All language subtitles for [DownSub.com] 12 The God Who Gathers and Transforms His People pb

hello again my name is Don Carson

especially in the West a great deal of

our outlook is characterized by a

certain rugged individualism clearly

such individualism can inspire raw

courage and heroic leadership frankly

however it can also stifle interest in

others while fostering intense

introspection it regularly lacks candor

and humility in its dealings with others

while breeding condescending dismissal

of others in this talk on the God who

gathers and transforms his people I want

to fill in a little of what the Bible

says about the church I am talking about

God's people the church not of course

about church buildings the Bible readily

talks about God's love for the church

about the church is an organism a body

about how the church stands out as

different from the world while bearing

witness to the world and deeply

concerned for it the church is the only

human institution that goes into

eternity while many do they speak of how

their brand of spirituality really

doesn't need the church or any form of

organized religion the God who is there

in the Bible presents a startlingly

different view of the church for which

his son shed his life's blood

in one of his more recent books the

articulate and very interesting atheist

and critic of Christianity Christopher

Hutchinson God is not great how religion

poisons everything argues that the whole

record of religion all religion is

toward war and hatred and strife whether

the Protestant Catholic strife of

Belfast in recent decades or Beirut

between historically Christian and

historically Muslim heritage or Belgrade

or Baghdad or Bombay all around the

world religion poisons everything it has

to be said that there's some truth to

the charge it's not for nothing that

centuries back the 30 Years War was in

very large measure in Europe a war of

religion

the reason why there's some truth to the

charge is because one of the things that

religion does all religion is

transcendental eyes issues that is it

ups the ante by making the issues

important today the current round of

dominant terrorists are from Islam and

undoubtedly they would like to see

Islamic culture in place and have a

bigger share of the financial and

cultural pie and influence in the world

and so on but what transcendental eise's

their beliefs is their conviction that

they represent the mind of God himself

mind you it has also been shown by

Alister McGrath in his book on atheism

that if you don't have religion two

transcendental eyes things you end up

transcendental izing something else in

other words the transcendental izing is

not merely a function of religion it's a

function of human desire to control so

in the 20th century for example the

great movements of Nazism and Stalinism

were not religiously driven movements

sometimes in Nazism the parties claimed

a certain kind of background in

Christianity but in point of fact what

drove the two movements well on the one

hand it was the transcendental izing of

the state and on the other was the

transcendental izing of race and

ethnicity and intrinsic Teutonic

superiority so it's not as if religion

poisons everything and everything else

is good the century of the greatest

bloodshed the 20th century was the

century in which it was not religious

movements that caused all of this you

don't lose 1/3 of the population of

Cambodia because of Christianity but

because of communism

where one sees that biblical

Christianity is bound up with salvation

by grace however it ought to change

everything Tim Keller in New York writes

belief that you are accepted by God by

sheer grace is profoundly humbling the

people who are fanatics then are not so

because they are too committed to the

gospel but because they're not committed

enough if you get just a certain kind of

superficial quantity of Bible gospel

Christian heritage and become convinced

that it's the best and everybody else

must have the best - then it's not going

to be too long before you have some new

Crusades in the name of Christianity on

the other hand if you really do drink

deeply from what we have been seeing the

Bible is about as we work through the

entire text and see that finally our

hope is in grace not because we're

stronger or better we're never more than

poor beggars telling other poor beggars

where there's bread it changes

everything

which is why biblical Christianity has

always had within its heritage the

capacity to challenge and reform that's

why however ghastly and defenseless the

Crusades were it's the Christian

heritage in the West that has apologized

for them countless times after all Islam

took over the Middle East first with

equal bloodthirstiness and there is no

trace in the heritage of Islam of any

apology for any of it it's what they

expect because there is not built into

the very structure of the heritage as

similar understanding that at the end of

the day we stand

or fall by grace

thus the slavery that was enacted and

developed in the West was also

eventually destroyed by Christians who

are trying to become more biblical and

challenged everything

Thomas sold himself by his own

confession not a Christian analyzes what

takes place under Wilberforce and

similar movements in Great Britain until

first the slave trade across the

Atlantic and then eventually slavery

itself is abolished in the Empire and he

notes that that what drives it what

drives it is simply a Christian Concern

to do what is right before God since we

all stand under his wrath and are in

need of His grace do you know that when

slavery was finally abolished the

British government undertook to pay all

the great sugarcane farmers of Jamaica

and elsewhere under the British crown to

pay the price of the slaves to freedom

the promise was for half the national

GDP and they undertook it not because it

was going to save the money

but because of Christian influence

regarding what was right or wrong that

doesn't justify all the wickedness that

was done beforehand but it does remind

us that the Bible superficially

undertaken can be used in all kinds of

shameful ways but when you come across

what the gospel is genuinely about it is

humbling it does not make people

