Scotland Mission Trip
The stone building sits amid a lawn overgrown with weeds. The signs facing the street, indicating the pastors and Bible classes, haven’t been changed in almost a decade. The walkway leading up to the wooden doors are cracked and crumbling.
And the congregation that meets in this building is not in much better shape.
The elders at the church claim to serve the surrounding community of Barlanark, a district within the Scottish city of Glasgow. But there seems to be little concern for who shows up on a Sunday morning, the weekday Bible studies have ceased to meet and the heralding of the Gospel is blatantly absent from the pulpit.
This isn’t a new state of affairs for the church either, leaving a people completely devoid of the Gospel and Biblical knowledge. Nor did it seem like an uncommon phenomenon among Scottish churches.
A team from Restoration Church recently returned from a trip to this church where we were able to help two youth pastors put on a Holiday Club for the neighborhoods kids.
These pastors, Pete Bell and Pete Stewart, as well as their families, will soon leave this dying – if not dead – church to prepare to plant a new, Gospel-preaching church in Barlanark with the support of 20Schemes.
The Holiday Club, similar to our Vacation Bible School, was their last contribution to the congregation, and for many of the children and teenage leaders who participated, it may be the last time they hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.
By the end of the week – after working with the kids in the Holiday Club and leading Bible studies with the teens – it was evident how little knowledge or true belief existed in the community. Many of the children and teens belonged to families that once attended the church services for years, yet the Gospel was absent. The families could sit through service upon service and still not hear of Christ as Savior nor learn why Jesus served as a sacrifice for our sin.
As a believer in a healthy, Gospel-preaching church I cannot understand how complete Biblical illiteracy could be so rampant among individuals who could attend any number of churches in their neighborhood.
You expect to find unreached people in isolated, poorer countries. You expect to find the unreached in India or any number of African or Middle Eastern countries. You do not expect to find them in countries that seem so similar to the United States, or at least have a similar history.
And yet, here was a group of unreached people in a small neighborhood near Glasgow’s city center. A people who desperately need someone to tell them the truth.
Fortunately for them, there will soon be a church preaching the Truth. But that’s not the case for every group.
Jesus commands us, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15).
So go to the unreached. Yes, go to India, China, Iraq, Africa, or Haiti if that’s where God is calling you.
But there are still the unreached in Scotland. There are still the unreached in D.C. proper. There are still the unreached in your apartment building. Don’t forget to go there too.
A church building does not mean the Gospel is present.
Worship through Prayer
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation; the Sovereign eternal ruler of all things; the gracious Redeemer of his people. Yes, Lord, we praise your holy and awesome name. You are the everlasting God. You reign forever. You are our strong deliverer. Praise the Lord all that is within us adore him and him alone.
Jesus we praise you this morning, for you defeated sin and conquered death. Holy Spirit we praise you this morning, for you breathe life into dead souls and seal us for the day of redemption. Holy triune God, we gather here this morning and sing your praise and declare your goodness and hallow your name.
Fill us with a deep delight and fresh joy in Christ. Father, we pray for those here this morning struggling with discouragement and despair. Remind them of your steadfast love. Some of us here this morning cry out from the depths of our soul, “How long of the Lord, how long will you forget me and hide your face from me?” Would you mightily minister to those crying out to you in this way. From your word give them a fresh hope, a confident assurance.
For those of us this morning that find ourselves walking joyfully in Christ, spur us on all the more. Give us the grace to behold the glory of God in the face of Christ. Enlarge our capacity to more fully delight in the supremacy of Jesus.
We thank you Lord for the abundance of your grace evident among us. We praise you for Matt and Lynn and the many ways they serve our body. We thank you for the hospitality of Jim and Laurie. We praise you for Christ exalting gifts you have given to Michelle and Matt and Jodie and Mike and so many others. We thank you for the selfless service of Joseph and Elaine and Ruth and of Ryan and Sarah. Continue to use every member of this body to build each other up into maturity in Christ.
We praise you that there is forgiveness and reconciliation in Jesus; we confess our sin. We are not perfect; far from it. This past week alone we have been harsh to others and unfairly critical to puff ourselves up. We’ve loved our jobs and our paycheck more than you. We’ve looked at pornography. We lied to protect our kingdom while neglecting to seek your kingdom and your righteousness. We’ve doubted your goodness and neglected you acting as though we are independent from you. We confess and repent of these sins.
