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10 Geestelike oorlog strategieë in tye van angs en onsekerheid

‘n Briljante oorlogstrateeg beskerm sy voorsieningsnetwerk. ‘n Goeie generaal weet dat ‘n honger soldaat niks werd is nie. Gewere kan nie ‘n skoot afvuur sonder ammunisie nie, so kan geen tenk, vliegtuig of helikopter vlieg sonder brandstof nie. Die weermag se krag hang nie net af van hulle aanval tegniek en algehele vaardigheid in die voorlinies nie, maar die algehele logistiek en administrasie van hulle voorsieningsnetwerk. Omdat almal dit weet, word die voorsieningsnetwerk gewoonlik ook eerste aangeval, daarom moet ekstra pogings aangewend word om die voorsieningsnetwerk te beskerm. Deur die eeue is oorloë gewen of verloor op sterkte van die krag van die voorsieningsketting. [1]‘n Land, sakeonderneming en gemeente is so sterk soos die doeltreffendheid van hulle voorsieningskettingbestuur. [2] Die fokus op die voorsieningsnetwerk is dus nie vrees-gebaseer nie, maar ‘n strategiese geloofsfokus om die oorwinning te behaal. In tye soos hierdie is dit noodsaaklik dat ons as gesin, aan die werk moet spring, almal moet deelneem, almal moet verantwoordelikheid neem om saam te dink, saam aan oplossings te werk, en ons voorsieningsnetwerk ten alle koste te beskerm. Die ware helde van die dekade gaan die sakeleiers wees wat die meeste werk kan skep. Die koninkryk van God se vooruitgang en vordering werk geheel en al anders as aardse regeringstelsels. Wanneer mense oorlog voer met mekaar gaan dit oor grondgebied en die magsbeheer oor voorsieningskanale. Om hierdie beheer te bekom, word lewens op die spel geplaas, vyande gemaak, verwoesting gesaai, totdat iemand oorgee. In God se koninkryk gee ons al in die begin die beheer oor ons hele lewe aan die Here oor. In hierdie geestelike stryd soek God die grondgebied van mense harte. In die Here se oorlog word harte versoen, vrede gemaak, harmonie verkry en vrede aangekondig! Die oogmerk van elke volgeling-van-Jesus-soldaat is om soveel as moontlik mense te genees – die volkome genesing van die totale mens. Die koninkryk van God is nog altyd sonder ophou in ‘n worstel stryd met bose regerings, onregverdige ekonomiese stelsels, en ongelyke lewensomstandighede. (Gal 4:29) Daniel, Nehemia, Ester, Esra, en feitlik al die profete is geskryf onder die druk van ‘n vyandige regering. Veral in Jesus se tyd, asook die lewe van die apostels en die vroeër kerk was geensins maklik nie. Die teologie van die vroeë kerk is nie in sinodes of rade gebore nie, maar in direkte sonlig van bloeddeurdrenkte kolossale en katakombes, die donker bedompig reuk van die dood. Gelowiges is op ongelooflik wrede maniere vermoor. Sommige is soos skape keelaf gesny, ander met teer gesmeer en aan die brand gesteek, ander met klippe doodgegooi, ander doodgeslaan, ander in stukke gesaag, ander onthoof, ander verdrink, ander vasgemaak om in die son dood te brand, ander vir wilde diere gegooi, ander aan wilde diere vasgemaak om verskeur te word. Vroue en dogtertjies is voor hul geliefdes verkrag en soms ook deur bendes verkrag tot hulle dood is. Ander is uitgehonger of as slawe verkoop.[3] Sien (Heb 11:37-39) Ten spyte van hierdie uiters moeilike omstandighede het die kerk besonder vinnig gegroei. Die Christelike geloof het binne die bestek van vier eeue die dominante godsdiens van die Romeinse Ryk geword het. Die Jesus-beweging, wat in ’n afgeleë deel van die Romeinse Ryk ontstaan het, het in ’n relatief kort tyd tot ’n belangrike godsdiensgroepering ontwikkel. Miljoene Christene, vanaf Indië in die ooste tot Brittanje in die weste, van Duitsland in die noorde tot Ethiopië in die suide, het ’n al groter rol in die Romeinse Ryk gespeel. Die feit dat elke gelowige en volgeling van Jesus onder hierdie moeilike omstandighede waardes soos barmhartigheid, wedersydse ondersteuning, selfbeheersing, respek vir lewe en liefde betoon het vir alle mense het die geloof aantreklik gemaak. [4] Die kernbasis van hoe God enigiets doen is: Familie en Geloof. God plant ‘n saad van geloof in die eerste aartsvader Abraham, en ‘n geestelike geloofsfamilie, volk en nasie kom tot stand. God stuur Sy enigste geliefde Seun en deur die wat in hom glo, kom ‘n hele nuwe familie-nasie tot stand. God se werkswyse het nog nooit verander deur die geskiedenis nie. Daarom is die oorlog strategie wat God gebruik dikwels in die teenoorgestelde rigting as die van die wêreld.

