Building a joy-filled community in the slums

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Building a joy-filled community in the slums

• The Holy Spirits pattern for Church planting

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A holistic Church was Gods intention..

• But most Christians when talking about holism
  still ignore three vital elements of a holistic
  gospel
• 1. The economic factors money is seen as evil
  and secular.
• 2. Sustainability and viability what we do must
  be viable and sustainable otherwise it will not
  last
• 3. Creativity God made us to be creative. We
  experience the most satisfaction or joy when we
  are using these creative talents.

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Every aspect of redeemed human life was intended
to be part of church life

• We are to be naturally spiritual
• To be truly spiritual is to be truly human as God
  intended.
• We have created a dichotomy (separation) between
  the natural and the spiritual that God never
  intended.
• The church is still the church when in the
  workplace. The workplace should reflect that
  level of spirituality.

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What is the Church???

• We misunderstand the concept of the holistic
  nature of the Church because we still see the
  Church as an institution rather than a community
  of Gods people.
• We still put structure before people, making
  Gods servants serve structure rather than
  peoplethe genius of Mother Teresas ministry to
  the poor.
• The community of Gods people are not of the
  world but are still living in the world.
• You cannot live in the world and ignore economic
  issues, such as sustainability and viability. Our
  heart is not to serve money but to use money to
  release Gods servants to serve people.

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The Church is a community

• A Church is not created by helping individuals to
  become economically self sufficient.
• Members of a Church must value their experience
  of learning and working together.
• Helping one another to acquire skills to live and
  bless others is essential for a joy-filled
  community (Church).

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What makes a healthy community?

• There are four key principles
• 1. It must be economically viable
• 2. It must attract and develop
• capable indigenous leadership this
• may well involve very difficult
• sacrifices in time and money to
• educate and skill the potential
• leaders

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What makes a healthy community....continued?

• 3. It must seek to integrate itself
• into the wider city systems for
• transport, water, power, healthcare,
• rubbish removal, policing and local
• politics.
• 4. It must teach its members to
• practice Kingdom values in all
• aspects of their daily lives.

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The impact of these Kingdom values were
demonstrated in the Acts 2 Church
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The Acts 2 v 42-47 pattern

• They continually devoted themselves to prayer,
  teaching, fellowship and breaking bread.
• They had a sense of awe at the amazing things God
  was doing amongst them.
• They had all things in common.
• They shared their possessions.

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• They were meeting
• together daily.
• They were of one mind (unity).
• They were eating together.
• They were daily worshipping God together.
• They were glad (joy-filled).
• They were sincere in their heart and
  relationships with one another.

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How do we prepare to enter a slum context?

• The are four key steps to entry
• Hear the call of God and respond in obedience
• Relocate into the slum and live with the people
• Reconcile relationships within the slum
• Re-distribute wealth and resources especially the
  under-used labour resource

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How do we create a joy-filled community in a
slum context?

• Find an activity appropriate to the context that
  is skill creating and income generating that a
  group of people can do together in the same
  location.
• The joy of learning and earning will create an
  environment for a church to be planted.

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Leadership will emerge from the activity

• The group participation in the activity will
  cause leaders to emerge from within the group and
  they should be given responsibility for the
  leadership of the group activity. This way
  indigenous leadership gifts will emerge among the
  community.

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Jesus was anointed to set the oppressed free!

• Isaiah 61 verses 1-2
• Bring good news to the afflicted
• Bind up the broken-hearted
• Proclaim liberty to the captives
• Set the prisoners free
• All the above Jesus did so they will experience
  the favourable year of the Lord in their lives.

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The anointing is upon urban poor workers so they
can

• Bring the year of Gods favour to the slum
  dwellers.
• Liberating them from poverty, disease,
  malnutrition, addictions, and broken relationships

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Isaiah 61 v 3

• Give flowers instead of ashes
• Give gladness instead of mourning
• A spirit of praise instead of fainting
  (tiredness).
• Those who receive this blessing will be oaks of
  righteousness.
• The planting of the Lord that He may be
  glorified e.g. a Church.

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Anointed slumworkers should try to

• Develop an activity in a slum that will
• Form and interdependent community that meets
  together every day.
• Teaches skills, creates income, teaches kingdom
  values and attitudes, prays and praises together.
• Is fair and just and shows the love and goodness
  of God for all members of the community.

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Show mercy with cheerfulness.

• Marva Dawn has written a book called Truly
  Community an exposition of Romans 12 v 8
• The Greek word for cheerfulness is hilarotes.
  It implies a deep joy from being in the community
  of the Body of Christ
• Paul says we are to show mercy with
  cheerfulness Romans 12 v 8
• Everything you do in slum ministry should be done
  in mercy with cheerfulness a deep joy coming
  from the fact that you are doing what you do in a
  community contextthe Body of Christ.
• This is why it is important for the slum activity
  to be a communal activity. The joy comes not only
  from the Holy Spirits presence but from the joy
  of being with each other in community, our
  spiritual extended family.

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Your attitude is being copied.be like Christ !

• As you work with people in the close context of
  community your actions and attitudes are copied
  by those you are working with. You are a
  role-model.
• The Apostle Paul knew that, so he said show
  mercy with cheerfulness Romans 12 verse 8. That
  cheerfulness comes from our love of the Body and
  the joy of being together. Relationship that have
  been made whole by the power of a reconciling
  Christ.
• We have all been given the ministry of
  reconciliation so the Body of Christ can enjoy
  the joy of healthy relationships. 11 Corinthians
  5 v 17 - 19

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A joy-filled community becomes..

• A Church.
• The ministry of each person to the other becomes
  the way in which the Spirit develops gifts in
  each person.
• These gifts make a way for leadership to develop
  in the community. Leadership should be encouraged
  as a recognition of maturity in Christ.