Seeing is Believing
This year, Pakistan presented many opportunities for mean to share from the Bible with believers. I was invited to speak at the FGA Church Gujrat and this is what I shared.
John 20:24-31
24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/clarkmaxwell/5334654281/sizes/s/in/photostream/
Last week we celebrated Easter, we remembered the death of our Lord, and celebrate his resurrection. These events are the central point for our faith and hope. Jesus said and did a lot of things during his time on Earth. He really prepared his disciples to lead the church and evangelise the world in the future. But his purpose and mission of being born on the Earth was to die and be raised to life. Without this, we have no faith. Without this, we would have no claim and no hope for our life in Heaven. Thanks be to God for doing this wonderful and mighty work!
On Easter Sunday, the Bible tells us that Jesus began to appear to his followers and disciples.
Mark 16:9-11
9 Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
This tells us that Jesus first appeared to Mary, and when she told the disciples, they did not believe her. They would not believe until they had seen. Mark 16:12-13 tells us the same story.
12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.
We are told that the disciple Thomas was not with them when Jesus appeared to them the first time. And so Thomas uttered these words – “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” John 20:25.
And God heard him.
Eight days after the resurrection Jesus answers the challenge of Thomas. You know, our Lord is good to us, for he meets us at the level we are at. He meets us as sinners, we are not qualified for his grace and mercy, but this is where he takes us from. Some people are hard, and must hear the word many times, and so he bears with us.
So Jesus knows that Thomas will not believe unless first he sees. For the sake of Thomas’ faith, he appears to him. When faced with the reality of the living Christ, Thomas stops doubting, and all that he can do is worship the Lord.
The scriptures do not say whether or not he touched Jesus, it seems that he no longer requires the proof.
Who of us has personally seen Jesus? Very few believers have this rare privilege. But Jesus says “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29.
So, if you are a believer, Jesus calls you blessed, for you have heard the word, read the word, and have been saved by faith. You are blessed because you have received the promise of eternal salvation.
When I have witnessed to non-Christian friends in the past, some of them have said similar things to what Thomas did, “unless God does a sign for me, or does this thing or that thing according to my own will, I will not believe.”
This kind of attitude is nothing but blind human arrogance and pride. As if God is to be bent to the will of a man or woman. Still I pray that he either does a sign, or gives them faith in their hearts to believe so that they will be saved.
John 20:30-31
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
This is the reason for which John wrote his gospel – to tell us the signs that proved that Jesus is the Christ and that we may believe and be saved.
This is the gospel simply stated, that we are saved by putting our faith in Jesus, we are saved by believing in Him. There is no work that we can do which will be pleasing enough to God to save us from judgement. It is only our belief and faith in Christ.
Last night we shared the gospel with a nearby community, and I talked about the faith of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses. We consider them to have been great people of faith, and they were. But they sinned and made wrong decisions. They did not follow God perfectly or obey Him perfectly. How were they saved? By their faith in God. They were also considered blessed because they believed God and trusted that His promises would come to pass, even though they would not see it in their own lifetimes.
They were blessed because they believed, even though they had not seen.
Servant Hearted Leadership
I was invited to share a message with the FGA youth group in Gujrat on the topic of leadership, so this is what I shared.
Texts John 13:3-5; Matthew 20:20-28
Matthew 20:20-28
A Mother’s Request
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenliveshere/2460387054/sizes/s/in/photostream/
Pakistan is quite similar to Israel was at the time of Jesus in some ways. Here, you have roads made with dirt, and people walk around in sandals. Pretty quickly, your feet become dirty.
In the time of Jesus, it was the job of the lowliest servant to wash the feet of the master and the guests. What does it mean in Pakistani culture, to kneel down and touch another person’s feet? It is not something that is done, it is dirty, it is considered to be making yourself humble, and saying the other is higher than you.
John 13:3-15
3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, [1] but is completely clean. And you [2] are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.
In this passage of scripture, we see that Jesus does this low job for the disciples. Peter has a similar reaction to many Pakistanis would, in fact to what most Christians would – “No, don’t wash my feet!” Of course, Peter knows that Jesus is the Messiah, he is his teacher, his master, a great prophet from God, he does not want to allow it.
