To fit or not to fit, that is the question (RTS L-1)

The other day my wife called me to come to her desk and fix a computer problem. I said, "What is the matter?" She said, "Keyboard is not working." The Bill Gates' Microsoft Keyboard brand used to work fine, wirelessly. Whatever she typed, was seamlessly reflected on the screen, but all of sudden the keys for numbers and letters started misbehaving - with sticky keys all around. So I checked the control setting, readjusted the speed and all others, then with a mini vacuum cleaner, removed fine dust particles out of the key board. Then it started working fine! There was an issue with the software (control setting), and an issue with the hardware (dust getting piled up, underneath keys).

What about man - the most sofisticated machine ever made? For example, what happens if he is unable to communicate with his creator seamlessly? What is the solution to such problem as communication problem? What if the software that runs his life remains out of sync, outdated or is subject to viruses? What is or are the ways to get the living entity called life reformated and be restored to the factory setting?

John answers the question. In John 1:29-34, John the Baptist pointed to Jesus saying, "Look the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world."

John shows here the first key to getting fit inside out, that is, getting what makes man to be unfit out of the way. Sin blocks the relationship between God and men. It was sin that rendered Adam to be unfit in the Garden of delight. Due to sin he was rendered unfit with God and the Garden.

Jesus came to get this blockage out of the way, so Adam can be fit into the bosom of God and the domain of the Garden.

Note that the word 'takes' - the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. It is in the present tense. So at a real time called now, we need to come to the Lord, Jesus the Son of God, accept the grace of him taking away the sin of the world (i.e., you and me), so we would be fit into the family of God, the family born of His Spirit.



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Location:De Palma St,Downey,United States

Total Fitness Program via RTS (Real Time Synchronization) - Introduction

The front cover of "Self" magazine, Feb. 2013 edition, says
* Tight abs
* Lean legs
*  Cute butt.

It also says,  "body confidence" - Own IT! The magazine has on the side of the cover a catch pharse - "Tap Into Your Best Self".

But self represents more of inner phenominon than outer. There are many who are physically fit. Among them are many of supermodels or movie stars. A while ago, during my visit to Kenya, I  met a freind of mine. He shared room with me. He also shared the story of his 'first love'.  This led me to watching a Korean TV drama "Winter Sonata".  The TV series came in 6 DVD's. I enjoyed the movie. Yet I was saddened by the news that Yong Ha Park (August 10, 1977 - June 30, 2010) one of my favorate actors in the drama committted suicide.  Why did he die at the prime of his life? Obviously his inner self was not well fit. Many are body confident but not many are self-confident. 

Question then becomes: "How can I be best fit inside out?" "How can I tap into my best self?"

If you have been following up on my blog postings at http://isaachkim.blogspot.com, already you might have guessed the answer to the question: Read the Bible, for the Scripture has all the answers to all the questions on life.

From this week on, I would like you to join a total fitness program (TFP) based on not all the 66 books of the Bible but on John's gospel. The TFP is called 'total' fitness, for we are called to be fit in the totality of one's person - in one's internal and external person. 

Note that to be fit is one thing, to stay fit is another. How can one stay fit all the time? RTS addresses th question. RTS stands for real time synchronization. Real time refers to the time called 'now'. Synchronization is to be in sync with Jesus Christ, the one who makes one to be fit and helps  him to stay fit.

First let us check into a spiritual gym as the Apostle John opened up. Let us go to John and read 1:1-18.

Here John introduces Jesus the Son of God as the Divine Fitter - the only one who can make one to be fit and stay fit. Among other features notice:

- Jesus the author of life I-4)
- Jesus the giver of the new life (12)
- the means by which he lets you to stay (grace and truth)

That is it for introduction.

Next TFP Exercise 1 will be based on the next following passage.

Have a nice day.

Without Him nothing was made that has been made.

21st Century - an African Century!

Africa Report by Isaac H. Kim dated January 19, 2013 (for the 2013 UBF Annual Report)


“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

For most of the UBF members, the year 2012 was the year of Africa. And the Lord blessed the three African regional Bible conferences that took place during the first three weekends of August. At our UBF website (Home Contents), you can find detailed reports on them.