We plead the blood of Christ, and praise you that because of his finished work on the cross and victorious resurrection we are reconciled back to you. We praise you that because of Christ and in the power of your Holy Spirit we can live joyful lives fully pleasing to you in every way. Help us Lord rejoice in this glorious news of salvation and satisfaction. Cause us to be a people that exude joy and happily serve others because of the love that you’ve shown us.
We pray this glorious gospel would continue to resound forth us not only from Restoration but also from Redemption Hill and Capitol Hill Baptist and GraceDC. Also use McLean Bible and National Community Church and Redeemer Arlington to faithfully proclaim Christ and make disciples. Grant our brother Wright Wall at All Nations DC and Shawn and Thomas at Pillar DC the perseverance to plant gospel churches. We praise you Lord that there are several other gospel churches here in Washington DC laboring to make much of Jesus.
Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, give your people in this country, and all around the world, the courage and the wisdom to stand up for all your image bearers. We pray in the name of Jesus for an end to human sex slave trafficking. We pray in the name of Jesus for an end to racism. We pray in the name of Jesus for and end to abortion. We pray in the name of Jesus for an end to terrorism. We pray in the name of Jesus for an end to religious persecution. Raise up men and women who will fight for the vulnerable. Help us seek the good of all people, even those who disagree us, even those who fight against us. Raise up government leaders who will pursue justice and rule with wisdom. Do this, Father, for the good of all humanity we pray.
Continue to use our time of worship this morning, O Lord, to mold us and shape us. As we sing, as we pray, as we listen to the preaching of your word, do a work in us so that we do not leave this place without being changed. We ask all of this in the powerful name of Christ, the name that is above every name. Amen.
Worship through Prayer
Father, we gather here this morning in the name of Jesus Christ. We gather to hallow your great and glorious name. You, O Lord, are faithful never forgetting your promises, never forsaking your people. We come this morning to behold the wondrous mystery of the gospel. We come to behold a rugged cross; we come to behold an empty tomb and we rejoice that Satan is defeated, sin is conquered and death is swallowed up in victory.
Holy triune God – Father, Son and Spirit – we praise you this gospel message is advancing. We praise for you the gospel unity of our church, and the ways you’re using this church to proclaim the excellencies of Christ. For your namesake, O Lord, use our ministry at Friendship Terrace to exalt Christ. Use American Friends to see people come to faith in Jesus. Use every member of Restoration to zealously and boldly make disciples that delight in Jesus.
We praise you for our mission trip to Scotland this past week. We pray that all those who heard the gospel would repent and believe. Grant saving faith to A and J, M and D. For the glory of your name, save and sanctify D and N and C. We pray for those children living in broken, messy homes. Grant them grace to know you as the perfect, loving Father in heaven. Use the few Christians – M, J, S, L, and S – to labor alongside P and C, and P and L. For the glory of your name, advance the gospel in Barlanark. Use 20 Schemes to plant gospel church among Scotland’s’ poorest.
We also pray for our dear brother and sister, R and E, in Duhok. As turmoil brews all around continue to grant them safety. We praise you that their city continues to be safe and a place of refuge. Give them wisdom as they seek to care for the flood of refugees physically and spiritually. Help R and E to continue learning the language. Give them grace in their parenting and patience with each other. As they learn the language and meet others in their city, bring people to faith in Jesus. Raise up disciples and pastors and healthy churches among the Bedhini Kurds we pray.
Holy Sovereign God, we pray to you this morning pleading for an end to the global turmoil. We pray for peace to swallow up persecution. We pray for the leaders around the world: for Barrack Obama, Vladimir Putin, David Cameron, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ahmet Davutoğlu, the leaders of NATO. Father, give these leaders wisdom and a sense of divine justice that they might use their influence and power to serve and protect your image bearers. We pray for our enemies. We pray for the leaders of ISIS and Al Qaeda and Boko Haram and the Taliban. Bring these wicked and ruthless leaders to repentance and faith in Jesus. Just like you did with the Apostle Paul, turn these leaders from gospel haters to gospel heralds. Do this Lord, we pray, for the glory of your name and the good of your people.
Father, we thank you that we live in a nation of peace where we can worship openly and freely; where we can voice our agreements and disagreements with our government and leaders. Give us the grace to respect those in charge even when we disagree. And give us the graceful boldness to stand up for what is right, godly, and good. We pray that we’d use our freedom to protect the unborn, those image bearers still in the womb. We pray that we’d use our freedom to promote a view of marriage and sexuality that benefits all of your image bearers. We pray that we’d use our freedom to serve those with less material resources.