And we know that Jesus was so much more than this. The Bible tells us that he was God come as a man. He was king. But when Jesus came, he was not born in a palace. He lived as an ordinary man, and he spent his ministry serving people.
In fact this is the original meaning of ministry. It is about serving and helping others, not about the titles and positions.
So, the king of Heaven humbled himself and came to Earth, served us and died a shameful death for us. And he tells us that we ought to serve one another.
Do you want to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven? So serve others. Do you want to want to be a good leader? Then be humble like Jesus and serve others.
The point is not that we must literally wash feet every day, this is just the example that Jesus gave us, a picture of humble service, and doing lowly jobs. If we limit ourselves only to foot washing, we miss the point. If you want to be a leader and if you want to serve God, then you should not think that any task is too low for you, or any person is too unclean to serve.
I would like to share an example of one of my old leaders. For many years my home church did not have its own building, and we had to rent halls. One place that we could afford was used as a nightclub on Saturday nights. Every Sunday morning, my pastor, his family and church elders would come in early and clean the toilets and sweep up the cigarette butts from the floor.
Many years after that, when we had built a building, he and his family were still on the duty roster for cleaning the church.
Another way he was an example was that he would take some men from the church and go into the forest in winter to collect wood for those in our fellowship who could not afford it. He was a mechanic before his time in ministry, and he would do grease and oil changes and repairs for people’s cars in the church. No job was too low. At the same time, he was travelling to different countries doing mission trips, preaching to hundreds, giving training to many pastors. But when he came home, he still did these lowly jobs. In this way, he was a good example of Christ to myself and others.
So this is what it is to lead and to follow Jesus Christ. Be humble and serve others, just like Jesus.
Today I have the privilege of sharing this Palm Sunday message with believers in the Pakistani city of Gujranwala.
Matthew 21:1-11;
21:1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8 Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”
Parallels in Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-38; John 12:12-15
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brenderous/4496074430/sizes/s/in/photostream/
When Jesus walked this earth, it was a difficult time in Israel. The Jewish people lived as captives in their own country. They lived under the constant oppression of the Roman Empire. For the Jewish people, this was the worst possible situation. God had given them the Holy Land, and made them into His holy people. To have an unclean, idol worshipping, group of foreigners ruling over them was like blasphemy. They tried very hard to rebel and take back their country, but mostly they failed. So many had befoer come saying “I am the Messiah” only to fail.
The leadership of Israel was corrupt, the priesthood was purchased with bribery, their spiritual leaders were divided, constantly fighting and forming new groups.
All in all, the people were oppressed, divided, living in a state of war. They would have had a constant mental tension, that “we are God’s people, he has promised this to us, why will he not deliver us?”. They were desperately looking forward to the day the Messiah, the saviour king would come and deliver them from their enemies, bring them their freedom, make the land holy and people holy again.
Jesus enters the world at this time. He preaches with power, he prophesies, he casts out demons, heals the blind and lame, feeds the hungry and even raises the dead. Not just his disciples, but many of the people believed that Jesus was THE Messiah that they had been waiting for.
With this background in our minds, let us read the story from John’s point of view.
John 12:12-15
12 The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. 13 So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” 14 And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written,
15 “Fear not, daughter of Zion;
behold, your king is coming,
sitting on a donkey’s colt!”
16 His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him. 17 The crowd that had been with him when he called Lazarus out of the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to bear witness. 18 The reason why the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are gaining nothing. Look, the world has gone after him.”
There are five important points that we will look at from John’s Gospel.
- John tells us that this event took place around the time of the most important Jewish feast, called the Passover. If you will remember, the Passover was a celebration of when God delivered the Israelites from 400 years of slavery under the Egyptians with a great many miracles. It is the time when people gathered from all over Israel, and the world, to celebrate together. Do you think that maybe, remembering their past slavery and deliverance, they had a hope that Jesus would bring them deliverance?
- The people held up the branches of palm trees. For the Jewish people, this was a symbol of victory and triumph. By covering the path with them, they showed Jesus the honour of a king. What do you think that the crowd thought about Jesus as they did this? What did they expect of him.
