KENYA HOUSE CHURCH MISSION TRIP

Posted on by

KENYA HOUSE CHURCH  MISSION TRIP (DISCIPLESHIP) TO THARAKA NITHI  COUNTY semi-arid region:

Arrival – Oct, 25, 023 and Departure – Oct, 31, 023

Hosts  –  Mr. Peter Wamatuba & sister in Christ, Alice Anyyango   

Purpose- Discipleship & House church planting.

We were well received by Mr, Peter Wamatuba and Alice Anyango, their closest friends together with other believers.

An opening prayer meeting was held in the house of Mr Peter Wamatuba before proceeding with indoor gospel teaching which was well received. It included men, women, and children.

On the morning of October 26th, in the compound of our host, a tent was raised up for meetings. Many people from nearby homes and neighboring villages came. We had a full house for our first tent meeting. We were encouraged as they were hungry for the word of life. And in that meeting, 8 people surrendered their lives, repented, and believed in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Evangelism: While the tent meeting was going on within the home compound of our host, Our evangelistic team was out on the streets and neighboring villages and homes ministering the gospel messages and praying with many people including the elderly, sick, and disabled who were unable to turn up for our meeting at the home of our host.

Among the people our team ministered to was a young motorbike rider, Mr. Dickson Ogolla, the young man believed the gospel message of repentance and accepted Jesus as his saviour.

Later, our team entered the home of  Mrs. Pauline Anyango, a widow woman,  she was with some other women in her house who had come to visit her following her long-standing illness. Repentance, healing, and the gospel message were ministered to them by our team. They all repented and believed, accepting Jesus Christ as their saviour. The sick widow woman was healed, praising the Lord and gave her testimony.

At another point, our team ministered to a young man, Mr. Ole Mpaka, who for many years had been bound by the traditional practices of his ancestors, practicing witchcraft. He believed the gospel message of repentance and accepted Jesus Christ. He believed and was baptized.

In the home of Mr. Tom Ondiek and his household and close friends, our team ministered the gospel and the message of prophesied end-time signs being fulfilled of Jesus soon coming return, they accepted the message and believed in Jesus Christ.

From that point, the team moved to another home and entered the house of Mrs Truphena Akoth. This woman had a young daughter, who had never heard about salvation found in Jesus Christ. Pastor, Seth took her through the bible verses on salvation, she believed the gospel message and accepted Jesus Christ as her saviour.

Pastor Julius Makacha also met and ministered to a young boy Mr Albetus Onyango, and shared with him the scriptures on salvation, on our way to the villages for evangelism.

In Thara Nithi market, we ministered to many people in the marketplace, preaching the gospel message on repentance, also on the coming Rapture and Wrath of God, the 1000 years (Millennium) reign of Jesus Christ, the White Throne judgement, and the New Heaven and New Earth where only the righteous dwell.

The presence of the holy spirit accompanied us and was working powerfully, through us in every house meeting, home, street, and village that we entered and ministered in.

House church established: Our trip to Tharaka became successful, and was with a positive outcome. A new house church of 12 people was established.

Prayers & Request: God knows all the needs of the Kenya house church movement, We continue to face many financial difficulties to reach people with the gospel. Lack of funds has been a great hindrance. Our prayers are for God to intervene and cause any willing person/people to come in, and help give support for this movement to the next level.

We have new disciples including the elderly, sick persons, and disabled who are unable to afford to buy Bible copies. And we request help to buy 20 copies of the Bible from any willing person ready to support. Each at a cost of Kshs 1000.

As Charles said God knows the needs of the KHC Movement but I would ask each of you reading this post to both pray and consider supporting them financially. You can do so on this website under Donations or if you would prefer to deal directly with Charles then let me know.

