Mission in Dark Places

 How did Jesus reach people?

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” Matthew 11:19 ESV

During His earthly life Jesus of Nazareth was known as a friend of sinners. The strictest observers of the Word of God accused Him breaking God’s law by hanging around with bad people. Were they right?

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Matthew 9:9-11 (ESV)

There are many Christian ministers today who will organise missions and outreaches. Some will invite drug addicts and prostitutes to come to Christian meetings. Why? To preach the gospel and save sinners.

But Jesus went a step further, a very big step further. He accepted invitations to eat and drink with the worst sinners in their own homes. If a notorious gangland boss invited Jesus to a party with underworld people, would Jesus go?

In the New Testament, we read that Jesus not only preached to sinners. He went to their homes and their dinner parties.

Does that mean that Jesus was always available for every invitation from any crook in town? No. King Herod was impressed by the stories of the miracles of Jesus and he wanted to see this new “celebrity” but Jesus avoided him. Luke 9:9 (NKJV)

There are some major Christian leaders today who are campaigning against human trafficking for sex slavery. They are actually going to pickup bars and houses of prostitution to make friendly contact with prostitutes and even sometimes with pimps. 

There are many hard core sinners and oppressed victims who cannot be reached by preaching but only by believers who dare to do what Jesus did, seek out the lost sheep in the dark places and reach them with genuine friendliness.

In one American city an English missionary found that many of the young prostitutes were from Christian homes. After sharing the love of Jesus with them, many turned to God, perhaps for the first time, and many returned to their families.

I know Christian women in Germany who visited a brothel every week. Through their ministry of friendship, victims of human trafficking were set free and some prostitutes became Christians.

But isn’t it dangerous to mix with sinners?

Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits." 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NKJV)

I believe this is one reason that Jesus sent out His disciples TWO BY TWO.

The Apostle Paul was single himself but he usually went on a mission with at least one partner in ministry. At various times these included Barnabas, Timothy, Silas and Luke. With the help of the grace of God, Paul penetrated dark places and planted churches in many previously unreached cities.

But there was one place where Paul’s great spiritual gifts only succeeded in winning a few converts. That was in Athens. In Athens Paul ministered alone and without a partner.

There is a new move amongst the people of God. Many are no longer looking to the priest, pastor or evangelist, the spiritual giant on the pedestal. Many are no longer waiting for the Man of God to move.

Many of us are rediscovering spiritual partnership, personal spiritual experience, spiritual community and teamwork. This is the way hundreds of millions will see that Jesus is alive in His people and many more millions will find God for themselves.

God Hates Cruelty

 Why does God allow such terrible suffering in this world? People blame God. Why does God allow cruel slavery? 

The Egyptian pyramids were built by slaves. In the so-called golden age of Ancient Greece, the citizens exercised democratic rights, but their wives lived at home under strict control. The beautiful buildings were built by slaves. The city government operated brothels. The prostitutes were slaves, and the money paid for their services was not given to the women.

Human trafficking and forced prostitution is still a huge international industry today.

Did God do this? Why blame God for the evil that men choose to practise? 

It is true that God permitted slavery in the bible, but the slavery that God authorised was very different from the brutal practices in Egypt, Greece and Rome and in the illegal brothels today.

The apostle Paul told Christian slaves to obey their masters. What was the alternative? A slave owner was legally entitled to kill a disobedient slave on the spot.

At the same time, Paul instructed Christian slave owners to treat their slaves kindly. This was a radical idea at the time.
But how did this world become so cruel in the first place? 

God created the first man and woman and gave them the authority to manage this world. They were supposed to be God’s junior partners in governing the natural world. 

Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. Since God has free will, Adam and Even must also have free will. Otherwise they could not be like God.

Some people doubt if this bible story is literally true, but even if you are not sure, it is obvious that we humans have turned away from God from the very beginning. God gave us humans the authority to manage the earth and without God we have messed it up very badly.

Jesus taught that we must love each other like brothers and sisters, to love our neighbour as ourselves.

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Mt 7:12 NIV

If everyone followed this teaching of Jesus, there would be no slavery, no prostitution, no domestic violence, no child abuse, no robbery or violence.

All these terrible things are what people choose to do, so why blame God?

Does God like slavery? 

Who led the political campaign against slavery in the British Empire. William Wilberforce, a committed Christian.

Who led the political battle to abolish cruel child labour in British factories? The Anthony Ashley Cooper, the Earl of Shaftsbury, another dedicated Christian.

