the origin of so many of our church practices out as far and wide as possible to help promote the conversation that is already happening across the country about house church life. To me, this would be an interesting way to “see what the Father is doing (namely getting Christians all over the place to think and talk about our current approaches to church life in the West)” and then join Him in it. If in the process that helps bless the work of one of the most prolific of the house church writers, then that is just an added blessing.
Frank Viola and George Barna, who together penned this edition of Pagan Christianity, along with Tyndale Publishers are urging everyone to buy a copy or copies of the book on February 12th directly from Amazon.com. This is a viral strategy to actively push up the book’s rating in the Amazon search engines and try to help get the book more widely known. Why not put in your calendar to buy several copies on February 12th and send it to friends who will be blessed, challenged, and maybe even offended by it. Any of those responses are likely to lead the friend into a more intimate walk with the Lord!
Finally, I have mentioned in the previous two e-letters that Felicity and I are getting together with Jim and Cathy Mellon and David and Christine Underwood, the two couple who helped in originally getting the House 2 House magazine off the ground, for a weekend to ask the Lord where things go from here. We don’t want to just presume on such things doing another National Conference over the Labor Day weekend, but rather make sure that we are still seeking His face, and only doing what “we see the Father doing.” (See John 5:19) Please pray for us as we get together for a weekend from February 22-24.
Enough! This is supposed to be short - less than 60 seconds to read ! So have a wonderful day in Jesus, and let your life count in all the little ways that He leads you in the coming days.
Tony and Felicity on behalf of the H2H team.