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Friends United Meeting |
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2002 Triennial Sessions
"So Now Finish the Work..."
Reflections
Shared with Friends
"Go On and Complete the Work"
by George Kinoti
July 11, 2002
1. INTRODUCTION
Thank you and Congratulations
Thank you for inviting me to participate in this service. It is a privilege
and honour to be here. I also want to congratulate you, the Quaker Church,
for a hundred years of fruitful service to my people, the Kenyan people.
You introduced the light of Jesus Christ to the people of Western Kenya.
You also introduced modern education, healthcare, agriculture and technical
knowledge. The Lord has clearly blessed your work and it has changed the
lives of hundreds of thousands in western Kenya and in other parts of
East Africa. He has also blessed the initiatives of other churches. One
the result is that the church is firmly established in Africa.
At the same time we recognize that the African people still face major problems. They are oppressed by poverty and hunger. It is estimated that one out of every three Africans does not get enough to eat. Diseases continue to be a major problem. Malaria alone claims the lives of about a million African children each year. Another obvious example is the AIDS epidemic. We also face moral, spiritual, social and political problems.
Go On And Complete the Work
So the mission of the Church is far from being accomplished. Therefore,
I believe the Lord is saying to the Quaker Church and to the whole Church,
"Go on and complete the work you began."
This is the theme chosen for our reflection tonight. It is a message that the church in Africa needs to hear. I believe it is a message that the church of Jesus throughout the world needs to hear. It is a message which the Church must act on as a matter of urgency if Africa is to have a future.
Our theme comes from the apostle Paul's letter to the church in Corinth. In his second letter. Chapter 8:10b-11 we read: "You made a good beginning last year both in what you did and in your willingness to do it. Now go on and finish it. Be eager to complete [the work]." (REB)
You will recall the context. Christians in Jerusalem were experiencing severe hunger and poverty. In response Paul organized a relief fund. He asked the churches in Macedonia, Achaia, Galatia and other provinces to contribute to it. It was clearly an important work to Paul. He wrote at considerable length to the Christians in Corinth urging them to complete making their contributions.
Four Lessons
There are many important lessons where we can learn from Paul's initiative.
Let us read together 2 Corinthians 8:1-15.
To me four lessons stand out.
1. The first lesson is that the Gospel of Christ is a holistic gospel. It is concerned with the whole of life. It is good news not only for our spiritual and moral lives but also for every aspect of life. Our world badly needs the holistic gospel of Jesus.
2. The second lesson is that this holistic gospel is the responsibility of every Christian. Every Christian believer has a role to play if our world is to enjoy the wonderful benefits of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
3. The third lesson is that God calls us to make a double commitment: a commitment to God and a commitment to people. Only in this way can we be truly successful in the work of the gospel.
4. The fourth lesson is that we are called to work for equality: equality between individuals, equality within nations, and equality between nations.
Let us consider these lessons.
2. THE CHRISTIAN GOSPEL IS A HOLISTIC GOSPEL
It is refreshing to know that Paul was concerned about poverty and hunger. We tend to think of Paul as a great theologian and missionary who is only concerned with our spiritual and moral lives. Some theologians say that Paul's gospel is about being saved through faith. They contrast it with James' gospel, which they say is about being saved through works. But such a distinction is false. Both Paul and James present the same holistic gospel, a gospel that is good news for every aspect of life.
So, for example, James says that the true Christian is one who both has a right relationship with God and cares for other people. He puts it this way:
"Religion, which God our Father accepts as pure and
faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows and to keep oneself
from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27)
In his letter James writes about the importance of faith and about the need to persevere in the Christian walk. He speaks strongly against discrimination between the rich and the poor. He gives instructions about healing. In short, James' gospel takes in spiritual and moral well-being as well as social and material well-being.
Similarly, Paul was concerned with different aspects of life. In Acts 20:27 he describes his work in Ephesus as proclaiming the whole will of God. I understand "the whole will of God" to mean the will of God concerning the whole of life. Paul's letters deal with different aspects of life including spirituality, morality and governance or politics. They deal with family life, economic and social equality, and so on. It is true that Paul devotes more space to spiritual and moral life than to other aspects of life. But then he needed not repeat the teaching of the Old Testament. The Old Testament deals at great length with such issues as justice, poverty, freedom, land and government.
For example, we learn from Isaiah that God does not accept the sacrifices and prayers of those who practice social injustice and other evils. The Lord said to the people of Israel:
"Stop bringing meaningless offerings!...
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen....
Stop doing wrong, learn to do right. Seek justice, encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."
(Isaiah 1:13-17)
The Church in Africa needs to recover the holistic gospel of Jesus. I believe that this holistic gospel is the only hope for Africa. Indeed, it is the only hope for all the nations of the world: the rich nations as well as the poor nations. The problems which face our world are too big, too complex for fallen and fallible human beings to resolve. We must bring the whole of life under God's rule.
