The entrance of thy
words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Psalm
119:130)
I have mentioned about the heavy burden I received this last
time I was ministering in the DRC. And it was so heavy that I was not even able
to put it into written words. I could just pray and share with a few who gave
me a chance to speak. But I will try to write it briefly.
The burden was the great paucity of the intake of God’s word
by the church as evidenced by the leaders I was able to interact with in that
mission. But it was amplified by the great love for God I saw in Congo itself,
something I had also noticed with the refugees as I ministered to them.
Do you know that where we struggle to call the church to
attend a weekly prayer meeting, Christians in the three towns I ministered are
already praying at 4 am daily? Yet do you also know that very few are aware sexual
sin is sin? I used to wonder as I ministered to refugees how a pastor could
create a story to get repatriation without feeling guilty of lying and many
other foolish sins.
That is when I was hit to the face with the reason. They on
a big scale do not read the Bible. The few who read look for this or the other
favorite verse.
I was surprised in the first church we ministered to see a
senior elder with a Jehovah’s Witness Bible. On asking him I was surprised to
realize that he was completely unaware of the fact. In the second town we
ministered almost every leader had a Jehovah’s Witness material, and we are
talking about the leaders. The church itself had some Roman Catholic images at
the front.
As I was teaching a session I remember asking the leaders
whether there was any who did not have a Bible even at home and a few hands
went up. And we are talking about pastors, bishops, evangelists!
That was when God opened my eyes to the urgent need for
emergency measures to be taken to help the church devote more of her time in
the reading of God’s word. And I know the Congo situation speaks for the most
part of the African church as I have been able to see it in the countries I
have ministered in.
I was then given a chance to preach in a church where I gave
a message concerning the need of the Christian to be a consistent reader of
God’s word as I demystified the Bible, dismissing the notion of most that the Bible
is too big or complicated to read.
But I know that talking about reading the Bible will
challenge a few to the habit of daily reading it. Preparing a tool to help them
do so is essential if we must attain the consistency we need. And that is why I
am talking about a burden finding feet.
Partnering with The Bible Club House, we are expanding the
release of Bible Reading plans to Congo and as many countries as God will give
us resources for. I have already prepared a Swahili reading plan for Eastern
Congo and they are being printed as I write this. We hope to soon have a French
reading plan for the rest of Congo as well as Rwanda and Burundi and other
French speaking nations. I have done my vernacular one and it will be printed
with availability of funds. We trust God to be able to reach the world with
those reading plans.
But we need partners. Though I have redesigned them to the
lowest cost possible, we still need people, churches and organizations sharing
the same vision joining us to accelerate this effort. But as I always say start
in the prayer closet. Should you want to be another centre of printing and
distribution of the same we will be happy to share with you what we have so
that you do not struggle with what we struggled with. You can give toward the
same in whatever capacity God prompts you.
I am sure some are asking why invest so much in making
people read God’s word. And that is where God started with me. Loving God
without knowing His word is for the most part folly if one does not read what
His word says. You see it is the Bible that shows what sin is and not passion.
And that is why you hear of immoral pastors, even pastors who practice
witchcraft in places where the word is barely read.
Because the law
worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. (Romans
4:15)
For until the law sin
was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. (Romans 5:13)
And this explains the post Christian phenomena. The church
slowly moves from a Biblical doctrine to a popular one. Then they will slowly
edge from valid faith to traditions, eventually getting fed up with the
dramatics they see being practiced by the church. No wander former Christians
are joining jihadists as the faith they see being practiced becomes a mockery
of their deep searching hearts looking for the valid expression of faith.
We must take the church back to the Bible, and only there
because that is where their faith will find valid wings to flourish.
