One New Man

"The teaching of Scripture is against both total separation from the local church and separation by forming strictly Hebrew Christian congregations.  The local church must be composed where possible of both Jewish and Gentile believers working together for the cause of Christ."  -- Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum

In Ephesians 2:15-16 Paul said that Christ made it possible, through his death on the cross, for the Jews and the Gentiles to join together into “One New Man.”  They joined together as a singular, never before existing entity, one body--the body of Christ.

“Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances;  for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.”

However, Christ’s Ekklesia  (The Greek word usually translated “church”) has been divided for various reason starting as early as the 2^nd Century A.D. where the increasingly Gentile-dominated church began to insist that Jews must renounce everything Jewish to become a believer.  In essence the Gentile church was attempting to turn Jews into Gentiles.

This is an impossibility because according to the scriptural definition of a Jew* you must be a physical descendent of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.    This should not be confused with Judaism which is the religion practiced by Jews.  

Likewise, the scriptural definition for a Gentile is anyone who is NOT a physical descendent of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Gentiles practice many different religions and have many different ethnicities, but it is their non-Jewishness that makes them “Gentile.”

This attempt to turn Jews into Gentiles forced those Jews who refused to follow this unscriptural practice to segregate into “Jewish believer only” congregations and were subjected to persecution by their own Christian brothers and sisters in Christ.  With few exceptions this continued throughout the past 2000 years. 

The teachings of Covenant Theology in its three forms:  PostMillennial, Amillennial and PreMillennial , all reflect the belief that the Jews as a nation have been replaced at some point in time.  Central to this belief is that there has been, is, and always will be ONLY one people of God.  In other words they believe that the Nation of Israel and the Ekklesia of Christ cannot coexist as separate peoples of God.

Covenant Theologians read the Ekklesia back into the Old Testament into the Nation of Israel.  They believe that the Nation of Israel was a manifestation of the Ekklesia in some form and then when Christ came, the nation of Israel no longer were the people of God.  In essence, they teach that the People of God have always been the Ekklesia, are the Ekklesia and always will be the Ekklesia of Christ.

On the surface this seems plausible, however, under further examination, this proves to be a wrong assumption.

What is the definition of “ekklesia”

The Greek word "ekklesia" which is often translated “church” in the New Testament, means "a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into a public place--an assembly or any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously."¹

In Volume Four of Dr. Norman Geisler’s “Systematic Theology” he states:

“In classical Greek, ekklesia referred to an assembly of any kind, religious or secular, lawful or unlawful.  The Hebrew words qahal and edhal, often translated as ‘ekklesia’ in the Greek Old Testament, meant a gathering or assembly such as Judaism eventually had in the synogague²

The Greek word ekklesia occurs in the following scripture passages:

• The word is used in Acts 19:32,41 of an assembly (ekklesia) of Diana worshippers. 
• It is used in Acts 19:39 as a "lawful" assembly (ekklesia) or court which could be gathered to hear the matters against Paul.\
• It is used in the above referenced passage (Acts 7:38) by Stephen referring to the assembly (ekklesia) of Israelites in the wilderness, who as a nation (not individually) were the people of God.  (See: The "Church" in the Wilderness) 
• In the Septuagint (LXX--Greek translation of the Old Testament) it is used of the Israelites in one big group and sometimes of specific smaller groups.  Throughout the Old Testament there was always a remnant that were truly the people of God while the rest of the nation were not. 
• In the LXX it is used in 1 Samuel 19:20 of an ekklesia of prophets. 
• In the LXX it is used in Psalm 26:5 for an ekklesia of evil doers 
• And finally in the New Testament it is used to refer to a specific ekklesia, The Ekklesia belonging to the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Due to the above, just because the Greek word “ekklesia” is used doesn’t automatically mean it is referring to the Ekklesia of Christ which is a specific ekklesia.

