G’day from Steve,

Micah 6:8 and the crisis in West Papua.

Micah 6:8 says “He has showed you O man what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”.

What does it mean to act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly before God? I believe it starts with being aware of what is really going on in the world. So many times we have an opinion on a nation or ethnic people group and yet we have never been to see for ourselves. Like me, you have probably been unaware of the persecution that is taking place in the neighbouring islands to the north of Australia. 80 million muslims live in Indonesia yet many have been forced to convert to a radical form of Islam. In 1969 the Indonesian military took control by force of West Papua and Christian villages were targeted and persecuted. Multitudes died.

Today.. Indonesian Papua risks erupting in bloodshed again, with huge loss of life and disastrous consequences for Indonesia and Australia. 50 years of conflict with Indonesia has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has failed to stand up to his generals who have initiated many massacres and the destruction on many villages in the past decades. Meanwhile the rest of the world turns a blind eye to the atrocities. Many hope that a proposed visit by US President Barak Obama will bring light to an issue that has been ignored and kept in the dark for too long. Both the Australian and PNG Governments have remained insipid on their policies towards protection of Christian’s living in Irian Jaya or West Papua.

Can you pray with us for God’s intervention and for the oppressed people’s of West Papua. It’s time the world was made aware. Here is a real and very present crisis on our doorstep.
When Jesus hung on a criminal’s cross he fulfilled the very essence of Micah 6:8. In complete humility and surrender to the will of His Father, he showed his mercy for all humanity and carried out the greatest act of justice in all history.

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil. 2 : 6-11

Pray with us for peace in West Papua.

Godspeed,

Pictured: Praying for Peace in Papua