Cause us to not take this freedom for granted and be complacent in our worship and following of Jesus. Give us the grace to use the freedoms we have to build each other up and spread the gospel. We praise you for ways the members of this church seek to actively live out the gospel day after day. We praise you for the many servants in this church. Father, in particular, we praise you for our brother R and sister R, and thank you for the countless ways they have built up the body. Give them grace as they move to Seoul. As they settle in, help them find a gospel community where they can serve and be served. Build them up in their marriage that they might increasingly reflect Christ and the church.
Lord, use the rest of our time this morning to help us behold Jesus Christ. By the indwelling Holy Spirit, give us a deep and abiding joy in Christ. Do this as we sing of gospel truth, listen to the preaching of the Word, and through the fellowship of the saints. We pray this all in the name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Worship through the Lord's Supper
O Lord, we come to this table confessing and forsaking our sin. We confess our idolatry and vanity. We confess that we often seek ultimate pleasure and comfort apart from you. We confess that we look for ultimate happiness in our spouse or in unhealthy longings for a spouse. We confess that we look for happiness in money and material possessions, in illicit sex, or in getting drunk or using drugs, or in power grabs for personal authority.
We have been selfish and gossips. We have been prideful, anger and unforgiving. Forgive us Lord. We plead the blood of Christ. Give us the grace to not just be remorseful, but truly repentant turning to Jesus for satisfaction and salvation.
We praise you that there is no sin big enough, no shame deep enough to keep us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
We praise you that Jesus is the sum of Psalm 15. We rejoice in our blameless Savior who ascends your holy hill; who speaks only truth, even to his own hurt. We praise you that though much evil was done to Jesus, he did no evil to his neighbors, but instead laid his life down that he might call us brothers and sisters.
As we come to this table, give us a fresh understanding and awareness of this sin-shattering, life-defining, hope-giving grace found in Christ Jesus. As we celebrate this meal, we look to our great High Priest, Jesus Christ the all-sufficient Priest who died a criminal’s death. And we praise you that our Great High Priest not only atoned for our sins, but rose again and ascended to the heavens to make intercession for his people.
Use this meal to comfort the distressed; to replenish the weary; to call back the wayward; to clean the conscience of the shamed; to spur on the encouraged. We come eating and drinking to remember what our High Priest Jesus has done, is doing, and look forward to the great banquet feast where we will sit in the holy place in the presence of the holy One. Amen.
Worship through Prayer
Oh God, you are faithful…faithful as the moon and sun in the sky. Faithful as the changing of seasons and the flowing of rivers…your faithfulness knows no end.
By your Faithfulness you led Abraham from Mesopotamia and took him home to the Land you promised him. By your faithfulness you gave him a son when all seemed lost. Your faithfulness raised up another son who gave another son that eventually gave rise to a people that number as many as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, again, just as you promised…you were faithful.
In your faithfulness you led them into Egypt to find food, and by your faithfulness you heard your people’s cry for help and you delivered them out by the blood of an unblemished lamb…passing them through the baptismal waters of the Red Sea and eventually back into the Land that you faithfully promised to their forefathers. You are faithful.
You faithfully delivered to your people the Law. You faithfully raised up laborers to build a Temple and in your faithfulness you set your presence in their midst, just as you promised them long before. Your faithfulness led you to raise up kings and prophets that spoke the Truth and reminded them of their waywardness and your faithfulness.
Till eventually…just as you told Adam and Eve at the beginning…some hundreds and hundreds, even thousands of years passed and your faithfulness delivered your Son…just as you promised. The Son of David, the Son of Abraham…born of a Virgin, come to deliver us from all of our faithlessness.
What joy is found in we faithless people petitioning you, the Faithful God of whom we have rebelled. To know that you not only welcome, but are glad to hear from us, invigorates ours hearts and minds. Sometimes we wonder why you would be willing to spend so much to bring us home to you, knowing that we are so often faithless and you, so faithful.
So, with broken hearts and, some of us, tear filled eyes and glad hearts, we ask your forgiveness. Like that Prodigal son…we are back again at your doorstep this morning, pleading your grace and forgiveness and oh what Joy there is to know that you so freely offer it!
