Kato Mivule, October 8, 2008 As the US Economic Crisis spreads to Europe, Asia and other parts of the world, many Christians still hold themselves captive to fear mongering, paranoia, and anxiety. Rather than see this crisis as an impediment, I believe that Christians can fully use this opportunity to be witness for our Lord Jesus Christ to our Brethren first and the world generally.
Worrying about the Stock Market will not help at all. Planning to flee the US (for those Christians in America) for other nations will not help. Europe which was seen as a safe haven is now reeling back and forth, not knowing what to do…the EU is struggling to get a general consensus of how to bailout its financial markets. China whose economy depends on exports to the Western World is weighing how to sustain the shocks and aftermath that have come with this current economic Tsunami…besides for Christians, your rights are not guaranteed there… So where is the safe place to go to hide from the current chaos? Your safest place is The Lord Jesus Christ… Proverbs 18:10 (10) The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. So, is The Lord just interested in us running and hiding and other forms of escapism? It is interesting as one browses through a number of so-called ‘The Christian Remnant Movement’ websites and all that is there is fear and panic as opposed to what to do… On the other extreme, you find those End Time Bible Prophecy blogs ‘awaiting’ The Rapture any time now… Some of these blogs are so scared that with the current economic crisis that they believe a ‘Kenyan Moslem’ is going to rule the USA and mark the end of Christianity (maybe the Christianity according to GW Bush…)… I listened to an interview on BBC on which the reporter asked a number of Americans on what they think about the current crisis…to my astonishment, one young lady, told the reporter how she is not worried (good for her) since she gives her tithe and offering to Church… Well, the Prosperity preachers will do all they can to sustain themselves…while hiding reality from their members… However, in the book of Acts we find that the early church did live in a world in which an ‘economic crisis’ of their day occurred and even before it did, The Lord showed them that it would happen. The Lord showed them through a prophet that there was a famine that would come upon that world of that day… Interestingly enough, the early church did not get into a panic and fear mongering; rather they sought to how they could minister to the most vulnerable among their members. They sought to help the poor believers in Jerusalem… Acts 11:28-30 (28) And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. (29) Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea: (30) Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. The famine that The Lord showed Agabus was to be severe and affect that Roman Empire during the times of Claudius Caesar. However, notice their response… They each determined and made it a big deal to minister to others who were in greater need…they gathered the little they had and sent help to believers in Jerusalem. This message should be a strong rebuke to the so-called ‘Remnant Christian Movement’ and ‘End Time Bible Prophecy’ Teachers who simply engage in fear mongering… My prayer is that The Lord will guide and lead each one of us…and that we can use this opportunity to minister to those who are in more serious need than we are, with the little that The Lord has blessed us with. Most of The Lord’s people are poor and this means that this Financial Crisis will affect many brethren out there. So, rather than get caught up in the fear mongering of Wall Street and the worldly economists, let us seek to reach out to those who are in need and help out freely, for freely we have received and freely give, not expecting anything back but with humility, not using your giving to boss, control and manipulate the poor… Rather than give your Tithe and Offering to that charlatan pastor, go give it to the poor brother and sister who lost their job and cannot pay their next electric bill…or need money for gas to look for work… Let us stop just being selfish and thinking about only, me, me, me, me…and how you want to flee the US (to US Christians), protect your 401K, Savings…reach out to those believers who lost everything in Hurricane Ike and are now faced with the Current Economic Famine of our day…doing it all in Jesus Christ Name with all love and Humility… Kato Mivule www.yesumulungi.com
Home 
Commentaries How the Early Church Responded to their ‘Global Economic’ Crisis
Commentaries How the Early Church Responded to their ‘Global Economic’ Crisis
How the Early Church Responded to their ‘Global Economic’ Crisis
