Wednesday, September 17, 2008

6th - 7th September 2008, Mngwangwa

The return to ministry is like breathing after a long time holding my breath. Everything falls into place. The world can be all that it is but somehow it isn’t as hard as it was. We returned to Mngwangwa. It is our second week. Every month we spend 4 days in Mngwangwa. We had distributed about 100 bibles to the people there but with the firm warning that everyone should read and memorise scripture. It is hard to give a weapon to a soldier that places it under a tree and goes to sleep… it is hard to do this when weapons are few and the war is raging! So, we did the classroom thing… if you got as bible from us, you had to for a start, memorise Psalm 1/1-3. If you failed, we took the bible back until you did. To encourage everyone, I promised to memorise it in Chichewa, which was tough (I didn’t know some words) but by the grace of God I managed.

We had a wonderful time that Sunday. After a week of practice, both men and women spoke aloud and proudly recited their scriptures. For some (dare I say most), this was the first time to memorise scripture and I was privileged to be a part of it. Yowasi Luseni memorised the entire psalm. It was a joyous time and there was an excitement in the room. Even as we had blessed about 100 people with bibles, there were still other newer people who did not have. Nonetheless, it is the first time we have walked into a meeting and more people have bibles than not. What a thing God has done. Wrap your mind around this and marvel with me! People have bibles... they can go home and read them! They can mark them. Having never had to borrow a bible, I cannot really understand but I can look into their eyes and see the joy that overflows as they receive them. This I can attest to and because of it, praise the God of impossibilities. I promise you this, when we began working in the villages, I never envisioned a day when each person walking into the room has a bible. But now, I see that this day is soon coming! There is a day when the windows of heaven will be opened up and God will pour out a blessing we cannot contain. As I hear more and more people give of themselves towards bibles, I have come to understand that there is a blessing that shuts you up. It is the blessing that drains you of all excitement… you are left dumb and immobile; you cannot even express your joy. This is happening. God is doing the incredible! It is watching a wonder happen, too marvellous for you, your body, your emotions and your mind to comprehend or respond to.

Even as we continue to distribute bibles, we set our hearts further towards God and His desires for the people He loves. We are now preparing to launch “Light @ Night”, our new bible initiative. We want to purchase a bible and a lantern as a combo for those who want to read their bibles at night but fail because of no access to light at night. The natural light and the spiritual light. Light at night. Even as I write this I am reminded of a time when accessing the bible we have now seemed a dream…and yet. Be a part of it; help to bring light at night. If you cannot, pray for us, that God will show forth His mighty hand and outstretched arm. He is the God of impossibilities. He can do exceedingly, abundantly, above anything we can ask or imagine. He is and always will be the Father of lights.

Generally, writing this blog is about processing and recording what I see, feel and hear as God works within the people and places He invites me into. This time, though, I wanted to speak directly to you, the reader… yeah, I went there! I wanted to thank every person who has campaigned, given and prayed for bibles. Because of you, things are happening, lives are changing. The seed of the Word is being planted and we shall see (together) the harvest should the Lord tarry. So, thank you! Smile; there is a wonderful reason to.

Friday, September 5, 2008

THE SEQUEL

30th – 31st August, 2008, Mngwangwa and Mtsiriza

Here we are, back! i feel like this is the sequel to the first phase. unlike most sequel (that tank) this one is better. something like, terminator 2 and the Lord of the Rings sequels, that tied into one another and got better and better.

It is hard to express how wonderful it is to return to what you know in your bones you were created to do. The day begun on such a wonderful note, that as we went, we were so expectant of something… what exactly, we were not sure of but one thing we did know in that car; God was doing something in us. It was hard to contain our excitement but Diamond and I began ministering to one another all the way there. We were preaching it! “It is time to cross over the Jordan and step into another level of grace where we are now co-workers with God”. We spoke (and this is only in the car) of God bringing us out of childhood of feeding us manna, to growing into picking up a hoe and embracing the privilege to work WITH God.

By the time we arrived we were ready for the something. We were not the only ones ready. Mngwangwa was ready. We drove up by the CCAP church that we meet in and I could hear praise songs. They were there, already worshiping God. Beside this building is the medical room that we sometimes use. This is where Diamond was having his youth meeting. We found the youth there too, listening to the ‘proclaimer’ (talking bible). It was 9:00 and both our groups were present. It was a wonder. God indeed had something planned for us. We looked at one another and just laughed. God was certainly in control here and everything seemed to be in place, ready for Him. Perhaps I sound like a fictional writer at this point but I don’t know what words to use in expressing what was in my heart and bones as we went in. we stepped into praise! I always say this, and it is good to be reminded and it is that God is bigger here! He is higher and stronger and more present! I know is God everywhere so I will say it this way; FOR ME, God is bigger here. There is a freedom to praise that hits you. We praised with drums and the tambourine and hands clapping. It felt like psalm 150 was manifest.