We pray your forgiveness on our slothfulness…how slow we are to cultivate a love for you when you have done so much to quicken a love for us. We pray your forgiveness for the ways we have used our time, money, and talents this week. Many of us hardly gave a thought as to how we used them, forgetting all the while that we have nothing that was not given to us by you…forgetting that every resource was lent to us out of the storehouses of your glory. Have mercy on us.
Forgive us for where our minds drifted this week and forgive us for entertaining the prospect of sin in crude jokes, gossip, slander, and idolatry. You tell us that we are to be a City set upon a Hill for all to see. A people that are Holy…set apart, not conforming to the world, and too often we conform out of a desire to be accepted and approved by the very same world that hung up your Son to our shame though He had done nothing but love.
How thankful we are that you remain faithful in our faithlessness. How thankful we are that you will forgive our every sin as we lay claim to the work of Christ.
How thankful we are that, even though we are so often like babes in our faith, you are patient with us and show us a better way after we have wandered off the path of life. How thankful for the ASSURANCE of Pardon…thank you that we do not have to perform to earn your favor, since our hope is in Christ who faithfully performed the works of the Law though we do not. May Christ’s faithfulness move us into a faithfulness of our own as it is drawn from the well of your grace and empowered by your spirit.
God…many of us are despondent this morning. In your faithfulness, would you image forth your smile upon those that are…and may the picture of your love for us move them into a hope so strong that the fog of despondency lift!
Many of us are anxious. Remind us of your faithfulness and that no amount of worrying can add a single hour to our span of life. And may that fact cause calm and gladness to the anxious.
Many of us feel shame. Remind us that Christ was shamed FOR US, so there is no need to feel any shame for our sin…remind us that you are SO HAPPY to call us sons/daughters…Remind us that we are no longer defined by our sin, but by our Savior as we hope in Him.
Many of us are full of fear. Fearful of the prospects of dreams not coming true, jobs not being all that we had hoped, relationships not working the way we had thought, and life being more difficult than we thought they would be. Full of fear to share the good news to a world that seems increasingly hostile to it…Remind us that no weapon formed against Christ will stand. May we live in that confidence.
God…we are your people and you are our great shepherd. Lye us down in green pastures and lead us next to still waters and restore our souls. Lead us in paths of righteousness for your names sake. We confess the strong pull of our own names and our own preservation and our own acceptance and our own comforts…we want…we NEED you to birth in us a better hope than the lies we are told. Birth it in us by the reminder of your faithful and tender love.
Lastly, Lord we pray your faithfulness would be born in the hearts of this newly formed marriage in Matt and Kat. Oh how glad we are to consider your faithfulness to bring them together. Now lead them on to be faithful as they begin their work together as one.
And Lord, may your faithfulness lead the team that leaves for Scotland on Thursday. Make us bold in evangelism and eager to serve the poor and destitute. And bring us back here to testify once again to the faithfulness of your abiding love. Do it, Lord, for your glory. Make much of yourselves in the remaining portions of this service and even into this afternoon and into tomorrow for your glory. Amen.
Honor the Lord by Working Diligently & Honestly
In today's sermon we're examining how we honor the Lord with our wealth (cf. Proverb 3:9-10). First, we must remember that honoring the Lord starts by treasuring his word in our hearts not by doing something with the wealth in our hands. Then, we see that Proverbs continually calls us to realize money is secondary and temporary. Finally, we honor the Lord with our material possessions by giving generously.
However, those are not the only themes present in the book of Proverbs when it comes to honoring God with our money and possessions.
Another theme you come across when reading Proverbs is the repeated call to work hard. We’re repeatedly told to not make excuses and not be a lazy sluggard.
- 10:4-5 – “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.”
- 12:27 – “Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.”
- 13:4 – “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”
- 14:23 – “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”
- 19:15 - "Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep,and an idle person will suffer hunger."
- 26:13-14 – “The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!” As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed.”
God is not opposed to hard work; in fact, he ordains that we should work (cf. Gn. 2:15). So God is not honored when we continually make excuses or are marked by laziness. With the abilities and opportunities God has given us, we’re called to work; otherwise, we won’t have anything to eat (cf. 1 Thess. 3:5-15).
Yes, under God’s sovereign hand, things may not work out and we may find ourselves in dire circumstances of severe material need, but that should come from excuse making or laziness.
And as we work diligently, we’re called to work honestly.