The Ekklesia belonging to Christ

The first mention of Christ’s Ekklesia is a quite famous passage in Matthew 16:18 where Jesus states “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter (a stone), and upon this (large) rock I will build my church (ekklesia); and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

This is a specific ekklesia, Christ’s Ekklesia.  It is built on the foundation of the Apostles and Jesus as the chief cornerstone.  (Ephesians 2:20).  This could not have existed before Christ.  Jesus states--future tense--that He WILL build His Ekklesia.  It is important to note that He also does not say that this would be adding to something that already existed. 

According to 1 Corinthians 12:13, this Ekklesia is made up of believers ONLY who are baptized by ONE Spirit into ONE body.

“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into ONE body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.  For the body is not one member, but many.”

As indicated in Ephesians 1:19-23, the resurrection was a prerequisite for the existence of the Ekklesia.  He became the head of the Ekklesia by virtue of His resurrection

“And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.  Which He wrought in Christ, when he raised Him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly place, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, built also in that which is to come.  And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the Church (Ekklesia), which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.”

The modern day division of the Ekklesia

Although understanding our Jewish Roots is a beneficial and even essential, there is a difference between understanding our Jewish Roots and going back(wards) to our Jewish roots.  Understanding our Jewish Roots builds up the church and helps to unify it, but going backwards divides it in two. 

Unfortunately, many who began with a love for the Jewish people and both a desire to understand their Jewish Roots and fellowship with Jewish believers gradually move from this scriptural pursuit and begin to adopt nonscriptural doctrines and practices.

As stated earlier, Covenant Theology teaches  that the Ekklesia of Christ has always existed as the People of God.  However now the reverse is being taught by many (not all) messianic groups & organizations, Jewish Roots teachers and Two-House proponents.  Like the Covenant Theologians they teach that there has always only been one “People of God,” however in contrast to Covenant Theology they believe it always has been, is now, and always will be Israel.

The single characteristic common to both Covenant Theologians and many Messianc/Jewish Roots/Two House teachers is that they DO NOT believe that the Ekklesia of Christ is a separately entity. 

But as shown earlier, the ekklesia is indeed a separate entity which began after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The resulting situation amounts to the opposite of what occurred in the 2^nd century Gentile dominated church, these groups insist that Gentiles need to become like the Jewish Messianic believers, or in the case of Two-House teaching, that Gentile believers actually ARE descendents of Joseph and Ephraim, if not physically, at least in a spiritual sense.

Eventually, many of these believers voluntarily segregate themselves from other believers by  attending Messianic Congregations only, and distancing themselves from anything relating to what is often referred to as the “Gentile Church.”  

The majority of believers attending those Messianic congregations are Gentiles with just a small percentage of Jewish believers.  In his book “Messianic Judaism Is Not Christianity:  A Loving Call to Unity,” Stan Telchin, a Messianic Jew and retired pastor of 14 years states:

“As reported by almost all who have experienced these (messianic) congregations, the overwhelming majority—sometimes as much as 85 to 90 percent of the attendees—are Gentiles.” ³

In his book, he relates a number of testimonies by people who have attended Messianic Synagogues attended by large numbers of Gentiles.  He states that based upon what he had observed over the years in Messianic congregations, “God’s love and grace are secondary to the emphasis upon Jewishness.”⁴

He also quotes a woman who had attended a Messianic Synagogue for over two years with her Jewish husband who states:  “Week after week I would anguish over the emphasis on Jewishness rather than “Jesusness.” ⁵

Although the Gentiles joining with some Jewish believers can be seen as a step in the right direction these groups still have gone off in an unscriptural direction.   Some of the Gentile believers in these groups feel that to be a Gentile is to be a second class believer.  Many seem to be so enamored by the symbols, customs, celebrations and all that is part of Judaism that they as Gentiles are jealous of the Jews and want to become like them. 

Provoke to Jealousy?

In direct contrast, Romans 11:11 states that “Salvation has come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them (the Jews) to jealousy”   Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum explains that the Greek word “parazelao” which is translated “provoke them to jealousy” is a combination of two Greek words “para, meaning “to come alongside of” and “zelos” meaning “to cause to burn, to seethe, to make red hot, to flame, to envy.”