1)Ons is alreeds ryk in God. Die Here sal Sy goeie voorraadskuur, die hemel, vir jou oopmaak om vir jou land reën te gee op die regte tyd, om alles wat jy doen, te seën. Dan sal jy aan baie nasies kan leen, maar self sal jy nie hoef te leen nie. (Deut 28:12) as armes, maar ons maak baie ander ryk; as mense wat niks het nie, en tog besit ons alles. (2 Cor 6:10) Ons bedien, leef en gee dus vanuit Sy volheid. Ons waarde is nie in ons vermoëns of prestasies, besittings of regte nie. Ons leef nie meer nie, ons is saam met Jesus gekruisig. Ons waarde lê in Sy geregtigheid, heiligheid, godsvrug, genadegawes wat Hy ons gratis sonder verdienste skenk het en in ons werk. (Philemon 1:6)

2)Gees van Samehorigheid Goddelike eenheid, verbondenheid en samehorigheid vloei uit ’n gedeelde geestelike ervaring, naamlik dat Christus ons waarheid is. “Ek is die weg en die waarheid en die lewe. Niemand kom na die Vader toe behalwe deur My nie” (Joh. 14:6, NAB). Op die geloofspad wat ons saam aandurf en beleef, word hegte bande van samesyn gesmee. Sien: (Acts 1:12–14; 2:5–13; 2:42–47; 4:32–37; 2 Cor 9:8–15; Rev 14:12)

3)Gees van wysheid en insig. “En sy God het hom onderrig hoe om dit te doen, Hy leer hom.”Isa 28:26Hy is wonderbaar van raad, groot van beleid. (Isa 28:29) En in die hart van elkeen wat kunsvaardig is, het Ek wysheid gegee, dat hulle alles wat ek jou beveel het, kan maak (Exo 31:6; 35:34) Praktiese wysheid is om te weet, wie wat om die regte tyd moet doen. Ons gaan al hoe meer van hierdie Jesus-wysheid sien. Hy is die teenwoordigheid van wysheid en insig in ons.

4)Genesing MandaatJesus is genesing: Dit is hoekom Hy mens geword het, gesterf het en opgestaan het! Omdat Hy ons liefhet en gesond wil sien![5]en my rede en my prediking was nie in oorredende woorde van menslike wysheid nie, maar in die betoning van gees en krag, sodat julle geloof nie in wysheid van mense sou bestaan nie, maar in die krag van God. (1 Cor 2:5) Sien ook: (Acts 10:38; Mark 16:17)

5)Herderlike verantwoordelikheid Jesus se liefdes opdrag aan Petrus is om ‘n herder te wees. Seker te maak dat hy sy skape en lammers voed, en versorg. (John 21:15-17)Ons het elkeen ‘n verantwoordelikheid teenoor die mense om ons. In Christus se voorbeeld het God die gees van Kain in ons uitgewis. Hy bied ‘n verskoning: “Is ek dan my broer se oppasser?” Jesus het onskuldig ons sonde aan ‘n kruis verduur, sodat ons verlossing kan ontvang. Dit is die absolute hart van die gelowige, ons is mede verantwoordelik vir mekaar. (Gal 6:2) sodat daar geen verdeeldheid in die liggaam mag wees nie, maar dat die lede gelyke sorg vir mekaar mag dra. (1 Cor 12:25)

6)Belê in verhoudingsnetwerk Die onregverdig bestuurder, wetende dat hy sy werk gaan verloor, gaan koop die guns van sy eienaar se skuldeiser deur van hulle skuld vry te skeld. (Luk 16:1-13) Dit is een van die primêre manier hoe ons die voorsieningsnetwerk stabiliseer en oophou. Goeie gesonde, mooi verhoudings. Regverdig: beide betaal, beide gee iets op.

7)Wat is in jou hand “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” (1 Kings 17:11) Die vermenigvuldiging van die brood en vis (Mark 6:30–44; Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–14)God se mense het altyd iets in hulle hande. Ons harte, gesondheid, gesindheid, ingesteldheid is nuutgemaak. Ons kan altyd iets gee.

