Desmond Tutu-- Repentance and Forgiveness

Background Check:
Throughout the 1900s South Africa had a government run by those who were racially white, even though the majority of the people were black. Blacks were typically accepting of whites in general, but they wanted to see some changes made in the government. The blacks wanted to be able to vote, they wanted to be able to live without fear, they wanted to have equal police with the whites. Different organizations of blacks were created to get the government to change. But the South African government determined not only that they would oppose these black organizations, but that they would attack, torture and kill those who are participating in those organizations. This oppression of the blacks was called apartheid.

His Story:

A black man named Desmond Tutu was raised in South Africa amidst these injustices. But rather than focusing on protests and violence in response to the government, he would pray and seek God for His justice. He studied in London and became a priest and then a bishop in the Anglican Church. After he became a bishop, Desmond began writing letters to the government calling on them to repent from their evil actions. The government ignored the letters. Then Desmond traveled all over the world to convince other governments and corporations to stop supporting the South African government and its violent policies against blacks. Many governments listened to Desmond and refused to have dealings with the South African government.

At this point, the Anglican church made a radical step. They made Desmond Tutu Archbishop over all of South Africa—in charge of the whole official church in South Africa. This made the South African government infuriated, but there was nothing they could do. Many whites hated Desmond and would call him up to threaten him. He would bless them in Jesus’ name and hang up.

Then, in 1989, a new president was elected in South Africa, Francis de Klerk. Because of how South Africa had suffered under the violence and economic instability under apartheid, de Klerk determined that there needed to be a change. He made it possible for black people to vote and released many black dissidents from prison. Thus, at the next election, an all-black government was elected.

It would have made sense for the new government to do what many other governments had done who were oppressed—to hurt or kill the oppressors. However, the new president, Nelson Mandela, appointed Desmond Tutu over a committee to determine how to respond to the oppressors. Under Desmond’s guidance, the committee was called the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. They would listen to the stories of oppression from blacks. Then they would bring in the whites who committed the tortures, violence and acts of hatred. They encouraged the whites to tell the truth, to confess their sin and that they would then be pardoned. Many whites accepted this, and fully spoke the truth before the whole country. They were then forgiven for their sins and allowed to leave freely. To have all of the confessions and pardons took twenty seven months. But in the end, many whites and blacks were reconciled and South Africa was able to exist as a country which welcomed both whites and blacks.

WWJD
Jesus saw his people, both white and black, suffering under aparthaid, and he saw many people doing evil in Jesus’ name, both white and black under this regime of terror. Jesus chose Desmond—already one who knew how to suffer—to make peace among his people. Even as Jesus sought the sinner and called them to repentance, so did Jesus call Desmond to accomplish the same work.

The Final Word (of Men)
Desmond Tutu is still the leader of the Anglican church of South Africa today. He is one of the most respected clergy alive today.

A Word From Our Sponsor:
Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him and if he repents, forgive him; and if he sins against you seven times in the day and turns to you seven times and says, “I repent” you must forgive him. Luke 17:3-4

For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. Matthew 6:14-15

Helpful Hint: Loving the Unlovable

All of the faithful were hated or attacked at one time or another. But when it happened, they remembered what Jesus said: “Love your enemies.” So they would pray for their enemies and do good to them whenever they had need. Menno Simons taught all the Anabaptists to pray for the rulers that were persecuting them. Therese would find something good to say to those who complained about her. Martin Luther King prayed for the very whites who attacked him. They were consistent in loving—even those who were unloveable.

Check It Out:
Tutu: Voice for the Voiceless by Shelley Du Bois

Martin Luther King, Jr.-- No Favoritism Between Races

Background Check:
In the 1950’s the United States’ governments were run by racially white people, even though in many states most people were black. For almost a hundred years, since blacks had been released from slavery by a civil war, there had been laws which separated the whites from the blacks and restricted blacks from many places and activities that would be of benefit to them. Whites and blacks could not go to school together, they couldn’t drink from the same water fountains, they couldn’t even ride on buses together.

