Podcast appearances and mentions of micah challenge

Thursday with Tabitha 5. Micah by Tabitha Smith Micah came from the town of Moresheth in Judah, southwest of Jerusalem - other than that, we are not told anything else about the man himself. The book doesn't tell us how God called him. His name can be translated as a question which asks: Who is like Yahweh? Micah's prophesy came during the years of kings Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah of Judah (who ruled between 750 BC and 687 BC). Hosea and Isaiah prophesied at roughly the same time. The main themes of Micah are God's judgement and forgiveness. In this book we will discover the prophesy about Jesus' birthplace and meet the Messiah as the Good Shepherd. The book opens with a pronouncement against Jerusalem and Samaria, announcing to them that God is bringing his witness against them, like a kind of lawsuit. In the same way that a prosecutor outlines his case, God will bring charges against his people and back them up with evidence. From chapter 2 God starts to set out his case. His people have dealt cruelly and unjustly with their fellow-men. Out of greed and jealousy they have desired what belongs to others and taken it for themselves - both houses and fields. False prophets have arisen amongst the people, speaking words that do not come from God. The prophets speak what the people want to hear, for their own pride and gain. In Micah 2:11, Micah sarcastically says that a prophet who promised plenty of alcoholic beverages would be just the kind of prophet the people desired!  The rulers of Israel are criticised for doing evil, abusing the people they are supposed to be ruling and despising justice. The leaders accept bribes, the priests preach for money and the prophets accept cash for false fortune telling. The whole society is twisted and corrupt, so far from the way God intended them to be. Judgement will fall on Jerusalem and Samaria in the form of invading armies of the Assyrians and Babylonians.   In chapter 4 the mood suddenly changes to one of future promise. In Micah 4:1, Micah says that ‘in the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all peoples will stream to it'.   The phrase, ‘in the last days' is often found in prophetic writing and it usually refers to a time in the future beyond the present era, sometimes referring to the time of the coming of the Messiah. Micah foresees a time when God will restore Jerusalem and make it a focal point for the gathering of the nations. Instead of climbing to high places to worship pagan false gods, the peoples will make the ascent to the dwelling place of God and worship him alone. Micah 4:3 is quite famous; in it Micah prophesies that the nations  of the world will ‘beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.' Unprecedented peace will come to the world in the last days when the Messiah, the Prince of Peace, ushers in his new kingdom. These same words are found in the book of Isaiah 2:4. It is possible that Isaiah and Micah used a shared source for this, or one may have borrowed this thought from the other.  In chapter 5 we find intriguing prophesies about the coming Messiah. Micah5:2 is often read at Christmas time. It says “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from old, from ancient times.”  King David came from Bethlehem and was an unlikely choice to be king by external worldly measures. Bethlehem was a small town with nothing really going for it.   Several hundred years later, the greater David, the Messiah, Jesus, was born in this same small town. The Jews anticipated that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, based on this prophecy in Micah. Yet they didn't recognise him when he arrived as he didn't come in the way they expected. Ironically, it seems that the Jews alive at the time of Jesus knew him as the carpenter of Nazareth in Galilee, ignorant of the fact that his birthplace was in Bethlehem. You can read more about this in the 7th chapter of John's gospel. This coming Messiah is pictured as one who will shepherd his flock, his people, and bring them unprecedented peace. In chapters 6 and 7 God continues his lawsuit against his people. The charges now include corrupt business practices, disloyalty and betrayal within families, violence and falsehood. The downfall and destruction of Jerusalem is foretold. However, there is the promise of hope and restoration. In Micah 7:9 the city of God speaks with a prophetic voice: ‘Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lord's wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.' The book ends with a rhetorical question that echoes the meaning of Micah's name: ‘who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again show compassion to us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.' In the Bible the language of the courtroom and legal process is loaded with significance. God is the ultimate Judge, and he is always just in his judgements. He cannot just ignore sin and wrongdoing, or sweep it under the carpet. Where there has been a wrong, a judgement must be pronounced and a sentence served. In the New Testament we encounter the concept of justification. This is also a legal term. To justify someone means to acquit them, to declare them righteous. The Bible teaches us that God justifies us by grace. In other words, he declares us righteous although we do not deserve it. The penalty for our sin still had to be paid and Jesus did this for us, taking our sins upon himself in his death on the cross. So sinful people can be pronounced just because Jesus paid for (or atoned) for our sins. The penalty is paid, justice is done. Justification doesn't mean that God lets us off for our sins, or acts as if we'd never sinned; it means that God's holiness demanded a payment for our sin, and God himself provided the means of this payment, through the death of Jesus on our behalf. Justice and mercy meet together and love and grace are seen most clearly on the cross. God issues his people with a challenge in Micah 6:8 - “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” These words have timeless relevance and if you would like to see how Christians are working out this truth in the world today, have a look at www.micahchallenge.org. Micah Challenge is a coalition of Christians who take their inspiration from this verse in Micah and campaign on issues of justice. They are working to hold governments accountable for the promises they made to the poorest people in the world in 2000 when the Millennium Development Goals were set. If you need some inspiration or resources to help you get engaged with issues of justice, poverty and action, have a look at their website. If you are involved with a local church, think about how you could encourage people in your fellowship to take practical steps to speak up for those who are denied justice. Love is demonstrated in action and we are all called to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with God. 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Elaine Storkey is a philosopher and sociologist who has worked for many years at the interface of the Church and the Academy. Her postgraduate studies were on Wittgenstein after which she has taught in many universities and colleges around the world, particularly in the UK and North America (with various posts in Oxford and Cambridge). She has published several books, many of which are concerned with issues of evangelicalism, gender and feminism, justice and Christian social action.   In the 1980s, John Stott invited her to teach at The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, where she developed courses in Christian Worldview amongst other things. Then in 1991 she succeeded him as director and led the institution until 1999. Since then she has continued to write and be involved in all kinds of ministries around the world, including stints as A Rocha, the Micah Challenge, the University of Gloucester, Restored and Tearfund (becoming its president in 1997).   Elaine Storkey's website and information on her books More on LICC More on Tearfund More on Restored: Ending violence against Women  Produced by Langham Partnership UKI.        

