Urban Leadership Foundation
A hub for leadership training in cities and among the world's 1.4 billion slum-dwellers
A Poor Wise Man (Woman)
by Viv Grigg (notes to be edited)
Introduction: Saving Cities
Read Ecclesiastes 9:13-17
I want to tell you a story that is at the heart of wisdom literature. The story of a poor wise man. It is the story about Jesus our Lord and perhaps a story about you.
I come to you on behalf of the poor of the cities of Asia. Latin America and Africa, for most of these cities are cities of the poor. I come as one who has chosen to be a poor man among the poor, as one who carries their sorrow, their pain.
He (She) Saved a City
The rise of the mega-city this century.
Improvement in health systems, water systems mean more people are born, less people die.
In 1900 only 1 city over 1 million , By AD2000 400 cities over 1 million in world, 12,000 cities in the world,
Almost every city has a church but there are 1736 cities with no significant Christian movement.
Growth of the urban poor
A great King named poverty, oppression, exploitation came against that city.
The greatest migration in history has been the migration to the slums and streets of the mega-cities of this century.
Nouakchott, Mauritania: 5000 people in 1960, today 600,000
The greatest mission thrust Has entirely missed the greatest migration
It is this Jesus that is the integrator of the city and He calls you to save the city. What does it mean to save the city? Think about this. What would it mean to Bombay? First comes the grain, then the movement, then its impact on societal structures. What has happened in Korea. First the movements among the poor, then they reach th elites, and th elites begin to bring the values of the Kingdom into the governmentasl, political and educational structures of the society.
Abraham prayed for a city - God heard
Nehemiah prayed for a city - God gave
Jonah preached to a city - God forgave.
What are you asking God for?
But Western mission has been mission to the urban middle class. Mission to the poor has been seen as giving the poor bread. The church has given the poor bread and kept the bread of life for itself .
New assumptions for Korean missionaries:
Story of family in Calcutta slum. God reveled himself, but no-one had explained the gospel.
And their cries have reached the Lord of Hosts.
And hearing their cries he has reached down to save. And God desires to raise up a new breed of missionaries. Grains of wheat.
One Man (or One Woman).
God's method is people!
Do we not hear a call for laborers of a rugged cross, laborers whose delight is work, suffering and sacrifice, whose souls are filled with compassion and whose lifestyles are that of simple but non-destitute poverty?
One Grain, one movement (John 12:24-26)
One man. One woman. One grain of wheat and a movement of 1500, 15000.
What are you asking God for? candies or cities, 100 converted, disciples, established in churches?
Ask of me and I will give the nations as your inheritance (Psa 2:8).
Is.43:1-4 is a passage for our lives. A movement of simple, humble servants will bring justice to the nations. Preaching grains, carrying crosses transform cities and nations.
Story of St Francis Xavier
Men and Women in Community: Apostolic Incarnational Communities
Grains of wheat are foudnd in communities/teams. We need communities of 6-12 in every one of these cities living two by two amongst these poor, single folk giving extra years of their lives to singleness, couples and families facing and paying the price at each step for themselves and their children.
These teams may consist of a comics designer, an occupational therapist, a prophet, an evangelist, a carpenter, a theologian. You name it. God can use it.
For each team there is a need for an outside mentor with a simple home where they can come for retreat as Jesus, and his men repaired to Mary, Martha and Lazarus' home.
A Wise Man/A Wise Woman.
What is wisdom?
The Bible tells us that wisdom begins in the fear of the Lord.
Wisdom and intercession are linked, for wisdom involves discernment at spiritual levels. We need an order of women called to intercession for these cities for we cannot enter the strong man's territory till we have bound the strong man.
Confronting Spirits over the cities by an opposite character:
Bangkok - spirit of sensuality; rescue the prostitutes
Manila - bitterness, live in forgiveness
Wisdom for the Church of Korea
"He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city." (Prov 16:32). The battle is the battle for your soul more than the battle for the city. Parts of the suffering, godly Korean church has lost her soul to the love of status, wealth,importance, cathedrals. Return to your first love.
Academic wisdom
But wisdom aquires the best of academic understanding also. The wise man among the poor will be the transformer of the city structures.
Story of Kagawa of Japan, friend of Korea
The wisdom of the streets
But there is another wisdom, that learned among the poor.Get your PhD in
the slums and you will grow to be wise.
A Poor Man (or Woman) Saved
Non-destitute poverty, simplicity
This poor man was not destitute (for there is no wisdom in that), but poor, one of the people. Not involuntarily poor but one who because he was wise had chosen poverty - and in that we see his wisdom. To save these cities it seems that God is looking for two movements, two protestant orders - one group choosing simplicity of lifestyle in the midst of Korean culture, the other choosing lifestyles of poverty amongst the poor.
Jesus: our model
Once upon a time a long time ago, long ago in the vastness of time there was a man who saved cities. His story began when space was an infinite nothingness, God inhabited eternity and the Son was pre-existent. But into history we discover he had two dwellings. He left eternity to dwell amongst the poor and lowly. (Isa 66:2). The Prince became Pauper. The master became our model. Here is God - a poor wise man. If you would know God follow him (Phil2:5-8).
Peter says years later simply in wonder "We were eyewitnesses". John says "We have beheld his glory... He was full of grace and truth." (John 1:14).
Chosen not involuntarily poverty:
chosen at birth, born in a manger, surrounded by smelly, outcast shepherds
Chosen in ministry: Choosing poverty as a poor, wandering scribe, dying between two thieves.
Chosen poverty in death.
Incarnation among the poor is the begining of Kingdom Economics. It has transformed the economic institutions of history. Evangelism and social justice integrate in the incarnation of Jesus.
The disciples as models
Don't work with the poor if you want to become famous. Peter and John told the lame man that silver and gold they had none but in the name of Jesus rise up and walk. When Peter was in prison the angel of the Lord told him to arise and pick up his sandals. Peter was a middle class man but he had only a pair of poor wooden sandals. To be poor for Jesus is not a dishonour. Yet all of our lives we carry dishonour. (II Cor 6:10) We are as poor yet we make many rich.
Conclusion: Seek God in Saving the Neediest Cities
Wisdom is better than life. Yet no one remembered that poor wise man . The crowd does not stand on and cheer. Let us press on into the darkest places of earth in the search for the knowledge of Jesus, the suffering servant.
© Viv Grigg & Urban Leadership Foundationand other materials © by various contributors & Urban Leadership Foundation, for The Encarnacao Training Commission. Last modified: July 2010Previous Page |