“The picture is that the Gentile Christian is to come alongside a Jew (para) in daily contact and to live such a life and be such a witness that the Jew will begin to burn with red hot envy (zelos) so that he will want the very thing the Gentile Christian has:  The Jewish Messiah.⁶ 

The Solution—True Unity

By dividing the body of Christ into two, the Ekklesia has lost spiritual blessings, fellowship with Jewish believers, doctrinal unity and possibly even effectiveness. 

In his book “Hebrew Christianity,” Dr. Fruchtenbaum lists a number things Christ’s Ekklesia has lost because of separating the body of Christ in two and should become a part of the Ekklesia once again:

1)  The ability of the Jewish believers to contribute to the growth of the church through the use of his or her spiritual gifts.

2)  The ability to educate the Gentile believers in their obligation to the Jew and Jewish missions.

3)  A Jewish perspective on scriptures. There are many passages of Scripture which are peculiarly Jewish and which only a person with a Jewish background would be able to explain, such as the two cups mentioned in Luke 22:14-20 in connection with the Passover.  His very presence is a witness to the Jewishness of the Christian faith, of the Scriptures, and of the Savior.

4)  The Jew in the church can be the discerner between the teaching and mores in the church that are truly scriptural and those that are not.  He can be the one to distinguish between what is biblical and what is really a product of Gentile culture.

5)  The Jew can stem the tide of anti-Semitism by teaching what God feels about one’s attitude to the Jews and by teaching the church how to receive the Hebrew Christian and be sensitive to his problems as new believers.⁷

Jesus never intended for His body to be divided into two halves.  He defines His desire for true unity in John 17:17 when He prayed “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.” 

The Apostle Paul also describes this unity in Ephesians 4:1-13

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation (calling) wherewith ye are called…Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace— 

--There is one body 

--One Spirit 

--One Lord 

--One Faith 

--One Baptism 

--One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all… 

And he gave some, apostles, and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Who knows how history may have been changed in the last 2000 years by a united Ekklesia of Jewish and Gentile believers serving Christ as one body, the One New Man energized by the Holy Spirit, equipped with the Word of God and proclaiming the Gospel  to the world.   It’s not too late to start now!

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Works Cited

^1”ekklesia.” def 1(c).   BlueLetterBible.org. Web.

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1577&t=KJV

²Geisler, Norman.  Systematic Theology:  Volume Four – Church, Last Things. pg 17.  Minneapolis:  Bethany House. 2005.  Print.

³Telchin, Stan.  Messianic Judaism is not Christianity:  A Loving Call to Unity.  pg 70.  Michigan:  Chosen Books. 2004.  Print.

⁴ibid, pg 84

⁵ibid, pg 85

⁶Fruchtenbaum, Arnold.  Israelology:  The Missing Link in Systematic Theology.  pg 639.  California:  Ariel Ministries. 1989. Print.

⁷Fruchtenbaum, Arnold.  Hebrew Christianity:  It’s Theology, History & Philosophy.  pg. 96.  Texas:  Ariel Ministries. 1983. Print.

⁸ibid, pg 95

Rick Warren's 2009 Inagural Prayer

"We now commit our new President and his wife Michelle and his daughters Malia and Sasha into your loving care.  I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshuah, Isa, Jesus (Spanish pronunciation) Jesus..."
 

Here is the link to the video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJeNsPIC3vE
Minute:  3:39

Isa is the name for the Muslim false Jesus which is "another Jesus" that Paul feared the Corinthians would be deceived into believing (2 Cor 11:3,4)  According to the Qur'an, Isa was not begotten of God, he was merely a human being, a slave of God, and he did not die on the cross, and he didn't rise from the dead.

This prayer was not "off the cuff" it was prepared and rehearsed before hand, it wasn't an accident, whether ignorantly or knowingly, Rick Warren blasphemed the name of Jesus Christ by calling him "Isa."  He also is stating that "Isa" changed his life?

The Origins of Centering/Contemplative Prayer--Kundalini

The following is a forward written by Thomas Keating, one of three Trappist Monks who created the modern centering/contemplative prayer.  He asserts that kundalini can be awakened by contemplative prayer practiced by Christians and indicates this is a positive thing.

