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Khesed News #77 Nov 2008 PDF Print E-mail
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Khesed News #77 Nov 2008
"Simply The Story"
"The Five Steps of Simply the Story"
"Nhä: God's Standards?"
"God's Strategies through indigenous people:"
"World Indigenous Christian Gathering, Israel"
"CURRENT KHESED PROJECTS"
"NEWS AROUND AUSTRALIA"
    "...Bäpa, we've been talking about God's standards, but what does that mean?"

The question came at Elcho Island after Bible studies on revival and the Holy Spirita few months ago. Nungalinya College lecturer, Rev Jovilisi Ragata, led the studies. Jo was recently in his homeland, Fiji, when hundreds of people were turning to the Lord, and the King of Fiji came with tears in his eyes and gave his life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Jo has poured his heart out for the Lord at Elcho Island and Arnhem Land for well over 30 years, and this was his last trip to Elcho Island before he retires later this year.
This question comes from a longing by Arnhem Land Yolngu to live God's way and not just talk about Him – a growing hunger in many Aborigines over the last few years. It was the one thing I have felt has been missing from the time God poured out His Holy Spirit in revival in 1979, and I am excited to hear the issue being raised. John & Annette Ives, Christian staff at Elcho Island, have been talking with Yolngu about it for several years, and this was the motivation for Yolngu asking June and I to minister there five years ago.
But somehow we are still looking for a clear way of explaining it in ways that speaks to Yolngu worldview and thinking. During one of the Bible Studies that week, Rev Dan Armstrong stood back to back with a tall Yolngu leader, showing that Dan was shorter, and didn't meet the standard. Jesus is our measure, and our standard should be: 'What would Jesus Do?' 
We talked of rulers and measures, but that is western thinking. At the rally just after I was asked the question, I felt the Lord led me to tell the story of Nathan telling King David of the rich man who stole a poor man's lamb [2 Samuel 12]. I used the Simply the Story method of telling this story in different ways to involve people and draw from them the treasures God has put in the story [see the separate report on this sent out previously]. The people saw more of God's holy ways in the New Covenant where we need to live by standards that are better than the Old Covenant of law. But they are still trying to grasp holiness and live it!
It is a major breakthrough that people are hungry for God's ways and His holiness. Please pray that they will see clearly what this means, and find Holy Spirit power to live holy lives for God.
There are also discussions over traditional leadership styles. Western leadership of 'bosses' has taken over from traditional shared servant leadership, and Yolngu are starting to realise this is destroying their community life.



 
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