arrogant it transforms them

now in the previous session we saw how

the cross of Jesus is the ground of our

reconciliation God propitiate himself he

sets aside his own wrath because he's

the God of love satisfies his sense of

justice in the person of his own dear

son and in grace reconciles rebels to

himself who come simply to him by

appropriating this reconciliation this

justification by faith we saw that this

salvation is granted by grace alone it

is received by faith alone this is true

for Jews and Gentiles alike but in

another of Paul's letters Paul takes

this argument in a slightly different

direction what I'm going to do in this

session is not focus on one short

paragraph and unpack it in detail I'm

going to read two or three passages at

length and just offer some brief

comments along the way so that you can

hear Paul's argument now in a slightly

different key this is the next letter in

the New Testament Canon Galatians Romans

let me take that back this is not the

next letter in the Canon but it's part

of a string of Paul's letters Romans

first and second Corinthians Galatians

and now Ephesians Ephesians chapter 2

Paul is writing to believers now in the

city of Ephesus and he describes their

conversion he says as for you you were

dead in your transgressions and sins in

which you used to live when you followed

the ways of the world and of the ruler

of the kingdom of the air that's a way

of alluding to Satan and Paul the Spirit

was not working those who are

disobedient all of us also lived among

them at one time gratifying the cravings

of our sinful nature following its

desires and thoughts like the rest we

were by nature deserving of wrath so you

still hear the same kinds of overtones

that you see in Romans but because of

his great love for us despite the fact

that we deserve the rough God who is

rich in mercy made us alive with Christ

even when we were dead in transgressions

it is by grace you have been saved and

God raised us up with Christ that is

Christ life is now ours do you see and

seated us with him in the heavenly

realms God views us as as acceptable in

his very presence in the heavenly realms

as Christ himself is very United to him

that's the way God sees us God raised us

up with Christ and seated us with him in

the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus in

order that in the coming ages he might

show the incomparable riches of His

grace expressed in his kindness to us in

Christ Jesus all sounds very Romans like

doesn't it and it gets stronger for it

is by grace you have been saved through

faith that sounds like Romans 3 and this

not from yourselves that is not even the

faith is from yourselves it is the gift

of God not by works so that no one can

boast that sounds like Romans 3 and then

we're told

for we are God's handiwork created in

Christ Jesus to do good works which God

prepared in advance for us to do

in other words Paul is not concerned to

have us legally acquitted alone the

guilt must be dealt with the ground of

God's wrath must be set aside God

himself must be propitiated the sin must

be expiated but that still leaves me

functionally a sinner we saw in an

earlier session that there are several

things that we need we need to be

reconciled to this God but we ourselves

must be changed

we saw some glimpse of that in the new

birth did we not but now you're getting

the same thing at a slightly different

key in Paul

there must be transformation this

changed this this new creation this

handiwork of God within us is precisely

so that we will do good works not

because the good works have secured our

place in God but precisely because they

are the inevitable outcome of it in fact

if you recall Romans 3 talked about Jews

and Gentiles both under Roth both being

saved by grace through faith

Paul now talks about Jews and Gentiles

again listen to what he says as he goes

on in this chapter therefore remember

that formerly you who are Gentiles by

birth I'm sure that's most of us in this

room and called uncircumcised by those

who call them that call themselves the

circumcision which is done in the body

by human hands that is the Jews remember

that at that time you were separate from

Christ excluded from citizenship in

Israel and foreigners to the covenants

of the promise that is the covenant with

Abraham and then the Covenant of law

with Moses you were not part of that

heritage formerly that's the way it was

excluded thus from citizenship in Israel

and thus without hope and without God in

the world but now there's that Pauline

but now now with the coming of Christ

this has changed now in Christ Jesus you

who once were far away have been brought

near by the blood of Christ the blood of

Christ to which reference is made in

Romans 3 by his death on our behalf for

he himself

oh Christ Jesus is our piece what does

he mean who has made the two one that is

Jew and Gentile an antithesis a

dysfunction and an opposition are a

resentment a suspicion between Jews and

Gentiles in the Roman Empire and today

but Christ himself is our peace who has

made the two one and has destroyed the

barrier the dividing wall of hostility

by setting aside and his flesh the law

with its commands and regulations that

is we are no longer under that law

covenant which was for the Israelites

and thus distinguish them from others

but now there is something new for his

purpose was to create in himself one new

humanity out of the two thus making

peace a new locus of the people of God

made up of Jew and Gentile people drawn

from every tongue and tribe and people

and nation and new humanity making peace

and in one body to reconcile both of

them to God through the cross that is

not only reconciling them to each other

and thus making peace but reconciling

them to God and thus making peace so his

wroth does not rest on us all of this

the cross achieves his purpose was to

create in himself one new humanity out

of the two thus making peace and in one

body to reconcile both of them to God

through the cross by which he put to

death their hostility he came and

preached peace to you who were far away

that is Gentiles and peace to those who

were near that is Jews for through him

we both have access to the Father by one

[Music]

