We are in the last month of the evangelistic teaching in our village!
We started in Genesis in May this year and will finish with Revelation soon. It has been a very intense time and it is miraculous to see the life-changes in our friends. Praise be to God!
The aim with this first cycle teaching is to show people (who have never heard the Message) who God is, what man is without God (dying because of our sin) and what the plan is that God made to mend the broken relationship. We did not stop with Christ’s resurrection and ascension, but continue to teach through parts of Acts and Hebrews and will then jump to Revelation so that people can see the whole picture: God made everything perfect in the beginning … and He will make everything perfect again in the new heaven and new earth.
In the last few lessons, they were taught about the lives of some of the believers in the New Testament, like Barnabas and Peter, in contrast with an unbeliever like Herod. What does the life of a believer look like? Does God answer all the prayers of the believers? Does God prevent bad things from happening to believers? How does this compare with a unbeliever’s life?
The listeners are learning that believers still sin, and cannot be like Christ in their own selves or with their own power. Believers need the Holy Spirit in them to live the life HE wants to live through them. They are learning that God always answers the prayers of believers. However, His answer may be “yes” “no” or “later”. We need to trust God, who loves us and knows best, to answer as He pleases. They are learning that bad things still happen to God’s people, but that He never leaves them. They learn that God can miraculously intervene, like Peter when he was delivered from prison, but it is always is part of God’s big plan. A believer like James died in similar circumstances, but only because this was part of God’s plan. An unbeliever like Herod died a horrible death after he claimed honour that only belongs to God.
They learn that we do not have to fear death, because it only means a new life with God for those who believe.
Praise God for what He is teaching our Mwinika friends. Pray that they will grow in faith and understanding, and most importantly that they will not only KNOW the truth, but believe it for themselves.
Photo: People looking at the pictures after the Bible teaching.