In 1994, in the space of about
100 days, anywhere from 500,000 to 1,000,000 people were slaughtered in Rwanda,
Africa. Most Americans do not know that nor do they really care. The genocide
went on without much of an interest here in America. The human devastation was
almost unfathomable. Mothers, fathers, and children died mercilessly. It is too
bad they did not have oil or were in America’s national interest. Had they been
white Europeans things may have been somewhat different.
And during this time we could assume the evangelical churches in
America were at least fasting and praying in desperation? No, that would be massively inaccurate. So just what were the churches actually doing while such bloodshed raged? They were playing a game they so often like to play.
Three blind mice.
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7 comments:
This post touches a deeper place within me than I suppose most of your readers? I met with the Exiled king of one of the tribes from Rwanda. He was introduced to me at another younger exiled King's place in a suburb just near Washington DC. My friend King Ayi of the GUI kingdom in Togo, West Africa thought I needed to hear his story. I obliged and met this King. He was a big man. He spoke well. The United States was paying his living expenses. I asked him what he needed most? "Money"! Just that quick and abrupt was his reply! I spent some time trying to understand his frustrations. He might have been interested in the Gospel? It didn't come across as boldly though as his intent on doing something for the desperate situation he found himself in being held up in a nice modern condominium in the suburbs of Washington DC with the wholesale slaughter going on in his country and upon his people.
This Gospel of the Kingdom will affect every soul touched by God and opened to the obedience to the Faith as these were:
And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:7 ESV)
Sometimes our priorities blind us from His!
Rick,
I'm commenting for the first time even though i read your articles quite often. I must say that i am encouraged by the rawness and simplicity of the gospel as you present it. A lot of the things you touch on are things i spend my time pondering as a Christian examining my own life and the preoccupations of the institutional church as a whole.
I find that expressing some of these views (as you do) is in essence anathema in church circles. We would rather spend time judging unsaved people. I look at the Facebook posts of people i have grown up with in the church over the years and despit an openly expressed zeal for His kingdom there seems to be a lack of practical application of the Word of God. People are steeped in the unprofitable practice of tradition. They would rather post quotes from big time preachers than quote the Word of God. They're likely to get more likes with the former. That being said, in such an environment of sycophants doing their utmost for acceptance by other men, how do we reach a point where we examine our corporate walk and steer ourselves in the right direction. It can only be done at the individual heart level.
I am originally from Africa too and i worry about the tendency of the church in Africa not being discerning about certain things that happen in the church in America. The berean discipline is nowhere to be found. They'll follow blindly. The grandeur and largesse of the western church is the seal of its unquestionable leadership in all things. I hope i am not being too harsh with my brothers but i have been watching for a while and there are few that will consistently accurately expound the word like you are doing.
God bless
Michael; I wish you every peace wherever you live and God's peace in times where you've seen and been close to wars and conflicts. I have forgotten about this event and it is very tragic and does make me step back and ask myself how christians can go so blindly along day after day not seeing carnage and murder of innocent people in other continents and ignore it, never bring it to remembrance, or weep for these people.
We are a cold people indeed, we who think we've arrived, as christians, and who blindly go along following every wind of doctrine that makes us believe that we aren't reaching God's potential in our finances. What an inconsistency that we see today in the church.
The prosperity gospel is just more disgusting to hear about, considering that pockets of the world are carrying out such wickedness and we barely say anything. In the West, these past few years show a people in the streets with their heads constantly down, giving all their attention and heart to a small square i-pad or texting phone. They do not see past these toys. They keep instantaneous updates on their friends' photos, activities, and are hypnotized by these machines.
I actually believe that if some genocide was being carried out in the street, today's youth and today's adults would not drop their I-phones for a second to look up - or they might record the sight so they can have something exciting to show their friends later.
If 1994 gave such little credence to the genocide in Rwanda, how could it pull people's eyes away here in the West today? The last days says that the love of many would wax cold. We are definitely there.