8)Deel wat jy het. “Wie twee kledingstukke het, moet dit deel met iemand wat nie het nie, en wie kos het, moet dieselfde doen.” (Luk 3:11) Wie aardse besittings het en sy broer sien gebrek ly, maar geen gevoel vir hom het nie – hoe kan die liefde van God in hom wees. (1 Joh 3:17) Sien ook: (Acts 2:42, 45; 1Tim 6:18; Heb 13:16) Verniet het ons ontvang, verniet gee ons uit. Dit is die vrug van ‘n hart wat nuutgemaak is in Christus – vrygewigheid. Geen mens wat ‘n duur geskenk ontvang, is suinig nie. Jy wil graag dit met jou vriende deel. Christus is die pêrel van groot waarde, die onvervangbare onskatbare geskenk van ewige lewe.

9)Diversifiseer Werp jou brood op die water, eendag kry jy dit terug.Hou jou besittings op sewe, selfs ag plekke, want jy weet nie watter teëspoed oor die land kan kom nie. As die wolke vol water is, reën hulle leeg op die aarde; of ‘n boom nou suid of noord val, dit bly lê waar dit geval het. Wie die wind bly dophou, saai nie, wie na die wolke bly kyk, oes nie. “die volk was met hulle hart in die werk” (Eccl 11:1-4)

10)Die mense se hart was in die werk. Die mense se hart was in die werk. (Neh 4:6) Ons bid en vertrou dat die Here deur die virus, ‘n baie dieper kanker uit die mensdom gaan uitsny, en dit is die gees van “entitlement”. Dis ‘n gees van die Antichris, wat wil hê waarvoor hy nie gewerk het nie, en nie voor aangestel is nie. Ware geneeskunde is met die oog om mense te herstel om weer optimaal te kan funksioneer.

[1] https://alu.army.mil/alog/issues/novdec08/spplyline_war.html

[2] https://www.sdcexec.com/home/article/10289998/the-art-of-war-and-supply-chain-management-applying-sun-tzu-to-supply-chain-management

[3] Riekert Botha, Openbaring ontsluit: ‘n verrassende perspektief op die laaste boek in die Bybel.

[4] Wim. A Dreyer. Praktiese ekklesiologie en kerkwees in die 21ste eeu. Bl 65

[5] https://www.hrco.co.za/4651-2/

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Inbeperking Koors? Word vol vd Heilige Gees

Dit is net deur alomteenwoordige Gees van God, waardeur ons vanoggend gemeenskap, samesyn, nabyheid, omgee en liefde kan ervaar. Ons het nie vandag ‘n orkes, mooi kerk gebou, of fisiese saamwees wat ‘n warm atmosfeer van God se teenwoordigheid kan skep nie. Die Heilige Gees is God se teenwoordigheid! Hy woon in ons! Ons is vandag in die Gees bymekaar! Ons word tans oorweldig deur inligting, opinies, waarskuwings en voorspellings, maar niemand weet verseker nie! Aan ons dan het God dit deur die Gees bekend gemaak, want die Gees deursoek alle dinge, ook die diepste geheimenisse van God. Watter mens ken die verborge dinge van ‘n mens behalwe die gees van die mens wat in hom is? So ook ken niemand die verborge dinge van God nie, behalwe die Gees van God. (1 Cor 2:10-11) Laat ons dan onsself eerder wend na die Heilige Gees, as die bron van ons lewe. Waarvan is jy vol vandag? Vol van kennis? Vol van vrees? (Luk 21:26) Vol van vertwyfeling en ongeloof? (Heb 3:19) Vol van leuens en bedrog? (Nahum 3:1) Vol van jouself? (Ps 59:12)

Inbeperking Koors

Waarvan jou hart van vol is: “Julle slange! Hoe kan julle wat sleg is, iets goeds sê? Waar die hart van vol is, loop die mond van oor. Die goeie mens bring die goeie te voorskyn uit die oorvloed goeie dinge in sy hart; die slegte mens bring die slegte te voorskyn uit die oorvloed slegte dinge in sy hart. (Mat 12:34-35) For out of the fullness (the overflow, thesuperabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks. Baie mense worstel tans met die Inbeperking Koors: “lockdown fever” Onnodige argumente, rusie, woedebuie, negatiewe gesindheid, sélf-gerigtheid, trots, luiheid, selfsug, self-absorbed, kort humeure, frustrasie. Ons voorliefde vir gemak, en gerief is nou versteur! Ons wil kos koop, wat vir ons gemaak is. Ons wil eet wat vir ons voorberei is. Ons wil in gaste huise bly waar die beddens vir ons opgemaak word. Ons wil bedien word. Ons wil nie werk nie. Ons koop graag items wat ander mense gemaak het, maar ons kan self niks maak nie. Hierdie self-gerigte lewenstyl word tans dramaties versteur, en ons word geforseer om na ons self om te sien, self kos te maak, self ons huise skoon te maak, self te was en stryk, self tuin te maak, self kunstig te raak! Kospakkies, besittings, posisies, gerief, gesondheid of siekte is alles tydelik. Jy kom naak in die wêreld in, en gaan naak uit hierdie wêreld uit! Die grootste tragedie vir die mens, is om te sterf sonder om God se liefde te ken! Jesus het wel brood en vis vermenigvuldig, maar hy het nie ‘n voedsel program begin nie. Ons is wel besig om te help dat mense kos het om te eet, maar kos gaan nie van jou ‘n ryk, suksesvolle, entrepreneur maak nie. Mens kan nie kos en geld na armoede gooi en dit probeer oplos nie. Armoede is ‘n kwessie van die hart. Jesus het wel die mens se fisiese nood aangespreek: kos gegee, siekes genees, melaatses skoon gemaak, dooies opgewek, besetenes bevry. Maar met die doel om aan hulle die evangelie te verkondig! (Mat 11:5) Regerings kom en gaan. Die ekonomie gedy soos die branders van die see. Die natuur en diereryk is salig onbewus van ons internasionale krisis. Hulle lê en bak in die son op die pad, wat eertyds in besige toerisme seisoene eerder vermy moes word.