- 10:2 – “Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.”
- 15:27 – “Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live
- 17:23 – “The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice.”
- 21:6 – “The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.”
- 28:18 – “Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.”
The greatest commandment is to “[L]ove the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. ’The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (cf. Mk 12:30-31). Therefore, if we want to honor God with our material possessions they must not be gained at the expense of others or at the expense of justice.
Restoration Church may we honor the Lord by working hard so that under God’s sovereign hand we might provide for ourselves and others; but may our hard work never come at the expense of others, or at the expense of truth and never in a way that causes us to compromise God-honoring morals.
[For those who want to study even further, Proverbs has a theme of honoring the Lord with your finances by stewarding them wisely (cf. 6:6-11; 10:4-5).]
The Bible is Not Just Medicine But a Meeting Place
"1 My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; 2 keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; 3 bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend, 5 to keep you from the forbidden woman, from the adulteress with her smooth words"
Proverbs 7:1-5
In yesterday's sermon, Nathan mentioned that we need to go to God's word not simply as a helpful book to assist us in beating sin, but rather to meet with the Living God. Too often we read treat the Bible like Wikipedia; we read about mosquitos but then wonder why we still get bit. We need to know the word of God like not like a scientist knows chemistry - as a stale proposition - but as a husband knows a wife - with warmth and intimacy.
How do we go about doing that? Nathan suggested 5 ways...
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Go to God in prayer and BEG Him to grow your appetite for the word
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Read the Bible, as much and as often as you can. Like a fine wine you will grow an appetite for it in so far as you go to in order to MEET with Christ and be satisfied in Him. Don't go to the Bible to just to meet an obligation or get some theological answers.
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Memorize and MEDITATE on passages that cause you to delight in Christ (e.g. Ps. 16:11; 107:9; 90:14; Mt. 5:6, 8; 13:44; John 15:11; 1 John 4:10). It's fine to memorize passages that teach you to run from sin, but its better to find passages that remind us of and point us to the Treasure of God himself. We fight sin, not primarily saying "No" to something bad, but by saying "Yes" to Him who is better.
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Meet with others regularly for the SOLE PURPOSE of talking about the glories of Christ in what you both have read. Don’t just get together and talk about work or even talk about your failures. As the Puritans used to say, for every look at sin take 10 looks at Christ - you can help each other do this in community.
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Come to the Gathering of the Saints on Sundays EXPECTING TO HEAR from God. Most of us wake up & come to church on Sundays because that’s just what we do. We roll in late because we hit the snooze button because we stayed up too late on Saturday nights. Without even hardly praying or preparing yourself you sit down 15 minutes after service has already started and hope God will speak, never preparing yourself. Wake up, pray and expect to hear from God. A good way to do that would be to show up for prayer at 930a.
Remember, the idea is not to read the Bible like medicine to fix your problems. The idea is to Come and Meet with Jesus and learn about Him and His love. As you do, slowly your appetite will be satisfied, and you wont listen to the seductive words of adultery that’s what Wisdom tells us: Fill yourselves with the Word of Christ and Live.
Worship through Prayer
Heavenly Father, we confess that we too often walk in a manner that is unworthy of the calling to which we have been called. Forgive us for our lack of humility, doing things out of selfish ambition or conceit. Forgive us for how we fall short of being gentle and patient with one another, and when we don’t bear with one another in love.
Forgive us for the ways in which we failed to put away falsehood this week, ways in which we did not speak the truth with our neighbor. Forgive us for the ways in which we let corrupting talk come out of our mouths, instead of desiring to build each other up with our words.
This week, we were jealous, sexually immoral, envious, drunk, idolatrous, and more. You have called us to be imitators of you, Father. Forgive us for the ways in which we fell short of being holy as you are holy. Though you have brought us near, we still walked in our old ways. Forgive us, Lord.
But, we thank you that there is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus. That In Christ, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of your grace. Even when we were dead in our trespasses, you made us alive together with Christ. We rejoice that by grace we have been saved so that you might show the immeasurable riches of your grace in kindness toward us in Christ.
We thank you that you chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be HOLY and BLAMELESS before you.
Father, we rejoice that you reconciled us to yourself in one body through the cross.
