This Sunday was really enjoyable for me. I have been preaching through the book of John and Sunday brought us to John 5. There is so much good stuff to preach about in that chapter that I had to limit myself to verses 1-16. That is the story about Jesus healing the sick man at the pool Bethesda. What a great passage of scripture! I only wish I could have preached in English. The front wall directly behind the pulpit is about 25 feet wide and 10 feet tall. That whole wall is painted with chalkboard paint. During my message I drew the temple, the pool Bethesda, the sheep gate and the path that led to Golgotha. It wasn’t pretty but I think the people enjoyed it.
Afterward I was able to talk to a man named Dismas about salvation. I asked him if he had received Christ as his savior yet and he affirmed that he was a Christian. Unfortunately, most people here are Christian in name only. So I asked him how he became a Christian. He told me that he believed on Jesus and that he does good works. I took some time to show him a few verse which say that salvation is not determined by one’s good works but by the work that Jesus did on the cross. I am praying that God gives him clear understanding on this matter and that we have another opportunity to discuss this.
For perspective:
We bought the property for our village church in 2008. At that time we met with the people at the land office. He was preparing to go to the capitol and submit plans for the development of our village. He showed us the proposed road plans for our area. It looked like our church would be 1 plot away from an intersection. When I say road I mean dirt trail that you can drive on provided there are no goats, cows or giant rocks in the way. Well, that was 3 years ago. Today, there are many new houses in our area but there are no roads. Now that it is planting season, our church members are complaining that there is no path for their bikes. They are not allowed to walk or ride through the cornfields so they have to make a very large detour. We plan to talk to the land office on Wednesday (Apr 6) about this issue. Please pray that God gives us favor and a good solution to this problem.
We bought the property for our village church in 2008. At that time we met with the people at the land office. He was preparing to go to the capitol and submit plans for the development of our village. He showed us the proposed road plans for our area. It looked like our church would be 1 plot away from an intersection. When I say road I mean dirt trail that you can drive on provided there are no goats, cows or giant rocks in the way. Well, that was 3 years ago. Today, there are many new houses in our area but there are no roads. Now that it is planting season, our church members are complaining that there is no path for their bikes. They are not allowed to walk or ride through the cornfields so they have to make a very large detour. We plan to talk to the land office on Wednesday (Apr 6) about this issue. Please pray that God gives us favor and a good solution to this problem.
Please pray:
For Dismas. Salvation.
For me as I preach in Swahili
For our meeting with the land office
For the renewal of our residency visa. The immigration office has given us so many problems. I will spare you the details but please pray that they grant the visa in a timely matter without demanding any bribes. Bribery is a way of life here.
For Dismas. Salvation.
For me as I preach in Swahili
For our meeting with the land office
For the renewal of our residency visa. The immigration office has given us so many problems. I will spare you the details but please pray that they grant the visa in a timely matter without demanding any bribes. Bribery is a way of life here.
No comments:
Post a Comment