God has not Forgotten You

 Are you at the end of yourself? Has God forgotten you?

In the Old Testament, the Jews were desperate. They had gone wrong. They still believed in God to some extent, but they had not taken God seriously.

God had commanded:

“You shall have no other gods before me. Ex 20:3 NIV

God had strictly forbidden the worship of idols.

But those who trust in idols, who say to images, ‘You are our gods,’ will be turned back in utter shame. Is 42:17 NIV

Apostate kings in Jerusalem had worshipped idols since Solomon's time, and the people copied the sins of their neighbours.

Many believed in the god Baal and the goddess Asherah, Baal's supposed wife. This religion was all about sex and fertility. The priestesses of Asherah were prostitutes. The men worshipped the goddess by visiting these prostitutes.

This also happened in God's temple. This was supposed to make the land fertile so that they would have a good harvest.

It's a bit different here today. Sex is worshipped, but not fertility.
Exactly the opposite. We want to have very few children, and there are no longer enough young people in Western Europe.

The Jews in the Old Testament cruelly slaughtered their children in order to gain the favour of the pagan god Moloch.

Abortion is sometimes needed to save the life of the mother but millions of unborn babies are killed for all kinds of reasons.

God's prophets had warned again and again, but most people did not want to take the warnings seriously.

The people had surrendered to the rule of the cruel false gods. Finally, they had to reap what they had sown.

At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it … 2 Kings 24:10 NIV

Nebuchadnezzar's army conquered God's people and Jerusalem was occupied.

The Jews were deported en masse to Babylon, where many were enslaved.

But what does this ancient history have to do with us? Does slavery exist today?

You can find drug dealers everywhere. If you have an addiction, you are enslaved. Many young women end up in prostitution to buy drugs.

There are boys on the street who spend the night with gays to avoid freezing on the street.

When people are exposed to such terrible alternatives, we can speak of slavery without exaggeration.

How can God allow such suffering? God has given us free will as human beings. We can suffer because of our own flawed choices, or often because of the evil choices of others.

One of the young Jews who was taken away by Nebuchadnezzar was Daniel. He was very intelligent and of noble birth. Even as a teenager, he was enslaved and castrated.

But God loved Daniel and all the deported Jews. In the prophetic book of Isaiah, we see God's heart for the suffering Jews.

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! Is 49:14–15 NIV

Daniel was determined to remain faithful to God in his miserable circumstances.

God sees your heart and His heart beats for you, as it did for Daniel. Daniel became the administrator of the government under Nebuchadnezzar and one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament.

Are you in a mess where you can't see a way out?

God has not forgotten you. He loves his suffering daughters and sons, just as he loved Daniel.

God's love never gives up.

What is your true Identity?

 We have forgotten who we are.

I once met a refugee from a cruel dictatorship.

He told me how he was abused as a political prisoner.

He had to stand in a pitch-black tiny cell, not sitting and not lying down, and not just for a few hours.

There came a time when he no longer knew his own name.

So many people struggle with insecurity. They ask questions that no one seems to be able to answer.

Who am I?

Why is this world so senseless?

Why are women and children being abducted and why is there no justice?

We read the newspapers and see that child abuse rings are found in churches that are supposed to care for children, and bishops, instead of being holy church fathers, act like cunning politicians and try to protect perverted criminals among the priests.

We must not delude ourselves with the idea that this abuse is only found in the Catholic Church.

It would also be pointless to think that this undercover abuse does not also take place in other religions because the media only shines the spotlight on Christians.

What is going on?

We humans have lost our identity. We have forgotten who we are.
 
A girl dreams that she could become a wife with children, or a doctor or a teacher.

But her home is ruined by political greed for power and corruption. Her family becomes hopelessly poor. She looks for work in a wealthy country, but she is cheated.

She is enslaved and abused as a captive prostitute. In the beginning, she fights against everything. But her resistance is futile. Her situation is hopeless. She is repeatedly raped and drugged until she cannot live without drugs.

She still dreams of finding her old life. She holds the dreams of her childhood in her heart. But when she clings to her true identity, the dirty sexual labour becomes even more terrible.

The conflict between her true identity and her hideous slavery becomes unbearable and the drug helps her to forget her situation a little, but she also begins to lose her original true identity.

How can we react as sincere Christians. Everything looks hopeless.

The problem is that we sincere Christians have also forgotten who we are.

If you belong to Jesus, you are a son or a daughter of God.

