Sunday Morning
June 3, 2007
Opportunities In Ethiopia
Mark 10: 13 – 16 AND Mark 9: 36 – 37.
I. Introduction.
Picture 1…The entrance to the Baptist Children’s Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. It serves as an orphanage to 58 children and a Kindergarten – 8th grade school for the children who live in the adjacent slum. The people in the slum live in homes made of wood and mud with a tin roof.
Picture 2…These are some of the orphans from the Baptist Children’s Centre. It was 76 degrees that day. We were wearing short-sleeved shirts, and the children were bundled up like it was snowing.
Picture 3…It is hard to say that one child was my favorite, but I wanted to take this little girl home. She is drinking a mid-morning snack of porridge. The Children’s Centre provides all meals and snacks for the orphans as well as snacks and lunch for all the slum children who come to school there. Very early on, the Children’s Centre discovered that the orphans who lived there were better dressed and ate more meals than the children of the slums. The orphans were considered the “rich kids” at the school. So, they had to begin providing school uniforms and nutrition for all the school children.
Picture 4…This is Tony, the director of the Children’s Centre. He lives on campus and serves as the head of the orphanage as well as the head master for the school. These girls are in what we might refer to as “trade school” learning how to sew. The school system in Kenya is different from our schools. Kindergarten through 8th grade is for all children. Students that want to go to high school have to apply like we apply for college. The ones who have good grades get to go to high school. The others either drop out or learn a trade. Tony told us that these girls have two options when they finish sewing school. They can go back into the slum and try to make a living making new clothes and repairing old clothes. This is not a good option, because people in the slum do not buy new clothes and most do not have their clothes repaired. The second option is for the girls to go to work in a factory, but most factories require employees to start out as an unpaid intern for two months. The girls cannot afford to move to the city and pay rent and eat for two months. We asked him how much that would cost…$250. Just $250 to change a girl’s life forever.
Picture 5…When we were in Ethiopia, we were able to witness the annual meeting of the foster parents who work with Buckner in Ethiopia. Right now there are over 1,000 Ethiopian children in foster care through Buckner. They have a goal to increase that number to 12,000 in the next couple of years.
Picture 12…Getahun with some of the children from Bantu. These children might be at the Bible School in July. I don’t know their names, but we can begin to pray for them.
Picture 13…Some of the children of Bantu have no shoes. They are not just running around barefoot because they prefer to. They don’t have shoes. Every year during Bible School, we ask our children to bring a mission offering. Patsy and I have talked about giving that offering to buy shoes for the children of Bantu. Then in October, Patsy will go on a Buckner trip to Bantu to deliver the shoes purchased with the offerings of our children.
Picture 14…I want the last picture to be of the faces of children from Ethiopia. Pray for these children. They live in poverty like we have never experienced. And some of them live in an area of the world where there is no church…No witness about Jesus.
Read Mark 10: 13 – 16.
II. Verse 13.
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them…
The idea of a healing touch is found throughout the Gospels. There was probably an idea that for a “Holy Man” to touch a child was like a special blessing. If so, then the crowds of people recognized there was something special about Jesus. He was holy, righteous and close to God. Therefore they wanted him to touch and bless their children.
But the disciples rebuked them…
Were the disciples just having a bad day? Were they just tired and irritable from their travels with Jesus? Possibly. But more than likely they were jealous of the children. In the First Century world, children were “non-persons.” They had no inherent rights of their own. They were little more than the property of their fathers.
The disciples had entered into their discipleship relationship with Jesus wanting to spend time alone with Jesus and learn from his teachings. However, everywhere they went, sick and demon-possessed people took Jesus’ attention away from them. And now it is children…These insignificant, little people.
III. Verse 14.
When Jesus saw this, he was indignant…
Notice the use of the word “indignant.” When I began my doctoral dissertation on the Gospel of Mark, I had always believed there was only one time when Jesus got angry. It was the story of the money changers in the Temple. These men were using the Jewish feasts and festivals as a time to make money. They had stolen the significance of worship by setting up shop and turning a profit on the religious feelings of worshippers.