WHY CHRISTIANS REJOICE IN THEIR SUFFERINGS

Posted on by

As we fast approach the time before Jesus’ return when persecution of Christians intensifies we need to begin to develop the type of Christian life that doesn’t need a large church to sustain it and a walk with Jesus that values true community, not backseat participation – in effect, non-participation. You might grow as never before under persecution, as millions around the world can testify, and as Paul testified clearly in Romans 5:1-5:

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him, we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:1-5

We will experience hope in a new way as we are persecuted. Our focus will more and more turn to what is next on God’s agenda for this world, Jesus Millennial Kingdom (www.millennialkingdom.net). Suffering will purify us of our preoccupation with the current corrupt world. God will grow us all up in a hurry under such conditions, and those of us who have long lamented the differences between the church of Acts and the modern church will get a chance to see many of those differences wiped away in an instant. It will be an exciting time.

Middle Eastern Christians have learned what it means to bless those who persecute them.

Christians in Syria are learning daily how to do this. Many have chosen to stay in their towns and cities, even if Islamist rebels have overrun them and raped, looted, tortured, and killed them. As Open Doors USA spokesperson Emily Fuentes has reported: There are some Christians who are fleeing because they have no other choice, but there are many Christians who have really felt God’s call to stay in town, even though they have been attacked and targeted because of their faith. They realize that God’s using them, and (are reaching) out to their Muslim neighbours.
Thus, it seems to me that in the days ahead as persecution increases we will have the basic option of running, or remaining and seeking to win our attackers and fellow refugees to Christ. The choice that we make will be a matter of conscience, as Scripture can be used to support both. Believers in both Syria and Egypt have made different choices.

In the parts of Syria where church buildings have not been desecrated, they have become de facto relief agencies, providing clothes, food, and Christian teaching. These churches are seeing people come to faith in Christ as the congregants love everyone who has been made homeless, not just Christians. This is in stark contrast to the Islamic approach to providing aid for Muslims only.
As Syrian Christians have ministered to all people as war rips their country apart, they ask not for relief from the persecution, for money, or any sort of assistance, but primarily for prayer. Syrian Christians know prayer is the only way that peace will come to their country.
What an amazing witness, to care for everyone in the midst of intense suffering. The Church has done this throughout history. I would venture to say all of the books in the world’s libraries would not be enough to tell the stories of instances when Christians helped people in desperate need, regardless of skin color or creed.

Soon, I think, we will all enjoy caring for people in our communities and have the opportunity to make a bigger impact on their souls than a thousand sermons would be able to. It will be thrilling to watch all of our fellow church members get their hands dirty in ministry, a greater percentage than ever before, I believe! Can you see how suffering refines a church? It will do the same for us. There will be no more CEO (Christmas and Easter Only) Christians in our churches when the persecution starts. All of you who are tired of the pretenders coming to Sunday services will see the meeting sizes shrink as the wheat is separated from the chaff (Matthew 13:24-30). As a side note, won’t it be thrilling to see all the prophetic Scriptures that we have read for so long coming to pass? I think it will be an incredible time, even when it is very hard. I also believe God will give us abundant grace as we endure. All of the distractions that have kept us from following hard after God will be eliminated. Daily life will consist of a focus on how everyone in our community is doing, how they can be helped that day, how the new believers can be discipled, and how God’s love can be shown to the occupiers. Does that sound like Acts 4? It sure does to me. All of those sermons over the years, where pastors lamented the differences between Acts 4 and twenty-first-century churches will be made irrelevant. We will be living Acts 4.

Our churches will never become Acts 4 churches until the circumstances around us mirror the conditions of the early church. That prophesied day will come. And I think we will enjoy living out our faith as our predecessors did and those Christians who are already experiencing intense persecution in Muslim countries in the Middle East.

One source in Egypt reports the reaction of Christians to the burning of dozens of churches: “Churches are united together. And the spirit of prayer is happening in all the churches. People are praying all the time,” according to a source named “David.”

Churches united, churches praying, and people praying all the time. The church will become what we’ve all wanted it to become, but it may not happen until we are aggressively persecuted.