- The people cried out “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” Matthew says they said “Hosanna to the Son of David!.” Hosanna literally means “pray, save”. The word came to be an expression of praise. The people were saying in a way, “Praise the Lord for his salvation that has come!”. Did they expect Jesus to bring salvation?
- Jesus came riding on a donkey. At that time, when a king came in peace to a city, he rode a donkey, not a horse. In a way, this is another symbol that he comes as a victorious king to his city. Jesus fulfilled a prophecy from Zechariah 9:9 by entering the city in this way. The Jewish people knew that this prophecy was about the deliverance of Israel from their enemies, when God would destroy all those other nations around them who had oppressed them. Do you think the people recognised this.
- We are told that this event took place just after Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead, and that everyone was talking about it. Verse 18 says that they had heard this sign. It was not just a miracle, but a sign to the people confirming that Jesus was a true prophet. If they had a prophet with them who raises the dead, who could stop them from getting their freedom?
Jesus’ disciples, and the crowd that greeted him as he entered Jerusalem, were sure that he was the promised Messiah. They were expecting him to deliver them in the physical sense. The disciples were fighting amongst themselves over who would have the positions of honour in this new kingdom. Who would get to sit on the left or right of the new king. They thought that they would have worldly glory and benefits. But their expectations about what God would do were wrong. They did not know that the plan of God was to bring spiritual salvation to the whole world.
You know, it is possible for us to be like this as Christians, we too can have false expectations about the way in which God will work in our lives. We can take a hold of the promises and prophecies of God, and we start to make plans, we start to think about how we can make things happen ourselves. This has been the sinful nature of man since the fall, trying to do things our own way, without reference to the will of God. We can try and make things happen in our own strength, and we will fall down. We must remember that God will do the work, in His way and in His time.
And we are like the people of Israel in the time of Jesus. We have this gap between what we believe, and what our lives are. We see that Jesus has been victorious over Satan, sin, sickness and death. But still we have to struggle and fight every day of our Christian lives with these things. Still Satan fights with us as he controls so much of this earth. But we must not lose our hope or our faith. Things are not as they seem. When we look around, it may appear that we are losing the fight, that God is not in control. But we know that God has his plan, he will work it out in His way, in His time, not ours. Who would have thought that God would send his Son to die in shame on a cross as the way to save the world, but He did. Who would have thought that God would want to work through such weak creatures like us, but He does.
What should we expect our earthly Christian lives to be? Will we live as earthly kings and princes? Will we have a life free of hardship, of challenges and suffering? Look at the life of Jesus, king of the Jews and the universe. He said that he had no place to lay his head. He wandered around the country serving the people, not as a king. He faced temptations and trials, he suffered, and he died.
Each of us should check our expectations of what it is to live a victorious Christian life. How do we look at life around us, and at the promises of God?
Yes God will deliver us, yes Christ is preparing a place for us. But we must remember that God will work out His plan, in His way, in His time, not as we will expect.
Let us be humble before God, and live with whatever God will bring us, remembering the fulfillment of the victory, the glory and honour, does not come in this life, but in Heaven with our Lord.
Today I have the opportunity to share the following message with a church in Pakistan.
Hebrews 11:1-3 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
Often when we look back at events in the past, we remember them as better than they were. I would like to share with you from the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses. Those whom this passage of scripture holds up as being great heroes of the faith.
Sometimes, they did not behave in a way that we would expect from people of faith.
In Gen 12:1-9 God calls Abram to a new land, and he listens, trusts God and obeys. But in Gen 12:10-20 we are told that the man of faith has left the promised land, and gone down to Egypt to escape hardship. He is willing to allow his wife to be dishonoured in order to save his own life. This is the man that God has called, and whom He has said he will bless. Did Abram forget the promises?
In Gen 15 we see that the Lord promises a child to Abram through whom he will make a great nation. But after 1- years of roaming the promised land, and Sarah still barren, they take matters into their own hands. Sarah gives Abram her servant for a wife, and she bears him a son.
In Gen 18, Sarah, the woman of faith, laughs at God’s promise of a child, and when she is caught, she even denies it.