But two years ago, this word “indignant” just jumped off the page at me. Here is another example of Jesus’ getting angry. I’m not trying to say that Jesus was an angry person. And I am definitely not saying that Jesus sinned. Jesus had a “righteous indignation.” The only times Jesus was angry, he was angry at injustice.
When Jesus was in the Temple, he became angry about the perversion of worship. In this story, Jesus was angry at the mistreatment of children. Children are real human beings with rights just like their parents. Specifically, children ought to have an opportunity to “come to Jesus.”
We need to share Jesus’ passion for children.
He said to them, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them”…
Beginning in the Second Century, the Catholic Church started using this verse as a way to justify the practice of infant baptism—as if Jesus had said, “Do not hinder the children from being baptized.” But I do not think this is about baptism.
I believe Jesus is teaching us, “Do not hinder the children from spending time in the presence of Jesus.”
Give the children every opportunity to learn about Jesus and to experience Jesus and to receive the Gospel message about Jesus. Do not keep children away from Jesus. Do not put obstacles in between children and Jesus.
Modern day obstacles:
1. Parents who do not bring their children to church.
2. Children who live in Bantu, Ethiopia have no church…and as far as I know, they have never been told about Jesus.
For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these…
Does the Kingdom of God really belong to children? No. I think Jesus is using a metaphor. The Kingdom of God belongs to men, women, boys and girls who possess Childlike Characteristics.
1. Innocence…Humility…Dependence…Trusting…Helpless…Receptive…
2. Eager…Learning…Expecting to Grow…Willing to Bring Friends…
IV. Verse 15.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it”…
In this verse, Jesus described the Kingdom of God in two ways. He mixes his metaphors and would have made a “C” if he had written this in a high school term paper.
First, the Kingdom of God is “Something We Receive…” It is a gift. We do not earn the Kingdom of God, we do not work for it, and we can never deserve it.
Gift is the root meaning of the word Grace. And every child loves to receive a gift. When I was driving home from the airport after being in Africa for 12 days, I called home and talked to Shauna and the children. When JoEllen was talking to me, she got upset and started crying. While she was crying, I said, “I am bringing you a surprise. Do you want a surprise?” She immediately stopped crying and started trying to get me to tell her what I was bringing from Africa.
Second, the Kingdom of God is “Something We Enter…” It is a new realm in which God is the King. Once we receive this Grace gift, we hand over control of our lives to God.
In the first church I served as pastor, I had a woman speak to me about her grown children. They were both in their 30’s and she was very concerned about their salvation. She was concerned that it was too late for her children to become Christians, because neither had made a profession of faith. She cited this verse from the King James Version, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God AS a child will never enter it.”
Jesus is not telling us that you have to make a profession of faith before you turn 18, or else it will be too late. Jesus is saying that everyone who becomes a Christian must become like a little child first. Innocent…Humble…Trusting…Dependent… Helpless…
V. Conclusion.
This story is most often used to illustrate Jesus’ love for children. There is even a song, “Jesus Loves the Little Children…All the children of the world…” And the story does express Jesus’ love and concern for the children. But, if you want to know what Jesus really thought about children, we will have to read another passage…
Read Mark 9: 36 – 37.
Jesus used children as a way to illustrate what is in our hearts. If we truly love Jesus, then we will take care of children.
I am convinced that it matters how we treat children. How do we treat the children of Lufkin? How do we treat the children of Africa? Specifically, what are we going to do to help children learn about Jesus and to experience Jesus the way we have experienced Jesus?
Picture 6…Getahun Tessema is the director of the Buckner work in Ethiopia. He introduced us to the children and foster parents and translated for us as we spoke to the group. He told them that one of the things our group wanted to do was to do home repairs for the foster homes. He asked, “How many of you need someone to put a new roof on your house?” Hands went up all over the room. But this woman in white just pleaded with us to come and fix her roof.
Picture 7…This is Getahun. In the background is a new Buckner baby home that will house 50 orphaned infants. They have already begun construction, but they do not have enough money to complete the project. It will cost $100,000 to build and furnish this baby home. They only have $80,000. They will need an additional $20,000 to finish the project.
Picture 7…This is Getahun. In the background is a new Buckner baby home that will house 50 orphaned infants. They have already begun construction, but they do not have enough money to complete the project. It will cost $100,000 to build and furnish this baby home. They only have $80,000. They will need an additional $20,000 to finish the project.
