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God, the Bible and Political Justice |
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INTRODUCTION
"This is my working draft of the new book "God, the Bible and Political Justice." I am adding the chapters as I get the first draft done. They are not edited and they are not final. I put them on the web so that you can track with what I am thinking and doing, and so that you can also make comments. If misspellings and bad grammar are dangerous to your health.....please do not read on. Otherwise, God bless you. Landa Cope"
Jesus summarized the whole teaching of the Law in two sentences:
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 2
The emphasis of the Kingdom is God’s revelation of who He is, who you and I are and how we are to live together. Our emphasis in the last century of Christianity has been on what God says about me, the individual, what He requires of me and will do for me. With our emphasis on salvation we stress personal blessing, personal sin and personal holiness. Nowhere is this more visible than in analyzing the popular hymns and choruses over the last few decades. Understanding how God relates to me is not wrong, but incomplete, out of perspective with the bigger picture of what God is emphasizing in Scripture. The priority of the whole of the Bible is on the nature and character of God and how I am to live that out in my community and nation. In other words, I reveal my faith and knowledge of God through how I treat you and how I will allow you to be treated.
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The Old Testament Template |
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 INTRODUCTION
I am sitting in a small guesthouse in Potchefstroom, South Africa. Last night, and the two nights before, I spoke to a thousand South African university students about the call of God on each of their lives to bless and develop their nation. As I worshiped with them, and it was powerful worship, I was reminded of the summer of 1972 at the Munich Olympics. A thousand young people gathered in a tent just outside the city. We were there for the first-ever Olympic outreach and we were there to change our world. Joy Dawson spoke on “God Is Always Greater.”
From that one outreach and Youth With a Mission’s one base in Lausanne, Switzerland, our mission exploded to over a thousand bases in 150 countries and hundreds of outreaches all over the world with millions of young people involved over the next 33 years. YWAM, OM, Campus Crusade and other Spirit-lead youth missions launched what missiologists now refer to as the third wave of missions. Faithful, amazing God!
Now it is time for the fourth wave! It is time for the largest church in history to become the deepest church in history. Last night, speaking to those South African students, I saw the face of the future. Pray with me for the release of this new generation of world-changers. Pray with me for a global revolution of political and economic justice, revival of the church and explosion of wholeness in individuals and families. Pray with me that God’s glory will be seen – and that every Christian worldwide will follow Saint Francis of Assisi’s admonition to be a witness all day, everyday and, when necessary, use words. God never changes. Pray that we, His people, do.
Landa Lea Cope
Potchefstroom, South Africa
August 17, 2005
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