The Occupy Movement: Christians and Congo
There are no signs of the Occupy movement slowing down. In fact, in many cities the Occupy Movement has grown momentum where in some cases chaos and excessive use of police force ensued after seemingly peaceful demonstrations. Note the use of rubber bullets in Denver, in Seattle an 84-year-old pepper sprayed, and most recently the University of California Davis pepper spray incident.As missionaries who work in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Amethyst and I watch the Occupy movement in utter amazement on all sides. We have talked to Christ followers who vehemently oppose the Occupy movement with seemingly the same amount of devotion as those actually protesting.
The protestors are disorganized at best, there have been no unified voices and any demands are mostly ignored. Also, there is yet to be any formidable action points that will produce lasting change for the greater common goal. (Whatever those goals may be.)
However, there is a certain passionate, radical zeal that these occupiers possess that is commendable. Who really wants to be shot with rubber bullets and pepper sprayed for standing in a park? Obviously the physical and legal price tag is worth the cost to them.
 |
| Congolese at an election political rally in Goma, Congo (DRC) Image courtesy of VOA |
But like the Occupy movement, the Congo is too spread out, too diverse and there are too many voices to make an effective resolution, beneficial for all parties concerned.
A missionary's take to all of this
Amethyst and I believe that this generation has a special God-given anointing to accomplish more than the previous generations ever hoped to do. Not that they could not or this generation is better, but rather as we look at the social, geopolitical atmosphere it is the younger generation who rise up to become the agents of change. You can look at missions history, church history, Biblical history, US history and world history. It has been the younger generation that rises up and advances change.
We believe that everyone has been called to a purpose because we know that God has a plan for all of us. However, Satan’s biggest achievement isn’t to wreck a person overnight but rather to render someone called for a great Heavenly purpose to live a lifetime of ineffectiveness, lacking of fulfillment, without an identity and unable to hear the voice of God.
Time, skills and talents
These occupiers have incredible skills, talents and abilities. Some of them are Ivy League educated, corporate world experienced, masters of a certain trade, doctors, educators, innovators, brilliant minds. However, as we see it, they lack vision, direction and unity for a common purpose with common obtainable goals.
Sure, protesters are upset about wages, lack of jobs opportunities and several political strong points.But there is a far greater issue at hand: these Occupy movements are Godless.
The Occupiers were bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We need to see these people as God sees them, not as a wild band of rogues but rather as a group of individuals with God-ordained skills and talents that need to be reached with the Gospel. The younger generations have a motivation and desire for change but in the end it is vanity without a God-ordained vision.
All throughout the Occupy movement, in most every video or sound bite there is a reoccurring chant, “The whole world is watching!”
Where are the Christians?
Well, the whole world is watching. Where are the Christians who rise to the occasion? Where are those who instead of casting their judgment on the occupiers, actually occupied the office that God ordained the Church to become? Where are the world-changers, sent out with the fullness of the Holy Spirit to redeem a lost and dying world?
The Church needs to occupy its God appointed office. With the amount of effort Christians put into opposing the Occupy movement, what if they put that same effort to be unified for the cause of evangelization and world missions?
We ask this question, what if we as Christians reached the occupiers with the Gospel? Then, what if these occupiers channeled their passion, sacrifice, energy, gifting and talent into their God appointed purpose and plan? How long until the whole world would be “occupied” by radical, on-fire Christians filled with the Holy Spirit?
Posts
0 comments :