Recently during our morning office devotions, one of my colleagues encouraged us with the life of William Wilberforce and shared about this remarkable individual. Wilberforce, as you may know, was one of the central figures during eighteenth century Europe who helped pioneer the end of the horrid injustice of the African slave trade. Although he did not become a believer until later in life, he eventually became a Christian at which point his conviction to fight for the abolishment of the slave trade became his calling.
This post is not about Wilberforce himself as much as it about a wake up call for the Christian Church and about taking action in our faith, as well as my work at IJM.
Wilberforce's faith should excite and ignite us. It's a story of undying perseverance. I love seeing someone who goes against all odds, embracing a large challenge, all out of a conviction for what they believe is right. This was Wilberforce, but the most awesome thing is that in large part what he did was out of conviction for Christ.
Where are the Wilberforces of today? That is to say, where is the conviction to have action-oriented faith within the Christian church today? Where are those men and women who are willing to examine their hearts and then examine the culture in which they live, then take a stand for the narrow way?
Since living here in Uganda and working for IJM, I've come to view the story of Wilberforce quite differently, and with much more respect. We mainly focus on the end of Wilberforce's story, how eventually a bill in parliament was passed to begin the end of the slave trade. What we often overlook is the fact it took Wilberforce and others over twenty years of tireless, often times discouraging and always painstaking work before they received the progress needed to end the slave trade. That, my friend, is what's called staying faithful to the call. That is perseverance at its core.
Right now at IJM in Uganda, we have undergone a multi-year area wide project called
Project Empannyi. This project involves the coordination of judges, magistrates, lawyers, the local police department, pastors, churches, the general public, and radio and television ad campaigns all in an attempt to end an injustice that plagues the area we work in. The hard work demanded by this project never stops and often times it can seem as though the breakthrough we need is all but a dream.
Nevertheless, if there's anything Wilberforce teaches us, it's that persevering through a call does not mean fretting over the challenges, but focusing on striving for the victory to be had. The work we do at IJM has taught me that in every country and culture there are horrid injustices that exist. But that, as Christians, we can make a difference if we allow our faith in Christ to make us take action. As a result of this, I find at the office everyday, my colleagues, who live and breathe to fight injustice and corruption for the sake of others - it never gets old! And despite the odds against our work, we see God show up in miraculously breathtaking ways and alter the lives of the victims we serve.
On a smaller, more individual scale, I think this practically looks like examining our sphere of influence and our sphere of existence. Then, within them, seizing opportune ways to do something which in large part, we can attribute to our faith. And this is what it's all about, all that justice and the gospel is about - making much of the Savior. Whether directly or indirectly, this is what Wilberforce ultimately did, all out of the faith he had in the same God we place our faith in.
Where are the Wilberforces of today?
