Welcome. My name is Jack van der Tang and I am from the Netherlands, from The Hague. Welcome to God Today. Today I want to share a testimony on what I have experienced and that I didn’t know how important it is. I want to read from the second letter of Corinthians 5:17. “Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. All things have passed away. Look, all things have become new. All this is from God who has reconciled as for Himself; through Jesus Christ and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation. That is that God who is in Christ, reconciling the world to itself. Not counting their sins against them, and has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation.”
For me, this is a very special Word. But I never really thought about it so deeply. But in 2016, I was invited to go to Papua. Not Papua New Guinea, but West Papua, which is part of Indonesia. You know I am from the Netherlands. In 1962, the Queen of the Netherlands promised the Papuas their own nation. I was born in 1962. I had nothing to do with it. In 1963, they gave the Papuas a new nation. From that moment, more than 500,000 Papuas were killed. Even today the killing is going on. I was invited there and the Lord said, “I want you to do reconciliation.” I said, “Lord, I had nothing to do with what happened then.” But the Lord said, “Go.”
So I was there, and I was staying with Papuas. I asked them for forgiveness, I said “the sin of the Netherlands.” I was there and churches backed me up and all sorts of leadership. They said, “Jack, we are standing with you.” So in the stadium, with all these people, I found out sitting on my knees, praying and asking for forgiveness of thousands of people, and washing the feet of the leadership how important it is to make peace, to make reconciliation with a tribe, or a nation that I was not even involved in the sin. For me, this scripture is so important. I have seen miracles after this event. I have seen so much about it. How important it is that we are living in peace. Blessed be the peacekeepers.
I am sometimes so surprised by Christians in churches fighting with one another. They are not working to make peace – no. They are fighting, fighting, and fighting. So my question for you is: what are your relations with your people? With your family? What do they think of you? Are you somebody who is always angry? Always fighting with them? Or do you just want peace? Is this your testimony? Because Christ has given His life for you already. I am always surprised. I challenge you to do the same as I have done. Ask for forgiveness, even if it wasn’t your mistake or you are not guilty of it. This is so important. This has to be our attitude as believers. Thank you. This is Jack van der Tang with God Today.