But what does it mean to be a son or daughter of God?
 
We have access to God's immeasurable love. But it is not enough to profess this love as a statement of faith.

We must experience this immeasurable love, savour it, be overwhelmed by it.

Without God's glory, we can only save a few lost people.

We need much more from God to free many slaves. Tens of millions are waiting for God's help.

Many Christians are stuck with little more than dry doctrines.

Genuine faith consists not only of conviction and virtue, but should also include wonderful experiences.

So do you have to have heavenly experiences on earth in order to have eternal life?

No. But without wonderful experiences with God, our effectiveness as disciples is limited.

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD shines over you.
For look, darkness will cover the earth, and total darkness the peoples; but the LORD will shine over you, and his glory will appear over you. Is 60:1–2 CSB

The Terrible Sin of Racism

 If we are concerned about personal and sexual sin but do not protest against brutal injustice and cruel racism, are we really representing God's moral character as Christians?

Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it.

They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them. They defraud people of their homes, they rob them of their inheritance. Mic 2:1–2 NIV

These two bible verses clearly describe the way colonists from Britain and Europe invaded and dispossessed indigenous people in North and South America, Australia and parts of Africa and Asia.

In our lifetime, so many black people have been murdered by the police in the USA.

Until 1969 Australian aboriginal children were abducted from their families and institutionalised.

Countless poor women from the Third World are still being forced into prostitution by lies and deceit in rich countries.

Should we be in favour of revenge and rioting? No.

But when police shoot black people and are not convicted of crime, it is systematic injustice of the worst kind.

No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Mic 6:8 NLT

Many conservative white people want to whitewash, justify or deny these crimes, but God is not impressed.
 
The blood of Abel still cries out. Are we the keepers of our black brothers? Yes, we are.

God Can Rescue You

 How can Jesus save you from your troubles? You don't know. But with God, nothing is impossible. He has a plan for you.  

They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.

But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way. Lk 4:29–30 NIV

How did Jesus escape the angry crowd? A mystery.

How can Jesus save you from your misery? You don't know. It's a mystery, but He can.

How did the Holy Spirit plant the holy seed in Mary's womb so that she became pregnant and Jesus was born nine months later?

It's a mystery, but with God nothing is impossible.

Gaby Wentland is a preacher in Hamburg who was once a missionary in Africa. She now has a different mission in Germany. She helps asylum seekers and enslaved prostitutes.

She says there is more prayer in brothels than in most churches.

A German evangelist heard God's still small voice whispering in his spirit. He was told to go to a brothel. He was shocked, but he wanted to obey.

In the brothel he found a decent woman from a distant country who had been enticed to come to Germany to find work to help her poor family.

The evangelist was able to help her escape from the brothel and return to her family.

God has ways of helping His children. Don't you see a way out? God has good plans for you.

He is waiting for your cry for help. Right now.

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Jer 33:3 NIV

Deliverance and Healing from Trauma

 The Hebrews were slaves in Egypt for 400 years. It got worse and worse. Finally, their male babies were slaughtered by the Egyptians. Their fate was unbearable.

We could think of the refugees who sacrifice everything to escape the torment of tyranny in North Korea, much worse than in the old East Germany.

When I was in Australia in 1972, I studied psychology at university. I read that quite a few immigrants from Eastern Europe after the war had psychiatric disorders, especially paranoia, that is, delusions of persecution.

If you constantly feel threatened, you can internalise fear in such a way that you see threats where there is no threat.

Panic fear can become a habit. With this extreme fear then comes despair, depression, anger and hatred.

Persecuted slaves and prisoners are always afraid of betrayal because that is their life experience.

Trafficked prostitutes sometimes have the opportunity to report to the police, but they do not know whether a police officer is trustworthy or perhaps involved in the dirty tricks.

Recently we have been reading about children who have been sexually abused in churches or religious schools. Who can these children trust? Who would believe them?

I know a Christian woman who was cruelly controlled by her self-centred husband. At home he was arrogant and domineering, but at church he was a radiant Christian. When she left her husband, she was judged as the guilty one.

When people are broken, they not only need a deliverer to rescue them from captivity. They also need miraculous healing for their broken hearts.

In the story of Moses in Exodus, we see how God delivered the Hebrews through dramatic miracles. God punished the Egyptians with ten terrible plagues, but the Hebrews lived in another region, Goshen, and they were spared.

Then two million Hebrews were trapped in an ambush on the shores of the Red Sea. Pharaoh and his army chased after them. Without a miracle, they would have been as good as dead.