In this long-form conversation, USAID’s faith-based office director Adam Phillips talks about his journey in faith-rooted advocacy that ultimately led him to a position in the Biden-Harris Administration. From Guatemala to Ethiopia, from clean water to COVID, Phillips discusses his work identifying and coordinating with embedded faith communities around the world that are the “last mile,” as he says, “loving their neighbor as themselves, and in their own traditions, and looking to serve the greater good.” Hear his deep convictions about why unity is critical to solving the world’s biggest problems, and why he believes “the divisions that we might have at home can translate into opportunities to lean in together and serve our neighbors around the world.” Adam Nicholas Phillips is USAID’s director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Former lead pastor at Christ Church: Portland, he has served in community development and advocacy initiatives with the ONE Campaign, World Vision, Micah Challenge, Bread for the World, One Days Wages, and Oasis.

On this episode Greg Burch interviews Jason Fileta about his life and work. Jason is currently VP of Engagement at Tearfund after years leading the organization, Micah Challenge. Jason opens up and shares about his journey and the work he does today, what motivates him to keep going and where he finds hope. Jason shares about his vocation which has led him to lead justice movements in challenging areas, such as poverty alleviation and climate justice work.

On this episode Greg Burch interviews Jason Fileta about his life and work. Jason is currently VP of Engagement at Tearfund after years leading the organization, Micah Challenge. Jason opens up and shares about his journey and the work he does today, what motivates him to keep going and where he finds hope. Jason shares about his vocation which has led him to lead justice movements in challenging areas, such as poverty alleviation and climate justice work.

Are human rights part of God's mission? How do non-Christians reflect the image of God? Does the parable of the Good Samaritan say more about human rights than we might think? And how does all this speak into how we engage with faith in the public square today?Joel Edwards has served as General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, International Director for the Micah Challenge, and a commissioner with the Equality and Human Rights Commission. He is currently a Visiting Fellow of St John's College in Durham.For more about Joel Edwards, see here.

On this podcast you will hear from Adam Phillips. Adam is pastor of Christ Church: Portland, an open, active, and inclusive Christ-centered community in Portland, Ore. He has served in community development and advocacy initiatives with the ONE Campaign, World Vision, Micah Challenge, Bread for the World, One Days Wages, and Oasis. A graduate of North Park Seminary and The Ohio State University, Adam grew up in the Evangelical Covenant Church. Only a year into their new church plant, the Covenant church severed ties with Christ Church, cutting two-years of promised funding over LGBTQ inclusion matters. In 2010, Adam was a delegate to the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa. He is married to Sarah Phillips, an educator. During our time together Adam shares his story and gives insight into how our interpretation of the bible directly impacts our engagement with people. So sit back, listen, agree, disagree, and hopefully learn something along way.