Word vol van die Heilige Gees.

“Doping in die Heilige Gees”Die woord “doop” in hierdie geval is “Bapto” wat beteken, onderdompel, soos ’n boot wat sink en in die binnekant vol water raak. Doop is ’n oorvloedsbegrip. Dit dui daarop om ondergedompel in, of oorspoel met iets te word; in hierdie geval met die Heilige Gees. Om in die Heilige Gees gedoop te word, is om met Hom oorspoel te word. Die volgende begrippe kan ook hierop dui en verduidelik die effek op iemand wat met die Gees gedoop word.Mense wat gedoop is met die Heilige Gees vergelyk die ervaring met soos water:“uitgestort” (Acts 2:33) is oor iemand; jy iets “ontvang” (Hand 8:15,17) soos ‘n geskenk; die Heilige Gees “oor julle kom” (Acts 1:8) soos ‘n wolk of bonatuurlike krag; ‘n voorwerp “vol van die Heilige Gees” (Acts 6:3) tot oorlopens toe vol gemaak word; “Heilige Gees op hulle geval” (Acts 11:15) soos ‘n kombers, lap of sagter voorwerp oor jou gegooi word. Hierdie woorde verduidelik baie mooi: dat hier ‘n duidelike ervaring, belewenis met die bonatuurlike gebeur het. Mens gebruik tog nie dié bogenoemde woorde om jou opgewondenheid oor die verstaan van ‘n nuwe skrif begrip te omskryf nie? Die doping met die Heilige Gees is baie duidelike bonatuurlike sintuiglike gebeurtenis in ‘n mens se lewe. Jesus belowe hierdie oorvloedbegrip vir almal: Op die laaste dag, die groot dag van die huttefees, het Jesus daar gestaan en uitgeroep: “As iemand dors het, laat hy na My toe kom en drink! Met die een wat in My glo, is dit soos die Skrif sê: Strome lewende water sal uit sy binneste vloei.” Hiermee het Hy na die Gees verwys, want die mense wat tot geloof in Hom kom, sou die Gees ontvang. Die Gees was nog nie uitgestort nie, omdat Jesus toe nog nie verheerlik was nie. (Joh 7:37-39) Strome is weereens ‘n oorvloedsbegrip! Mens voel oorweldig, ekstaties, eufories, opgewonde, oorstelp van vreugde alleenlik wanneer jy ‘n diep betekenisvolle ervaring met die Heilige Gees gehad het! Alhoewel die intellektuele dimensie van ons spirituele verhouding met God belangrik is, kan dit nie ten koste van ‘n emosionele ervaring wees nie. Die Gees (ervaring) en Woord (kennis) behoort mekaar te komplimenteer. Onderskeid tussen die fontein in jou binneste en strome van lewende water wat uit jou binneste uitvloei. Jesus tref ’n onderskeid toe Hy die Samaritaanse vrou antwoord: “Elkeen wat van hierdie water drink, sal weer dors kry; maar elkeen wat drink van die waterwat Ek hom sal gee, sal in ewigheid nooit dors kry nie, maar die water wat Ek hom sal gee, sal in hom word ’n fontein van water wat opspring tot in die ewige lewe.” (Joh 4:13-14) Hier is die woord “fontein” in die enkelvoud terwyl die woord “strome” in Joh 7 in die meervoud is. In Johannes 4 verwys Jesus na bekering of dan wedergeboorte, wat soos ’n innerlike fontein van lewe in ’n mens borrel en jou individuele dors behoefte voorsien. In die verwysing na die huttefees, is daar strome wat uit die persoon vloei tot die voordeel van ander se dors. Dis ’n mooi onderskeid en verduideliking van hierdie twee gebeurtenisse in ’n gelowige se lewe. Wedergeboorte les jou persoonlike dors en behoefte na God, terwyl die doop in die Heilige Gees jou laat oorloop om ook ander se dors te les. Eers kom woon God in jou deur Sy Gees, maar dan kom vul Hy jou en oorspoel jou met Sy krag en heerlikheid om Sy getuie te wees vir die Wêreld. vervul” met die Heilige Gees en “Vol” van die Heilige Gees Die woord “vervul”, “Pletho” in die Bybel, beteken om soos ’n spons weer en weer gevul te word. Dis