The churches in Egypt haven’t stopped with simply prayer. According to a Charisma News source in-country, Christians are answering the violence and pro-Islamic graffiti with signs that read, “You burned our church, but we love you.” If you were a Muslim in these cities, what would you think of such signs? I can tell you the two predominant reactions would be, 1. “Those Christians are just total weaklings” and 2. “How does this happen? How does someone love rather than avenge?” God is certainly doing all sorts of things amid this brutal persecution, acts of salvation that we won’t know about until we get to heaven.

During the great tribulation under an Islamic Antichrist, we will see brothers and sisters killed for their faith often, some right out of our communities. This is what is happening in the countries of the Arab Spring; martyrdom is expected, not imagined.

Soon, we will know true suffering and understand so many other portions of the Bible, such as 2 Timothy 4:6-8:

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to utter these words, knowing you are about to be killed for your faith? You might get this opportunity, and join the crowd of people who come out from under the altar as Jesus returns, those who had been martyred by the Beast (see Revelation 6:9 and 20:4), reigning on special thrones, and given authority to judge.

Early church father Tertullian’s famous line, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,” will come true before our eyes as those around us see our courage, even in the face of death, and are deeply moved.

It’s sad but true; people have to feel absolutely helpless sometimes before they look to God.

Peace and courage during these sorts of times of suffering have a powerful impact on the hardest hearts. One Egyptian has reported about the church’s witness there: “It’s a great message of forgiveness. This makes many Muslims discover the reality of Christianity, and many of them come to know Jesus.” These new believers are meeting “underground in a secret way. They worship the Lord together, and they’re growing.”

Extracts from Ralph Stice’s book Arab Spring, Christian Winter: Islam Unleashed on the Church and the World

HOW DOES GOD REACH MUSLIMS IN MUSLIM COUNTRIES?

Posted on by

The founder of a ministry devoted to serving the Iranian underground church says that many people in the restrictive nation have encountered Jesus through dreams and visions — something that might seem foreign to those living in Western cultures.

The Rev. Lazarus Yeghnazar, founder of Transform Iran, an organization preaching the Gospel in Iran and planting churches, told CBN’s Faithwire how many Iranians find themselves enraptured by Christ following these apparitions. “They know it was real and they cannot stop talking about it, hence the severe persecution, the severity of the brutality,” Yeghnazar said of the persecution many Iranian Christians face. “[Believers will say], ‘I saw a vision of a man in a white robe, with a cross on his shoulder or on his heart, and he says, ‘I am Jesus.'”

While many Christians in the West might meet Jesus as the result of others sharing the Gospel, these dreams and visions are the touchpoints in Iran that spark life-change and heart transformation. Yeghnazar pointed back to Scripture to show how God has used visions to communicate with humanity in the past and explained why Iranians might be having this spiritual experience today. “In the Middle East, people see visions,” he said. “In the Western understanding, we want everything to be tangible, verifiable, accountable.” But he said the dynamic is quite different in the Middle East, where these experiences deeply resonate with those who have them. “In Iran, people see a vision — they will wake up sweating and shaking,” Yeghnazar said. He cited specific biblical examples of when God spoke to prominent figures through dreams, delivering life-altering and important messages. “You know, paving that way from Abraham to Moses, to Daniel, to Joseph, to Mary, the mother of Christ … all of them see dreams,” Yeghnazar said. “Peter, at the beginning of his ministry, started seeing dreams.” The preacher said people might be surprised to see the juxtaposition when it comes to the prevalence of God speaking through dreams for Westerners versus those in the Middle East. “Any gathering of Iranians or Afghan Christians, if you say, ‘How many have seen dreams that have been touched, if not radically, transformed because of a vision,’ 90% will raise their hands,” he said. “If you ask a church in Wisconsin, or in Maryland, or Boston, ‘How many people have come to Christ through a dream?’ they would say, ‘What is a dream?'” Sadly, we also know that many of these people are not born again and do not have the Holy Spirit indwelling their spirit. When the prophesied “last days” tribulation comes upon us many will fall away. However, many will cry out to God and He will turn up in dreams and visions as He is in Iran. Watch for the full discussion.