This interview is with John Beckett.  Listen as we talk about his journey from being the CEO of The Micah Challenge to being Founder and CEO of Seed (Seed.org.au). We mixed in so many other topics into the conversation, that’s it’s tricky to list them all. Enjoy.

Jason Fileta (Executive Director of Micah Challenge) shares his thoughts on Genesis 28 for the last installment of our Perepectives message series.

Peter Seeberger and Graham Hill discuss integral mission and sustainable development.As the coordinator of Stop Armut and of Micah Challenge Switzerland, Peter Seeberger works tirelessly with his team to highlight government and corporate dysfunction, and to demand justice, transparency, and integrity in public and corporate and ecclesial life.Globally, Stop Armut focuses on 6 of the 17 “Sustainable Development Goals.” These include:• End poverty in all its forms everywhere;• achieve gender equality;• promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth;• ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns;• provide access to justice for all;• and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

The Reverend Dr Joel Edwards is the former International Director of Micah Challenge, a global Christian response to extreme poverty. He recently sat down with Camilla Burkot after a panel discussion at the Crawford School sponsored by the Campaign for Australian Aid, to talk about foreign aid in the UK context, politics, and the importance of getting narratives right. Transcript available here: http://devpolicy.org/pdf/Transcript_interview-with-Joel-Edwards-3Aug2015.pdf

Weand're talking to Micah Challenge about the outcomes of the G20 on the issues of tax dodging and corruption. Help Vision to keep 'Connecting Faith to Life': https://vision.org.au/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Weand'll talk to Micah Challenge about the issues of nations tax-dodging and corruption, and a demonstration that will draw attention to tax havens in the Brisbane CBD. Help Vision to keep 'Connecting Faith to Life': https://vision.org.au/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Beckett is the national co-ordinator of Micah Challenge Australia, which is a coalition of Christian development agencies, churches and individuals that aims to deepen people's engagement with the poor and to help reduce poverty. He joined Life and Faith to discuss the Millennium Development Goals and the fight against global poverty.

There's plenty of talk on radio, but with 20twenty you'll find Life, Culture & Current events from a Biblical perspective. Interviews, stories and insight you definately won't hear in the mainstream media. This feed contains selected content from 20twenty, heard every weekday morning. See www.vision.org.au for more details Help Vision to keep 'Connecting Faith to Life': https://vision.org.au/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Micah Challenge are encouraging Christians across the country to participate in a campaign aimed at keeping our politicians focused on Global Aid and the Millenium Developpment Goals. Weand're partnering with Micah Challenge and its affiliates to ensure the message gets out! Help Vision to keep 'Connecting Faith to Life': https://vision.org.au/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you would like attend one of our events please refer to our website www.social policyconnections.com.au. Please feel free to subscribe to our podcast via itunes or via an RSS feed located on our website’s home page, as we will be publishing podcast regularly, free of charge. The following lecture was presented on the 16 of October 2008, at Social Policy Connections first event in the new Study Centre of Yarra Theological Union. Our guest speaker was the Rev Joel Edwards, incoming Director of Micah Challenge International. The Micah Challenge International is an international campaign by churches to mobilise public support to lift millions out of hunger and acute poverty.Rev Edwards, who is also a member of the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission and Tony Blair's Faith Foundation, was born in Jamaica and has lived in England from the age of eight. From 1997 till recently he headed the World Evangelical Alliance. Reverend Edwards had earlier talked with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd about how Australia could use its influence to expand support for the Millennium Development Goals. And now, Rev Joel Edwards who chose as his topic “The Micah Challenge & the UN Millennium Development Goals: what has been achieved and what more can we do?” My Podcast Alley feed! {pca-d9114c74331fb08886a7985feabd9890}

10th October 2010 - Pastor Keith Ham

2008/11/20. Outlines the Millennium Development Goals and the ways that the Christian community can help meet those goals. Brian Swarts, National Coordinator, The Micah Challenge.

2008/11/20. Outlines the Millennium Development Goals and the ways that the Christian community can help meet those goals. Brian Swarts, National Coordinator, The Micah Challenge.