Anonymous 11:34pm,
It was not genocide, but it was mass murder beyond anything I have seen in my life time, and it was right next to the U.S. across the Rio Grande in Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Juarez was considered the murder capital of the world. Whole families were slaughtered, people were kidnapped and when the ransom paid, they were killed anyway. Yet, the church here in the U.S. was basically quiet. I have heard some amazing stories of faith how the Lord would protect those that were under His hand.
So you are correct in that people would not put down their toys to take a few minutes to pray for those that were living in Juarez.
Joel
Texas
To Anon from Africa: Thank you for writing here. Be encouraged: a good blogsite by African brothers is Yesu Mulungi. www.yesumulungi.com
I was in the IDP camps in northern Uganda in 2008. For a decade, a situation at least as bad as Darfur had been taking place, with about 1,000 people dying each week from sickness and starvation in the camps. We never heard of it here in the USA until it was basically over. I was so priviledged to spend a few weeks in the camps with precious people just as peace had finally settled.
Victoria
Anon 11:34,
I live in relative calm and peace at the moment surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west of me withredwood trees all around so large you literally can drive a fair size car through some, vast forests, six rivers and mountains that rival Europe's! Yes I've been boots on the ground in eleven active war zones as a civilian. I have been privileged to meet and dine with active Presidents of nations including these USA, Prime and Vice Prime Ministers, Ambassadors, Roman Catholic Cardinals and Bishops, Kings and other officials of kingdoms and governments over the last 35+ years. Not one of them including the "Christian" ones could solve the problems of injustice, poverty, wealth possession or infrastructure disintegration of roads and bridges, lack of electricity, fresh water and garbage disposal in country! No government or their policies can! The one world governing phenomenon gaining world attention today will not solve the ills of the world with the supposed "anti-CHRIST" who will shortly take the reigns of darken fallen humanity.
There is only one solution for all this man made pollution and it is not dilution, it is absolution pure and simple!
Humanity is at war with herself because of unchecked lusts and desires, self will and covetousness!
The Church has narrowed her focus on the trees missing the forests so to speak and missed the Great War and end time battles to be fought and won through the power of The Lord and Holy Spirit! Of course we all hope that changes relatively soon.
Here's a couple points of view about this war and the "sorts" of battles that the Church is in for in the coming years before The Lord appears from glory with His Holy Angels:
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, "The Lord reigns!" Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. (1 Chronicles 16:31-33 ESV)
And
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. (Ephesians 3:8-12 ESV)
And
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:9-13 ESV)
Are you from Africa originally? If so which country? I have been to a number of African countries and might have been to yours if you are?
Hi Joel, Anon. 11:34 here. Thank you for sharing this account of Juarez, Mexico. There are no words to describe how men can kill innocent people and it is still happening today in our supposedly "civilized" world. What is happening everywhere, which gets no news coverage, and no grieving.
This past year has been an informative awakening to me about our churches. What Bro. Rick has been elaborating on, which is that the "church" is silent and it has become co-joined to the world. What I'm seeing so much of is how rich and middle class North American christians take a winter holiday every year to a tropical destination for fun in the sun. Don't they know that the luxurious coastal hotels hide some of the poverty inland and that service workers get paid so little to pamper and please rich tourists. The locals have been overrun by wealthy corporate hotel chains that prevent them from enjoying their own islands. All the choice beaches and land are owned by rich outsiders. Rich tourists just take the best and leave and don't seem to have any conviction.
The world is very unfair and unjust. Injustices happen to every nation. We live it and see it everywhere, but when the church closes it's eyes and ears and behaves like the world in how it ignores the many martyrs and victims, it is not the church of Jesus Christ.
A thought came to me today, and that is that we, the Body of Christ, have to concentrate on eternal life, and having as much of an impact on steering people towards Christ as much as we can. Yet people are eating, drinking and being merry and the church in the west is saying it wants to keep it that way. It avoids reality and leads us on a blind path towards hedonism.
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