During the first weekend of the New Year 2013, we had a New Year African Directors’ Conference at Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. The conference was particularly meaningful for it took place at a place called “Bagamoyo” which means “I leave my soul here”, which is what African slaves, after having been caught by slave traders during the early part of the 18th century, but before being exported to a foreign land, gave a final look at their mother land, said. At the outset of the conference Missionary Timothy Chung said, “Let us pray that this land be changed from the land of exporting slaves to the land exporting missionaries.” And we did pray accordingly.

Missionary Andrew Kim, the African Co-ordinator, made a detailed report on this new year’s conference, and I trust that it is available online.

On my way from Tanzania to Los Angeles, I read from an inflight magazine (of the Ethiopian Airline) an article which I think is worth quoting. “We firmly believe that the 21st Century will be an African century. With its young and dynamic population, most of the world’s uncultivated arable land, untapped natural resources, a rising middle class, and fast economic growth, Africa will be the next and perhaps the last frontier in the advancement of globalization.”

Last December I visited Kenya to attend a wedding. At that time I saw that business-minded people such as the Brussel Airlines have a keen sense that “a big time money making opportunities” are opening up in Arica, so they opened up new services connecting the world with more than two dozen cities in Africa especially in the western region.

UBF shepherds and missionaries operating in Africa also understand the urgency/trend. And they pray to send out missionaries and shepherds reach out to souls in all unreached African nations. Missionary Peter Park of Nigeria for example prays to send out missionaries to and pioneer 14 French speaking African nations such as Ivory Coast.

Enemies also are working hard to disrupt the work of God in Africa. You’ve heard the prayer topics from one missionary in Sudan, especially the restriction of the religious freedom. There is also a news report on Mali where Muslim insurgents are taking over villages with guns and rifles. And the French government is losing out the battle against the villains.

Last August we were glad and prayed for one missionary arriving at the heart of Congo. But the project was canceled so he pulled himself out of the mission field. However, Missionary Truman Lee is in Ghana a new mission field.

Let us keep praying that the Lord empower us to send out shepherds to all 55 African nations.

One word: You will be my witnesses

--
In Christ,
Isaac H. Kim
LA UBF
http://laubf.com
http://isaachkim.blogspot.com
Cell: 562-714-0417


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Location:I-5 S,Downey,United States

Mathematic Solution to Paul's Theological question :-)

There are 66 books of the Bible. Of the 66 some say 14 or according to another 13 were penned by the Apostle Paul. 

Assuming 14 is true, 

14 ÷ 66 = 0.21212121...

So his writings account for over 21%. That is a lot (of revelation). 

Now, let us solve a problem on the Apostle Paul's theology of salvation. 

Q:

Paul says in Colossians 3:3-4, "For you died, and your life  is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory."  In 2:11-15, he also says, "In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." Christ died and rose again over two thousand years ago. You and I live in this 21st Century. Yet, Paul says, "You were this or you were that, or you did this you did that along with Christ more than two thousand years ago." 

What is going on? 

Solution: 

Christ is God. 

His value (or profit) = ∞ 

Our sins (or loss) = finite
Jesus paid the price for our sins, so the value he paid for our debts (sins/loss) ≧ our debts/sins

All came from Jesus, so Jesus ≧ all, so when Jesus died and rose again, all died and rose again. 

So in Jesus all who put trust in Him can live a new life that is free of sin and death, full of life. 


Ummm...

The Chronicles of the Biblical You

In a song, "Where am I going" (from Sweet Charity), Barbara Streisand sang, "Where am I going?...What am I doing?...Looking inside me, what do I see? Anger, hope, and doubt. Why do I care? What am I all about?"

The writer of the lyric raises questions on life, compelling you to answer the questions.

In regard to the origin, present status, and the destiny of life, every one staying physically alive knows that he or she is from a mother's womb, then goes to a grave, sooner than later. But this information does not satisfy us, for it is limited to a physical realm; it falls short of the life prior to the conception in a mother's womb, as well as the life beyond the grave.

So where did I come from? What am I doing? Where am I going? And why should I/you care?

Well, at least this is what the Bible (which by the way is called the book of life) says.

1. Life was in Jesus Christ. (Surprise?) John 1 says, "In Him was life and that life was the light of men..." Read John 1 and you will find as a bonus the infor on who made you and how he made you.

