Katie and I went to Mission Connexion Northwest this past weekend at Crossroads Community Church. It was pretty much the most amazing thing I've experienced and I will say boldly that EVERYONE should go next year. Yes. Every single person. I know that personally, I wasn't aware of even a quarter of the stuff going on for the kingdom throughout the world right now. God is moving in HUGE ways my friends! I'm getting chills just thinking about it.
The first day of the conference there was one workshop (we didn't make it for that) and then a speaker in the evening. The speaker was Dr. Joseph d'Souza who is the president of the Dalit Freedom Network. Now, Katie had a heard a little about the Dalit people prior to this conference, but it was all new to me.
India's caste system is comprised of 4 levels ranging from the upper caste all the way to the Dalits, or the untouchables. In Hindu belief, the upper, lower and middle caste were each created from a part of God's body, but the Dalits were such horrible sinners in a past life that God deemed them impure and denied them access to Him. Even the shadow of a Dalit passing over someone from a higher caste will make them impure. Dalits will literally lie down in the mud when an upper caste person walks by to avoid casting their shadow over them.
I remember hearing this at the conference and feeling so sick to my stomach. How wrong is that? I challenge anyone who just read that to tell me that all religions lead to the same God. I do not worship a God who denies His beloved children access to Him. My God stepped down from His throne and DIED so that I could be with Him. I didn't deserve it, but God said I was worth it.
Dr. d'Souza went on to talk about how the Gospel has impacted the Dalit people. So often, we think that spreading the gospel means sharing with someone how their sin has separated them from God and that Jesus died to reconcile us to Him.
The Dalit people know they are sinners separated from God - it's all they know! But when they are told they are made in the image of God...whoa. This people who has been made to believe that they weren't even worthy to be made from the soles of the feet of God. Made in the very image of God? The transforming power of knowing who they truly are and who God really is...it's beautiful.
And that was just the first night of the conference!
This may have to be a multi-post report... :P
"So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them" ~Genesis 1:27
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." ~John 3:16-17
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