soos iemand gevul met iets (soos om ’n glas met water te vul, die water uit te gooi en weer te vul). Teksverse waar hierdie woord gebruik word, is byvoorbeeld: Profesieë oor Jesus se lewe – (Luk 1:15; 1:41-42; 1:67-69) en die spesifieke verwysing waar mense gevul is of gedoop is in die Heilige Gees. En hulle is almal vervul met die Heilige Gees en het begin spreek in ander tale, soos die Gees aan hulle gegee het om uit te spreek. (Hand 2:4) Daarop sê Petrus, vervul met die Heilige Gees, aan hulle: Owerstes van die volk en ouderlinge van Israel (Acts 4:8) En toe hulle gebid het, is die plek geskud waar hulle saam was, en hulle is almal vervul met die Heilige Gees en het die woord van God met vrymoedigheid gespreek. (Acts 4:31) En Ananías het gegaan en in die huis gekom en hom die hande opgelê en gesê: Saul, broeder, die Here het my gestuur, naamlik Jesus wat aan jou verskyn het op die pad waarmee jy gekom het, sodat jy weer kan sien en met die Heilige Gees vervul word.En dadelik het daar iets soos skille van sy oë afgeval, en hy kon onmiddellik weer sien; en hy het opgestaan en is gedoop. En nadat hy voedsel gebruik het, het hy weer sterk geword. En Saulus was ’n paar dae saam met die dissipels in Damaskus. En hy het dadelik Christus in die sinagoges verkondig, dat Hy die Seun van God is. (Acts 9:17-20) Maar Saulus, dit is Paulus, vervul met die Heilige Gees, het die oë op hom gehou en gesê: (Acts 13:9) ‘n Ander woord is “Pleroo” of “Plesres” wat die volgende beteken: om te deurdrenk, te vervul, vol te maak, tot volheid te bring, volledig; letterlik ’n net vol te maak sodat dit span; versadig te wees, klaar te maak, iets af te handel, perfek en volmaak. (Luk 4:1; Acts 6:3, 5; 7:55; 11:24; 13:52; Eph 5:18) Hierdie verwysings dui meer op ’n diep innerlike werk wat aanhoudend duur, en nie bloot ’n eenmalige of selfs meermalige gebeurtenis nie. Dit dui meer op ’n toestand as ’n spesifieke gebeurtenis. Kyk dan uit, broeders, na sewe manne uit julle, van goeie getuienis, vol van die Heilige Gees en wysheid, wat ons oor hierdie nodige saak kan aanstel; (Acts 6:3) Maar hy was vol van die Heilige Gees en het die oë na die hemel gehou en die heerlikheid van God gesien en Jesus wat staan aan die regterhand van God. (Acts 7:55) want hy was ’n goeie man en vol van die Heilige Gees en geloof; en ’n aansienlike skare is aan die Here toegebring. (Acts11:24) En die dissipels is vervul met blydskap en met die Heilige Gees. (Acts 13:52) Moenie dronk word van wyn nie—daarin is losbandigheid; maar word met die Gees vervul. (Eph. 5:18)Laat ons dan ons harte rig na die Ewige, Heilige Gees van God! Hy is nou hier teenwoordige om elke honger leë hart te vul met Sy heerlikheid en krag! Ons het nou nodig om geestelike krag te ontvang vir die werk wat voorlê! Ons het almal nodig om vervul te word met Sy oorvloed, wysheid, geloof, inspirasie, en kragdadigheid! Word vervul met die Heilige Gees!

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Jesus the fulfilment of the OT Jubilee.

Good Friday’s Message in English (Deeper Study)

The Tri-Sabbatical Jubilee of restoration for Mankind and the Earth fulfilled in Christ’s resurrection.

I am so grateful that throughout scripture we always see God having a plan, a better plan for doing things and living, a plumbline and a measure of living by which all of mankind can thrive if we will only listen and obey. We do not have to anxiously run around trying to make our own plans. “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” (2 Pet 1:3).