2. Adam (you) lost himself (yourself) due to sinning. Genesis 3

3. God sent Jesus, the Son to look for and save the lost. Luke 19:10; John 1:1-18

4. The way for him to save the lost is to remove for the lost the cause of  loss, that is, your sins (and all of its ill effects including the loss of the relationship with the Father). And he did it through himself offering as an atoning sacrifice on the cross. Thereafter he rose again and is now seated at the right hand of God working as your representative/mediator between you and God the Father. 1Co 15:3-4; Romans 5

5. To ensure that the lost be saved, for the one who repents and turns to Jesus the Savior for His grace, God gives him the right to be called a child of God. John 1:12 God also sends you the Holy Spirit to give you new birth, providing you with a brand new self that is designed to be like him in perfect righteousness, holiness, and redemption. (Col 3:10; Eph 4:24)

6. For the one who remains in Jesus Christ the Savior, his life is now preserved (hidden) in Jesus Christ, and will appear with Jesus in glory when Jesus Christ comes again. (Colossians 3:1-4)

7. The life you live now here in a physical body is to do the good work for which God sent you in this age. When your work is done, your body will remain in the grave, your soul will be preserved in a place called Sheol, but your spirit will go back to the Father, only for you (in a resurrected body) to reappear with him, and receive the inheritance that will be ordered by God in the coming age. Ephesians 1-2 If however Jesus returns while you are still in a physical body, he will ensure that you be  transformed into a body making you to be like Him (in a risen state) so you would reign with Him for good.

Have a nice day!

7 Minutes Coffee Break with Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) who said, "God is dead", is dead but his words are around. A friend of mine used to be an avid reader of the German philospher, but after studying the Bible (Genesis and John in particular) he became a Christian. The man invited the German atheist (his words with quotation marks) to a coffee table, and exchanged his thoughts with the atheist's.   

1. “The person lives most beautifully who does not reflect upon existence” - Correct, for we are called to fix our thoughts and eyes on Jesus, the Savior, rather than on my this or my that. And life that lives in and through Jesus the Savior is bound to be beautiful in good times and bad times. 
2. “Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!” - True in the sense that like Jesus we are to live not to please men, but to please God. And as you live to please God, troubles are bound to come your way.
3.  “One has to pay dearly for immortality; one has to die several times while one is still alive”- This is also true for the Apostle Paul said, "Brothers, I die every day." Didn't Jesus also say, "Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me"?
4. “You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.” - Correct in the sense that all human ways are unvailing as far as life is concerned, for Jesus alone is the Way the Truth and the Life.
5. “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking” - True. See how many great thoughts came out of the mouth of Jesus while he was still walking with His disciples.
6. “One ought to hold on to one's heart; for if one lets it go, one soon loses control of the head too.” - True, for it has been proven that heart sends to brain more electro-magnatic signals than brain does to your heart.
7. “A thought, even a possibility, can shatter and transform us” - True, just as it is written: "In the beginning was the Word".
8. “The more you let yourself go, the less others let you go” - True. Consider how our Lord Jesus warned his disciples against the yeast (hypocricy) of the Pharisees. The case in point is Matthew a tax collector who after letting himself go, he saw that people (sinners and tax collectors) instead of letting Levi (Matthew) go, came and flocked together with him, eating and drinking, break-dancing, making lots of noise.
9. “After coming into contact with a religious man I always feel I must wash my hands” - True. See the comment on para 8.
10. “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” - True. God made man in his image, one of which attributes is to hang "what" (we do) on "why" (we do what we do.)
11. “To forget one's purpose is the commonest form of stupidity.” - True. See the discussion on para 10.
12. “I still live, I still think: I still have to live, for I still have to think.” - True. God made man in his image. The essence of his image is "thoughts", just as it is written: "The Word was God."

Bible Tanzania, Bible Romania

Bibleafrica dated 2013 from Hyung Kim

Meaning of Relief

[By coming to a deep mountain area memorizing tens and thousands of Buddhist literature, will this man be able to find rest?]

Ruth 2:12

"May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. ”

We can find the meaning of relief in the word 'refuge'.
Refuge refers to the place where you find yourself safe from the zone where war is raging.

