Readings for today: Acts 5-8
Today is my last day in South Sudan. Tomorrow I begin the long trek home. Over forty hours of travel time from Torit to Denver. It’s not easy to get over here. It’s not easy to get home. The trip leaves me feeling exhausted. I’ve developed a heat rash and hives the last two trips I’ve taken over here. It will take me 7-10 days to recover from the jet lag when I get back. Furthermore, the work we do does come with a certain level of risk. South Sudan is considered a level four - do not visit - nation by the US State Department. It’s mainly because of the lawlessness in country. So we do our best to travel under the radar. Uganda is also a level four nation, mainly because of the recent Ebola outbreak. So why do I come? I come because the men and women I serve risk their lives on a daily basis to preach the gospel. They live in conflict zones. They are navigating civil war. They face all kinds of persecution. They live in life-threatening poverty. And yet, they are among the most faithful, most powerful preachers I’ve ever been around. They inspire me. They are my heroes. They teach me and how me what it means to fear God rather men.
The apostles feared God more than they feared men. Though they were commanded not to preach, they refused to obey the governing authorities. God had given them a commission to preach so they would obey God rather than the religious leaders. It was costly. They were arrested. They were put on trial. They were imprisoned. But God was faithful to them. He delivered them miraculously and they immediately went back to preaching. Not because they’re saints. Not because they’re superheroes. They simply feared God and when you fear God, you fear nothing else. Listen to their response to the religious authorities again. “But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than people”…So they left the council rejoicing because they had been considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. And every day both in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus was the Christ.” (Acts 5:29, 41-42 NET)
In the face of persecution. Under threat. Risking their lives. They did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus was the Christ. This is what the church planters we train in East Africa face every single day and still they go. They are faithful. And God honors their faithfulness in miraculous ways. He is using them to bring thousands to Jesus Christ. He is using them to transform village after village as the churches they plant become community hubs of hope. He is using them to change the course of their nation. It’s powerful to witness and a reminder that the same thing can happen through my preaching and the church I serve. If I fear God. If I put Him first. If I seek first His Kingdom and righteousness.
Readings for tomorrow: No devotionals on Sundays