In Gen 22 we see a crowning moment of faith from Abraham, as he is prepared to sacrifice his only son at the command of the Lord. However later on, after the death of Sarah, Abraham takes another wife and has more sons. Why does he do this after God has already fulfilled his promise? Did he need a backup for Isaac?
When we do not obey God, but instead try to do things in our own way, then we create hardship and difficulties.
In Gen 26, Isaac copies his father’s mistake, right after God spoke to him and promised to be with him, he lets his wife be taken into the house of the king as another man’s wife.
Jacob’s story is one of constant deception and cheating, trying to take a hold of the blessing of God by his own hand.
Joseph receives the gift of dreams and interpretation, but gets into trouble by telling his family that he will rule over them.
In Exodus 2 we see that Moses is miraculously delivered from death as a baby. Even though he grows up as a prince of Egypt, God places in him a heart for his people. Moses sees an injustice, and takes it upon himself to fix it. But he did it in the wrong way, by committing a murder. God would later bring him back to deliver the people, but only after another 40 years of wandering in the desert.
Thanks to His Grace, God uses every situation and mistake to teach us, and to grow us into more maturity.
So, lets take a quick revision of the lives of the heroes of the faith:
- Abraham – After God’s command and promises, fears for his life and lets his wife be taken into the house of another man. Later, God promises him a child, but after 10 years he takes that child through another woman. Further, after Sarah’s death, the one through whose children God promised that he would make him a great nation, takes another wife and has more sons.
- Isaac – God promises him protection, he lies about his wife being his, as he fears for his life.
- Jacob – Cheats and tricks his way into trying to access the promises of God.
- Joseph – God gives him a dream about the future, so he goes and boasts about it to all – “I’m going to rule over you all.”
- Moses – Wants to help his people, so he murders someone then runs and hides.
These people were not perfect, they did not always follow God’s way perfectly. Sometimes, their faith was weak, and sometimes, they did fantastic things. We can look at their actions and think that sometimes they did not believe God at all.
Overall, we can see that when we disobey God, and try to do things in our own way, and in our own strength, then we fail, then we cause problems that will continue for generations. When we obey God in faith, he works all situations out and delivers us.
The faith for which these Bible heroes are honoured, is not that they did mighty deeds or some great miracles. God brought them to the point where their faith was “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
All these people, in the end, believed that what God had promised to them would come to pass, whether or not they would see it with their own eyes, and in their own lifetime.
You know, I think that in a country like Pakistan, living as a Christian, it would be easy to ask, “God, are you going to do what you have promised?” to doubt whether he will be true to his word, and to try and work things out in our own strength. To look at the situations around us and ask “God, where are you?”. God is working in and through you in every tough situation. Trust on his word and promises that he will bless you and deliver you.
Let us pray that God gives us such a faith to endure our whole lives and faithfully believe what he has promised to us.
The Church
http://www.flickr.com/photos/inoportuno/3438459339/
“Church” is a word that get’s used a lot, but there are too many possible meanings.
When I use the word, this is what I think The Church ought to be about…
The Church is the body of our Lord Jesus, and it is his bride. Confusing mixed metaphors.
The Church is not a building, a gathering of mutually interested persons, and it is definitely not the human social construct and institution.
The Church, in the Biblical sense, is the ekklesia, a word generally used to mean any congregation of people, but specifically, it is “the called out ones”. It is those who have been called out from the general populace and are congregated together, for the purposes of God.
We do indeed owe the Church our allegience, love, devotion and service. But not the institution, not a denomination, not a pastor or homegroup. It is those who have been called out by God as His own. It may be inclusive of those who find themselves worshipping, gathering and perhaps even fellowshipping within the constructs of a traditional church, and it is likely to extend far beyond that.
The Church, exists to Glorify God, build up and encourage the believers, foster genuine fellowship, be light to the world and the salt of the earth. It exists not to self-perpetuate endless works in the service of a denomination, but to demonstrate a community of love to the world. Witness in the community may happen, but is more likely to be effective when the church is a natural and integral part of it’s community.