By definition war involves conflcts between good and evil. The two (good and evil) forces are not going to come to rest in so long as one is exposed to the two coming in conflicts and warring against each other.

Upon falling man came to come and live under this war zone. The key characteristics of a man living in this war zone is 'restlessness'.

All the descendants of the first man Adam endeavoured to find rest from the restlessness, and yet no one was, has been, or is able to find rest (or peace) on his or her own, for it is only when one comes back to the Father under whose wings alone one can find true peace.

Elimelech and his two sons experienced this first hand. So was the case with Naomi and her two daughters in law.

But since Naomi decided to come to Bethlehem, the house of bread, and inasmuch as Ruth clung to her, and followed all the way to Bethlehem, with the firm decision to come to not just Ruth's home town but also [this is important and crititical to getting true relief of a soul being exposed to the warring state] the God of Israel, Boaz saw that indeed Ruth came under the wings of the God of Israel, that he blessed her saying, "...under whose wings you have come to take refuge."

Notice that Ruth 2:12 talks about provision beginning and the source of provision. In 12a, Boaz talks about beginning of provision (repayment and reward), and 12b describes the source of provision that is, the wings of the God of Boaz.

Boaz is the prefigure of Jesus the Savior who came to destroy the work of the devil and open the wat to the Father. In Jesus alone one can find true rest (or relief).

Speaking of this transaction Jesus said, "All who are weary and burdened, come to me. I will give you rest." Looking forward to the relief found in the Lord, Isaiah said, "Repentance and rest is your salvation, quietness and truyst is your strength." Isaiah 30:15

So relief begins and ends with one coming to and abiding in Jesus for good.

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Namib Beetle

Prayer makes a difference

The Ethiopian Airline In-flight magazine Selamta (Jan/Feb 2013, Volume 30 /number 1, P. 16) carries an article entitled 'inspirational bug'. The Namib Desert Beetle is one tough bug. Dwelling in one of the world's driest climates (only half an inch of rain each year), the Namib survives by harvesting moisture from morning fog and then storing the water on its back. Now, a U.S. started up called NBD Nano is using the beetle's survival methods as inspiration. The start-up is finishing its first fully functioning prototype and hopes to create a cost-effective way to provide water to dry regions of the world.

The Namib lives in a desert land where no man can survive. It developed a survival technique. In the Book of Genesis it is seen that due to man sinning, the Lord God had to curse the land (Genesis 3:17).

To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life."

Things grew worse when at a later time Cain murdered his brother Abel, for the Lord said in Genesis 4:12
"When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

The story of Namib raises a question: Who gave Namib the survival or thriving technique? Or wait. It survives or thrives due to the elements such as morning fog in a desert land.

Once God cursed the land but now it seems he no longer does, for sending morning fog or morning dew is reminiscent of God's grace falling on men and animals vs. man's response to it, giving us a hint of why some thrive even in a poor land while others improverished in a seemingly rich land.

How does God bestow upon man (and anilmals man can learn from) his grace? It has been said, "There are two means of grace" that is the word of God and prayer of saints. One of the first occasions of man approaching God with many thanks and supplications for his mercy is seen in what Noah first did after himself coming out of the ark. He built an altar to the Lord. Genesis 8:21 describes the Lord's response to Noah's prayer offerings:

"The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done."

We understand God is the source of all that are good. James 1:17 His intention is to bestow upon his children as much as they can handle. But when his children ignore him and turns away from him it is impossible even for him to bless them. For this reason in Isaiah 43:18-24 he bids his children to come to him.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.“Yet you have not called on me, Jacob, you have not wearied yourselves for me, Israel."

Does the Namib appreciate what Noah did? Does the Namib know that it is the beneficiary of Noah offering prayers to the Lord? I do not know.

We do know that Noah prefigures what our Lord Jesus did on a tree. He offered himself as the atoning sacrifice, and thereby open the way for his children to come back to Him and live under His blessings. Jesus is our High Priest praying on behalf of his children.

Before his departure he exhorted his disciples to "always" pray and not give up. Luke 18:1 So we pray from our heart, "Our Heavenly Father, Hallowed be your name..."