Our subject was sin. It didn’t start out as that. We begun in Ezekiel 37 and continued from our last meeting. As we went through Jesus speaking to the fig tree and cursing it, we took a turn into the subject, sin. We spoke about the appearance of godliness and not the character to prove (the leaves and not the fruit). The title and the bible and yet… no love or faithfulness. And then God did it! Right there I heard myself and knew that He had taken my mouth. My brother tells me that God is the most incredible ventriloquist there is. He throws His voice and something else speaks it. I felt that. Our conversation changed and we began to challenge the ‘zithumwa’s’ (the twigs and pouches that witchdoctors give as charms for different things). God just challenged how we could sit in the room and hold bibles in our hands when we were wearing these charms around our waists and below our chests (out of the view of the public). I spoke words that challenged the power of these things that were made from what God has made. I spoke about the ones that make them that only do what they do under the cover of night. ‘I am not afraid and you should not be afraid because everything was made through Him and for Him’. And challenge after challenge, God said things and there I was… speaking and at the same time standing there mouth gaped open at the words that the Holy Spirit was saying. ‘Bring it on!” that was it. Everything in me said…”huh?”

The next morning we were in Mtsiriza. We had never ministered in Mtsiriza. One of the pastors from the pastors bookset had asked us to come and minister the word on giving seeing as they were raising funds for their church building. Even as I prepared, I realised I was in some kind of trouble. It was the first time I have ever been afraid of what the reception to the word would be. Sometimes we get so comfortable with the people we minister to… they are safe. Unlike the time when I had ended up in a village with some hard folks, this was totally new. It is one thing to be led by the Spirit of God and give a strong word as He leads when you are ministering. It is another ball game when you PREPARE a tough word. This is not what they were expecting. They were looking to be inspired to empty their pockets and here I was bringing a word that rebuked and exposed the motive of our giving. This is a word you stop and think about. I have to believe that for what followed that there were those that HEARD. After the delivery of the word, they proceeded to have four or more offerings for the building project. One was for those who have ties on, another for those in suits, another and another…. Then there was the auctioning off of the ties that had been given in the offering basket. “who will give me three thousand for the two ties, because we don’t need ties, we need money.” This continued, auctioning off cell phones, baby trousers and ties. It was a sight to see. It was painful to watch and broke my heart because of the things we have begun to do in the temple of God. The things we now accept as progress within the church, is beyond right. It is the world making itself at home in the presence of God. What took place Sunday morning was the stuff of weddings, people making change with the money counter and throwing twenty kwachas one at a time in the offering basket. This is not what we aught to do. It makes me wonder what else we do that should not be in His Presence.

In the same place, I met a son of God. He was the gentleman that ministered the word. He was a son of God, a father in the faith… a true unsung hero. This sounds poetic but the truth is, these are the words that came into my spirit as he spoke. “I have nothing worth boasting about, other than I love God and I obey His word.” These were his words and with them came a true repentance for focusing on so many other things that were not the MAIN POINT! Loving God is the MAIN POINT! Everything else is dressing.

We left for Mngwangwa, edified and built up in the Holy Ghost. And praise God for Mngwangwa was on fire! God was cleaning house and we stood and beheld His move. We talked about citizenship and the army of God. We spoke about dual nationality and how the Kingdom of darkness welcomes it knowing that if you are part of light and dark, then you really are of the dark for the Kingdom of light rejects dual nationality… it is one or none!!! I have not the words to express what God did in that room with 150 people present. In the end 35 people came and gave their hearts to God. It was a sight to see. I was overwhelmed. What a mighty God! One of the men who got saved was the uncle of Mr. Nkhoma (who is the head of the Mngwangwa group). This uncle was a devoted ‘gule wankulu’ dancer. Gule wankulu is a cult that believes in the worship of the dead. His uncle came forward and gave his heart to God. Satan has lost. He has lost this line. Gule wanulu is generational, passed from father to son and God had broken that change. What a mighty God.

With Diamond ministering to the youth and 15 coming to Christ, 50 people were saved in Mngwangwa this past weekend. You sure learn how not to get pompous and big headed out here, for which man can claim he has done this? Is this not the work of a might God? Every time we are out here, we see Him and He expands and we MUST reduce to accommodate His greatness. This is the village. This is where God can move without puffed up men getting in the way. Out here, there are so many humble hearts that when Jesus shows up we recognise Him for He is the only one standing! Out here there is no protocol and church politics. There are no special seating and large and colourful introductions. I love this place. I love to see Jesus. To God be the glory!