The Holy Spirit, the Church and Justice in the Midst of Poverty

Bro. Viv Grigg

He has shown you, O man,What is good and what the Lord

Requires of youBut to do justice

And to love mercyAnd to walk humbly

With your God(Micah 6:8)

Tena kotou katoa greetings from New Zealand

Story: Land Rights Confrontation

½ the world are dispossessed, and landlessOwnership of land is the basis of entrance into the economic systemsView a Video of Manila Slums

The Biblical Basis for Doing Justice

• I like God for he is a God of Justice (Jer 9:23,34)

Story of Hector, man of justice

• We are to Seek first his Kingdom, his justicia (Matt 6:33)– Story of Raineer - rescued five communities

from bulldozers – the justice bringer

The Spirit Anointed Justice Servant Foretold

Behold my Servant whom I upholdMy chosen one in whom I delightI will put my Spirit on him and he

will establish justice in the earthHe will not falter or be discouraged

till he has established justice in the earth.

Isa 42:1-4

Discipling and Justice• Matt 28: 18-20 Go, disciple the nations• If we disciple the nation,

– We bring it under the rule of God– Thus it becomes a just nation

• But ONLY IF discipleship is to obey all that the scriptures teach – economically, socially, politically, spiritually

• i.e. holistic discipleship brings justice to the nations– Simply planting spiritual churches does not bring justice

to the nation– e.g. Los Angeles burning down, 12,000 churches for 12 million

From Discipling Movements To a Just Nation

Four Levels of Doing Justice

1. Personal justice

2. Family & Community Justice

3. Movements that Seek Justice

4. National / International Justice

1. Personal Justice

• Just Lifestyles: Hunger for God does not lead us to pietism, but into the thick of injustice

• Social justice includes personal uprightness in our daily lives – Peter, the apostle didn’t live in a palace, but

wore the cheapest wooden sandals– A true apostle is among the poor.– A true bishop lives among the poor, or near the

poor, or works with the poor.

Bringing Justice begins in being one of the people= just living

HOME⏎

What is Justice?

There are 1000 definitions

Being and Doing

• The right thing

• The right place

• The right way

• The right timing

2. Spirit & Relational Justice

• God Cares about Garbage

• Relationship to Authorities – Speaking Truth + Submissive Spirit

• Equity: – Favoring the poor in order that justice is done

• Is God biased– No, he equalizes, so he helps the poor

3. Development of Justice Movements

• Forming the church, developing economic discipleship– Credit coop

• Society is strong when small organisations multiply– Economically – small businesses– Spiritually – movements of churches– Politically – grassroots organizations– These diffuse power in society

• Seek the welfare of the city (Jer 29:7)

Confronting the Powers with Community Organizing

ElectricityWaterGarbageLand Rights

Style of Movements for Justice

• Two levels of movements to transform society– Mass: Religious movements among the poor

• Penetration of systems through Uplift of 10,000’s

– (Middle Class Oppositional: Signficance of “social protest movements”?)

– Insider: Social transformation movements among the elites

Discipling Movements = Justice Making

(Pickett, McGavran, Grigg)

Justice Making

Justice and Justice Makers

1 Sam 10:26 A band of men whose hearts God had touched became his constant companions

Toynbee - a suppressed minority, released has tremendous drive for national transformation

Ask for Mighty Men and Women from among the Dispossessed

• Corrie – 500 Preschools = 500 churches – mighty woman

• Pr Jun – 5 churches, 100 trained workers, 3 pre-schools, a school of 800 – my constant companion – he took his stand for 30 years

Pr Jun

National/International Movements

Upper Level Justice

• Joseph, entrusted with the care of his masters house (Genesis 39:6).Doesn’t belong: live as exiles (1 Peter 1:14,15)God is with him = success at every stage and

blessing of those he servesVicious opposition. Good actions may bring evil

consequencesSees two Kingdoms, but fully engagedSets clear boundaries

Reconciliation of Peoples in New Zealand

• The story of Tuapekapeka

4. National/International Justice

• How does a country become injust? (Isa 58:9-16)– Transgressions are multiplied– Denying the Lord, Turning away– Speaking revolt ------------- Speaking oppression

(Breakdown of Consensus)– Violence ------------- Law & order

– Beyond Ethics

• Solution: a man or woman to intervene

Justice & Bringing Peace

Justice as peacemaking: Required reconciliation between parties; rectifying unjust situations

• Injustice cried out from the land: We must understand the history of exploitation that force people

• Upper class evangelism: The rich can be the key to unlocking the poverty of the poor

• The loyal reformers: Bible as textbook for issues of labor, profit, work, management, business

• Demonic politics: We reject demonic philosophies, but honor and respect all humans

• Contention with authorities: Love, honor and reconciliation should define our contention

Justice & Bringing Peace

• Contention with authorities: Love, honor and reconciliation should define our contention

• Time and change: Change comes through suffering servants who disarm evil, hatred and violence

• Political options: Spiritual discipleship or holistic discipleship

• Squatter politics: Steps we can take as Christian people in the slums!!

• Unattached: Though we are unattached to this world, we serve it because justice compels us

50,000 from the slums to the slums

The Encarnacao Alliance of Slum Movement Leaders

International Movement Mobilization

MessyColaborativeSeeds spring up all over the placeCommonalitiesNo command and control

Indigenous movements in the slums are multiplying far more rapidly in some cities. In others there are still few churches, no movement.

Manila, 2500Nairobi, 2500

Mexico, 1500 Addis Ababa, 6

Kolkata, 10

Phnom Phen, 3Mumbai, 400

Sao Paulo, 10,000

Bangkok, 3

Chennai, 2500

Indigenous Movements in the SlumsWhat is God doing? They are now exploding

Girding an international movement with knowledge and workers

MA in TRANSFORMATIONAL URBAN LEADERSHIP

Spirituality and Building People Power

• e.g.Deposing Marcos• e.g.Praying out the BJP• E.g. Seeing God’s Kingdom principles being utilized by

non-believers in alternative economic systems. – Bless his work in secular dynamics. – His kingdom is far wider than the church.

• 50 years after revival a nation peaks (McLelland)– Brazil, Philippines, Nairobi all struggling with a new phenomena

of Christians in parliament who have not learned the principles we are talking about. Wonderful catastrophe!!

Upper Level Justice

• Joseph, entrusted with the care of his masters house (Genesis 39:6).

• Training Elite: Those of us who have gone among the poor, God may use to speak to the elites of the nations. – Oyay– Ed Jiminez– Bolette– ….Prayer

» Tenakotou, tenakotou, tenakotou katoa

Spirit and Justice

• The God of Justice

• Anointing you to be a servant of Justice

• Pray• Tenakotou, tenakotou, tenakotou katoa

References

• Grigg

• McGavran

• Pickett

• McLelland