From all over the world, we hear about the positive effect that global lockdown is having on the ecology. From cleaner air to liberated wildlife, coronavirus lockdowns across the world appear to have had a number of positive effects on the environment.[1]

Seeing the impact that rest has on nature and the environment made me think of the biblical Jubilee. The tri-sabbatical rest: The seventh day, the seventh year, and after seven cycles, the 49th year Jubilee is a divine rhythm instituted by God for the benefit of man and nature. God knows humankind, how work and profit can consume us, how we do not know when to stop and rest. The end result is; work gets a bad name and what is intended to be a blessing becomes a curse. The truth is; however, work is good for us. All mankind should work and earn a living through their skill and contribution to each other. 

God’s intention and the reason why He instituted the Jubilee, was to build and heal a nation who were trapped in inhumane slavery for 400 years. Never again may people who were created in the image of God be treated as slaves.

Since the abolition of slavery, human rights, labour unions, and strict workplace codes of conduct, we do not see this kind of slavery anymore. It has been reduced to secret sweatshops and sex trafficking. Today the biggest form of slavery is how unequal our world has become, in a South Africa, the GINI poverty-wealth index is 63. 100 is a most unequal, 0 is a perfectly equal society. In RSA, 36% of the population lives on R36 per day. But more concerning is our high levels of debt. Fortunately, our country has strict lending criteria and credit rating measures. But with employment in the late thirties’ percentile, the coronavirus could not have come at a worse time.  

People’s greatest fear in SA is not our health, the virus, or death. The greatest question in people’s mind is; ‘how are we going to survive financially?!’ Many people’s income has been affected by the lockdown. However, it is in times like this, where people are willing to take drastic measures, not because they want to, but because they have to. If the virus is making us focus on the essentials, what are the Biblical essentials where God would have us focus on. What is God’s blueprint for getting us out of this mess? How has mankind lost its way? 

According to the Bible, poverty is a systematic problem of the heart. Poverty comes to those who are lazy or greedy. Poverty is man-made.

“Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made, and it can be overcome and eradicated by the action of human beings.”

Nelson Mandela

When a part of the population has opulent wealth, but the other part knows abject poverty, then there is an error in the financial model. Over the last decade, many writers and economists have started speaking out regarding the growing inequality of the economy. For the first time in history, a University book written from Harvard Press became a best seller. Thomas Piketty, an economist and mathematician, revealed how the current profit-driven capitalist economy is no longer sustainable. Roche and Jakub try to heal capitalism with their more Biblical-based proposed economy of mutuality: Their hypothesis is going to become a reality sooner than they could ever have estimated because of the virus. Most sustainable businesses are the ones who integrate their investment in economic, human, social and environmental capital. [2] 

The ultimate test of any religion, ideology or worldview is the benefits it ultimately brings to the poor, the marginalised and oppressed. If we say we are Christians, we have to take poverty seriously.

LandSummit – Thinktank[3]

But long before modern economists came up with some clever solutions, for the great wealth-poverty gap, God had a solution. This solution may seem impossible to implement, yet it reveals the heart of God for mankind. 

Jubilee was the Jewish declaration of war to never duplicate the inhumane system of the Egyptian pharaoh. It describes their battle of social justice for their people to keep them liberated, where each citizen remains the brother of the other, ensuring the future of the common whole. Remember, the poor person I ignore today can become tomorrow’s thief. When I purchase property that is returned after 49 years and I write off debtors after 7 years, I continue to remain in contact with my debtors to ensure they can make good on their promise in the given time. In so doing, society will not fall victim to accumulative debt. (Deut 15:1-5) The Jubilee created a society of givers, where greed-based capitalism created a society of debtors. Our biggest concern at this time is, how are we going to pay our debt? 

Sabbath is a form of emancipation, release, quitting, letting go. I give and liberate my body with which I perform work, to rest. In so doing, I also give the ground and animals who produce for me, a time of rest. I do this in humble faith in God that ultimately He is my provider, not my body, nor the land that I farm. 

