Book Reflection - Cry of the Urban Poor

Part 1

This book is written by Viv Grigg, who started Servants to Asia's Urban Poor and Servant Partner's (two organizations I have great respect for and hope to interact with at some point in the near future), and is focused on church planting in urban slums. The first half of the book discusses the reasons for poverty, the growing population of urban slums, and gives examples of slum churches in Latin America and Asia. The second half of the book gives church planting models and strategies for these models. Between the two sections is a number of chapters discussing the model Jesus gave for incarnational living, commitments and values of those working for the above two organizations that Viv started. These commitments and values, which are all based on the life of Jesus, are the things I want to discuss in this first half of the book reflection.

I will quote at length two sections that Viv mentions as core commitments and values of his work and the organizations he has developed. I include these specifically because they are all commitments and values that are personal to me and things I feel very strongly about. They are as follows:

We desire individually and corporately to develop intimacy with Christ and to walk in his footsteps. This means imitating his character and attitudes as we seek to live out his principles of self-denial, sacrifice, and service in the context of the twentieth [twenty-first] century slums of the world's great cities.
The desire to follow Christ results in a certain lifestyle, both among the poor and when relating to the middle class.

1. Identification
Following Jesus' pattern, who "though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9), we commit ourselves to live and work among the urban poor, to live as nearly as possible to their standard of living, while maintaining reasonable health and recognizing emotional, physical, cultural, and family limitations. We intend always to master the language and culture of the people among whom we minister.

2. Non-destitute poverty
The Master not only chose poverty in birth, life, and death, he also calls his servants to such a lifestyle. We recognize our basic needs for food and clothing (1 Timothy 6:6-8, Matthew 6:25-33), which may include tools of our trade or children's toys. We recognize the just need, inferred from the Scriptures for each family to own its own home, although some, like the Master, may choose a mobile, apostolic life with nowhere to lay one's head (Luke 9:58). In putting our treasure in heaven, we covet the unsearchable riches of Christ.
We desire to possess nothing that cannot be shared with those around us. Regarding what we have, we hold it not as our own but rather as lent to us for a season. We will seek to exclude from both our personal and communal lives the cares of the world, the delight in riches, and the desire for other things (Mark 4:19). We will avoid the abundance of communal properties or wealth. Buildings, administrations, and ministry shall be developed in the simplest manner consistent with good health and with efficient, well-pleasing work.

3. Inner simplicity
Renouncing possessions is an outworking of an inner simplifying of our lives which leads to the openness, gentleness, spontaneity, and serenity that marked the Master. In renouncing possessions we seek to simplify our external lives in order to simplify more clearly our inner lives and focus on knowing our Lord.
Along with outward poverty, we desire an inner humility; along with servant works, we seek the spirit of a true servant. In caring little for this world where we are strangers and pilgrims, we set our hearts on that spiritual home where our treasure is being saved up, and on that glory which we shall share with our Lord, provided we suffer with him.
We encourage middle-class Christians to such simplicity of lifestyle. For some it means earning less, and using their time for the kingdom. For others it means to earn much, consume little, hoard nothing, give generously, and celebrate living. Such lifestyles are indefinitely varied. We refuse to judge others in such areas (115-117).

I read this and took time to reflect upon the statements made here. Many of them are deeply entrenched in my personal beliefs and convictions. Others were tough to place myself in. Some of you might think that it is easy for me to make these statements at this time in my life as a mid-twenties, single dude that lives rather comfortably. I don't make any disagreements with this other than my own track record and the deep convictions the Lord has laid on me the last few years. I try to live simply now with not wanting to gather possessions, but giving away the things that I don't need.

In all of this statement, the goal is not only to share my beliefs with those of you reading, but also to ask you to questions your motives, your feelings about wealth, your attitude toward living simply. I will end this section with a quote regarding simplicity and happiness from the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. He states:

"...make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty."