Jesus, Compassion And JusticeSample

Re-imagining Faith

Yesterday we learned that Jesus is calling us beyond charity, into partnership and solidarity with the poor, so that they can play a central role in their own transformation. Today, I want to show you an example of Jesus at work in this way today.

Tom is a close friend of mine - though he calls me “father”. And his life - his sheer perseverance - inspires me to be a better person.

Tom has lived a bitterly hard life, especially after losing both parents by the age of 10. One night, soon after the death of his parents, the tiny shack he lived in with his two siblings burnt down in a slum fire - deliberately set by government agents seeking to evict the community. Tom and his siblings lost everything, including the only remaining photos and keepsakes of their parents.

But …we helped Tom move into a new community with a small Christian presence. Though it was a poor slum community, Tom was chosen as a “little brother” by a young Christian man who became his “Alongsider”.

This local faith community, by God’s grace, has made all the difference in Tom’s life. They prove that LOVE, not physical possessions is the most essential ingredient for a resilient life.

Tom is now a youth leader at his church, mentoring the 18 young people who are Alongsiders committed to walking alongside 18 vulnerable children in that community. These are all impoverished young people, eking out their own living in a slum. But every one of them is willing to reach out and walk alongside an even more vulnerable neighbor.

They are living out these words of Scripture in their everyday lives:

“He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.” (2 Cor 1:4 – The Message)

Recently, Tom took another step in his amazing journey, and we were privileged to stand alongside him as “Parents of the Groom” as he married the love of his life, Sreya - another Alongsider (and former “little sister”).

Tom’s story is being replicated all over Asia and beyond, as vulnerable children, orphaned and left behind are being chosen as “little brothers and sisters”.

Research shows that the simple act of being loved faithfully, encouraged and mentored over many years, makes a huge difference in a child’s life. For many it is the difference between resilience and brokenness.

Tom’s life presents a simple but powerful and provocative challenge: if a young man, grown up in the slum, knowing nothing but hardship, could take the experience of that hardship and use it to walk alongside another vulnerable human being - then perhaps you could too!

What’s stopping you from being part of this Upside-Down Kingdom revolution?