For one day in the week, master and servant are equal. The servant does not serve his master, and he does not get served. Both are works of God’s creation created in His image who enjoy His grace with thankfulness. Therefore, Sabbath is a celebratory meal. The poor person saves during the week in order to at least enjoy fresh bread with butter, honey and salt; a king’s meal at Shabbat! The master is no longer in control of his servant’s body. During Jubilee, the master also surrenders his property. The principle of reviving the soil is to handle the ground in the same way as we would the human body; the crust of the earth is like the skin of the body, that must not be disturbed. Today, fresh produce has lost its nutritional value—I wonder if we could rest the soil for a year if the earth will not repair and restore the flavour and nutritional value of the fruit? Dr James Blignaut heads up the “restory” initiative to curb further land-people-degradation. [3] His restorative land movement publicise no-tillage, mulching, composting and rotation farming best practise.[4] 

The biggest consequence of modern western capitalism is, its total disrespect for anything sacred. In modern capitalism nothing is considered holy, sacred, or spiritual. Pharaoh did not want to release the people to go and worship for three days. (Ex. 5:1-2). Pharaoh typifies the inhumane industrialist who needs to make profit at all costs. The pharaoh constructed bigger storehouses, to profit the gains when harvests are poor, and prices fluctuate. He turned Joseph’s divine storage solution during the 7th year drought into a system to gain people’s land who cannot pay and eventually making them his slaves. Owning land is dignity; it is God’s provision for every man to remain free. This is why the word Adam, and Adama stems from the same root word – earth. The pharaoh’s greed is how the wealthy Jewish families, who started off as recipients through Joseph of the best land (Gen 47:5) became landless slaves. Joseph instituted that one 5th of the produce be given to Pharoah (Gen 47:20-25), but eventually the pharaoh who did not know Joseph wanted it all. (Exo 1:8-11) 

When God delivered His people, He wanted them to not think of themselves as slaves anymore. Through the Jubilee, each person become a type of Moses deliverer and kingly father that emancipates his people from slavery. One day a week, and each seventh-year people are freed from pyramid type hierarchies of positional imperialism and domination. Everybody gets delivered from systemic Egypt, the place of slavery. In the following verses, you can clearly see, God’s heart towards slaves. 

And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave. (Lev. 25:39)

For they are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. You shall not rule over him with rigor, but you shall fear your God. (Lev. 25:42-43).

And you may take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them as a possession; they shall be your permanent slaves. But regarding your brethren, the children of Israel, you shall not rule over one another with rigor. (Lev 25:46)

He shall be with him as a yearly hired servant, and he shall not rule with rigor over him in your sight. (Lev. 25:53)

For years there has been criticism of the two monotheistic religions Jews and Christians, that we have ruled the earth and animals, at the expense of the earth and the ecology. Obviously, with the Jubilee, both the ground and the human being comes to rest. Both are important before God, and a provision for the other.

“You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. 7 Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent and righteous. For I will not justify the wicked. 8 And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous. 9 “Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt. 10 “Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce, 11 but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave, the beasts of the field may eat. In like manner you shall do with your vineyard and your olive grove. 12 Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your female servant and the stranger may be refreshed. Exodus 23:6–12.

“Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the Lord. 3 Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard. 5 What grows of its own accord of your harvest you shall not reap, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine, for it is a year of rest for the land. 6 And the sabbath produce of the land shall be food for you: for you, your male and female servants, your hired man, and the stranger who dwells with you.” (Leviticus 25:2–6

He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted on your behalf; on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. (Leviticus 23:11

The Sabbath rest literally means giving up control, releasing your grip, giving up your control. 

The rhythm of rest is the rhythm of giving. We work hard and create tension; the tension then gets released like breathing through the tri-sabbatical Jubilee. God’s system is natural and mutually beneficial. 

The highlight of the Jubilee is after 49 years, the ownership of the land is restored to the original owner (Lev 25: 23-28, 54). This giveaway prevents owners from becoming magnates and super moguls who gain more than they need. Through this act, we are all reminded that everyone is stewards of God’s land. 

In Lev. 26:35 ground that did not rest due to disobedience will rest indeed in the time of punishment. 2 Chron. 36:21 explicitly connect Jeremiah’s figure of 70 to Lev. 26:34.35. “Those who survived the sword, God exiled to Babylon … in fulfilment of the word of Adonai spoken by Jeremiah’ until the land has repaid its Sabbaths, as long as it lay desolate it kept its Sabbath until seventy years were complete.” Then, in the Book of Daniel the 70 years became “seventy ‘weeks'” = 70 x 7 = 490 years. Only with the passage of that period would the sin that caused the exile to be fully expiated (Daniel 9:24). [5]

What is the connection between Jubilee and Good Friday, Easter and Jesus?

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. He is our tri-sabbatical rest. 

“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!” 3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? 6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. 7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord [b]even of the Sabbath.” – Matthew 12:1-8

Christ Jesus’ death on the cross, His guidance, His sacrifice of obedience was the eternal, and greatest “reset” of all time! In Christ, everything and everyone in harmony with God and each other is reconciled. 

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. (I Cor. 15:22)

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. (2 Cor. 5:18)

When Jesus stood up in his home-town and declared these words, He announced the rest, reset, restoration, liberty, healing that will manifest through believing in Him.  

