THE EVOLUTION OF A CHRISTIAN
Three steps that offers every Christian a powerful participation in the building of the Kingdom
By: Andrew Richards Institute for Strategic Foresight
Strategic Futurist: dia-LOGOS
In 1 Corinthians 3:2, Paul tells the church that he gave them milk when they started as new believers, and that after all the teaching they received, they were still not ready for solid food. To be on solid food means not only to know Jesus as saviour, but to know him completely as he lives in and through us. Solid food means we take in what He says, we understand what He asks, and then we do His will because our lives have been transformed.
As the church in Corinth grew, less for themselves and more for Christ, they would have moved closer and closer to taking solid food. There are therefore certain steps, a kind of evolution, that must be followed, from milk to solid food. Theologically, this evolution is divided into 3 phases. Justification, sanctification and glorification.
But there is also a different evolution that offers every Christian a powerful participation in the building of the Kingdom. Wherever we find ourselves, at home, work, school or on the mission field.
The first phase of this evolution is to:
1. NOTICE WHAT GOD IS DOING.
In a world that finds itself in apparent chaos, we must be able to see that God is working for the benefit of His kingdom. We must realize that God not only works through world events, but that He even intentionally creates world events, so that His kingdom can be built upon the outcome.
So far, in 2022 alone, there have been 27 armed conflicts that displaced more than 100 million people worldwide and cost the lives of thousands more. Add to this the millions who were displaced by natural disasters, and we see not only people on the move, but entire population groups, even nations, on the move. We read in Acts 17:26-27 how God made all the nations, determined where they would live and that He placed in them a need to search for Him. “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live yon all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, cand perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us. ‘In him we live and move and have our being’
If you look at a map of the unreached world, a world where Jesus is not known as saviour, and you compare it to a map that shows all the wars and natural disasters around the world, you will find that they fit like a hand in a glove. God is moving people, so that they will search for Him - and find Him. But Romans 10:14-15 asks “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
The first step in our evolution to become mature and effective believers, is to notice what God is doing. And what is it that God is doing? He is preparing a harvest, and He is using global events to prepare the harvest for His church.
The second stage in our evolution to become effective believers, is to
2. BE A PART OF WHAT GOD IS DOING.
And here I want to refer to South Africa. Years ago, I was asked why I worked as a missionary outside the borders of South Africa, when there is so much work here in our own country. I naturally agreed but pointed out to the person that I was only one of 3 missionaries who came from a congregation of 2,000 members. Which meant that as missionaries we were so convinced of the great need in South Africa, that we were prepared to leave 1,997 people behind in South Africa to do that great work.
Statistics show us that more than 13,500 protests are held every year throughout South Africa, and that an estimated 15,248 people leave the country every month in search of a better future. This means that 501 people leave South Africa every day because they think the grass is greener in Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
Have we ever really stopped and honestly asked the question why people protest? Why do they strike? Often, it’s due to dissatisfaction and uncertainty about the future. This is also one of the reasons why so many qualified people leave the country. They have lost hope and are often driven by fear.
As a church, we have the unique opportunity and privilege to express hope and make a difference. Stop believing that the grass is greener on the other side. It is not. The grass is greenest where it gets the most water. If we stop giving South Africa water, the grass will always be greener on the other side. Your light as a Christian means nothing if you only move around with other Christians. It is only when circumstances are against us that our light shines brightest. Make no mistake, some circumstances in South Africa are very dark. But instead of letting our light shine the brightest, some run away, running after the other lights that go in search of greener grass. Choose today to make a difference right here where you are!
The third phase in our evolution is to
3. ANTICIPATE WHERE GOD WILL WORK AND TO MEET HIM THERE.
For 11 years I worked as a researcher at Incontext International where I analysed world events from a Christian perspective. As I travelled to Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, I realised just how unprepared the church is when it comes to future opportunities. Over the years I have begun to identify trends that speak of the future. A future that shows how God is preparing for His coming. But first there will be a great harvest.
One particular future harvest that trends shows is among Muslims. And the Lord is using the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, to get the harvest ready.
A highly religious and conservative country, Saudi Arabia is the leader of the Muslim world, which consists of more than 1.7 billion people. A country that is synonymous with conservative Islam, hard-line clerics and Muslim terrorism almost overnight gave women rights, allowed alcohol under certain conditions, opened movie theatres and even allowed women's wrestling matches. A few months ago, Saudi Arabia even hosted the world's largest secular rave concert in Riyadh, which attracted more than 700,000 people over 4 days. In his own words, Bin Salman wants to take Islam “back to moderate Islam” that adapts to the West.
Saudi Arabia of course faces a lot of opposition from conservative groups and extremists, and of course their nemesis Iran. Iran, which is on the threshold of developing nuclear weapons, has already threatened that Saudi Arabia will be a target. Potentially there is a big world war waiting for us. A war in which Islam will destroy itself. * From this coming conflict there will come millions upon millions of refugees, and the question on all their lips will be: who can save us?
