File photo of Ferdinand Marcos
International (MNN) ― This week marks the 25th anniversary of the ouster of Philippines' dictator, Ferdinand Marcos.
The revolution is uppermost in people's minds because of the anti-government uprisings blanketing the Middle East. Evangelist Sammy Tippit notes the parallels in history. "25 years ago in the Philippines, we saw in 1989 the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe. Now we're seeing the Middle East, and you're saying, ‘Why is all of this happening?'"
Oppression drives the outrage, along with corruption, political chaos, and economic trouble. These issues raise the tension levels to the boiling point. Tippit explains that there are biblical truths revealed in these large-scale social manifestations. "Man was created of God, and if you suppress that, eventually at some point in time, it's going to erupt. And the second thing is: Man was created to live in a manner of freedom, with the ability to make a choice, to determine his own future, his own dreams and aspirations. And if you suppress that, it's going to erupt ."
There's a big question mark, too, as revolt continues to shake the leadership in several of the countries in the Middle East. "Any time there's a people movement for freedom, I think that's a good thing. The church really needs to step up and pray for what's going to fill the vacuum that is going to come into these countries."
Christians are often mistaken as unpatriotic, but the opposite is true. Scripture tells them not only to pray for their leaders, but also to be ready to answer questions with the peace of the Gospel. Why? The upheaval often creates fear and prompts people to question what they really believe. That's not unusual, says Tippit. "During times of change, people are more open to the Gospel than at any other time. So we need to pray that somehow the believers who are in those countries would have great opportunities to share their faith."
As Libya unravels and other countries take a firmer stance on unrest, Tippit says that there is a window of opportunity. "I think Christian organizations and Christian churches who have outreaches into those areas need to gear up and see how they can go in on a practical manner and meet the needs of the people, help them to establish themselves, and act as a resource."
It works like this: "[If] we will show Christian kindness and Christian love, we will eventually have a great opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ." More STM resources can be found here.
