One World, One Word
The coronavirus has vividly reminded us that we are all neighbors on this planet earth. Regardless of where we might live, we are all connected by health, economy, and … The Word.
Pam and I were enjoying peaceful remote Ukerewe Island in Lake Victoria when we heard news that the ferries to the island would be shut off. That started a four-day evacuation that included: canceled flights, closed borders, rebooking, health screenings, and an intense adventure. That incident reminded me how much our world is interconnected.
We are interconnected through the Word of God and His revelation of Himself. It is in His Word that we know Jesus, we are offered salvation, and we are united as God’s family. We need that revelation because His promises give us hope. His power gives us peace. His death and resurrection give us faith and a picture of his undying love. Regardless of the chaos around us, God’s Word brings everything back into order.
Therefore, the ministry of getting God’s Word into the hearts and minds of people around the world is so essential. Without the revelation of God, without His Word, the world spins into chaos; but when His Word enters people’s hearts it changes everything. His Word can unite our world and restore order. My prayer is that this current event will initiate a return to God’s Word and it will be remembered in the future as the Corona Revival. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. Psalm 91:1-4
Worth Celebrating
Forty people, dressed in brightly colored graduation gowns, paraded through the streets of the poor fishing village called Kikondo. This small village had never seen such a thing. They had never had a graduation comparable to this. A large banner, three color coordinated singers, five graduates, three teachers, ten from the Ugandan Ministry Team, the national director, the founder, and invited guests all joining in the march around the village.
What was the occasion? Five students finished the two years of study in the Bible. Two middle age men and three middle age women had set aside Sunday afternoons as their time to learn God’s Word, every week, for two years. The class had started with 24, but these five finished. The celebration was about more than getting a certificate, it was about the change that the Lord had done in their hearts as the Word had changed them from the inside out. These five students and their teachers planned a celebration that the whole town would see… and begin to seek. By the end of the day, people were asking the graduates how they could take these classes and study the Bible. These five graduates are planning on starting four new classes with the flood of interest generated by the parade through town.
George, the leading student, chief of a village, respected man, and principle of a school said, “I will be starting another class like this and there will be many who will join that class.” Here in Kikondo, a village with little recognition in the world, the people had a reason to rejoice.Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Philippians 4:4-5
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