Speed the Light: Family helping Family
In October 2006, a new website appeared on the internet. LiveLeak.com was originally formed to allow video footage of politics, war, and other world events and combine them with the power of citizen journalism. Some examples of videos that can be found on the site range from military crackdowns during citizen protests in Ukraine and Syria to security camera footage of robberies, and everything in between.
LiveLeak has done some really good things. They’ve videos involving Fatemeh Moghimi, the executive director of an international shipping company, Soheila Sadegh Zadeh, a deputy of urban planning in Tehran, Ghamartaj Khanbabaei, a university lecturer and pediatric pulmonologist, and Marzieh Yadegari, a shooting instructor and high ranking police officer. What makes these stories special is that all four of these people are women. Thanks to LiveLeak, the “common person” in Iran can finally have their voice heard. Despite their government’s less-than-stellar reputation, people across the world can now easily see the difference between the Iranian government and the Iranian people.
The problem, though, is that this became a repository for videos that, at best, reside in the “gray” area of what is legal. In 2007 one of the most famous -- or, more correctly, infamous -- videos was uploaded: cell phone video of Saddam Hussein’s execution. Later that same year, an investigative journalism show on the BBC aired a show about how young people were recorded getting physically assaulted and knocked unconscious. When representatives from the show queried the "extremely violent videos" that had been posted to LiveLeak's website, co-founder Hayden Hewitt refused to take them down, stating, "Look all this is happening, this is real life, this is going on, we're going to show it.”
LiveLeak doesn’t just show international videos, though. On April 17th, 2008, six girls got in a fight in Clarksville, Indiana. The girls all ranged in age from 12 to 14. At one point, the fight was 5 on 1, with one girl grabbing rocks from the ground and repeatedly beating the victim in the head. We know this because at least three adults stood by and recorded the fight on their cell phones. None of them tried to stop the fight.
On Saint Patrick’s Day 2013, two people got in a fight in a Boston subway. After a heated argument, a woman gets up and starts brutally punching a man in the face. The other riders on the subway did nothing -- they just sat in their seats and watched. Many of them also recorded the fight on their cell phones and posted them online.
There are countless more examples of this sort of thing happening -- people are getting hurt, sometimes even killed -- and everyone around them simply watches and does nothing. Why? Is it because we like to watch? I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people laughing about a fight they saw, or sharing a video of a fight online. A lot of times they get excited, and start “picking sides” -- even though they don’t know anything about what is happening or why.
This is actually a recognized psychological phenomenon, called the “Bystander Effect”. In short, people are less likely to help if someone is getting hurt if there is a large number of people around them. According to Psychology Today, this is due to something called pluralistic ignorance -- we all tend to look to others for clues to define what is happening. An example of this is if we drive past a car accident, and assume that someone else will call 911.
What’s interesting though, is that if someone is by themselves they’re actually more likely to help; there is no one else around to take responsibility. The Bystander Effect is a trend that’s gotten so bad that people who record a violent crime on their phone without calling 911 or trying to help the victim are getting in trouble themselves. Students are getting suspended; adults are going to jail.
Many people have argued that this is something that has resulted from our increased use of the internet, and sites like LiveLeak. The internet allows for increased anonymity, they argue, meaning fewer and fewer people feel like they are responsible for those around them. In fact, psychologists have noticed that the Bystander Effect does not seem to apply if the victim and the witness are family. The internet is anonymous, but the Bystander Effect isn’t anything new. This has been going on for thousands of years -- not recording video on a cell phone, obviously -- but standing by, doing nothing but mock, while other people get hurt. Getting punished for doing this isn’t new either. Turn with me to the book of Obadiah.
Obadiah is one of the shortest books in the entire Bible -- only one chapter and 21 verses! But in it, Obadiah brings a word from the Lord against the nation of Edom, condemning them for just standing around and doing nothing while Israel gets conquered again and again.
But wait -- why would God condemn Edom for this, and not any other nation? What makes Edom different from, say, Moab? Or Assyria? For that matter, why is God so upset with Edom, but not with the nations that are conquering Israel in the first place?
Well, to really understand Obadiah and God’s anger toward Edom, we need to go all the way back to Genesis. In Genesis chapter 25, starting with verse 23, we learn that Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, is pregnant with twins. “The Lord said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.’ ” The Lord was referring to the twins Jacob and Esau. Esau was born first, so he was entitled to his father’s inheritance. But Jacob tricked his brother into giving him the birthright instead. As you can imagine, Esau wasn’t very happy with this, so he held a grudge against his brother.
Time passes, and Jacob gets married and has eleven sons. He was alone one night when he met a man. This man wrestled with Jacob all night. Jacob tells him that he won’t let him go until he gets a blessing! At that point, the man reveals himself as an angel and renames Jacob -- his name is now Israel.
Are things starting to click now? Jacob is Israel. Jacob founded the nation of Israel -- after his name was changed, he had another son -- 12 sons for 12 tribes of Israel.
But what about Esau? Esau’s grudge toward his brother eventually turned to hate. When Esau founded a nation of his own that hate became cultural -- the members of Esau’s nation hated Israel because they always have. Esau’s nation? Edom. That’s right -- Edom was a Jewish nation, descended from Abraham. And the bitterness between the two nations did not stop when Esau died. In Numbers 20, Moses asks the king of Edom for safe passage through their land while the Israelites are wandering in the desert. The king says no, and threatened to attack Israel with the Edomite army if they entered the kingdom. In 1 Samuel 14, Saul fights against Edom. In 2 Samuel 8, David conquered Edom. In 2 Kings 8 Edom revolted against Israel. Isaiah chapter 34 said that Edom was doomed to judgement. Jeremiah chapter 49 said that God will bring calamity to Edom. Ezekiel said that God would lay Edom’s towns to ruin in chapter 35. Malachi mentions their destruction, so does Lamentations. Now, Obadiah. Even history books confirm that the people of Edom were completely wiped out after the Roman conquest of Jerusalem in 70 AD. So what on earth did Edom do to deserve this judgement?
Nothing. Edom did nothing at all.
And that’s the point. Edom just stood by and did nothing while Israel suffered at the hands of their enemies. Obadiah verses 10-14:
10Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever. 11On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gates and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were like one of them. 12You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. 13You should not march through the gates of my people in the day of their disaster, nor look down on them in their calamity in the day of their disaster, nor seize their wealth in the day of their disaster. 14You should not wait at the crossroads to cut down their fugitives, nor hand over their survivors in the day of their trouble.
Now, in English the word “brother” can mean many things. It can mean “male sibling” -- my sons Gabe and George are brothers. It can mean close friend -- there are men here in the church I think of as my brother. It can also mean someone who follows the same leader -- I am a brother in Christ. But if you look at this verse in the Hebrew, the word they use for brother is quite clear. I’m not even going to begin to try to pronounce the word, but it is the exact same word used in Genesis to describe the relationship between Cain and Abel. God is saying here that Edom and Israel are brothers in the oldest sense of the word -- they are family.
Edom was so concerned with the hatred they had against Israel that they forgot that they were family! Edom’s hatred toward the Israelites had grown to the point where they no longer followed God’s commandments.
But wait, we don’t hate each other, right? I mean, the whole Bystander Effect I mentioned earlier doesn’t say anything about hatred, does it? Well, no. But it doesn’t have to. If someone was getting hurt, and another person could do something about it but chose not to -- that’s not exactly showing love, is it?
And who is our family, anyway? There are three ways someone can be considered family in our culture. The first is by blood -- if two people are related by blood, they’re family. Parents and children, siblings, cousins, etc. They share a common ancestor.
The second way is through marriage. My brother-in-law is not family by blood, but he is family because he married my sister. Even fiances are often considered to be family because marriage will be coming soon.
The third way is through adoption. My grandparents adopted my aunt when she was still a baby. Just because she is not family by blood or family through marriage does not mean she’s not my family!
The Bible has several things to say about these definitions of family, but for now let’s return to Obadiah. When Obadiah travelled to Edom, Israel was hurting, and their family in Edom did nothing to help them. But this entire planet is hurting, isn’t it? We see it in the news every day: ISIS, civil war in Syria, Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, shots fired across the Korean border. But what can we really do about it? We’re not all able to fly to Iran and protect Christians being persecuted, right?
No, we’re not. Missionaries have a specific calling to do this very thing -- but we’re not all called to be missionaries. I know I’m not. That’s OK! We are, though, all called to spread the word of the Lord to all people. In Matthew 28:19-20 Jesus says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” Notice Jesus doesn’t say, “Therefore, those of you who have been called into the ministry, go”. This verse, called the Great Commission, was intended for all believers -- regardless of calling. But for those of us who are not called to be missionaries -- and those of us who are called, but simply haven’t started yet -- we can still help. We can help support those missionaries with Speed the Light.
Speed the Light is a simple concept -- we give so others can “speed the light of the Gospel to a world in darkness.” Specifically, this is accomplished by providing transportation and multimedia equipment for missionaries here in the United States and around the world. This is much more difficult than it sounds.