spirit now I could have introduced the

theme of the Spirit God's Spirit the

Holy Spirit much earlier in this series

one has to pick and choose when one

flies through the Bible of this speed

sometimes the Bible speaks of God

sending his spirit but also of the

spirit talking the Spirit is regularly

presented not merely as an abstract

power but as somehow like the eternal

word like the eternal Sun the very self

disclosure self manifestation of God

himself indeed on the night that he's

betrayed according to John's Gospel

chapters 14 15 and 16 on the night that

he has betrayed and has carted off to

trial and then crucifixion he talks a

great length of the Spirit whom he will

send the Holy Spirit he calls him or he

uses another word that is harder to

translate it's Paraclete aa sin the

original we sometimes transliterated

Paraclete it means someone who comes

alongside and helps in a variety of ways

and he may he may help by giving us

strength in John's Gospel he helps also

by bringing conviction of sin to two

people who otherwise are self righteous

he he he comes also to be the very

presence and manifestation of of God now

that the Sun is going to the cross then

rising again and returning to the haze

his heavenly abode it is the spirit who

was poured out upon us as as the very

presence of God Himself amongst us he is

said to be the one who takes up

residence in people's lives transforming

them giving them power indeed in the

Apostle Paul the Holy Spirit is

sometimes called this is stunning

the downpayment of the promised

inheritance so that if the ultimate

inheritance the ultimate blessing that

were to receive is a new heaven and a

new earth the home of righteousness

transformed resurrection bodies a

perfect world the down payment of that

according to Paul is the Holy Spirit

himself that's why Christians speak of

the Trinity God one God but somehow

complex three persons Father Son and

Holy Spirit yet one god so united so one

in purpose and will so all God that you

cannot separate them and make three gods

but nevertheless that is the set of

categories in which the New Testament

speaks and it is the Holy Spirit now who

has been poured out upon us Christians

such that he is seen as the downpayment

of the promised inheritance the one who

transforms us the one who changes our

hearts and minds the one who gives us

new birth we did see something of the

work of the Spirit there did we not born

of water and spirit that is cleaned up

that's what born of water symbolizes in

the prophecy of Ezekiel and born of

spirit that is with God's own life

coming within us and changing us and

transforming us it's a new birth

characterized by being cleaned up and

changed by God himself as his spirit

takes up residence within us and so now

Paul when he talks about this new

humanity that forms because of what

Christ has done on the cross all given

by grace received by faith it's in order

to bring peace and to do good works as

we are strengthened by God himself we

have access to the Father by one spirit

now jump ahead in Ephesians to watch how

this works out in a variety of ways jump

ahead to 4:17 after Paul has worked out

some of the theology just a wee bit run

through this text rather quickly

so I tell you this and insist on it in

the Lord that you must no longer live as

the Gentiles do in the futility of their

thinking that is the Gentiles in their

pre-christian days they are darkened in

their understanding and separated from

the life of God because of the ignorance

that is in them due to the hardening of

their heart

the hardening of their hearts that

sounds like Romans - do you see

suppressing the truth in unrighteousness

having lost all sensitivity they have

given themselves over to sensuality so

as to indulge in every kind of impurity

and they are full of greed that however

is not the way of life you learned when

you heard about Christ and were taught

in him in accordance with the truth that

is in Jesus you were taught with regard

to your former way of life to put off

your old self which is being corrupted

by the deceitful desires to be made new

in the attitude of your minds and to put

on the new self created to be like God

in true righteousness and holiness did

you hear that created the power of God

and creation in Genesis 1 and 2 is now

being displayed again in a new creation

a new creation that is every bit as real

as the first creation not yet

consummated in the transformation of the

ultimate creation but already working

out in the lives of believers therefore

each of you must put off falsehood and

speak truthfully to your neighbor if we

are all members of one body this new

humanity in your anger do not sin do not

