A More Mature and Advanced State

"The Warehouse" is an organization that works with the local churches in South Africa. They help theses local churches to meet the needs of people in crises, such as in the poverty stricken townships, troubled teenagers, AIDS victims or anyone else that has been affected by a natural disaster in these areas. Christians from all over send "The Warehouse" materials such as food, clothes, toys, even refrigerators, beds, etc. to go to people that are less fortunate.One of the townships where "The Warehouse" has been working is called "Sweet Home Farm". Just recently, the city of Capetown

bought approximately 50% of this township and developed it. Now when you think of developed, you think of beautiful homes being built, yards and gardens put in, and even stores built in the community. But when we visited Sweet home Farms for lunch, (amazing food by the way), I saw a different type of developed. Developed among the African people in this township was having electricity put in but still living in the same run down shacks. It is having running water but only a tap for around sixty families to share. And its having toilets brought in even if one toilet is shared with 6 families. Toilets that were not bathrooms, just porte potties with just a whole in the ground. This is considered a developed township? And the people living here were content with what they had.

And we have trouble being content with the lot that we have. We have no running water for a day, we flip out. Our room doesn't have a window, we run crying to administration. We have to share our space and materials with others, we become negative. We have hot showers, we have nice comfortable beds, we have our own bathrooms, we are more than "developed", yet at the same time we are so undeveloped. To be developed means to have grown to a more mature and advanced state. How can we say we have arrived at a mature and advanced state in Christianity when we still hold an attitude of

selfishness, ungratefulness, and a lack of being content. How can one group of people be satisfied with the little they have and the next group unsatisfied with the lot they have? So which out of the two are more developed? The one with the biggest hunger.

On one side you have people that are dying physically because of hunger, yet their hunger for God is stronger. And on the other side you have peoples hunger met daily, yet their hunger for God is dying along side it. How do you measure development then? You can be so developed in life, and at the same time have no life. How do you grow to a more mature and advanced state? By meeting bother hungers. Give bread to those who are hungry, and hunger to those who have bread.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Matthew 5:6

Beauty

Your beauty Lord is ineffable,

To describe it in words would be impossible;

All that i can give you is silence,

As I stand in awe of you in reverence.

To dwell on anything else I am incapable,

So I'm satisfied dwelling on your beauty...

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

Judging the World Vs. Saving the World

Julia is one of the Sidewalk Sunday School workers in the Township of Khayalitsha. Her church, one of the many churches that Metro Capetown works with, has been involved with Metro Capetown for 2 1/2 years. Julia was so faithfully involved that she became the leader of that Sidewalk Sunday School site in Kayalitsha. She even went to the extent of quitting University to serve the Church; which in South Africa, education is what makes your way of life especially when you live in the townships.
Just recently Julia's life changed forever. She as many of the young women in the townships; became pregnant out of wedlock, because of this Julia was removed from all of her responsibilities in the church(which is understandable, discipline amongst leadership is very important). Julia expected that she would be asked to step down from her responsibilities in the church but she did not expect the treatment that followed. Her name was used badly in sermons, the people that once needed her and looked after her suddenly turned their backs on her, and she was told every time she came to a service that she should be ashamed and they didnt understand why she was still attending the services. Julia still chose to go to church regardless of the ridicule and the slander. She chose to prepare all of the Sidewalk Sunday School Lessons for a year so that her team would be prepared even though she was removed from her responsibilities. She chose to sit in those services even though her name was being mentioned in sermons and she was being depreciated.
But is that the purpose of THE CHURCH? Was The Church formed to Ridicule, Slander and Judge? Or was it formed to Praise, Exonerate and be Merciful?
The Bible Says:
(New American Standard Bible)
"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.
John 3:17

The Defilement of Christianity

This world we live in is defiled. And the ones that have defiled it are us. We have defiled our environment by polluting our beaches, lakes, cities and the air. We are defiling the next generation with television shows, movies, internet and video games that we produce for them. And we are defiling our own hearts and minds with watching the same things. Out of everything that human beings have defiled, the thing that disgusts me the most is how we have defiled religion. We have even made Christianity about rituals that focus around self. We are more in pursuit of happiness than we are in pursuing God. We put on concerts that are seeker friendly, yet we don't worship and seek the one we call "Friend". We are defiling Christianity. But there is a religion that is pure and undefiled.

"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." (James 1:27)

This week I have witnessed, pure and undefiled religion. I have had the privilege to go out to do Sidewalk Sunday School in the townships of South Africa. As we pulled into the township of Guguletu with the Metro Land Rover, kids from the shacks from all over started running towards the truck screaming, "Good News! Good News!" As soon as they saw the truck roll in it was like their worries, fears and problems disappeared. As hundreds of children sat on the ground listening to the "Good News", I am sure that in the sight of our God it was pure and undefiled religion. As we played with the children afterwards, swinging them around, rubbing their heads, giving them hugs, being attacked by the boys or even having the girls jump on your back shouting "Ash Ash Kalum Kalum!" (Still don't know what that means!), I can imagine God looking down and seeing pure and undefiled religion. And as we walked into an orphanage one afternoon where children have no idea of a mother or father, I am sure God looked down and saw pure and undefiled religion.

MORE and MORE

As good a gift that I have received,
Nothing can surpass the gift in whom I believe.
For He alone is all I need;
He died, He bled, He freed for me.
What greater gift can I ask for,
Besides knowing Him more and more.

When life seems like it may collide,
His arms are there for me to hide.
The safest place; in Him I abide;
My God, my friend, actually I’m His bride.
What greater gift can I ask for,
To be loved by Him more and more.

Heaven is my final resting place.
Not through me, but by His grace,
That one day I may see His face;
He strengthens, sustains, throughout thy race.
What greater gift can I ask for,
To be with Him more and more.

J.S. Neustaeter