There are Christians today who claim that God ordained miracles only for Bible times, but no more, as if miracles were a special offer for then.

This religious idea is simply cruel, blasphemy. God is love. He does not change.

You don't need a miracle until you need a miracle.

There are so many broken and enslaved people today.

I know Christian women who visit brothels. In one year they discovered and freed four enslaved prostitutes.

Deliverance from slavery is absolutely necessary, but it is not enough. They need to find Jesus as their eternal liberator. Those who do not go to heaven by faith are eternally lost, whether they lived in a brothel or a palace.

But there are so many Christians who only know Jesus to some extent. They believe that their sins are forgiven and they hope to be in heaven after death.

But in the Bible we see Jesus as the healer and deliverer who completely transformed broken people.

You may have been set free from abuse, but the after-effects of the trauma are still agonising.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Ps 147:3 NIV

It is not enough to save people from sin. They need care and healing for the aftermath of sin, from their own sins and from the sins of others that have ruined them.

God Hears when Women Cry

A young woman employed in the Australian parliament was raped by a male colleague, but it was treated as a political problem by the ruling party and hushed up.

A few weeks ago, this courageous woman protested publicly. This unleashed a "Me Too" movement in the Australian political world.

This week we have seen a new scandal. I was so outraged that I had great difficulty praying about it without anger and resentment.

At last I made an effort to pray for justice without anger. Then I had the clear impression that God was answering me.

"I have heard the cry of the women."

Then I said to the Lord. "But many of these protesting women are not Christians. They are not praying in Jesus' name."

Then the Lord spoke clearly in my mind.

"When the Hebrew slaves cried out in Egypt, you think they were all holy and righteous."

Then the LORD told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. Exodus 3:7 NLT

And do you think all these angry women are unbelieving feminists? Not at all.

I know Christian women who have been victims of brutal bullying in supposedly pious churches.

One of the most prominent preachers in Germany is Gaby Wentland. She rescues women from human trafficking and prostitution. She is also a political activist against human trafficking.

I heard her say, "There is more prayer in brothels than in the churches in Germany."

"I have heard the cry of the women."

God speaks clearly in our hearts when we ask for justice with all our hearts.

God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. Matthew 5:6 NLT

Most English translations do not speak of “Justice” but “Righteousness”.

In Hebrew, NT Greek, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and German, the word in Matthew 5:6 means Both Righteousness AND Justice.

Victims Need Healing

 The Hebrews were slaves in Egypt for 400 years. Towards the end of this time, hardship became terrible agony. Finally their male babies were slaughtered by the Egyptians. Their life was unbearable and they cried out to God.

We could think of the refugees sacrificing everything to escape the agony of tyranny in North Korea, much worse than in the old East Germany.

When I was in Australia in 1972, I studied psychology at university. I read that quite a few immigrants from Eastern Europe after the war had psychiatric disorders, especially paranoia, that is, delusions of persecution.

When you feel threatened all the time, you can internalise fear in such a way that you see threats where there is no threat.

Panic can become a habit. With this extreme fear comes despair, depression, anger and hatred.

Persecuted slaves and captives are always afraid of betrayal because that is their life experience.

Trafficked prostitutes sometimes have the opportunity to report to the police, but they do not know whether a police officer is trustworthy or in league with the pimps.

We have read recently about children who were sexually abused in churches or religious schools. Who can these children trust? Who would they believe?

There are Christian women who are cruelly controlled by their narcissistic husbands. At home the abusers are arrogant and bossy, but at church they are radiant Christians.

When the wife leaves her husband, she is judged as the guilty one.

When people are broken, they not only need a deliverer to rescue them from captivity. They also need miraculous healing for their broken hearts.

In the story of Moses in Exodus, we see how God delivered the Hebrews through dramatic miracles. God punished the Egyptians with ten terrible plagues, but the Hebrews lived in another region, Goshen, and they were spared.

Then two million Hebrews were trapped in an ambush on the shore of the Red Sea. Pharaoh with his army had chased after them. Without a miracle, they were as good as dead.

There are Christians today who claim that God only ordained miracles for Bible times, but nor for us today, as if miracles were a special offer for a limited time only.

This religious idea is simply cruel, blasphemy. God is love. He does not change.

You don't need a miracle until you need a miracle.

There are so many broken and enslaved people today.

I know Christian women who visit brothels. In one year they discovered and freed four enslaved prostitutes.