Do you think that people could fall sick and die from merely mistaking some bread and wine? No, there is nothing magical in communion unless you are a Roman Catholic. Paul’s strong admonition over the Lord’s Supper was those who were bringing worldly standards and rankings into the Church, lording over one another, thinking themselves better than their brothers and sisters. Much more important was this violation of the love of the Church and Christian culture, failing to recognise the Body of Christ, the Church fellowing amongst whom one ate the Lord’s Supper was and is the aweful sin that he warns against.
The Church, the Bride and Body of Christ, is constituted of the global fellowship of believers who share a common faith and fate. Recognise it, love it and be devoted to it above any programs and pretense of men.
Only Today…
There is only today,
There is not other time or moment,
No assurance of another opportunity,
No certainty of the future,
But there is now,
There is today,
So whatever is important,
Truly necessary, truly valuable,
Take up the gift that is today,
For tomorrow never comes
The Personal MBA
This year I decided to undertake the personal MBA. The basic premise: you don’t need an expensive education in order to gain the knowledge needed to succeed in business. Its a great concept being led by Josh Kaufman. Check it out.
Thoughts on Sabbatical
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nics_events/979288612/sizes/m/in/photostream/
I have decided to take a Sabbatical.
God in his infinite wisdom, commanded the Children of Israel that they should work and labour 6 years, and then take a year off. I ask you, who are we to argue with God? Even he took a rest as an example to us after the work of creation.
We are not meant to work 7 days a week, nor are we meant to work every single year of our lives. Sabbaticals are a time to be refreshed, recharged, and reinspired. To return to meaningful work after a time of reflection. To use the cliche – sharpen the saw.
In an agrarian society, it was not only the people, but the land needed rest also. It is a agricultural principal to allow fields to lie fallow from time to time, regenerating vital nutrients, and ensuring the longer terms sustainability. \
How can it be done in this day and age? I believe that in general, people always find a way to pay for what is important to them, be it cigarettes and alcohol or their children’s education… whatever. We make choices.
Vengeance and Vigilantes
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave itto the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/faanography/ / CC BY 2.0
Tonight I watch a really intense movie called The Brave One. It is about a woman who goes about as a vigilante after being beaten within an inch of her life, and losing her fiance in a violent attack. It was interesting to see the reactions of the people of the city, with many coming out in support of someone they believed to be cleaning up the streets. When wrong is done upon us, or those whom we care for or can empathise with, it would seem to feel natural to want to take vengeance. God had to specifically give a command not to, to stop the cycles of violence and revenge.
It takes a great act of faith to trust that God will indeed be the ultimate bringer of vengeance, usually we would prefer to do it ourselves.
Hollywood, the “Media”, news agencies; they all love stories like these, where there are good people and bad people, and the bad people lose to the good people. It is so black and white. This film greyed it a bit, and tried to make the point that acting as a vigilante is not the way to go, however since the heroine gets away with murder, the message may have gotten a little lost.
What is always missing from all of this, is the story of the perpetrators of crime. So many things led up to the terrible act that took this woman’s lover away from her, it wasn’t just an isolated cruel act from some evil people. No, while the men, and everyone else who perpetrates violence, are responsible for their actions, there must have been so many things that twisted them into the men that they became.
How did society fail them, allow them to lead a life where they had no choice but to join a gang, to steal and assault and murder to survive, to have them live in slums as 2nd, 3rd … class citizens, socially oppressed descendents of migrants, living a story that fits for them, what other stories do they have? They lead a life where they have been violated, and continue to perpetuate violence on others. They didn’t just wake up some day and start doing evil deeds.
No, every society, we are collectively responsible for the state of that we live in. The film talked about the city being an organism that adapts it’s DNA, how can we shape ours to be something better than what we have now, where love, mercy and justice are perpetuated?
Locking people up, or running around alleyways shooting them, is not a sustainable solution to this situation. We need generations to commit to change in order to bring about a just and equitable society.
Buyers guide for websites
I’m part way through creating a buyers guide for website services. I would love to know your thoughts on what you believe are the most important things people should know before they engage any web services company.
Please comment below, or email me connect at cameronthompson.com.au