His Story:
A young preacher named Martin Luther King spoke against these injustices, but it didn’t seem that he could do anything—after all, he was black himself and was just a preacher. But when an outrage happened against an older black woman on a bus, then Martin organized protests there in his home town, Montgomery, Alabama. Many blacks followed him and they all publicly protested the segregation of blacks and whites on the buses—which gave the blacks the worst seats in the back. Martin would preach on the steps of city hall, preaching that Jesus taught that all people were the same in the eyes of God, no matter what their race. He also taught that if public policy and laws were insisting on favoritism against one race, then they are standing against Jesus. The bus laws were changed because of these protests and the seats were no longer segregated.

Both blacks and whites understood the power of what had happened. The blacks had a new sense of power and a realization that the Jim Crow laws might be overthrown. Many whites stood with Martin Luther King and wanted to see the favoritism stop. But many other whites were angry with the blacks and with Martin especially because they felt that they were losing their power to rule. Some of these whites were using violence in order to keep their power. One man stabbed Martin with a knife. Another group of men murdered blacks who were peacefully protesting. The police would attack protesters. Another group of men burned churches with people in them.

Martin was insistent, however, that he and his people would not fight back, nor do any kind of violence toward them. Some blacks didn’t like this policy, but Martin said that Jesus taught not to do evil back to those who do evil to you. Rather, he said, we are to love our enemies. At the same time Martin was bold in proclaiming the hard righteousness of Jesus—that of not harming others, giving to others what you want to receive for yourself.

Martin also wanted the government to stop the violence of their war in Vietnam. This made Martin very unpopular, even among his closest supporters. Martin also tried to stop the systems that caused poverty for both blacks and whites, but few listened to his message.

WWJD
Martin was preaching the message Jesus gave him—change the nation, but only through non-violence. However, Martin also saw America as being his salvation, not the kingdom of God. And Martin struggled with the sin of cheating on his wife all of his life. Jesus used Martin, but Martin was not the one to bring people to Jesus.

The Final Word
After one speech in 1967, Martin was shot and killed. This event woke people up to the evil in the segregationist party. Eventually, the whole United States eventually changed their laws and stopped segregation between whites and blacks—on buses, in education and even where they lived. However, the church did not want to listen to Martin’s message against war and against poverty. They praise him for his work against racism, but neglect to speak of his whole message.

A Word From Our Sponsor:
The woman said to Him, "Sir, our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:20-24

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:35-36

Helpful Hint: Enduring Rejection and Persecution
Every one of the faithful received persecution and rejection for their stand with Jesus. As Paul said, “No one will enter into the kingdom of God without tribulation.” Even so, there isn’t a single one of the Faithful that did not face opposition, difficulties and even death for their stand for Jesus. Montanus was rejected by his own people for listening to the Spirit. Martin Luther was formally cut off from the Roman church for his stand with the word of God. Paul, Michael Sattler, Jim Elliot and Martin Luther King all were killed because of their stand for God. If you want to be one of the Faithful, expect rejection—lots of it. Rejection is bread and butter for one remaining in Jesus.

Jim and Elisabeth Elliot-- Sacrificing for the Gospel

Background Check:
The Christians in the United States in the mid-1900s were focused on giving the gospel to two groups of people: youth and other nations. In churches all over the U.S. there were many who were encouraged to participate in “missions”, that is, outreach to countries other than the U.S. There was also a number of rallies for youth to teach them to make a commitment to Christ. Thousands of youth believed in Jesus and went to Bible schools to learn more about Jesus. However, many of these youth grew to be people who were only halfway committed to Christ—believing in Jesus, but having little commitment or willingness to sacrifice themselves for the gospel.

