We find this
to be a reality check concerning our affluent lifestyle as Christians, and I
would add here our palming off to the Federal Government and or to International
Organizations our care of the unsaved poor, and even the poor, sick and elderly
in our own churches and fellowships – Is a stench in God’s nostrils. Understand
that this does not fly before Jesus Christ and God. We are commanded to care
for fellow believers first in our own churches and fellowships, and second in
those churches and fellowships locally, third state wise, fourth in the US, and
forth internationally. We must needs
take care of our house, our immediate neighbors, our neighbors locally, our
neighbors nationally – seeing that the Gospel is obeyed and effectively
executed that Christ be not made an open shame.
Our nation languishes, as American Christiandom
in general seeks for themselves wealth and comfort and to live up to their
eyeballs in the things of the world.
Many of these Christians have two and three lavish houses, three – five cars,
five – seven television sets, as well as vast financial portfolios, and on and
on. All of this is in direct
disobedience to Jesus Christ’s own example as to how His disciples are to live,
as well as His words and commandments. The Apostles confirm time and time again
affirm the words and commandments of Jesus Christ. (Jesus words have not
changed) If thou desirest
riches in the next life, sell off that which thou hast, give
it to the poor with no strings and follow after me. Yet for the majority of so called believers there
are very sorrowful at these words and turn away for they have great riches and
love them more than they love Jesus Christ and God. (God looks at this above
all one’s bible study, prayer time and worship. – Understanding this the Apostles were astonished, they were filled with
fear and said How can anyone then be saved? (Meaning even they themselves loved
riches, houses and lands and the things of the world.) Jesus answered here with
men this is impossible (Meaning it is not naturally in men to do such things
and to live such a life) But with God all things are possible (Meaning that
with the indwelling Holy Spirit we might be brought us into God’s will and
desires and willing surrender our will wants and personal desires.) What we
find here at large is that the many are not Christ’s disciples indeed, and do
not want any of that at all, they desire Christ for fire insurance, to comfort
them and make them feel good in their sin and corruption. These are camp
followers and nothing else.
STOCKHOLM (AFP) — More than one billion people worldwide have no toilet
and defecate outside, while some have to be shamed into changing their habits
when presented with conveniences, a conference was told.
Humanitarian organisations have for decades tried
various ways -- be it new systems, pumps or subsidies -- of getting people in
developing countries to stop defecating outdoors due to the serious health risks
concerned.
But despite
their efforts, an estimated 1.2 billion people, primarily in Asia and Africa,
still don't use toilets (These do not have
running water and septic tanks, and more than likely do not have the land, or
money to construct an outhouses) to defecate, a forum of experts
meeting in Stockholm was told.
For many extremely poor people who are given toilets by aid groups, it
becomes the most precious item they own (It seems that these well meaning aid groups need to consider
giving a lot more things to the horribly poor before given them a bright white fiberglass
or plastic outhouse, perhaps sacks of rice, bowls, eating utensils, cookware, perhaps
tarps for their leaking roofs, or to cover their firewood.) and therefore (After receiving the most clean and beautiful thing these
people have ever seen) they use it as a religious shrine (To honor their
dead, or their gods) or a dry place to store firewood, international
development consultant Kamal Kar
said.
"What's becoming quite apparent is that the way you actually have an
impact on health, development and poverty alleviation is when people adopt
certain behaviours," Clarissa Brocklehurst, the head of UNICEF's water, environment and
sanitation programme, told AFP.
In recent years, experts have found
that the best method has been to shame people into using some form of toilets,
even the most primitive sort (of people), to confine excreta.
"It's just a matter of getting them to understand that what is a long
established habit is in fact harmful and that you can do something about
it," said Brocklehurst, one of 2,500 experts
meeting in Stockholm to discuss water and sanitation issues at World Water
Week.
She cited the example of
"We actually use shame. We go into communities and say to people: do
you realise how fecally
contaminated your community is?"
"We do 'walks of shame' where you take a group of people and you walk
around and you say, 'look, here's some human faeces',"
she explains. "And you do this community mapping where everybody comes and
says where they defecate."
The maps then show that there's faeces spread all
over the community.
"And you get them to realise how disgusting
this is, to live in an environment that is totally contaminated," she
said.
The sense of shame is then turned into empowerment, triggering community
members to take control over their lives and come up with their own solutions
that work for them.
"And once they start using a toilet, even if it's just a pit latrine,
they refuse to go back to open defecation. So they begin to climb the
sanitation ladder," Kamal Kar
said.
Such community-based projects, called Community Led Total Sanitation,
started a few years ago in
He stressed that eliminating subsidies was one of the keys to the success of
the projects.
"Families were spending money on treating diarrhoea
and other diseases but would not spend money on installing a toilet because
they expected to be given money for that by aid groups," he said.
But removing that option prompted change, he said.