Kundalini is an occultic energy or power which is the basis of all occultic belief systems, most notably Yoga.  Kundalini or the "serpent power" is believed to be coiled at the base of the spine in the first Chakra and through meditative techniques can be released and rise through each Chakra until it reaches the last where the practicioner attains psychic powers and self realization that he/she is god.

Along the way he/she also experiences numerous physical manifestations such as spontaneous singing, reciting mantras, animal sounds, uncontrollable trembling and shaking, sponatenous uncontrollable movement from yoga posture to yoga posture, waves of bliss, elation, altered states of consciousness, aches, anxiety, and feeling of heat flashes.

It can also be awakened instantly by the touch to the forehead by a guru which is a method called Shaktipat.  

All occultic practices are forbidden by God throughout the Bible, most notably in the passage of Deuteronomy 18:10-12 which is a virtual encyclopedia of occultic practices which God states are "an abomination unto the LORD."

_______________________________________________________________________

The origins, eastern meditative methods, and occultic supernatural results of Centering/Contemplative Prayer should be enough to convince any true believer that this something to steer clear of and isn't a legitimate method of true prayer, but a camouflagued occultic practice intended to deceive.
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The following is the Forward written by Thomas Keating (one of the founders of Centering/Contemplative prayer) to the Book "Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality" by Philip St. Romain: 

“This book is the first description that I know of in Christian literature about the awakening of kundalini energy in a purely Christian context.  Kundalini has long been known in Taoist, Hindu, and Buddhist spirituality.  The fact that this complete awakening occurred in the context of a classical development of Christian prayer makes it an important contribution to East/West dialogue.  Given the newness of the kundalini experience in Christian circles, however, any theological interpretation is bound to be tentative.

Reading the Christian mystics from the perspective of his own experience of kundalini energy, the author sees many examples of its working in the lives of Christian saints and mystics.  Since this energy is also at work today in numerous persons who are devoting themselves to contemplative prayer, this book is an important contribution to the renewal of the Christian contemplative tradition.  It will be a great consolation to those who have experienced physical symptoms arising from the awakening of kundalini in the course of their spiritual journey, even if they have not experienced it to the full extent described by the author.  His compelling testimony is a powerful affirmation of the potential of every human being for higher states of consciousness.

The awakening of kundalini energy and its various stages clearly enhances our understanding of how the body takes part in the spiritual journey.  Spiritual writers of our tradition have long known that the body must be carefully prepared if it is to receive the higher communications of divine grace.  For example, St. John of the Cross considered bodily ecstasy a weakness that gradually subsides in the process of transformation.

With keen insight, the author raises several crucial questions that arise from his experience of the full unfolding of kundalini.  Prior to the awakening of kundalini he received the Baptism in the Spirit and enjoyed the gift of tongues.  While appreciating the immense value of kundalini, he sharply distinguishes it from the action of the Holy Spirit.  He considers kundalini a natural evolutionary energy inherent in every human being.  There is a tendency in Hindu spirituality to identify kundalini and the Holy Spirit, perhaps because the Baptism in the Spirit is not a part of the experience of the East.

Kundalini is an enormous energy for good, but like all human potentials, it could also be used for selfish motives and thus become a source of serious harm.  This is probably the energy that is so attractive in cult leaders; they may well impart a spiritual experience through the transmission of kundalini in a way that we do not yet understand.  Energy, however great, is only energy,.  It is how one uses it that counts.  Thus the importance of the moral context in which kundalini is awakened.  Most spiritual disciplines worldwide insist on some kind of serious discipline before techniques of awakening kundalini are communicated.  In Christian tradition, the exercise of the moral virtues that quiet emotional turmoil, the service of others, and the regular practice of the stages of Christian prayer from discursive meditation to contemplation are the essential disciplines.  Without such positive preparation and the passive purifications described by St. John of the Cross, kundalini could serve the purposes of the false self and be used for spiritual power plays, to the great emotional and spiritual damage of other people.  Thus, for a Christian at least, it is essential that the Holy Spirit direct their energy.  In Christian spirituality, the unfolding of the stages of prayer described by St. Teresa of Avila in the Interior Castle may be the fruit of the kundalini energy arising under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Kundalini may also be an active ingredient in the Dark Nights of St. John of the Cross.