Their Story:

Jim Elliot was a young man in Portland, Oregon. He had everything going for him—he was handsome and athletic. He was smart and good at schoolwork. He could have done anything he wanted to in life. But he chose to dedicate himself to giving the gospel of Jesus to those who had never heard it before. He was very strict on himself, disciplining his body and mind so that he would be better equipped to share the gospel. He knew that he would be in difficult terrain to walk, so he exercised regularly to make himself fit. He traveled across the country to study the Bible so he could better explain it. He would evangelize at local rallies they had for youth. And he gathered companions around him who were as dedicated as he to go to places where Jesus had never been named.

He also determined not to get married. Being married, he thought, would limit his ability to preach the gospel. His companions, though, convinced him that if he were married, that he would be better equipped to preach the gospel. It so happens there was already a girl he was interested in, back in Portland. Her name was Elizabeth and she was as dedicated to Jesus as he was. Elizabeth was thinking that she would teach the gospel to women in other countries as a single woman. But as she and Jim wrote letters over time they both realized that they loved each other and that God’s plan for them would be better served together. So as they finished their preparations, they were married.

The missions agency they were with sent them down to the jungles of South America, where almost no one had been before. There, they studied languages, especially Indian ones that might give them the opportunity to speak to Indian tribes that had never heard the gospel before. As their language study progressed, they decided to contact an Indian tribe that could only be reached by airplane. Jim and a few of his companions went to visit the area. They didn’t meet anyone there, but they knew they were being watched. They visited the area again, and then swarms of tribesmen, ready for war attacked them and killed everyone—Jim and all of his companions.

Elizabeth and the wives of the companions were heartbroken. God had taken them all of this way and they worked so hard, for what? The news of the martyred missionaries was sent back to the United States and was put in the newspapers. But the wives of the martyrs weren’t finished with missions yet.

Elizabeth wrote the story of the missionaries in a book and it became very famous. Then Elizabeth and another one of the wives decided to go back to South America and attempt to work with the tribe that had killed their husbands again. This time, with a more careful approach, they were successful. It took twenty years or more, but the tribe that had killed Jim Elliot became Christians. One of the men who had killed her husband went up to Elizabeth and wept, apologizing for his action. She forgave him and he began to follow Jesus.

The Final Word (of Men)
Jim Elliot’s martyrdom was famous in the United States. Many were shocked that such “savages” still existed. Some felt that such “backward” peoples should be destroyed. But many more were shocked at Jim Elliot’s faith and commitment to love others. A saying by Jim Elliot became famous among American Christians: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Thousands were inspired by the story of Jim and Elizabeth Elliot and decided to take the gospel to those who had never heard it before like them.

A Word From Our Sponsor:
You will be hated by everyone for my name’s sake. But whoever endures to the end will be saved. Mark 13:13
Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Luke 6:27-28

Helpful Hint: Sacrificing Oneself for Love

Often the faithful would do what was dangerous to themselves or give away everything they had. It is not enough to just love, they would say, it is essential to love sacrificially. The Bible says that we need to love with all that we have, not just to take one part of ourselves to love. If that is the case, then all that we have and all that we are should be at the disposal of others, for their needs. Paul would teach the truth of Jesus, even though he knew that he would be beaten for it. Jim Elliot was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of those who had not heard the gospel. Michael Sattler was willing to be tortured and die for the sake of Jesus, even when he was being killed in the name of Jesus. To be faithful, it is not enough to love—you have to give up your whole self.

Check It Out:
Through Gates Of Splendor by Elizabeth Elliot
The Journals of Jim Elliot
My Enemy, My Savage by Elizabeth Elliot
Also, check out the new film, “End of the Spear” which tells the story of Jim Elliot from the perspective of one of the tribe that killed Jim Elliot

William J Seymour-- Waiting for the Spirit

Background Check:
In the late 1800s the United States was in a race division. After a great Civil War, black slaves were granted freedom from slavery, but white people still had control over all significant power and money. Blacks were not allowed to participate in anything whites participated in, and the blacks received the worst of the segregation. Even education was limited. Blacks were not accepted at colleges and universities that whites went to, and so most blacks were uneducated and the few that were educated were able to gain their education at universities paid for and run by blacks.

