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Folks -
The following speaker came to the church I go to, made a presentation about living a risky life - having trust in the Lord. His presentation then featured bungy jumping - you know you're safe, but there's a moment just before you jump that you're fearful. He is making other presentations to local churches, raising awareness and fundraising.

He puts his money where his mouth is. He has a big mission in Burundi, a country that's little heard about, doing Christian outreach, in partnership with others. The poverty is extreme. The people are very hard hit. Their faith in Christianity is tremendous and they will share whatever little thing they have. One Burundian minister borrowed a pair of shoes off Simon because he thought it wasn't fitting that he should preach whilst so poorly attired (Simon of course gave him the shoes!).

Here's his details: Simon Guillebaud, founder of Great Lakes Outreach, Burundi (http://www.greatlakesoutreach.org/)

Simon is author of:
For what it's worth: A call to no-holds-barred discipleship,
Dangerously Alive: An African Adventure of Faith under Fire

Simon is likely to be challenging in the extreme:
(WARNING: Link contains photographs which will disturb)
More than Conquerors PowerPoint presentation.

Simon can be found on facebook as: "Simon Guillebaud"

If you click on the first link, you will be able to see the last annual report detailing where everything has come from and is going to. (There are slide bars on some pages with more info.)

If you click the PowerPoint presentation (but not if you are squeamish or depressed or have just eaten), you will see what some of the issues are that the people he works with have to deal with. If it doesn't shake your complacency, what became of your conscience? And yet - people come to and cling to faith in those circumstances.



The reason I'm posting this is because this is seriously committed Christian outreach, mission field, working with those in deep need. Perhaps you already know people involved in like missions.

I really wanted to post this so that you could see something of

(a) what mission outreach is
(b) how open the organisation is about its funding

Compare and contrast with other organisations that you know are sitting on a pile of money.

TWI and perhaps other organisations might well call this "a bag with holes" and bottomless need (ie, don't therefore bother to do anything).

Others...do things.

I'm not calling Simon the "Mother Theresa" of Burundi. He's a highly educated young man who sees a need and acts. He is the one who really could have been president of a Fortune 500 company; he has the ability and the contacts. But he chooses this life.

Discuss.

Have a whole heap of fun.

Quote

(emphasis as shown in Companion Bible, not sure if this will show as that Gothic script)
(bold bit is my emphasis and what I'd like to talk about)

I'd welcome a discussion of this, the practical effects of 2:2. I excerpted a little from chapters 1 and 2, but you might like to look at the whole of both chapters before responding.

The way TWI taught this, you just spoke about the risen Christ and his accomplishments. You toured people round the epistles. You showed them what the scriptures, particularly the epistles, said – about Christ, about the hearer's status as a (spiritual) son of God (seated in the heavenlies, etc). And what Wayfers say is often said without regard to who the person is that they are speaking, and with little regard for that person's life and the things they may be having to cope with.

I meet one or two occasionally. Their mouths are full of scriptures – but their hearts seem devoid of interest in me, my life, what I might need, etc. Neither do they seem able to relate to worldly events and perhaps put a "spiritual perspective" on them (other than "works of the adversary").

I think that has to be wrong teaching. My view is that we aren't to take notice of "endless fables" and genealogies – my influential family is this, my job is that, I've got a doctorate in – blah blah. But not, that we are not to take an interest in people and their lives so far. How on earth can you win anyone to Christ, if you don't have the faintest idea of their circumstances? If you express no concern for that person? Surely then you are in serious danger of being on an almighty ego trip - look at me, how many Bible verses I know!! (Not necessarily: how well I understand those verses.)

I think Paul is saying that he's not standing in his own authority, credentials etc (though he does mention these in Phil 3:5). And he is demonstrating by his life and lifestyle how he himself knows the risen Christ.
Neither is he trying to "trick them" with enticing words, fancy words, misleading information, twisted scriptures, or preachifying at them. He stands in the authority and strength that was instilled in him on the road to Damascus. Nothing else is worthy, and definitely not his "old" life. Perhaps he is also showing Christ - by what he doesn't say.

Paul remained acutely aware of what was going on in the churches he founded, where the disputes arose, where people weren't likeminded, where they were not practicing proper principle.

When we look at the risen Christ during the time he remained with the disciples, what was he doing? Hanging out with the disciples – cooking a meal for them, still being their servant, visiting them – opening the scriptures and teaching them so that they really understood – even helping them with their businesses (John 21).

1 Pet 3:15 reminds us that we are always to be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks a reason of the hope that is in us, with meekness and fear [respect]. So clearly the lifestyle there is not one of preachifying either, such that little else is known about the speaker. Because if the person were preachifying so much – there would be no need to even ask the question, never mind give an answer.

It would seem strange if Paul did not use different methods, depending on his hearers. If speaking in a synagogue to Jews who were already instructed in the OT, he could expound the scriptures. With the "Greeks" he preached the "unknown God". And in those situations, that would be right, perhaps. There are many such records.

But when speaking with individuals or living with them (eg Lydia, Acts 16) - don't you think he might have talked with them on a more personal basis?

Discuss.

So here are all these wannabes with "ministries" and they all have special knowledge of God and they're all willing to impart it to you – for a price.

For those who still profess Christianity:
Could you just remind me again – how many books was it that Jesus wrote? And sold, to fund his lifestyle?

For post-Pentecost followers of Paul:
There were plenty of epistles that he wrote to all the young churches. How much d'you suppose he charged per page of the letters known as 1 and 2 Corinthians?
And what d'you suppose he charged Timothy, for training and ordaining him?

For post-Pentecost followers of the more Jewish apostles?
Remind me again – what did likely lads like James, Jude and Peter charge for copies of their books/epistles?

For OT followers:
How much did Moses charge for training the leaders, in Ex 18:25? And there must have been instruction manuals, books, scrolls, what-have-you, to ensure that they did it correctly, yes?
Too difficult to write it all down in the desert?
Okay, how about Ezra's teachings in Neh 8? It's quite clear that there were written documents then, including lots of written documentation about kings and laws and so forth; so here in the book of Nehemiah, where the instruction of lots of people is described – surely all those new "converts" must have required special instruction books? And special training for the newly-appointed leaders?


That Jesus! He had such stupid ideas! Just how was he planning to fund his stable of racing donkeys?

Matthew 10 (King James Version)
1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out , and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; …
5 These twelve Jesus sent forth , and commanded them, saying , Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
…
27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.


I don't read anywhere in this or associated records:

I do read, in relation to a similar outreach:

Wow! Imagine that from one of these wannabes with a ministry!! What kind of a cult would that be? How on earth could they fund a lavish or even comfortable lifestyle, when money-for-knowledge is rejected?

Just a bit of fun, really, but as it says.

Just suppose Rosalie were ever to post here (it ain't gonna happen, folks!). What do you suppose her "handle" might be?



>Foxy One?
>Fauxy One?
>Rosa-lie?
>Rug (see Old Skool's recent topic Rosalie you lie like a rug)?
>SeeMeSmile?
>The Enforcer?
>The Forcer?

Heh heh .