Leroy Barber's Blog
Reports / 07.14.08, 10:38 AM
“When Moses sent them off to scout out Canaan, he said, "Go up through the Negev and then into the hill country. Look the land over, see what it is like. Assess the people: Are they strong or weak? Are there few or many? Observe the land: Is it pleasant or harsh? Describe the towns where they live: Are they open camps or fortified with walls? And the soil: Is it fertile or barren? Are there forests? And try to bring back a sample of the produce that grows there—this is the season for the first ripe grapes."
"We went to the land to which you sent us and, oh! It does flow with milk and honey! Just look at this fruit! The only thing is that the people who live there are fierce, their cities are huge and well fortified. Worse yet, we saw descendants of the giant Anak. Amalekites are spread out in the Negev; Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites hold the hill country; and the Canaanites are established on the Mediterranean Sea and along the Jordan."
Caleb interrupted, called for silence before Moses and said, "Let's go up and take the land—now. We can do it."
But the others said, "We can't attack those people; they're way stronger than we are." They spread scary rumors among the People of Israel. They said, "We scouted out the land from one end to the other—it's a land that swallows people whole. Everybody we saw was huge. Why, we even saw the Nephilim giants (the Anak giants come from the Nephilim). Alongside them we felt like grasshoppers. And they looked down on us as if we were grasshoppers."
This story from Numbers chapter 13 shows us two responses to God’s promise to the Israelites: one in which the spies say the land is too tough for us and that there are giants, the other saying our God is strong and will give us this land.
Team members have been living, working, praying and serving in Atlanta, Chicago, Camden, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Wilmington for the past year, and we have compiled a report of these cities that is much like the report for the land into which the Israelites sent spies. These cities have a reputation for being tough and dangerous, and the reports you hear from the media and “mission” trips are that the land is full of giants. I, like Caleb and Joshua, have a different report. These cities are flowing with God’s grace and goodness, and we have been able to find churches and partners to connect with in each city. We have met people who are full of God’s spirit even though their lives lack economic strength, people who work hard for $5.15 an hour, people who receive food stamps yet invite our team members over to share a meal. We have met people who want to see the light and life of Jesus spread throughout their neighborhoods, so they join with and look out for our team members as they walk the streets.
There are giants of racism, poverty, classism, environmental injustice, and lack of knowing Jesus, but we can defeat them because we have entered these cities not as spies but as servants. We have put in nearly 70,000 hours of community service and 20,000 hours of outreach. We have walked, talked, prayed, counseled, learned from, cried with and for our neighbors this year to continue our assault against evil and declare this land for the Kingdom. Whose report do you believe?
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