3. THE HOLISTIC GOSPEL IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERY CHRISTIAN
Paul expected everyone in the Christian communities he served to contribute to the relief fund. He expected rich and poor alike to contribute. He comments on the wonderful generosity of the Macedonian Christians. Although they were extremely poor they gave most generously. In addition, Paul ensured that the churches had a sense of ownership for the fund. He asked representatives of the churches to take the relief to the Christians in Jerusalem.
Paul's approach reminds us that every Christian has an important role to play if the holistic gospel is to impact our nations. It is not enough to have preachers of the gospel. Every Christian must help to bring the values and standards of the kingdom of God to bear on the life of the nation, on family life and in every area of life.
Example: Management of African Public Affairs
One area that needs urgent action by African Christians is the management
of public affairs. It is very clear that bad governance is the most important
cause of Africa's poverty and other problems. To a very large degree,
incompetent, corrupt and oppressive governments are responsible for Africa's
poverty and underdevelopment.
Who is responsible for bad governance? Clearly African leaders are responsible. But Western governments and their agents also play a key role in the bad governance that is so prevalent in Africa. For economic, political and strategic reasons Western nations continue to control African governments. Let me give two well-known examples from the past.
The first example is the Democratic Republic of Congo. Congo became independent in 1960 with Patrice Lumumba as the Prime Minister. He was a nationalist and a strong leader. Some western governments saw him as a threat to their access to Congo's rich mineral and other natural resources. So Belgium, in collaboration with the US and some other Western nations, had Lumumba assassinated. Then they had a puppet, Mobutu Sese Seko, installed as president. The west benefited immensely from Mobutu's 30 years as head of an autocratic and corrupt government.
The second example is Ghana. Kwame Nkrumah, the first President, was another strong nationalist who had great plans for his country. For example, he planned to industrialize Ghana in 25 years. This did not please the USA who did not want a competitor in the steel industry. When western governments found they could not control President Kwame Nkrumah, they got the military to overthrow his elected government. There followed a succession of oppressive and unstable military governments. One result was economic ruin for Ghana. When Ghana became independent in 1957, it had the same Gross Domestic Product as South Korea. Today Ghana's GDP is only a fraction of that of Korea.
How do we bring about good governance?
How are we going to get good governance in Africa? First, African Christians
must recognize that the institution of government was created by God as
a means of organizing and managing the affairs of communities and nations.
Real Christians must, therefore, help to make management of public affairs
the service that God intended it to be.
Secondly, African Christians must recognize that they personally have a God-given role to play in the governance of their nations. They must play their part as political leaders, as voters, as public servants, as magistrates and judges, as members of parliament, etc.
Thirdly, western Christians need to take a keen interest in their nation's foreign policies. They need to ensure, for example, that their corporations stop giving the huge bribes that corrupt politicians and civil servants in poor countries. Also they can help to transform the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund from a means of exploiting poor nations to being development agents for the whole world.
4. THE HOLISTIC GOSPEL REQUIRES A DOUBLE COMMITMENT
Double Commitment
The third lesson is that the holistic gospel of Jesus requires that we
make a double commitment. We must be committed to the Lord and we must
also be committed to people. Commenting on the amazing generosity of the
poor Macedonian Christians, the apostle Paul says:
"And their giving surpassed our expectations; for
first of all they gave
themselves to the Lord and, under God, to us." (2 Corinthians 8:5
REB)
Or as Today's New International Version puts it:
"And they went beyond our expectations; having given
themselves first of all to the Lord,
they gave themselves by the will of God also to us."
Why do we need a double commitment? There are several reasons. Let me mention two. First, it ensures that we have the right motives for our work. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes it very clear that motive is what really matters. He says: "Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness in front of others, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full....And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full."
Why does God require right motives? It is clear that hypocritical prayer dishonours God. It does not treat Him as God. It uses Him as a means to a selfish end. In the same way unless our work for the poor is motivated by love and compassion we are unlikely to treat people as people. We are more likely to treat them with contempt or as a means to some selfish end. God requires that we treat people with respect because they are made in GodŐs image. I think much of so-called aid insults the dignity of the African people.
NGOs vs. Missions
The second reason why motives are important is that they determine the
success or failure of our work. Today there are numerous nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) and foreign government agencies engaged in so-called
development work in Africa. But they have very little impact. Many would
say Africa is now poorer than it was thirty years ago. This is in spite
or even because of the rapid increase in NGO activities. In contrast,
small Christian missions before African independence had proportionately
a much greater impact. Why? Because on the whole, missions had the right
motives. Today the motives of the players are very mixed. Many, perhaps
most, NGOs exist to provide a livelihood for the staff.
Foreign Government Agencies
The primary motives behind the work of foreign government agencies are
economic and political. Western nations want markets for their goods and
services as well as political influence, if not control. Although they
talk about free markets, they do not really want free markets. What they
really want is markets for their goods and services. They protect their
markets against penetration by goods and services from developing countries
while insisting poor countries open their markets to goods from rich countries.
That is very clear to anyone who follows negotiations at the World Trade
Organization.
Christian organizations can also have wrong motives.
But wrong or even hypocritical motives are not limited to secular organizations.