Father, we praise you for this gospel message; and we come to you this morning declaring that you are our refuge and strength and very present help in times of trouble. Lord we pray for those here this morning that are hurting, those dealing with unfavorable circumstances, those reeling from the effects of sins committed against them. In the name of Jesus we ask that you would remind them of your all-sufficient grace, and fill them with a fresh joy in the Holy Spirit. We also pray for those here this morning that are filled with joy, for those where life seems to be going all according to plan. Remind them Lord that this is your all-sufficient grace; cause them not to trust in circumstances but to treasure Christ in any and every circumstances. Use them to be an encouragement to others.
Holy Lord, we ask that you would continue to use our church to exalt Jesus Christ. Use the preaching of your word to inflame our hearts and move our affections that Christ would be more desirable than gold and sweeter to us than honey. As we sing together, encourage our souls to look to Jesus. Give us the boldness to share the gospel with others in our lives. Father, for the hallowing of your name, bring someone to faith in Christ through our ministry this week.
For the hallowing of your name, use our church to advance the gospel. Use us to equip church planters in the schemes of Scotland; use us to encourage R and E as they labor among the Kurds; use our church to plant a Spanish speaking church in Columbia Heights. Father, we ask that you would providentially work to get our visa petition for A and his family approved soon.
Father, you word also tells us to pray for our government and those in charge. So we do that now. We ask that you would grant wisdom and a sense of justice to our elected officials, and to leaders around the world. Thank you for raising up men and women to serve as police officers and firefighters and other first responders. We thank you for their service to protect your image bearers. Show us how to use our freedom wisely and how to show proper respect to everyone, including those elected officials with whom we disagree. Above all, remind us that you, Lord Jesus, are the only everlasting king.
Holy Lord of Heaven and earth, we are mindful of just how great you are – your greatness is unsearchable. We give you praise that you are a God who redeems and takes delight in your people. Help us to savor your goodness that we might glorify you with our lives. We ask not for ourselves, but for your renown, and we ask in the name of Christ Jesus. Amen.
Sermon Quotes - Proverbs 8:35-36
“Thou hast made us for thyself, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
Augustine
(354-430; Hippo [modern day Algeria])
Correcting the Oppressor
(From Restoration Member Travis R: Correcting the Oppressor: Building A Biblical Theology for Advocacy; excerpt below)
Just this Sunday, my pastor gave a sermon on correction, focusing on the clear Biblical need for Christians to seek out and respond to correction and reproof. There’s an important flip-side of that: the Biblical need to provide correction and reproof. And often, that correction will be directed at our Christian brothers and sisters who need it. But as Isaiah shows, it can also be directed towards those deliberately instigating injustice, be it a factory owner refusing to pay his workers a fair wage, or a government leader restricting basic freedoms of speech, or corrupt law enforcers working more for their well-being than for the public good.
What’s difficult about this kind of correction is that it’s almost always unasked for, undesired, and unheeded. It’s the kind of correction that’s bound to return with an extra helping of bitterness and scorn, if it’s returned at all. One only has to look to interviews of Omar al-Bashir (President of Sudan), or Bashir al-Assad (President of Syria) to see how oppressors tend to respond to criticism. So why bother?
I’d argue that there are three reasons, and the first is plain as ink. The Bible tells us so. In no uncertain terms, Isaiah demands that the Israelite “correct the oppressor.” No matter how apparently hopeless advocacy directed at the unjust is, it plays a vital role in establishing precedent and expectations, and to ignore a tyrant’s misdeeds is to give them an air of approval. Silence has never won a battle.
Secondly, by voicing opposition to injustice we establish solidarity with the oppressed. One of the most powerful tools any dictatorship has is the ability to isolate its population, make them feel cut off from the world at large. Often, we facilitate that process by ignoring war crimes or oppression, but when we advocate on behalf of those affected, we establish connections to a world not defined by dictators, and that can be a powerful source of hope for both us and them.
Finally, advocacy against oppressors can start movements needed to unseat them. When William Wilberforce began his advocacy against slave traders, he set forth on a path that ended the British slave trade, and helped inspire generations of abolitionists after. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke boldly against racist institutions enshrined in the South and at a Federal level, and changed the American status quo forever.
Every major social change began with ordinary citizens (often Christians) stepping out of their comfort zone and speaking against the unjust. That ability isn’t isolated to the charismatic or the influential – in the era of social media and organizations and existing movements dedicated to ending injustice, anyone can help contribute to the cause and amplify their own voice. And given the opportunity to do something so potentially impactful at so little a cost, everyone should.