Picture 8…These are pastors from the southern region of Ethiopia. In addition to his work with Buckner, Getahun is also the leader of a church planting movement. In the past 7 – 8 years, they have started several thousand churches and have over 350,000 new Christians in these churches. Each of these men is pastor for six churches. Getahun told us a remarkable story about one of the villages where they started a church. There was no Christian church in the village, but there was an Islamic mosque. They preached a revival in the village and all the Muslims became Christians. So, they took over the mosque, cut down the crescent, put up a cross and converted it into a church.
Picture 9…This is the President of Ethiopia--Girma Wolde-Giorgis. We met him on a Saturday in the residence of the Presidential Palace. Getahun has a close relationship with the President. Through this relationship, the President invited Ken Hall from Buckner to come to Ethiopia. He said, “Please help my people.” When we met the President, I gave him two gifts from Lufkin’s First Baptist Church. I gave him a copy of the history of our church A Light in the East Texas Forest and a copy of our choir’s CD Rise Up and Praise Him.
Picture 10…The President donated 25 acres of land in his home village of Bantu for Buckner to establish a ministry. The ministry will be similar to the work in Kenya. There will be an orphanage, a Kindergarten – 8th grade school and a trade school. Buckner has invited our church to be one of the churches to establish this ministry. If we choose to commit, we will contribute $10,000 annually and take one mission trip each year. The very first mission trip to Bantu will take place in July. Twenty-four people will go to Bantu to do eye exams and Vacation Bible School for the children. There will be 4 ladies from our church working on this mission trip. 
Picture 11…The people in Bantu live in mud huts. Some of the huts have thatch roofs, and some have metal roofs. Bantu is one of those villages that has no church. Getahun promised me that the next time I go to Ethiopia, we will schedule a revival so that I can preach in Bantu. I asked him if it would be possible for our church to plant the first church in Bantu. He is supposed to email me a proposal about what it would take to start that first church.
Picture 11…The people in Bantu live in mud huts. Some of the huts have thatch roofs, and some have metal roofs. Bantu is one of those villages that has no church. Getahun promised me that the next time I go to Ethiopia, we will schedule a revival so that I can preach in Bantu. I asked him if it would be possible for our church to plant the first church in Bantu. He is supposed to email me a proposal about what it would take to start that first church.
Picture 12…Getahun with some of the children from Bantu. These children might be at the Bible School in July. I don’t know their names, but we can begin to pray for them. Picture 13…Some of the children of Bantu have no shoes. They are not just running around barefoot because they prefer to. They don’t have shoes. Every year during Bible School, we ask our children to bring a mission offering. Patsy and I have talked about giving that offering to buy shoes for the children of Bantu. Then in October, Patsy will go on a Buckner trip to Bantu to deliver the shoes purchased with the offerings of our children.
Picture 14…I want the last picture to be of the faces of children from Ethiopia. Pray for these children. They live in poverty like we have never experienced. And some of them live in an area of the world where there is no church…No witness about Jesus.
Read Mark 10: 13 – 16.
II. Verse 13.
People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them…
The idea of a healing touch is found throughout the Gospels. There was probably an idea that for a “Holy Man” to touch a child was like a special blessing. If so, then the crowds of people recognized there was something special about Jesus. He was holy, righteous and close to God. Therefore they wanted him to touch and bless their children.
But the disciples rebuked them…
Were the disciples just having a bad day? Were they just tired and irritable from their travels with Jesus? Possibly. But more than likely they were jealous of the children. In the First Century world, children were “non-persons.” They had no inherent rights of their own. They were little more than the property of their fathers.
The disciples had entered into their discipleship relationship with Jesus wanting to spend time alone with Jesus and learn from his teachings. However, everywhere they went, sick and demon-possessed people took Jesus’ attention away from them. And now it is children…These insignificant, little people.
III. Verse 14.
When Jesus saw this, he was indignant…
Notice the use of the word “indignant.” When I began my doctoral dissertation on the Gospel of Mark, I had always believed there was only one time when Jesus got angry. It was the story of the money changers in the Temple. These men were using the Jewish feasts and festivals as a time to make money. They had stolen the significance of worship by setting up shop and turning a profit on the religious feelings of worshippers.