They are also to be found in Christian organizations. For example, there
are Christian organizations which use agricultural development activities
as an excuse for evangelism. People in such organizations may be committed
to God, but they are not committed to people as people. They are only
committed to what they call "souls," not to complete human beings.
The holistic gospel of Jesus Christ requires that we are committed to
people, whole people, as well as to God.
5. EQUALITY
God requires equality among people. Quakers are well known for their fight for human equality. I think that was particularly true in the past. Quakers rejected the class or social distinctions implied by titles such as "lord," "lady," "doctor," etc. They believed that such titles did not only encourage social or class distinctions, they also gave people honour due to God alone. I believe Quakers were among the first Christians to see the evil of slavery. They opposed slavery when many other Christians were defending and promoting it on Biblical grounds. I believe they were the first denomination to prohibit slavery. I read somewhere that Quakers stopped owning slaves some 60 years before President Abraham Lincoln ended slavery in the United States.
Equality in the Use of Resources
Paul says in our passage that he desired equality in the use of resources.
He organized the relief fund not only to relieve Christians experiencing
famine. He also wanted equality between those who had something and those
who had nothing. He was following the principle that God had revealed
when He provided manna to the people of Israel. The principle was: "The
one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered
little did not have too little." (Exodus 16: 18)
We live in a very unequal world. There is the great gap between the rich nations of the North and the poor nations of the South. The North comprises only about one third of the human population but they consume three quarters of the world's wealth. There is also much inequality within nations. For example, in Kenya a few people (10%) own 40% of the nation's wealth. Huge gaps between the rich and the poor occur in both rich countries and poor countries.
This situation is against God's will for people. The Bible shows clearly that God desires equality. He is calling His people to work for equality between our nations as well as within our nations.
How can we bring about equality?
First of all, I suggest we must share whatever we have. I have spent the
last five weeks with a group of North American and Kenyan students. We
finished the programme yesterday. At the final dinner on Tuesday, which
we had on a Maasai ranch, the professor who led the American group said
something interesting. He said that before coming to Kenya, the word "Africa"
was to him synonymous with "poverty." But in the five weeks
he had been in Kenya he had not seen poverty. What he had seen were joyful,
loving, hospitable and hardworking people. And he had seen a beautiful
country, with wonderful wildlife and other natural resources.
Kenyans and other Africans need to remember that we have important resources which we can share with others. Many recognize that the church in Africa has much to offer the church in other parts of the world. African Christians are going out as missionaries to England, for example. Let us increase this important contribution to the Church. Another example is music. African music is something that could enrich worship in other cultures as well as in our own. Let us develop it and share it.
Engage in Development of Economic and Social Policies
A second way in which we can help bring about equality is by engaging
in the development of economic and social policies. We can do this as
experts or as ordinary citizens. As citizens we must participate in public
discussions or about public policies.
A third way is to work directly for equality. For example, we can help to ensure that all children have equal access to education. Similarly, we can work for equal economic opportunities.
6. CONCLUSION
Let me summarize as I conclude.
1. The Christian gospel is a holistic gospel. It is good news for the whole of life. Let us not limit the gospel to the spiritual and moral aspects of life only. Instead, let us apply it to the economic, political and social aspects. The holistic gospel is not only for individuals: it is also good news for communities and nations. Let us bring the values and standards of the Kingdom of God into the whole of life.
2. The true success of the gospel depends on the participation of all Christians. The work of the gospel is not just for missionaries and other fulltime Christian workers. It is for everyone. For example, Christians must bring the standards and values of the Kingdom of God into the management of public affairs if Africa is to know peace and prosperity. Management of public affairs is a good example of an aspect of life which requires the participation of all the people, including Christians. Indeed, Christians ought to be at the forefront - as political leaders, judges, voters, pressure groups, etc.
3. The holistic gospel requires a double commitment. It requires that we are committed both to the Lord and to the people we are called to serve. Only then can our motives be right. Only then can our service be pleasing to God and truly beneficial to people.
4. The gospel of Jesus is a gospel of equality. Equality between individuals. Equality between men and women. Equality within nations. Equality between nations. We are called to share what we have with others. We are also called to work with others who seek equality.
History shows how difficult it is to put into effect the holistic Gospel of Jesus. It is easier to deal with only aspects of it. It is easier to preach a narrowly "spiritual" gospel. Similarly, it is easier to preach and practice a "social" gospel. The Christian church has, in the past, tended to emphasize one aspect or the other. The challenge is for us to embrace and put into practice the whole of the Gospel.
Go On and Complete the Work
It is good that you, the Quaker church, are engaged in different aspects
of the Gospel: in evangelism, education, health. May I, in the words of
Paul, encourage you to go on and complete the work. And may I ask you
to go on and extend the gospel to the other important aspects of life,
and particularly to governance or management of public affairs.
The challenge is for every Christian to go on and complete the work the Lord has given us. Paul, in Romans 2, encourages us to go on with the promise that "To those who through persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he [God] will give eternal life." (Romans 2:7)
Return to main Triennial page:
"Friends United Meeting Celebrates Double Centenary—Double
Blessing"