Prayer should not be mechanical. It must not be superficial either. It must come with love for the Lord, not any love but the kind of love He has for us. In the Bible it is seen how much God feels sorry for the flimsiness of the love his children have for the Lord. Jacob is the name of the Israelites. Jacob being a man steeped in the things of the world, for the most part he had little love for the Lord. So the Lord said, your love for me is like a morning mist that disappears. Hosea 6:4; 13:3.

Imagine the morning fog that appears briefly and disappears. Although the moisture is so little the Namib appreciates, gathers every little hint of it, and stores it to survive and thrive.

This reminds me of my coming to the Lord in prayer vs. the Lord coming to me with his grace, for on so many occasions, and for the most part of my life, my coming to him was very much like a morning mist that appears and disappears in the desert. It was not like Noah building an altar offering sacrifices with the pleasing aroma raising to God's throne room.

So Noah prayed and our Lord Jesus prayed and is praying, so His grace is still falling on us, even on a man as meager as the Namib.

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Location:Ankunftbogen,Frankfurt,Germany

Bible Tanzania World Mission

Bible Studies with coworkers of Tanzania UBF

January 7 (Monday) afternoon - several of us visited prison island (where they used to lock up prisoners) where we saw turtles.

January 8 (Tuesday)
Missionary Timothy took us to "Amaani Bungalows" a place with beach where I served a few Bible studies on Bible Tanzania and World Mission.

Lesson I. Is indeed Tanzania a horrible palce to live/evangelize?

In Tanzania UBF native leaders are yet to be established. One might think that Tanzania is a hard place to plant church. Why then does the Scritpure say, "When times are good be happy, but when times (or mission fields) are bad, consider this: God has made this as well as the other. Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future." Ecc 7:14

The answer is hidden in the "Therefore, no one can discover anything about their future."Why no one?
It is because their future (your future, my future, the future of Tanzanians as well as Tanzanian UBF coworkers) will all depend on what you think of who God is. Isn't it God who has made the land as hard as it is now? Then why did God make the times of life in the land this way? And who do you think God is - the God who made the land that way, and why has God made the land that way?

Consider then that God is the good God. For those who believe he is good and good all the time. So even when the times are bad, inasmuh as God is a good God, oen is called to operate with absolute faith believing in God who is good and good all the time.



Lessson 2 - What should one first and foremost remember in serving the flock of God in any mission fields?

Daniel 7:14, 28-29; Ecc 12:13; Col 3:3

Beginning this coming Sunday Missionary Timothy Chung decided to serve the Sunday worship messages in English. One should expect/believe that the Lord God would do mighty work in the years to come.

So I was encouraged to serve a Bible study based on the above referenced Bible passages.

Daniel saw in a vision the end of the matter, that is, as Jesus comes back, he will ensure that the dominion, powers, soverignty of all kingdoms will be taken away from the wicked and given to the saints.
Solomon talks about the conclusion of the matter, that is to say, man's whole duty is to fear God and obey His commands.

But on his own, man cannot do this, so the first thing one needs to do is to be in Jesus, for life eternal, so he could participate in his eternal kingdom.

For this reason, the Apostle Paul says 'You died in the Lord, so your life is now hidden in Christ, so when Christ appears [at the end of the matter] your life also will appear."

So the firrst for one to do is to lead the flock of God to Jesus Christ. Then one can learn to live a life fearing and obeying God.

3. Lesson 3 - The call for Real Time Synchronization, revisited

John 14:9-10

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Rule of operation No 1 for a missionary (or pastor) is to keep himself in sync with Jesus in real time.

But I see many (myself included) goes out of sync so often just as was the case with Philip in John 14.

So check yourself whether u r in or out of sync with Jesus real time called now.

Otherwise you cannot not expect any work of life arising in and through you, neither today nor tomorrow.

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Location:Bibititi Mohamed Road,Dar es Salaam,Tanzania

Freedom from slavery

Writings on the wall of Slavery Museum at Stonetown

Galatians 5:1-4 (NIV)
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Jan 8 Monday, '13
Learning the way of freedom in the Lord via the visit to Zanzibar, an island near Dar Es Salaam.

At the outset of the African Directors Conference 2013, Missionary Timothy Chung took the podium and said to the African directors, "Let us pray that Tanzania be changed from the the sad history of Bagamoyo to Missionary Sending Nation".

