Shaking Souls

Revelation 18:9-13 (King James Version) 
⁹And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with [Babylon], shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
 ¹⁰Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
 ¹¹And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
 ¹²The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
 ¹³And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend an informational meeting on Human Trafficking.  Sponsored by the Medina County, Ohio, AAUW, the intent was to make the audience aware of the extent of Human Trafficking here in this area that is a "bedroom suburb" of both Cleveland and Akron.  Disturbing statistics were presented - a heartwrenching video was shown - passionate presenters spoke of work with victims, mostly of sex trafficking but also of labor trafficking here in Ohio.  Questions were asked and answered, refreshments were served, handouts were available.


Despite my rather ho-hum reporting of the event in the previous paragraph I don't want you to think that Human Trafficking is a ho-hum issue.  In a secular setting like the AAUW and the Medina Community Recreation Center the organizers did all that they could, and they did it well.  But Christians ought not simply to be informed about this issue - they ought to be enraged about it.  It is an issue that, in the words of a friend of mine, ought to "shake your soul!"


Whether traffickers or victims, we're talking about people for whom our Lord Jesus Christ gave His life - people for whom He shed His precious blood.  Luther's "He purchased and won me, not with gold or silver but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death" is true for every first and last human being on the face of the earth.  It's not enough to call human trafficking a problem - Christians ought to call it an affront to the Gospel.  We ought to call it a slap in the face of our gracious God.  Those who buy and sell slaves "and the souls of men" take those whom God has made His precious children through the blood of His Son Jesus and reduced them to nothing more than sheep or cattle, merchandise to be hawked in a depraved and hellish marketplace.


Let's not fool ourselves.  As comfortable as we think our life may be, even here in Medina County, Ohio, Babylon is around every corner.  But that doesn't mean we Christians hunker down, circle the wagons, and pray for Jesus to get us out of this place.  What it does mean is that we Christians, who I hope are becoming more and more like Jesus all the time, rely on His love and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to go into our local Babylons like He came into our world, to rescue and to save all who are so precious to Him.  They are our fellow redeemed - they are our brothers and sisters - they are children of the God who wants to welcome us all home.


Find out more about how you can be involved in the fight against Human Trafficking in your community - not because it's a good thing to do, but because it shakes your soul.