let the Sun go down while you are still

angry do not give the devil a foothold

those who have been stealing must steal

no longer but must work doing something

useful with their own hands

that they may have something to share

with those in need do not let any

unwholesome talk come out of your mouth

but only what is helpful for building

others up according to their needs that

it may benefit those who listen and

verse 30 do not grieve the Holy Spirit

that presupposes again of the Holy

Spirit is a person you don't grieve a

power don't grieve the Holy Spirit the

Holy Spirit of God with whom you were

sealed for the day of redemption sealed

marked out as God's because he is

already within you he has already come

as the downpayment of the promised

inheritance your set aside for him so

the

if you live as if none of this has

happened you grieve God as he has

disclosed himself by his spirit within

you get rid of all bitterness rage and

anger brawling and slander along with

every form of malice be kind and

compassionate to one another forgiving

each other just as Christ in Christ God

forgave you you're back to the cross

again do you hear what is being said

biblical Christianity does not come

along with a whole lot of rules we who

are creased Christian pastors and

preachers we sometimes get this wrong

ourselves we see certain signs of decay

in a culture for example or certain

kinds of sliding morally in the church

and if we're not careful our very first

instinct is to say uh-uh-uh

that's bad don't do that do this instead

you will show how righteous you are how

good you are how disciplined you are by

imposing all of these rules and orders

in your life and after all this text is

talking about things that we should do

and shouldn't do getting rid of

bitterness and malice and speaking the

truth and all those kinds of things of

course there are some moral structures

there and yet the motivation is not more

rules forgive each other as in Christ

God has forgiven you there is a powerful

sense in which the way God's Spirit

transforms us is by bringing us back to

the cross so that all of our morality is

first and foremost a function of

gratitude

if you begin to see just how much you

were forgiven by what Christ did on the

cross how on earth can you possibly

nurture bitterness towards others if you

see what is still in store in the future

that you've already received in part by

the down payment of the Spirit who does

strengthen your moral resolve and gives

you vistas of a new heaven and a new

earth how can you possibly be locked in

to the to the agonizing painful limited

concerns of a world that finally will

pass away you are destined for eternity

with God Almighty it changes everything

when there is a moral slight in the

church or in the broader world what we

must have more of is a right thick rich

understanding of the gospel for it

transforms us and by the Holy Spirit

whom Jesus bequeathed empowers us to

live in a way that was different from

the way we live before we are back at

the language of the new birth do you

recall everyone who has this life in

himself doesn't live the way he or she

used to live like the wind where we

might not understand the mechanism but

you see the results so it is with those

who are born of God so it is with those

who have the spirit so we read 5:1

follow God's example therefore as dearly

loved children and walk in the way of

love just as Christ loved us do you see

this intermingling again of God's love

and Christ's love you you cannot have

one without the other they are they are

together and because we have received so

much from God in Christ Jesus

we are the objects of such love how can

we not also love

Christ loved us and gave himself up for

us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice

to God but among you there must not be

even a hint of sexual immorality or of

any kind of impurity or of greed because

these are improper for the Lord's people

that is not not simply improper because

it's against the law though that might

be true but improper because you've been

bought with a price

you're the Lord's people your

dishonouring the Lord the Lord who loved

you even to the death of the cross

nor should there be obscenity foolish

talk coarse joking which are out of

place but rather Thanksgiving it is

Thanksgiving

that is the underlay of all Christian

morality do you see for of this you can

be sure no immoral impure greedy person

such a person is an idolater has any

inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and

of God do you hear that

greed is idolatry because what you most

want becomes your God what you most

urgently pursue becomes your God

idolatry does not require some little