As I mentioned in my previous blog post Bagamoyo means "I leave my soul here." Prior to being exported to slave grounds in foreign lands like Saudi Arabia, India (under the British Rule), or Europe, looking back towards the mother land for the last moment, slaves said, "Bagamoyo."

The slaves then were brought to an island Zanzibar. (Zanzibar is a combination of two words:'zan' meaning 'black' and 'zibar' meaning 'island'.) There they were locked up in a prison which is a cave dug underground. They were stacked up there for two or three days, until the day of auction. On the day of auction, they were brought out to an open field, put on display on a stage. They were tied to trees (one of the trees called Jojoba used to tie up slaves is still standing on the frontyard where now a Catholic church is standing), and whipped. The beatings took palce for the sellers to demonstrate to the buyers the strength of the slaves being sold, for primarily the value of the slaves were determined by theeir 'strength' (labor value). The prices per slave ranged from $20 on the low side to $40 on the high side - the price of New York Steak!

After acquring the title the tradesman ships the slaves from Zanzibar to overseas countries. It took about one month and 2 weeks for the slaves to arrive at a foreign land where they were resold to retailors.

At 7:00 a.m. we left Dar Es Salaam for Zanzibar via Ferry.

The underground prison for slaves and the auction place were located at a town called "Stonetown", a place designated as a UNESCO Heritage site.

As I was visiting the sites, I asked myself a question, "How did this evil (slave trade) begin? Why did the slavery take place to the Africans? Who is liable for the sin of slavery? The Africans or the 'invaders' who invaded the lands with artilleries? Or both?"

We find the answer to the question in Galathians 5:1. Note the expression 'Do not let..', especially the word 'let'. Do not let yourself be burdened by the yoke of slavery!

It is you who 'let' it happen to you if it happens to you! The sin of slavery began first with the Africans. Slave traders were used only as an instrument.

Well, in the first place, slave traders are already in slavery, perhaps on a grander scale, - enslaved to the power of sin and Satan. That is why they end up invading an otherwise peaceful land and commit sins as horrible as slave trade. While John Newton was enslaved by the power of sin and Satan, he submitted himself to greed, so he made a living out of slave trade. But thanks to the influence of William Wilberforce (his shepherd so to speak), he met Jesus. He was set free from the bondage to the power of sin and death. And he fought for the abolishment of slave trade.

It is said the slave trade in Zanzibar began in 1801 and came to a close in 1873 but behind the cessation there is the history of the British Empire passing the law prohibiting slave trade as 'illegal', and for this many like John Newton, who found the true freedom in Jesus Christ, fought for the cessation of the slave trade

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

Notice the word 'again'. What does 'again' mean? Again means 'again'. This word indicates that people repeat the same mistake again and again. Yes. You are born free, but you 'let' yourself be burdened by slavery again. Becasue you let it happen, things happen the way 'you' [decided to] let them happen, like out of nowhere, invaders land at the beach of Zanzibar or Dar Es Salaam. They shoot artillery, and they hold you up.

So do not let it happen. And it is you who hold the key.

Did the people of Tanzania or Zanzibar learn the lesson? What about you? or Me? Am I a Christian? Was I born free? And am I free in the true sense of being free?

How did the Africans 'let' themselves burdened by the yoke of slavery?

According to Moses Yoon who was in the visiting group, slave traders did not actually go out to the African villages and nab slaves. Fellow Africans caught fellow Africans as slaves. They handed fellow Africans to the slave traders. In Africa there used to be mutual hatred among tribes. They kept fighting against each other. The long history of tribal conficts resulted in them suffering from such horrible consequences as slavery. The slave traders took advantage of the situation. So all that the slave traders had to do was to give guns and rifles to one tribe, so as the tribes fight each other, the tribe that borrowed guns and artillry from the British, win the battle against the other, so the winning tribe turns in their captives to the hands of the slave traders who in turn sold the captives as slaves.

Written on the wall of the slavery museum at the Stonetown is 'None of us is as strong as all of us.' Does this writing ring anything to you?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhonepe, looking at the mother land for the last moment, they said, "Bagamoyo."

Location:Maktaba Street,Dar es Salaam,Tanzania