Here is something very powerful that impressed itself upon me recently.
I found this prayer by Kaj Munk in the book The Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne. Whether or not you agree with the contents or even think the book is a worthwhile read, I think everybody needs to see and/or hear this.
Kaj Munk was a Danish Lutheran pastor who was vehemently against both the regimes of Hitler and Mussolini and was eventually martyred during World War 2. This is a prayer or his.
“What is therefore, our task today? Shall I answer: ‘Faith, hope, and love’? That sounds beautiful. But I would say - courage. No, even that is not challenging enough to be the whole truth. Our task today is recklessness. For what we Christians lack is not psychology or literature…we lack a holy rage - the recklessness which comes from the knowledge of God and humanity. The ability to rage when justic lies prostrate on the streets, and when the lie rages across the face of the earth…a holy anger about the things that are wrong in the world. To rage against the ravaging of God’s earth, and the destruction of God’s world. To rage when little children must die of hunger, when the tables of the rich are sagging with food. To rage at the senseless killing of so many, and against the madness of militaries. To rage at the lie that calls the threat of death and the strategy of destruction peace. To rage against complacency. To restlessly seek that recklessness that will challenge and seek to change human history until it conforms to the norms of the Kingdom of God. And remember the signs of the Christian Church have been the Lion, the Lamb, the Dove, and the Fish…but never the chameleon.”
Let us never be chameleons, especially us as people of the Kingdom of God. Let us rage agaisnt injustice in the name of God and his coming Kingdom!
That was awesome.
“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.”
-Jesus the Messiah
Sometimes I have to shout.
Maybe one day I’ll open my window when I shout.
Do you find a shout rising up within you, one that could
take down a wall of Jericho? Yet, we hold to the cross.
Kyle. I just heard that there was a tornado in Atlanta. Wanted to check that you all were alright. I’ll pray for you tonight brother.
Bless GOD
Kyle isint in Atlanta, he is on Ohio.
SIlly tornado is messing up the ncaa games.
Dustin
Kaj Munk’s prayers and admonition remind me of things
from Jeremiah 21&22.
God was against his people for many reasons, but mostly
what I saw was that they were doing religious acts, (sacrifices
and such) but omitted doing justice, judgment, and walking
in that courage, or call of just men. (see Jer 21:12, 22:3, 22:15,16
-these so near each other speak of justice and judgment)
Shouldn’t every church have just men so ordained to do?
Levitcus 11:33
And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it.
Suppose a man just bought some of these earthen vessels,
and paid good money for them.
But, lo and behold, a neighbor upon hearing from whom he
purchased the clay pots, told of how he knew the man and
recognized the pots, which he had seen in the back of the man’s
house with dead rats inside. (for the pots filled with rain water
and the rats climbed inside only to drown)
Q. What does the man do who purchased the pots?
Should he break the pots? (rats can carry plague)
Who will go with the man to speak to the man who sold the pots
to see if these things are so?
Should be man be reembursed the value of the pots?
If we omit these weightier matters, what would life look like?
“You shouldn’t have bought the pots to begin with.”
“You should have known about this before you bought them.”
“There’s nothing I can do about it.”
“I don’t know the man who sold you the pots, so I can’t give you
any advice.”
“In this life we all suffer injustice. Remember how your brother who
sold you the pots is just as weak as you, and you must bear his
weaknesses. I will stand by you and comfort you, but I will not
speak to your brother who sold you the pots.”
I thank God for the holy spirit, the gift of God, yet who wants to be
preached to by one who will not lift a finger to deliver one from injustice?
In the above example, I believe the Holy Spirit will go talk with
the man who sold the pots, if indeed they were as unclean as
the story went.
Since that is the work of the Holy Spirit, then wouldn’t God be
pleased if elders in the Church were so ordained to plead on
another’s behalf who has been wronged, or is suffering, or
being oppressed, or used by another for personal gain?
I believe the Church needs such men. Men of that ilk.
If you like Kyle’s quick note on the prayer of the pastor who
spoke against the oppression of his day, you might like to
also see this site: www.gloriouslightministries.com
Look about halfway down the left hand side, and click on
“Bikers Answer God’s Call”. (the rising of David’s Mighty Men)
I remember trying to stay up late enough as a child, to watch
some biker movie. These were rare treats to me and my brothers.
I remember one group who rode into a town and pretended to
be for their protection, but seriously oppressed the community.
Sometimes on the way to Zion we may fall among thieves and
have to be broken (if some unclean thing should happen to fall
upon us) but the LORD will raise us up again.
We have to encourage ourselves as David did after Ziklag was
destroyed, during these times when we are weak and battle
weary.
Sorry Victor about the lack of response. I’m not too good at these message board things. Yup, I’m in Ohio right now interning under Seth Ross. I don’t think the tornadoes did anything to the Bible college though, they are running just fine!