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-29) On the great day of Pentecost, when the new covenant was sanctioned, a Spiritual Jubilee took place. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. (Acts 2:44) It is our testimony that when people truly turn to God and become full of the Holy Spirit, they relinquish ownership of their own bodies and possessions.  

The Advantages of Christ-centred Jubilee

§ Jubilee is a form of “reset” for your body, the soil, and society. Like a computer or mobile phone that “hangs” needs a hard reset at times. All of humanity needs to return to Jesus’ value system and guidelines, the measure of the best life to live. Being born again, and receiving His righteousness is supernatural “reset” of our being. (2 Cor 5:17) 

§ In the Jubilee, both the working class and the master are equated, to give, and to place themselves under God’s rule. Jesus also gave His body to die on the cross to remove the middle wall of separation between slave and owner, and between race-superiority. (Eph 2:14-18) 

§ Everyone should work, and everyone should rest. In the current Western capitalist model, people want to make enough money, have so-called passive income and stop working. Retirement is not a biblical concept.  He who is loose and slack in his work is brother to him who is a destroyer and he who does not use his endeavors to heal himself is brother to him who commits suicide.  (Proverbs 18:9 AMP) Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. (Eph 4:28) 

A consumer-driven society becomes a creative, working, goodwill, benevolent driven society. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God created a new social eco-system, called His body, bride and church where we take care of another. (Col 2:19; 3:15; Eph 1:22; 4:4; 5:30; Rom 12:5) 

§ Both the soil and the human body can produce more optimally if we follow strict rest measures. We can only work harder, if we also maintain good rest! True rest is found in the rest of faith. (Rom 15:13)

§ The gap between rich and poor is drastically reduced, as we all take our responsibility of fraternity to one another seriously, to say, “I want to be my brother’s keeper.” The biggest systemic challenge of poverty is disconnection, exclusion, stigmatisation, distance in relationships. (1 John 3:17) 

A government as a Welfare State is replaced by a social system of decentralised localised interdependence, co-accountability which morph-develop from the ground up. These Jubilee changes will not be implemented from the top-down by the State. It will be implemented at ground-zero, the most local level, where authentic existing Farther-type leaders are gathering a Christ-centred value-based, new order of Social Covenant and mutual trust.[6] 

Our Agricultural Think Tank predicts that we will see Post-Covid19 a new form of financial collateral emerging: Currently, banks are only financing land value, and tradable shares. In the future, we will need to set up Development Banks, in order to see production as a collateral. Community banks, and community lending such as Stokvel will become mainstream. Communities will move closer with “social compacts” and “collaboratives”. We will see a new emphasis on localisation.[7] 

What is the Heart of Jubilee? GIVE, GIVE, GIVE!

God gave His only begotten son (John 3:16).

As we give, we become free from fear! 

As we open our hands, God is busy resetting us towards His purpose! 

As we receive Christ individually and collectively, we will see a new social order, and subsequent new economy develops God’s way.  

The biblical way to break through the uncertainty is to give up the fear of the future. Tobias and Dr Ruben Richards are currently leading an initiative whereby each Citrus producer in the OlifantsRiverValley will give a 10th of their local market earmarked oranges for the Western Cape Government to be part of the distribution of 50,000 food parcels a day for the winter season.

Beginning Tuesday, Wena Botha will be training the poor in Work4aLiving; to the community-led provision to 28 homeless people with a roof over their heads, daily meals. As a church, we are monitoring our people in the congregation’s situation, providing help through our apostolic fund so that everyone has food eat and is cared for.

In the weeks to come, we will give, even more, help and support, work for reconciliation, make peace, build bridges, the complete healing of the whole person. Because the Great Jubilee is abiding within us! 

  [1] Piketty, T. and Goldhammer, A., n.d. Capital In The Twenty-First Century.

 Roche, B. and Jakub, J., n.d. Completing Capitalism

[2] Piketty, T. and Goldhammer, A., n.d. Capital In The Twenty-First Century.

 Roche, B. and Jakub, J., n.d. Completing Capitalism

[3] https://landsummit.co.za/about/

[4] https://restory.co.za

[5] The Triple Shabbat and its Implications for Poverty, Accumulation of Wealth, and Human Freedom. Noam Zion, Hartman Institute, No*******@gm***.com – excerpted from: Jewish Giving in Comparative Perspectives: History and Story, Law and Theology, Anthropology and Psychology. Book One: From Each According to One’s Ability: Duties to Poor People from the Bible to the Welfare State and Tikkun Olam. 

[6] http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GAC_NewSocialCovenant_Report_2014.pdf

[7] https://youtu.be/22wIcMMrrNU Tim du Plessis