Romans 7

The last few months I had struggled over the MANY rules/law in Haiti.

Some are as follows:
-Nice clothes (that many do not have) in order to go to church
-No Tattoos if you're a good person/Christian  (Of course, that's excused if you are white because they say that's culture)
-Some churches/"Christian" communities say no jewelry, no make up...
-No wearing certain hairdos, hair dyes, even straighteners in some communities

-All of Haiti says, No Sex before marriage, No promiscuity due to spreading diseases...
AND this is very ironic as it is a very sexual culture:  it seems the evidence of unholy sexual activity is everywhere:  Few faithful spouses, no fathers, young mothers who can't raise their children, sexual diseases like crazy...
You can see SOME rules are good and SOME are biblical but in most cases NONE are followed and if they are it doesn't appear to be done with the fruit of love or righteousness.

So in Thursday Bible Studies, we have been focusing on KINGDOM culture.  That is doesn't matter what American or Haitian culture shows us if it doesn't align with the Word of God then it is trumped by Kingdom Culture.

After some time with another local missionary who has wrestled with this over the last decade...I felt so freed up by her reminder that the LAW, the 613 rules that the Israelites followed to show their "righteousness" was not meant to make the people good.  In fact, it revealed that our sinful nature was anything but that...  The law was meant to reveal our need for a Savior!

If the law made society better, more respectful, orderly or even good than Haiti would definitely reflect that; but it simply does not.  Rules/Law only reveals our need for a Savior!  That apart from the transforming work of the Spirit in our hearts, law only leads to more sin.

We broke apart Romans 7, it was beautiful!  
The law isn't BAD.  Our children has A LOT of rules, to guide and teach them as Paul spoke of in his life in Romans 7:8 BUT Jesus came to fulfill the law to FREE us by the Power of the truth of His love and the Holy Spirit.  That is what Haiti needs...the truth of the gospel - The love of Jesus in a redeeming way; Not the condemnation of man trying so hard to correct through judgement.

When I asked this sweet sister, "Why do you think this yoke of law is so thick here?"  She answered honestly and without hesitation... "It's a slave mentality."  When you only know slavery - You desire the law because you've never experienced freedom apart from it.  Wow!  The Israelites were being led to the Promise Land and at one point wanted Egypt again...slavery.  Then, when almost there after the long faith journey, fear almost overwhelmed them and did some of the spies.

We love this beautiful country and it's people
Haiti takes so much pride of being the first independent black nation and has freed themselves physically; but the spiritual bondage is huge.
  Our prayer is that through discipleship, the gospel, truth and love redemption will bring revival spiritually because Jesus came to set the captive free!