Liberation from slavery is absolutely necessary, but it is not enough.

Where will you go after you die, heaven or hell? It makes no difference whether you lived in a brothel or a palace

But there are so many Christians who only know Jesus to some extent. They believe that their sins are forgiven and they hope to go to heaven after death.

But in the Bible we see Jesus as the healer and deliverer who completely transformed broken people. 

You may have been set free from abuse, but the aftermath of trauma is still a torment.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 ESV

It is not enough to save people from sin. They need care and healing for the aftermath of sin, from their own sins and from the sins of others who have tormented and broken them.

 

God has a Way Out for You

Your situation is impossible.  There is no way out. But with God, nothing is impossible. He has a plan for you.  

Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff,

but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way. Luke 4:29–30 NLT

How did Jesus escape from the angry crowd? We can only guess.

How can Jesus, get you out of your fix? Only God knows.

How did the Holy Spirit plant the holy seed in Mary's womb so that she conceived the Son of God.

It's a mystery, but with God nothing is impossible.

Gaby Wentland is a preacher in Hamburg who was once a missionary in Africa. She now has another mission in Germany. She helps asylum seekers and sex slaves in brothels.

She says there is more prayer in brothels than in most churches.

A German evangelist once heard God's small still voice in his spirit. He was directed to visit a brothel. He was shocked, but he wanted to obey.

In the brothel he found a decent woman from a distant country. She had been lured to Germany to find work to help her poor family.

The evangelist was able to help her get out of the brothel and return to her family.

God has his ways of helping his children. If you can’t see a way out, God has good plans for you.

He is waiting for your cry for help. Right now.

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Jer 33:3 NIV

THE BEST OF TIMES, THE WORST OF TIMES

"Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbour, Pressing him to your bottle, 

Even to make him drunk, That you may look on his (or her) nakedness! Habakkuk 2:15 (NKJV) 

In this chapter we also see the most horrible sin dominating the world in the darkest of times.

• It speaks of evil men using violent coercion and alcohol (or drugs) to sexually abuse powerless victims (male or female). 

  • In today’s world rape, kidnapping and trading slaves for prostitution is out of control. It is a huge global industry.

Liberal humanist governments have legalised prostitution in many countries, hoping this will prevent and help control violent criminal sexual abuse but such laws has often have often produced the opposite result.

The democratic freedom we rightly value comes from Western Europe, Britain and former British colonies. These are the countries where the Bible once had a profound influence on culture.

• It is true that classical Greece was pagan but that country only gave democratic rights to the male citizens, who were a privileged class ruling over women and slaves.

• It is also true that the French Revolution also proclaimed faith in Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. However the French Revolution was the scene of the most depraved mass slaughters, horrific wars and an epidemic of arbitrary executions.

Liberal democracy is only fully effective when there is a measure of respect for Biblical truth and moral goodness.

• When the God of the Bible is ignored or despised, Western Society, once known as Christendom, falls to pieces. That is what we are seeing today.

• All Western Countries are sinking under a mountain of debt and moral confusion.

Habakkuk Chapter 2 vividly describes this chaos. However, in this chapter we also find the solution to the problem.

I will stand my watch And set myself on the rampart, And watch to see what He will say to me, And what I will answer when I am corrected. 

• Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.

• For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.

"Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith. Hab 2:1-4 (NKJV) 

In the traumatic End Times, faithful believers will seek personal encounters with the Living God of Israel and He will not disappoint us. 

• God will share profound and powerful truths with those who love Him and listen to Him.

When God gives you a message to share, don’t wait until your pastor invites you to preach on Sunday because it probably won’t happen. 

• God calls you to share His messages with the people around you, at home, at work, on the bus and on the Internet.

• But don’t just preach. Live by faith. In these difficult times, only a profoundly personal faith in God will get you through. 

  However, the End Time is not only a time of darkness.

• God will answer our heart cry for His presence in a way we have not yet seen or understood, although many of us are beginning to experience fresh revelations of His glory.

For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea. Hab 2:14 (NKJV) 

We see a similar message in Isaiah.

Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. 

For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; 

But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. Isa 60:1 (NKJV) 

It is time for us to begin to see the glory of God in more dramatic abundance than ever before. 

• I believe we will see extreme miracles which will surpass the miracles of Moses and the Miracles worked by Jesus when He lived as a man.

Never before in history has the earth been FILLED with the KNOWLEDGE of the Glory of God but it will happen. 

• And it will happen in the midst of darkness and strife before Jesus returns.