figurine made of stone or clay or

pottery or some giant figure of a god

somewhere carved somewhere out of a

mountainside idolatry is anything at

everything that displaces God

that makes me try to find my identity in

place in the universe by something or

someone other than God and thus greed

itself establishes who our regal gods

finally are but for Christians who have

been reconciled to God by the death of

Christ and have been exposed to

something of God's spectacular glory and

grandeur not least in the cross well

listen no immoral impure greedy person

such a person is an idolater has any

inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and

of God let no one deceive you with empty

words for because of such things God's

wrath comes on those who are disobedient

therefore do

not be partners with them for you were

once darkness but now our light in the

Lord live as children of light for the

fruit of light consists of all goodness

righteousness of truth and find out what

pleases the Lord do you see that's the

change of heart the change of heart has

come so that we want to please the Lord

and we're eager to find out what pleases

him

biblical transformational Christianity

gathers men and women together called

out Jew or Gentile doesn't matter and

under the lordship of Christ as we look

back to the cross and look forward to

what is still ahead we want we want by

the power of the Spirit we want because

of a change in our own lives we want

because of this new creation we want to

find out what pleases the Lord God help

us we're so inconsistent even in this

we're not finally transformed yet but

Christians look back and see that

they're not what they were

the name John Newton like means

something to you if you saw the film on

Wilberforce Amazing Grace John Newton

was that old slave trader he figured he

had transported 20 thousand slaves

across the Atlantic and in his

nightmares he could still hear them

scream

and then he was converted genuinely

converted and his life changed and

ultimately he became a pastor and he

wrote at one point I am NOT what I want

to be I am NOT what I ought to be I am

NOT what I one day will be but I am NOT

what I was and by the grace of God I am

what I am

that's the testimony of Christians 5:8

for you were once darkness but now you

are light in the Lord live as children

of light for the fruit of a light

consists in all goodness righteousness

as truth and find out what pleases the

Lord one more passage with similar

antithesis this is in Galatians 5:1 book

back from Ephesians Galatians 5 a lot of

the argument of Galatians is parallel to

the argument in Romans again about what

justification is what the cross achieves

but but of course as soon as you

emphasize those things you also must

talk about how people need changing it's

not just that we must stand acquitted

before God and be reconciled to him it's

not just that that we now have peace

with God in some legal sense as

important and foundational as all of

that is we must be transformed so we

read 5:13 you my brothers and sisters

were called to be free that is called

when you became Christians to be free

but do not use your freedom to indulge

the sinful nature rather serve one

another humbly in love for the entire

law is fulfilled in keeping this one

command it points in this direction this

is the direction in which it points the

direction is love your neighbor as

yourself

verse 16 so I say walk by the spirit the

spirit who has been poured out upon us

because of what Christ has achieved and

you will not gratify the desires of the

sinful nature for the sinful nature

desires what is contrary to the spirit

and the spirit what is contrary to the

sinful nature they are in conflict with

each other so that you are not to do

whatever you want but if you are led by

the spirit you are not under the law now

you can identify the acts of the sinful

nature they're listed for us in the next

verses sexual immorality impurity

debauchery idolatry witchcraft hatred

discord jealousy fits of Rage selfish

ambitions dissensions factions envy

drunkenness orgies

the like which pretty much covers it I

warn you as I did before that those who

live like this will not inherit the

kingdom of God but now listen over

against that stands the fruit of the

Spirit because God is the God who not

only gathers his people into one

community but transforms them he gathers

his people into one community and he

transforms them biblical Christianity is

deeply concerned with reconciling guilty

people to God but not only reconciling

them but transforming them in one old

Christian hymn we sing he breaks the

power of canceled sin and sets the

prisoner free that is he does cancel sin