This situation was also true for Bible education. If anyone wanted to study the Bible in depth, they would go to a Bible school or seminary and pay money to receive the education. Almost all Bible schools and seminaries were run by whites for whites. Black people were not allowed on the campus, except for servants.

His Story:
On the campus of one Bible school in the Midwestern U.S. was a black servant named William Seymour. He worked hard at the Bible school, hoping that he might catch a bit of the teaching and so become a Bible preacher and teacher himself. However, as he approached some of the teachers, the answer was always the same: “This is a white school, not a black one. You can’t learn here.” He was disappointed, but he still asked. Finally, he asked a teacher of the book of Acts if he could take his class. The teacher said that he couldn’t sit in the classroom, but if he was quiet he could sit outside the door and listen. So day after day, William listened to the specific teaching of the book of Acts.

He learned that in Acts the apostles waited for the Spirit to come and that when he came, the Spirit wasn’t quiet and unseen. Rather he came in power and in the speaking of tongues. The teacher and William came to the same conclusion: if the apostles in Acts could receive the Spirit in this way, then all believers can. They just need to ask God and wait for it.

William began teaching this in local black churches, but they weren’t interested in hearing this new teaching. So he decided to move to Los Angeles, where people might be more interested in a radical Bible teaching. William began to hold meetings in an auditorium in Los Angeles on Azusa Street, and advertised them in the local papers. People came in, interested to hear what he would say about the Spirit. He taught them that right then and there, they needed to pray to God and ask him for the Holy Spirit. And they needed to come the next night and pray again. And they needed to pray again and again until the Spirit came.

At first, only a few came. Then a couple people began to feel the presence of the Spirit. More people came. Soon there were meetings every night of the week and William asked other teachers to come in and teach on the book of Acts. The teachers that came in were white and soon they had a mixed congregation, black and white, all praying side by side for the Holy Spirit.

Then, one day, it happened. Suddenly, the people praying for the Spirit night after night experienced what was unknown for centuries—they were speaking in languages unintelligible to anyone except God! No one tried to do this, but it came about, even as the Scripture said. The revival became front page news in Los Angeles and as the movement grew, people started to come from around the country to experience the Spirit.

WWJD
Jesus told his disciples to wait for the Spirit—and so they did, for thirty days. When the Spirit came upon the disciples, he was shown by the speaking of other languages. William Seymore did what we should all be doing—asking God to repeat the experience of the first church in our experience. Jesus blessed his effort, and granted the Spirit, just as he said he would.

The Final Word (of Men)
The meetings grew huge and it was clear that churches were going to form around these meetings. William had a vision to have churches filled with both black and white people, all of them united by the Spirit alone. However, the white teachers rejected this idea and told William that he could no longer teach at Azusa Street—he had to teach only to the blacks. William was angry and left them to form his own churches. The Azuza Street Revivals began what was later called the Pentecostal movement. The Pentecostal movement is now all over the world and changing the lives of millions around the world. Even today, however, there are many denominations of Pentecostal churches, some of them exclusively for whites, and some exclusively for blacks.

A Word From Our Sponsor:
I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? Luke 11:5-13

Helpful Hint: Steadfastness in God’s Calling
For every one of the Faithful there were obstacles to doing what God desired them to do. Patrick sought to do what his superiors thought he was not qualified to do. John Wycliffe had to face the displeasure of other professors and church leaders. Hudson Taylor, to get to China, had to face the rejection of other missionaries. But the Faithful knew what it was that God had desired them to do and nothing would stand in their way. No obstacle, no rejection could stop them from fulfilling the word of Jesus in their life. They knew that God was far stronger than those who stood in their way and that nothing would stop God from fulfilling his plan.

Check It Out:
The Pentecostals by Harvey Cox