Lonmin deaths and the deadly economic lie

[notice] A fortnightly column by Johannesburg Business Editor, Patrick Kuwana. [/notice] This past week the country has witnessed the death of 34 people in the worker unrest that took place at Lonmin’s platinum mines in Rustenburg. Thirty-four people were killed and 78 injured when police shot at striking workers at Lonmin’s mine last Thursday. Another 10 people were killed in violent protests the preceding week.

I believe this is a warning signal of what can potentially breakout in this country if we stand by and do nothing.

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For as long as our economic understanding and structures are built upon unbiblical principles we will continue to see more Marikana situations arising – not just in South Africa but across the world.

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Due to space constraints I cannot go into addressing all the pertinent issues but I would like us to take a closer look at one key foundational difference between unbiblical worldly economic principles (which are man-made to serve the selfish interests of man) versus Kingdom economic principles (which God has outlined in the Bible to ensure that His most prized creation can live an abundant life). By the way please note that the Bible is the best business and economic book ever published and its principles work 100 per cent of the time.

Lie of scarce resources
The biggest lie in economics – the principle of scarce resources

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The biggest lie in ‘worldly economics’ is the principle of scarce resources. Let’s take a close look at the outflow of this lie remembering that the Bible clearly tells us that the devil is the father of lies and that the fruit of his lies is death (John 8:44 – You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. –NKJV).

The economic principle of scarce resources on earth basically says that God did not create enough resources on earth for His children and therefore disputes the goodness of God the Father. It further concludes that for people to survive they need to fight for the little that is available and since there is not enough it means we have to get our share of these scarce resources at the expense of others. This further means that in order to win this game of survival we need to do whatever it takes such as bribery, thieving, killing, destroying, manipulation, etc. to ensure we come out on top so that we can get our fill of the little that is available, because if we don’t we will be trampled and left with nothing.

Do not be deceived – any economic system that works from a foundational principle of scarce resources is bound to collapse because it is violating God’s economic principles for this earth and more importantly is challenging the very nature of God who is Love. It’s a system that says that God is a sadist because He created people who He claims to love and yet did not provide enough resources for them to survive. It’s a system that goes further to deny the existence of God and hence encourages man to be his own provider and god. It’s a system that serves mammon and not God (Matthew 6:24 – ‘No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.’ — NKJV).

Warning of collapse
What we saw at the Lomnin mines is a deadly warning signal of this collapse. Likewise the problems we see in the instability of the European Economic Union and the debt crisis building up in America are all warning signals of a collapsing system that has been built on a foundation of the devil’s lies.

So what economic foundation does the Bible give?

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1) and He created it with all the resources required to sustain His beloved creation (us) until eternity. After God had created human beings in his own image, He then tells us to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and govern it (Genesis 1:28). This is God’s instruction to humans to procreate and also set up an economic system to ensure that the resources of the earth are managed in a way that will ensure that all people are sufficiently provided for. God also gave Adam and Eve clear instructions on what resources they could and could not use (Genesis 2:15).

Unfortunately humans decided to violate God’s instructions and consumed a resource that God had forbidden (Genesis 3:6). From this point onwards what we see in the world is two groups trying to seek dominion over the works of God’s hand (the resources of the earth). There are those who reject God and continue to walk in disobedience to God and those who have repented of their sins and have returned to God.

The Bible from Genesis to Revelation is packed with God’s economic instructions to bring about economic restoration and those who have turned back to God (believers) should realise that they are now the agents of God to bring about this restoration so that each person walking on the face of earth has enough food, drink and access to services. How can the world possibly see a good Daddy God for as long as they die of hunger and believe that He created an earth that does not have enough for them to survive?

There is no such thing as scarce resources – that is the one of the biggest lies of the devil (the oppressor) that has resulted in human beings worshiping mammon and adopting the ways of the oppressor (corruption, bribes, manipulation, stealing, killing, etc.) to make it in life. (Proverbs 3:31 – Do not envy the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.  — NKJV)

When we as the body of Christ bring in Kingdom economic transformation the entire world will be able to see a good Daddy God who loves them and has provided for them. Could this be the catalyst to usher in the greatest end time revival and harvest of souls?

If you would like to know more about God’s Kingdom economic model please consider attending the Biblical Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship programme that we (Crossover Transformation Group) offer.