through what Christ has done on the

cross but he pours out the Spirit - and

then he breaks the power of canceled sin

so we read the fruit of the Spirit is

love joy peace patience kindness

goodness faithfulness gentleness and

self-control against such things there

is no law those who belong to Christ

Jesus have crucified the sinful nature

with its passions and desires since we

live by the spirit let us keep in step

with the spirit let us not become

conceited provoking and envying one

another indeed there are a lot of ways

that the New Testament has for talking

about this sort of thing one of the most

striking comes from the teaching of

Jesus himself he points out that he

himself goes to the cross and then he

says if you would be my disciples you

must take up your cross and follow me

he says it several times now we hear

that expression today and it said it's

not powerful anymore in fact some of us

have made jokes about it hmm this

horrible toothache we all have our cross

to bear

and our cross becomes some minor

irritation or a nasty in-law when we all

have our cross to bear but in the first

century you never made jokes like that

in the first century crucifixion was so

awful that handbooks were actually

written on the responsibility of parents

not to talk about crucifixion to their

children not to show crucifixion to

their children if there is a crucifixion

site they should take their children in

some other place there were no jokes

about crucifixion in the ancient world

not one has come down to us you could no

more joke about crucifixion in the

ancient world then you could joke about

Auschwitz today it's unthinkable and we

talked about we all have our cross to

bear and Jesus has the cheek to turn to

his disciples and say unless you take up

your cross you can't be my disciple

taking up the cross and those

circumstances did not mean taking up

your particular little bit of suffering

it meant you take up the cross member

out to the place of crucifixion where

you will suffer and die it meant death

to self-interest now most of us are not

going to be crucified in that literal

sense but we follow a master who was and

Jesus says if I have been crucified

don't you understand if you are to be my

disciple you must be crucified - oh not

in the same physical way for most of us

but a death to self interest and are

coming under his lordship as he himself

obeyed his own Heavenly Father perfectly

that's why Paul in another of these

short letters can actually say it has

been granted to you you Christians on

behalf of Christ not only to believe on

his name there's the faith but also to

suffer for his

do you realize that it's been granted to

you who are Christians here a gracious

gift a grant not only to believe that's

a girth a gift but also to suffer for

Jesus you take up your cross and in

Christ's way of looking at it that's a

privilege in the perspective of the

earliest Christians it was a privilege

such that when the apostles were first

beaten up it is said of them they

rejoiced because they were counted

worthy to suffer for the name Amy

Carmichael wrote the poem hast thou no

scar no hidden scar on foot or side or

hand I hear the song as mighty in the

land

I hear them hail vibe right ascendant

star hast thou no scar hast thou no

wound yet I was wounded by the archers

spent leaned me against a tree to die

and rent by red ravening beast that

compass me I swooned hast thou no wound

no wound no scar yet as the master shall

the servant be and pierce that are the

feet that follow me but thine are whole

can he have followed far who hast no

wound or scar

yes in an atmosphere where there's no

self-pity at all it is merely the mark

of a transformed life I read in a

journal not long ago a paragraph I just

have to read it to you in April 1942

Jacob DeShazer was a bombardier in the

Doolittle raid over Japan as the

Doolittle Raid that basically turned

Tokyo into a furnace with four other

crewmen he bailed out two of them were

executed the others spent the rest of

the war three years and four months in

prison camps they were beaten tortured

and starved at some point DeShazer asked

for a Bible they brought him one

allowing him to keep it for three weeks

I eagerly began to read its page as he

later wrote I discovered that God had

given me new spiritual eyes and that

when I looked at the enemy officers and

guards who had starved and beaten my

companions and me so cruelly I found my

bitter hatred for them changed to loving

pity he survived and dedicated his life

to missionary work in Japan one of his

converts was Mitsuo Fuchida the lead

pilot in the Pearl Harbor attack Fujita

became an evangelist Jacob DeShazer died