A testimony from Syria tells how a Christian listened every night to the cries of distress from people who were trapped by the Islamic State. A certain street in Homs divided the city between the Islamic State and the Syrian army. On the Syrian army side there was water, food and medical aid available, but on the other side where the Islamic State was in control, there was no food, water or medicine. The Christian listened to people on the ISIS side calling for help every night. Crying because they haven't eaten in a week and haven't had water to drink in days. They were literally dying of hunger and thirst. The only reason no one ever crossed the street to take food and water to them was because the street was watched by ISIS snipers who would shoot anyone who tried to cross the street. The Christian could no longer listen to the death that was unfolding before her eyes. She then asked God what she should do. The Lord answered her, and said: “If you do nothing, and stay on your side of the street, nothing will change for you. But if you walk across the street, it will change everything for the people on the other side.”
Will the church be ready for the coming harvest? Only if we are willing to walk across the street.
Choose today to begin your evolution into being an effective Christian. Choose to give water, here in South Africa and wherever hope is needed elsewhere. Choose to walk across the street.
* A war in which Islam will destroy itself. This is based on two possible scenarios, occurring either separate from each other, or at the same time. ISF expects the latter.
PHYSICAL WAR SCENARIO
This prediction is based on the ongoing Sunni-Shia struggle that has defined Islam from the beginning, starting with the death of the prophet Mohammed (632 A.D.) and the appointing of his successor. Sunni Muslims, who number over 80% of Muslims worldwide, believe that only a religious leader has the right to lead Islam worldwide, and therefore chose Abu Bakr, Muhammad's close friend and advisor, as his successor. Shia Muslims, believe that only a direct descendent of Muhammad’s family can be a successor. Islam has been divided ever since and continues their enmity towards each other without shame. The war in Yemen is a clear example of how far they are willing to go, using Yemen as a proxy from where Saudi Arabia and Iran can attack each other. The Saudi-Iran proxy conflict is also known as the Middle East Cold War. This proxy war, where other nations suffer as a direct result of Saudi and Iran’s unwillingness to attack each other directly, is not always as clear as the war in Yemen. The Israel-Palestinian conflict is one such example. Iran, an extremist opponent to the State of Israel, makes use of its allies in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, mainly Hezbollah and Hamas, to wage a covert war against Israel. Saudi Arabia, while not making use of lethal military means against Hezbollah and Hamas, have given their full support to the State of Israel in direct opposition to Iran. The Iran-Iraq war of the 1980’s, and the Arab Spring ensuing wars of Syria, Libya, and Yemen are all examples of the proxy war between the two countries. The official proxy conflict between the two can be traced back to the Iranian revolution of 1979 that have since seen more than 43 years of bloodshed in the name of Islam. Over the years more than two million Muslims have been killed and millions more displaced – all in the name of Islam. In 2022, with Iran on the brink of developing nuclear weapons, we can continue the proxy war trend and predict the likelihood that the Saudi-Iran war will escalate in the near future. This predicted escalation will not only see Saudi Arabia and Iran fighting each other, but will most likely involve Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, the Emirates, Turkey, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and even China. A perfect storm that could see the prophesy of Matthew 24:21 come to life.
SECULAR LIBERATION SCENARIO
Another scenario that could possibly see the end of Islam, or at least the end of influential Islam, is the liberation movement driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. Although its origins lie in conservative tribal culture, Saudi Arabia, like Iran, Iraq and almost all of the Muslim world today, were much different in the 50’s, 60’, 70’s, and 80’s that they are today. Western dress was commonplace, and woman were no different from their European counterparts. Hair was the same style, and their skirts as short as those worn by woman in Hollywood. And then something changed. From moving forward, in line with a progressive and ever-increasing liberal world, the Muslims world (especially throughout North Africa and the Middle East) suddenly reverted back 100 years, stripping woman of their rights and forcing society to give up their freedoms. In both Saud Arabia and Iran, protests have become commonplace and although the governments from both countries continue to suppress revolutionary voices, often through violent means, those below the age of 30 continue in their search for freedom. These anti-government protests have also turned against age old religious institutions and customs. Protestors are becoming increasingly anti-religious. Crown Prince bin Salman wants to bring Saudi, and Islam, back to its progressive roots and allow more liberties. He needs to do this if he hopes to rule a Saudi Kingdom with a median population age of 32 years. Saudi must either conform or die. Under the Crown Prince, Saudi has chosen the former. As what happened elsewhere, where freedoms were all of a sudden allowed after decades of repression, religious fervour lost its taste and people became moderate, even apathetic towards religion. This opens the doors to humanism and other religious expressions, also Christianity, and a harvest for the Christian church. If Saudi Arabia is successful in its move towards modernisation, more in line with Western liberties, then Islam stands a good chance of losing it religious hold on society. If this happens, extremism will rise to new hights for a limited time before it implodes.