The Poor Wise Man (Woman) Who Saved the City Ecclesiastes 9:13-16

+ Proclamation (of the Kingdom, Luke 4:18) Incarnation (individual then communal, John 1:14) brings Transformation (The Kingdom Of God transforming Society) Last Night: Evangelical Theology for Reaching the Urban Poor Tomorrow: Reconciliation as Foundation of Citywide Revival and Transformation

The Poor Wise Man (Woman) Who Saved a City Once upon a time there was a little city, with few people in it. And a great king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siegeworks against it. But there was found in that city a poor wise man. He by his wisdom saved that city. But no-one remembered that poor man. But I still say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor mans wisdom is not heeded and his words are soon forgotten. Ecc 9:14-16.

1. Poor Choice of poverty shows his wisdom - he could have been rich. The cares of the world, the delight in riches, the desire for other things enter in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.

Repentance: Sacrificial Simple Lifestyle in U.S. Earn Much Consume Little Hoard Nothing Give Generously Celebrate Life Let the cares of the world, the delight in riches, the desire for other things go so the word might not be choked in your life (Mark 4:19).

2. Wise Christ is our wisdom (1 Cor 1:30). The wisdom of the streets is the starting point for defining the academic agenda. Action-based learning communities. Knowing the God of continuous creativity, the God of doing, results in an action-reflection approach to doing theology. The knowledge of God begins in obedience, not books. Academia helps interpret the obedience.

Jesus is the Answer

Wise in the Knowledge of God 3 Main Streams of the Knowledge of God –Way of Devotion Classic Wesleyan Disciplines –Way of Obedience Way of love (1 John 4:16) Way of doing justice (Jer 22:15,16) –Way of Wisdom Protestant Apostolic Orders –Action-based Learning Communities –Networks of devotional communities among the poor. –Living by faith, and dependence on God to provide

3. Besieged Cities 66% of Kolkuta live one family per room 600,000 prostitutes in Bangkok, 600,000 drug addicts, 4 churches in 1024 slums 300,000 prostitutes in Mumbai 1000 new Chinese cities Cities Springing up in the Sahara desert from nothing. –Nouakchott, city of the Moors, from 5000 to 800,000 in 20 years

4. Saved the City One person, one grain, one movement…. Wesley - Give me a hundred men (or women) who fear nothing but God and hate nothing but sin. –Asissi (4000 evangelists among the poor in 10 yrs) –Xavier –Jackie in Hong Kong –Cory and the Manila Urban Poor Network –Viju and Ivan in Mumbai What will you believe God for? 1500, 15,000 converted, discipled, churched, a Bible School? Hearts aflame, delight in work, sacrifice and suffering, lifestyles of simplicity.

5. But no-one remembered… His words were not heeded He was soon forgotten But, well done, good and faithful servant, come rule over a city A call, a choice, a destiny –Come walk with us behind Jesus

Sudan to issue decree against building of churches in shanty towns Khartoum (dpa) - No churches will be built in any part of the Sudanese capital without the approval of the government if the decree being drafted by the Ministry of Social Planning comes into force in a few days' time, al-Rai al-Aam daily reported Wednesday. The shanty churches are constructed by war-displaced Christians from southern and western Sudan who have settled on the periphery of the Sudanese capital. They use the churches also as schools and sometimes as health centres as well. Oct 7, 2002

Cities Up the Ganges NAME OF CITYPOPULATION ('95 EST) NO. OF CHURCH MAJOR LANGUAGE NATURE OF CITYRELIGIOUS MAKEUP Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh 982, /58,000 HindiEducational Center Hindus 60% Muslims 35% Christians 2% Evangelical 0.1% Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh 700, /35,000 Hindi Batala, Punjab110, /5,500 Hindi, Urdu50%? Muslim, 50% Hindu Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 1,469, /33,000 Hindi, UrduIndustrial Christians Chandigarh, capital Punjab & Hariyana 1,138, /45,000 PunjabisBeautiful Only planned city 1000 believers Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh 1,253, /50,000 Hindi Punjabi Marathi Educational Center 70,000 Christians, 30% in churches Jaipur, Rajasthan2,000, /77,000 Hindi (Marawi) Sindi, Madrassi City of Temples1000 believers Christians Jalandhar, Punjab600, /85,000 HindiProducer of Sports Goods Delhi, capital of India 10,857,000 34% slums 300 1/36,000 HindiPower centre, Administrativ

Five Phases to Global Urban Evangelization Phase 5: Transformation of the cities Phase 1: Mobilization of teams of cross cultural missionaries to the slums of the 200 mega-cities and 1700 least evangelized cities 40 cities, 400 workers, perhaps 1200 globally Phase 2: Pioneering initial churches in the slums of each city Manila, Lima, Mumbai, Delhi, etc Phase 3: Indigenous leadership and movements of ,000 in each city Latin movements, movements in some African cities 677 in Manilas slums Phase 4: Transformation of some slums

Communities Produce Movements What makes up a multinational pioneering team? –An apostle and his wife, a pastoral couple, a comics designer, a microenterprise extpert, a 55 year old woman who works with the handicapped, a social worker, an evangelist, a childrens worker… –6-12 people meeting every two weeks –10-15 years – Phase 1

Phase 1b: Movements at Home Second Order –Prayer movements Third Order Earn much, consume little, hoard nothing, give generously, celebrate life Live simply that others may simply live