But two years ago, this word “indignant” just jumped off the page at me. Here is another example of Jesus’ getting angry. I’m not trying to say that Jesus was an angry person. And I am definitely not saying that Jesus sinned. Jesus had a “righteous indignation.” The only times Jesus was angry, he was angry at injustice.
When Jesus was in the Temple, he became angry about the perversion of worship. In this story, Jesus was angry at the mistreatment of children. Children are real human beings with rights just like their parents. Specifically, children ought to have an opportunity to “come to Jesus.”
We need to share Jesus’ passion for children.
He said to them, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them”…
Beginning in the Second Century, the Catholic Church started using this verse as a way to justify the practice of infant baptism—as if Jesus had said, “Do not hinder the children from being baptized.” But I do not think this is about baptism.
I believe Jesus is teaching us, “Do not hinder the children from spending time in the presence of Jesus.”
Give the children every opportunity to learn about Jesus and to experience Jesus and to receive the Gospel message about Jesus. Do not keep children away from Jesus. Do not put obstacles in between children and Jesus.
Modern day obstacles:
1. Parents who do not bring their children to church.
2. Children who live in Bantu, Ethiopia have no church…and as far as I know, they have never been told about Jesus.
For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these…
Does the Kingdom of God really belong to children? No. I think Jesus is using a metaphor. The Kingdom of God belongs to men, women, boys and girls who possess Childlike Characteristics.
1. Innocence…Humility…Dependence…Trusting…Helpless…Receptive…
2. Eager…Learning…Expecting to Grow…Willing to Bring Friends…
IV. Verse 15.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it”…
In this verse, Jesus described the Kingdom of God in two ways. He mixes his metaphors and would have made a “C” if he had written this in a high school term paper.
First, the Kingdom of God is “Something We Receive…” It is a gift. We do not earn the Kingdom of God, we do not work for it, and we can never deserve it.
Gift is the root meaning of the word Grace. And every child loves to receive a gift. When I was driving home from the airport after being in Africa for 12 days, I called home and talked to Shauna and the children. When JoEllen was talking to me, she got upset and started crying. While she was crying, I said, “I am bringing you a surprise. Do you want a surprise?” She immediately stopped crying and started trying to get me to tell her what I was bringing from Africa.
Second, the Kingdom of God is “Something We Enter…” It is a new realm in which God is the King. Once we receive this Grace gift, we hand over control of our lives to God.
In the first church I served as pastor, I had a woman speak to me about her grown children. They were both in their 30’s and she was very concerned about their salvation. She was concerned that it was too late for her children to become Christians, because neither had made a profession of faith. She cited this verse from the King James Version, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God AS a child will never enter it.”
Jesus is not telling us that you have to make a profession of faith before you turn 18, or else it will be too late. Jesus is saying that everyone who becomes a Christian must become like a little child first. Innocent…Humble…Trusting…Dependent… Helpless…
V. Conclusion.
This story is most often used to illustrate Jesus’ love for children. There is even a song, “Jesus Loves the Little Children…All the children of the world…” And the story does express Jesus’ love and concern for the children. But, if you want to know what Jesus really thought about children, we will have to read another passage…
Read Mark 9: 36 – 37.
Jesus used children as a way to illustrate what is in our hearts. If we truly love Jesus, then we will take care of children.
I am convinced that it matters how we treat children. How do we treat the children of Lufkin? How do we treat the children of Africa? Specifically, what are we going to do to help children learn about Jesus and to experience Jesus the way we have experienced Jesus?
4 comments:
Thanks for sharing these pictures with us. We were out of town on Sunday so it was great to be able to catch up here.
I could not help but notice that Getahun carries a sidearm. I was wondering if you asked him about it.
If by "sidearm" you mean "cell phone," then you are correct. And No, I did not think to ask about his cell phone.
Andy,
Regarding the children in their sweaters and the weather not all that cool: their blood is "thin" because of the really hot temperatures they live in most of the time. When my husband was serving overseas in a tropical area, he experienced that feeling of coolness at rather high temps.
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