KENYA HOUSE CHURCH MISSION TRIP

Posted on by

Report by Pastor Charles Otieno Owino on the Kenya House Church (KHC) Mission trip this month to Giribe Lwala in the Homa Bay County near Lake Victoria. It is the County next to Migori County where Pastor Charles is located.

KENYA HOUSE CHURCH MISSION TRIP TO GIRIBE LWALA:

Purpose of visit: Discipleship

Host: Mr Kennedy Onyango.

Arrival Date: Nov 9th/2022, Departure: Nov 15th.

The KHC team are delighted with how God protected them on this Mission Trip, no equipment failures and the response from so many people was positive. God was present the entire time with several healing miracles and other signs. Pictures truly tell the story and Charles has given a brief description of each one. The pictures are not in order the events occured but I hope this is understood from the descriptions given.

1. Pastor Nyarumba ( in the red T-shirt) is baptizing Mr Cleophas Odhiambo( in the white shirt). Mr Cleophas is a new disciple at Olassi house church. He was a former assistant chief of the county who was interdicted for abuse of office (corruption), and also for being deeply involved in alcoholic drinking. This baptism was carried out when the team visited Olassi on their return trip from Giribe Lwala,

2. Pastor Jacob ministered the gospel message of salvation and repentance at an evangelism meeting in one of the homes our team visited- among them was Shem Nyabuto, a former drug addict (with dreadlocks). He accepted the gospel message of salvation and repentance and gave his heart to Jesus, and accepted Him as his personal Saviour.

3. House fellowship meeting at the home of Mr Kennedy Onyango. Mrs Millicent Girago ( with a baby in her hands). She had a strong pain in her back, and the problem persisted for many years even after visiting many doctors and local herbalists. After receiving prayer, she was instantly healed and the pain was completely gone.

4. Pastor Osogo baptized Mrs Jane Odhiambo, the wife of the former assistant chief of the county. During the KHC trip to Olassi last month this woman at first didn’t believe our Gospel message, but on this trip visiting this house church, we taught her the word of God, she believed and was baptized. This baptism was carried out when the team visited Olassi on their return trip from Giribe Lwala,

5. Believers are in a moment of prayer on our arrival at Giribe Lwala. The opening prayers were at the home of Mr Kennedy (in a tie & brown suit).

6. Evangelism Ministry at the home of Mr Paul Ondiek. Pastor Saoke ministers the gospel message to the 10 adult members of this family. They believed the gospel message of healing and salvation and accepted Jesus as their personal saviour.

7. Pastor Charles ( in a white shirt) ministers the gospel message of end time events of Jesus’ soon return at the home of Mr Kennedy Onyango.

8. Pastor Julius Makacha ministers the gospel message of the coming Millennial Kingdom at an evangelism meeting at one of the homes.

9. Pastor Melkio ministers the gospel message on the role of women in the church at Giribe Lwala house Church.

10. Pastor Charles prayed for some women (on their knees) at the home of Mr Kennedy. And among them is Mrs Dorothy Ouma ( in a dotted white & black dress) This woman’s life was ruined by alcoholic drinks to such an extent that she couldn’t provide for her family. After hearing the gospel message she repented and accepted Jesus as her personal saviour.

11. Pastor Charles with hands raised praying at the home Mr David Garrison. His son (wearing a white shirt & kneeling ) was deaf and dumb, after hearing the gospel message his ears were opened, and he was able to hear and speak little but by using signs.

12. Pastor Kennedy addressed the Giribe Lwala house, church believers, at the close of our mission trip at Giribe Lwala.

A new house church of 10 people was newly founded at Giribe Lwala. This new house church will be under the care of elder Kennedy Onyango. 

On the way home, we arrived at the Olassi house church of our host Elder Walter Ogwati in the evening to do baptisms of the new believers the following day. In the evening, we had house fellowship with believers in their home. It was in preparation for the baptism the next day.

Today, at 11:am, we walked down to a new dam to baptize the newly converted believers of this house church, and among them is the wife of the former assistant Chief and her husband (included in the pictures). It was well attended. Later this afternoon, we shall pack our luggage for our trip back home in the evening.