Purchasing a car overseas is not a cheap proposition. Take Denmark, for example. Denmark is a western, modernized, friendly country -- with extremely high car import taxes. New cars are taxed at 180%. A Toyota Corolla -- starting between $19-20,000 here in the US -- will go for $39,000 or more in Denmark.
Granted, Denmark has a very good public transportation system, plus a culture that is increasingly fond of bicycles. But imagine being a missionary in India, or an African country, without a car to take you from place to place. John Dougherty is our District Youth Director, and was a missionary in Israel for a time. Until he received his Speed the Light vehicle, he and his family were forced to use the Israeli public transportation system -- which, as you can imagine, isn’t exactly the safest option.
If you want someone who serves a little closer to home, take Bob Aston for example. Many of you remember Bob as the man who did our children’s event a few years back. Bob is a children’s missionary for the state of Georgia. He travels from LaFayette by the Tennessee border to Valdosta and everywhere in between. Georgia is known for many things, but we are not known for our extensive public transportation network. Thankfully, Bob has a car purchased through Speed the Light funds.
When we talk about Speed the Light, it’s so easy to just tune it out as another person begging for money. But remember the two stories I told at the beginning -- the fights that broke out where people just stood by and watched -- what difference could they have made if they’d only have stepped in to stop the fight? A teenage girl would never have gotten hit in the head with rocks. A man would never have been savagely beaten on the subway. It would have made a huge difference to them.
Remember earlier, when I gave the three ways someone can be considered family? The bible speaks on this to let us know who we should consider to be our family. The first way, remember, was based on blood. If you are related by blood, you’re family. Ephesians 2:13 says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” We who were once far away -- sinners, in other words -- have been brought near by the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ relates us all. In short, God doesn’t care that I got the type O blood running in my veins from my earthly father, he cares that I’m covered in the blood of Christ, and therefore, family to all other believers.
The second way we consider someone to be family is through marriage. The Bible repeatedly refers to the church as a bride and Jesus as the groom. 2 Corinthians 11:2 says, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.” In other words, we are engaged to be married to Christ. After the second coming, when we are all living in the new heavenly city with Christ, is the actual wedding to be performed. Revelation 19:7 says, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.” The wedding is a foregone conclusion -- we are all family through our upcoming marriage to Christ.
Adoption is the last method by which we can be considered family. But, believe it or not, the Bible speaks on this as well! Romans 8:15 says, “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” We have been adopted as children of God. All believers -- male, female, American, foreign -- are now family -- literal brothers and sisters in Christ.
So, then, the missionaries we send out into the world, and the missionaries that stay closer to home, are all our family. And they need our help! Like Israel as described in Obadiah, missionaries are being attacked on a daily basis -- spiritually, of course, but even physically. For many missionaries, threats of physical violence or even death are a way of life. Some missionaries can’t even share where they serve for fear of government reprisals against them and their family or others in their church. So are we, then, expected to hop on a plane to the other side of the world and help missionaries spread the Gospel to people there?
Well, if that’s what the Lord has called you to do, then yes! But we’re not all called to do that, and God doesn’t expect all of us to do that. What we can do, though, is use the talents and gifts we have been given to help those spreading the word. The result just may surprise you. One of my favorite examples of this is the song “How Great is Our God” by Chris Tomlin. This is a very famous song, and most of us know the words by heart. Simple lyrics for a simple faith. Christ Tomlin has a different version, though, that is extremely powerful.
That was the same song we all know, but sung in English, Indonesian, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese, with background vocals in Zulu. This is possible through the tireless effort of missionaries spreading the Gospel throughout the world, yes. But it is also possible through the faithful support of those of us who are not called to be full-time missionaries. I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that these are the languages that were chosen for this song. Areas where these languages are spoken -- southeast Asia, Russia, South America, China, and Africa -- are mostly rural. These areas do have major metropolitan areas with available public transportation -- but the people who don’t live in the large cities don’t have that luxury. They have to deal with long distances between cities and villages with little of what we would call civilization between them. Personal transportation of some sort is vital to safely travel between cities and villages. Missionaries who serve in these areas are desperate for reliable vehicles they can use to help them further the gospel to as many residents of their countries as possible.
In January of this year, I gave our district a faith promise that our church would raise $500 for Speed the Light in 2015. I then went and gave our students a stretch goal of $1000. We are getting there, but we need your help. Please consider donating today to Speed the Light. Thank you all.