Kundalini has influenced ancient Eastern methods of medicine such as acupuncture and ayurvedic medicine.  As these forms of healing become better known in the West, the question as to the exact nature of kundalini will certainly arise.  All the Eastern traditions concur that this energy should not be awakened except under the guidance of a qualified teacher.  Since this energy can arise through the practiced of ordinary Christian prayer forms, the need of spiritual directors who are at least knowledgeable in this area is evident.  The personal predicament that the author describes could be happening to other Christians in our time.  Moreover, as Christian contemplation becomes better known, a number of persons who have experience the awakening of the kundalini through Eastern techniques may wish to return to their Christian roots, where their spiritual condition needs to be understood.

In order to guide persons having this experience, Christian spiritual directors may need to dialogue with Eastern teachers in order to get a fuller understanding.  The importance of the “Document on the Non-Christian Religions” comes into focus here.  The document states, “the Church therefore has this exhortation for her sons[and daughters]; Prudently and lovingly through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions and in witness of Christian faith and life, acknowledge, preserve and promote the spiritual and moral goods found among these men and women] as well as the values in their society and culture.”  (no.2)

This book will initiate Christians on the spiritual journey into this important but long neglected dimension of the transforming power of grace.”

END OF FORWARD----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rick Warren's "Whatever it Takes" Plan

In II Corinithians 6:14, Paul commands the Corinthians believers to NOT be "unequally yoked with unbelievers."  Yet, this is exactly what Rick Warren proposes to do to accomplish what he calls the "Global expansion of the Kingdom of God." 
 

On April 17, 2005, at California's Anaheim Angels Stadium, Rick Warren asked 30,000 Saddleback Church members to become as dedicated as the young followers of Adolf Hitler, the followers of Lenin and the followers of Chairman Mao, with no mention of the early Christians who turned the world upside down preaching the gospel of Christ, which SHOULD be the example we follow.

Then he asked everyone in the stadium to hold up signs that said "Whatever it takes."  Rick Warren has shown by his actions what he means by "Whatever it takes" even partnering with the pagen religions of the world and the secular world to slay what he calls the global giants--pandemic diseases, extreme poverty, illiteracy, corruption, global warming, and spiritual emptiness.  (See:  Rick Warren at DAVOS 2008: "The future of the world...is Religious Pluralism")

From video on You tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fzwljL2LTQ&feature=related

My comments in [[ ]]

TRANSCRIPT-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Minute 33] of Rick Warren’s speech What is the vision for the next 25 years? I’ll tell you what it is, it is the Global expansion of the Kingdom of God.   [[Dominionism?]] It is the total mobilization of this church. And the third part is the dream of a radical devotion of every believer. [[devotion to what??]] Now I choose that word “radical” intentionally because only radicals change the world. Everything great done in this world is done by passionate people. Moderate people get moderately nothing done. And moderation will never slay the global giants

[Minute 48:45]  In 1939, in a stadium much like this, in Munich Germany, they packed it out with young men and women in brown shirts for a fanatical man standing behind the podium [[hmmmm]] named Adolf Hitler, the personification of evil. And in that stadium, those in brown shirts formed with their bodies a sign that said in the whole stadium “Hitler we are yours,” and they nearly took the world.

Lenin once said “give me 100 committed, totally committed men, and I’ll change the world.” And he nearly did.

A few years ago, they took the sayings of Chairman Mao, In China, put them in a little red book, and a group of young people committed them to memory and put it in their minds, and they took that nation by storm because they committed to memory the sayings of the Chairman Mao.

[[What no mention of the apostles and early Christians who turned the world upside down for Jesus Christ??  Many of which were martyred for their faith!]]

When I hear those kinds of stories I think, what would happen if American Christians, if world Christians, if just the Christians in this stadium, followers of Christ would say, “Jesus we are yours.” What kind of spiritual awakening would we have?