May you kindly put us in your prayers for a successful remaining part of our mission here and also for a safe travelling back home.

As previously reported I have been supporting the KHC movement for four years now even including a trip to Migori to hold a three-day training session with 21 of the KHC leaders in April of this year. The picture shown is me delivering a PowerPoint presentation on Israel’s History and Purpose at this meeting. The image on the screen is of the Israel Feast Days.

As can be seen, the meeting is in a tin shed. We had no power so we had to hire a generator and I purchased the screen. I am hoping that some of my followers will be prompted by God to join me in financially supporting the growth of the Kenya House Church Movement. I have seen it grow from six house churches to twenty-two. If this is something you would like to do email me at ron@bakb.com.au.

A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW IS CRITICAL

Posted on by

A biblical worldview is critical because that’s what enables you to become a true disciple of Jesus Christ. Romans 12 talks to us about, ‘you have to have your mind renewed’, you must be ‘transformed’ by that ‘renewing of your mind’ with God’s principles at the core of all of your thoughts so that you can in fact live like Christ.”

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

Moreover, this is impossible unless we have been born again with the Holy Spirit now indwelling our spirit. Proverbs tells us that the spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord and of course a lamp needs oil to function which is, of course, the Holy Spirit. To function as God intended we have always needed the Holy Spirit to be our counsellor, our comforter, and our teacher.

“The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts.” Proverbs 20:27

 Also, according to Barna, the only way to achieve cultural transformation is if people choose to “believe God’s truths,” which in turn will allow them to “act upon those truths based upon those things that you believe.”

“We are here to be salt and light. That’s what transformation is: changing the world around us forever based on God’s truths. But in order to do that, we need a healthy church. We need believers who get it, believers who are willing to put their lives on the line. Today’s traditional church and leadership model has veered far from Christ’s New Testament model of disciples making disciples typically in house churches.

In fact, a study released earlier this year by the Cultural Research Centre of 1,000 pastors found that only 37% of Christian pastors in the United States have a biblical worldview. The majority possess the hybrid syncretism worldview.

“As you read the Scriptures, you find that biblically, it is the role of the community of faith, i.e., our churches, to be supporting families and particularly parents in that process, equipping them for raising up their children to be dynamic followers of Jesus Christ,” Barna advised. Only the church model Jesus established, as described in the Book of Acts, will achieve that goal. I a convinced that the House church model is Jesus model and the institutional church will not survive the prophesied “end times” tribulation.

KENYA HOUSE CHURCH MISSION TRIP

Posted on by

The KHC discipleship mission trip to Seme sub-county of Kisumu ended well today, Monday, September 12th. 2022

GOSPEL  MEETINGS:  The holy spirit worked mightily and powerfully in our midst, touching and convicting many souls to repent of their sins. As a result, many people believed in Jesus Christ and realised He was the promised Jewish Messiah who would come first to die for our sins but also to come again to rule and reign in the Millennium.

At one point, in the home of Mr. Paul Otuoma, his brother Mr. Gordon Onyango testified about not having believed for many years in the Trinity – He said he was a Jehovah’s witness follower, and he believed only in the Oneness of God.  After him sitting under our teaching and hearing pastor Melkio teach on the Trinity, his heart was broken and he believed in our gospel message. He also agreed to become part of the newly founded Seme House Church.

At the home of Mr. Bonface Maganga, an atheist and homosexual after sitting under our teaching, he acknowledged the authority of God and his supernatural power. He repented for his sins of rejecting God and practicing homosexuality. He surrendered his life to Jesus and was baptized. He has now become part of the newly founded SEME house church.

MARKET PLACE EVANGELISM:   At the Kombewa trading centre, we ministered healing and salvation to a demon-possessed man who for many years has been walking around the place naked, talking to himself, and eating food from the waste bin. We prayed for healing, restoration, and salvation for him. Instantly, his mind came back to normal. He believed and was baptized. Everybody at the Kombewa trading center was amazed to witness this miracle. After the miracle, Pastor Jactone and Julius gave him some money to buy clothes and a pair of shoes. Also, his relatives were now prepared to take responsibility for him. Hopefully, he will join the newly founded SEME House Church.

