by Pastor Z. Mengistu
History has been shaped by those who take action! The church is largely the product of the strategic actions of Jesus, as recorded in the Gospels.
The Jews of 1st century Palestine had many things in common with the Africa of today. Both had long and complicated histories of oppression. Both had lived as 2nd and 3rd class citizens in their own country. Because of this both cultures were driven by strong liberation undercurrents. It was into this culture that Jesus was born.
By the time Jesus launched His public ministry the people were ready for a Messiah. It was the main reason for His popularity— Messiah would come and save them from the Romans. But the liberation He offered was different from what anyone expected.
In John 8: 36 Jesus said, “If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.” There’s a difference between being free, and being free indeed. It is a matter of properly diagnosing captivity. If your captivity has been misdiagnosed, your liberation will not be a real liberation.
Jesus wasn’t going after the Romans because the Romans were not the real enemy. The real enemy is not carnal, but spiritual. (Eph.6:12) When Jesus rose from the dead, Ephesians 4:8 tells us that He led captivity captive! It is only when captivity itself is captive, that we are truly liberated.
Every liberation movement in Africa that is not rooted in spiritual liberation, is a misdiagnosis. This explains why liberation has let us down.
John 1 tells us that by believing in Jesus, we become the children of God. There is a difference between the children of God and the Christian religion. You can be a Christian and still have an earthly father. But you cannot be a child of God and still have an earthly father. The difference between the two is the difference between liberation and captivity: between being free, and being free indeed.