[Minute 51:50] Jesus said “I want you to do this publicly.” [[Huh??]] So, what I want you to do is take this card and in just a minute, and if you say Rick, I am willing to serve God’s purposes in my generation. I want you to open the sign that says “Whatever it takes” “Whatever it takes” And I want you to just say, “this is my commitment before God and in front of everyone else. I’m in. And I would invite you to just stand quietly and hold up “Whatever it takes.” I’m looking at a stadium full of people who are saying “Whatever it takes.”

END OF TRANSCRIPT----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rick Warren at DAVOS 2008: "The future of the world...is Religious Pluralism"

In 2 Corinithians 6:14, Paul commands the Corinthians believers to "NOT be unequally yoked with unbelievers."  Yet, this is exactly what Rick Warren proposes to do to accomplish what he calls the "Global expansion of the Kingdom of God."  (See:  Rick Warren's "Whatever it Takes" Plan)

In his speech at DAVOS 2008, Rick Warren outlined his plan to end the world's Global Giants--pandemic diseases, extreme poverty, illiteracy, corruption, global warming, and spiritual emptiness by partnering with ALL Faiths, some of which he called "brothers and sisters" namely Jews and Muslims, (Can anyone say Chrislam?) as a distribution network for food, medicine, education, etc.  He declared that the future of the world was Religious Pluralism.  In other words, everyone remains in their own religion, but works together for the common good.

To see the video this transcript was taken from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGytW4yh0C8
starting at 40:15 minute mark. 

TRANSCRIPT------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“First I applaud DAVOS for having this session…if you are a global business leader, you need to understand that the future of the world is not secularism, it is religious pluralism. You may not like that, but you are going to have to deal with it. The world is becoming more religious, not less. The myth that as education rises, religion would go down is that literally a myth. And, if you happen to be in a country where either houses of worship are not strong, you have no idea of the vitality of faith around the world and see how influential it really is.

There are major problems on our planet. I call them the global giants. They affect not millions of people but billions of people--pandemic diseases, extreme poverty, illiteracy, corruption, global warming, spiritual emptiness. We cannot solve these problems without involving people of faith and their religious institutions. It isn’t going to happen any other way. On this planet there about 20 million Jews, there are about 600 million Buddists, there are about 800 million Hindus, there are over 1 billion Muslims, and there are 2.3 billion Christians. If you take people of faith out of the equation you’ve ruled out 5/6 of the world. And if we only leave it up to secular people to solve these major problems, it isn’t going to happen.

Now, I’ve been coming to DAVOs for some time and we always talked about partnerships. And I’m in favor of partnerships, but we’ve been missing the third leg of the stool. When we talk about partnerships at DAVOS we basically talk about public and private, or public being government and nongovernment organizations and private meaning the “for profit” organizations. A one legged stool will fall over and a two legged stool will fall over, you have to have three legs. And the third leg of the stool are the people of faith representing faith on this stage and others. It is the faith component. Government has a role that only government can do. Profit has a role that only profit can do. And churches and mosques and synagogues and temples have a role that only they can do.

There are some things that churches have… let me just take my own faith as a Christian pastor. Let me give you some things that government or business will never have that the church has.

1) We have universal distribution
I could take you to ten million villages around the world and the only thing in it is a church. They don’t have a school, they don’t have a business, they don’t have a program, they don’t have a fire department, they don’t have a government, but they’ve got a church.

The church was global 200 years before DAVOS even started talking about globalization. It is truly the only global organization. It speaks more languages than the United Nations, it’s in a thousand more people groups than the UN. It is the only truly global organization. So we have universal distribution. And we have used this in disaster relief very effectively.