in Salem Oregon 2008 aged 95 rest in

peace

because you see this is a God who

gathers and transforms his people

I have to read you one more clip and I'm

done written by an atheist it's

wonderful Matthew Parris before

Christmas I returned after 45 years to

the country that as a boy I knew as

Nyasaland today it's Malawi and the

times Christmas appeal includes a small

British charity working their pump aid

it helps rural communities to install a

simple pump letting people keep their

village well sealed and clean I went to

see this work it inspired me renewing my

flagging faith in development charities

but traveling in Malawi refreshed

another belief - one I've been trying to

banish all my life but an observation

I've been unable to avoid since my

African childhood it confounds my

ideological beliefs it stubbornly

refuses to fit my worldview and has

embarrassed my growing belief that there

is no God now a confirmed atheist I

become convinced of the enormous

contribution that Christian evangelism

makes in Africa sharply distinct from

the work of secular NGOs governmental

projects and international aid efforts

these alone will not do education and

training alone will not do in Africa

Christianity changes people's hearts it

brings a spiritual transformation the

rebirth is real the change is good I

used to avoid this truth by applauding

as as you can the practical work of

Mission Church is in Africa it's a pity

I would say that salvation is part of

the package but Christians black and

white working in Africa do heal the sick

they do teach people to read and write

and only the severus kind of secularists

could see a Mission Hospital or school

and say the world would be a better

place without it I would allow that if

faith was needed to motivate

missionaries to help then fine but what

counter was to help not the faith but

this doesn't fit the facts

faith does more than support the

missionary it is also transferred to his

flock that is the first effect this is

the effect it matters so immensely and

which I cannot help observing first then

the observation we had friends who were

missionaries and as a child I stayed

often with him I also stayed alone with

my little brother in a traditional rural

African village in the city we had

working for us Africans who had

converted

and were strong believers the Christians

were always different far from having

cowed or confined its converts their

faith appeared to have liberated and

relaxed them there was a lively to

secure eásá tea an engagement with the

world a directness in their dealings

with others that seemed to be missing in

traditional African life they stood tall

at 24 travelling by land across the

continent reinforced his impression from

Algiers to Niger Nigeria Cameroon the

Central African Republic then right

through the Congo to viwanda

Tanzania and Kenya for student friends

and I drove our old Land Rover to

Nairobi we slept under the star so it

was important as we reach the more

populated and lawless parts of the

sub-sahara that every day we find

somewhere safe by nightfall often near a

mission whenever we entered a territory

worked by missionaries we had to

acknowledge that something changed in

the faces of the people we passed and

spoke to something in their eyes the way

they approached you direct man-to-man

without looking down or away they had

not become more differential toward

strangers in some ways less so but more

open this time this trip before

Christmas in Malawi

it was the same I met no missionaries

you do not encounter missionaries in the

lobbies of expensive hotels discussing

development strategy documents as you do

with the big NGOs but instead I noticed

that a handful of the most impressive

African members of the pump aid team

largely from Zimbabwe were privately

strong Christians privately because the

charity is entirely secular and I never

heard any of its team so much as

mentioned religion while working in the

villages but I picked up the Christian

references in our conversations one I

saw was studying a devotional textbook

in the car one on Sunday went off to

church at dawn for it to our service it

would suit me to believe that their

honesty diligence and optimism in their

work was unconnected with personal faith

their work was secular but surely

affected by what they were what they

were was in turn influenced by a

conception of man's place in the

universe that Christianity had taught

and he goes on listen the God who is

there the God who has named himself

supremely in Jesus gathers and

transforms his people when

out this transformation the Christianity

so call that you perceive is no

Christianity at all for this God gathers

and transforms his people

you