I lead a very small network of about 500,000 churches in 162 countries. That’s one little network compared to the Catholic Church, which If you go to Africa, 30% of the health care done on that continent is done by the Catholic Church, you can’t ignore that. If you take the Catholic Church out of Africa, you’ve just lost the number one provider of health care on that continent. So, we have universal distribution. The second thing we have is:

2) We have the largest pool of man power.
Not counting all of the brothers and sisters who are Jews and Muslims and other Faiths, Hindus, Buddists. If I could get just one half of Christianity involved in these major conflicts , that would be a billion people. Hundreds of millions of people serve through their congregation every week at no cost. No government and no business will ever match the commitment of volunteers to Faith. None, ever. You need to understand that as a business leader. The third thing that we have is:

3) We have local credibility.
Last year I did a world tour where I did 46,000 miles in 45 days. I literally went around the world…and in every country, I met with the government leaders--usually the president, prime minister, top business leaders and the religious leaders. In every one of those countries, what I found is, when you get down to the city level, the credibility lies with the Imam, the Pastor, the Priest, the Rabbi--Why? Because that person is marrying, burying, they’re there in the seasons of life, they care for the sick, they help the people, when the wars come everybody else leaves, all the NGO’s pull out, but the church and the mosque stays. Why? It IS the community, you can’t talk community development without talking about churches, and mosques and temples and synagogues, you just can’t talk about it, because they are the community.

So, my challenge to you is, “Can we not all get along?” (laughter from audience). Can we not just work together. I don’t have to share your motivation and you don’t have to share mine for us to work on things like poverty, disease and illiteracy and things like that.

Frankly, I don’t care why you do good, as long as you do good. Now there are some people who do good for a political reason. I happen to be on the Council of Foreign Relations in America and we’ve learned that when you help people with health care in a country, they tend to like your country. You help people get well, they like you. Now that’s not my motivation, but it’s a good motivation. I don’t have a problem with political motivation, helping people get well, they like their country, fine.

You may have a profit motivation. You may be a pharmaceutical and say, we’re going to make drugs and we’re going to do good and make money at the same time. Great! I wish more companies would do that, I wish they’d make profit and do good at the same time. It’s not my motive, but it’s not a bad motive. You may have a personal motivation, you say well I’ve have had cancer so I care about people who have cancer, or I have aids, so I care about people who have aid. That’s fine.

My motivation is that I have a savior named Jesus Christ, who said “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It doesn’t have to be your motivation, it has to be mine, but can we not work together in building the three legs of the stool.

For the last three years, I have been working on a prototype of this. It is called the P.E.A.C.E. plan:

Promote reconciliation
Equip ethical leaders
Assist the Poor
Care for the Sick
Educate the next generation

In my own church, I’ve had over 7,700 of my members overseas in 68 countries doing this Peace plan. We’ve learned a thousand ways that don’t work, but we’ve learned a few dozen that do. And we are learning how to work with businesses and how to work with governments and how to work with churches and mosques.

I’ll end with this story:
Last December, I was asked by President Bush to be the closing speaker at the Global Summit on Malaria. And I said, I want to just show you why we cannot eliminate Malaria, much less any other problem without houses of worship. Let me just show you one example. So I said, I’ll show you three slides. I put up the first PowerPoint slide and it was a slide of Western Rwanda.

I said there are 700,000 people in this province. Here are the three hospitals, and I pointed them out on the map. Only three hospitals for 700,000 people! It‘s a 2-day’s walk to any hospital. That means if you get sick you’ve got to walk over mountains for two days. Two of those hospitals are faith based, and one of them is secular, it’s government based. So you wouldn’t even have two thirds of that without, you know, Faith.

Then I said let me show you this, and I showed them the 18 clinics in the western province. I said it’s still a day’s walk to any of these clinics, and some of these clinics mean I’ve just got a bottle of aspirin on the shelf, that’s it.

Sixteen of those clinics are Faith based, actually church based, and two of them were government based. Then I said, watch this, and I threw up a map with dots all over the map, dot dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, dot, everywhere, and I said here are the 726 churches in this province. If you are sick, let’s say you have aids, where would you like to get your ARVs? After it was over, Melinda Gates came up to me, she said,” I get it Rick, houses of worship are the distribution center for all we have to do” and that’s what we need to partner on. Thank you.

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From a humanistic point of view, this really is a very logical plan that appears to have a lot of potential and merit.  However, as with certain socialistic plans implemented by Christianity, there is no mention of reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  What good does it do to improve their health, education and comfort level, but not proclaim the truth that can save their souls?  It kind of reminds me of fattening them up for the slaughter.