 BAPTISM BY IMMERSION:  Many who believed in Jesus and the gospel message of repentance and salvation were baptized in the nearby dam. We baptized both men, women, and youths aged 18 years and above. A total of ten people were baptized.

God ministered through us to many people at tent meetings and outdoor evangelism meetings. Many souls were won back to Christ and many miracles of healing demonstrated the Holy Spirit’s presence.

NEW HOUSE CHURCH FORMED: Seme house church is found in Seme, sub-county of Kisumu.

The newly formed house church comprises 15 people, excluding children. Mr. Bonface Maganga Odhiambo will be the pastor overseeing the Seme House Church.

REQUEST FOR BIBLES: There is a great need to provide the members of this new house church with copies of the Bible. We ask that our brothers and the LEN team help to provide these needed Bibles. If you would like to help you can do so by clicking on the Donate icon on the Home Page. This icon was added just for donations to the Kenya House Church Movement.

KENYA HOUSE CHURCHES IN RURAL AREAS

Posted on by

The Holy Spirit is setting a fire under the believers in the rural areas of Kenya. I have been connected to the Kenya House Church Movement for about 4 years now and have seen it grow from six house churches to twenty-one. Moreover, I met with most of the leaders in April of this year in Migori, Kenya for a three-day training meeting. I reported on it in an earlier post.

Pastor Charles Otieno Owino, the leader of the KHC, is on the far left. All of the leaders received a copy of my latest book Living Eternal Now – Ready for Jesus Return. Some are holding it.

This post will help you understand the task ahead for the church in Kenya. As well, I have included pictures taken of meetings at some of the new house churches by way of inspiration which I hope will encourage some of my followers to join me in funding this work. I have put a DONATIONS icon on my Home Page for this purpose.

temp_image_20211205_180611_34110c4a-4397-4dfe-a1c0-a13efca6babb.jpg
temp_image_20211201_110348_686f12f7-6540-412d-926d-7b3190d6c669.jpg
Buembu House Church
temp_image_20211201_105536_3c67c86e-e5b9-4b40-91b6-4f7455aac522.jpg
Bondo House Church
temp_image_20211201_105454_015e3ea2-e393-4469-b1ed-67ea7ba1415d.jpg
Nyarombo House Church
Previewing temp_image_20211112_091115_4e48eefc-1581-432e-8c42-9d95b340812e.jpg
Previewing temp_image_20211201_105219_4622dac6-d338-4990-9d61-4a17bc58c796.jpg
Nyarombo house church. Believers are praying after hearing the gospel message. They are not sleeping.
Previewing temp_image_20211112_090740_e0bb0474-b909-4e35-8de8-d2b4fa72539b.jpg
Great teaching on the early church from the Book of Acts which is serving as the model on which the KHC movement is built.

CHURCH AS GOD INTENDED

Posted on by

Church Revolution Today

The first Christian leader who read this book changed what they had been doing in starting new churches. Following the Biblical model in Church Revolution Today, in 5 years they started over 6,000 house churches and saw over 60,000 new baptized believers. This book is indeed revolutionary.  

available from http://www.jimsbookstore.com for a donation

The author, Jim McCotter, has personally started countless house churches and a worldwide movement of churches. He has trained thousands of believers in how to win others to Christ and how to work together to grow and multiply churches in cities throughout the world. Some that Jim has trained internationally and that have read this book are now starting, on average, more than one new house church a week.
Jim has proclaimed the Gospel in person to tens of thousands in cities and universities all over the world. And through newspapers, radio networks and television stations, which Jim and his team have owned and operated, he has communicated to literally millions of people nationally and internationally advancing the Kingdom of God. Now Jim and his team are developing new media, interactive multimedia, to reach every nation in the world.

Think about it… without any modern-day transportation, communication, or technology the New Testament churches were literally fulfilling the Great Commission in their day. It was even the heathen that were saying, they are “turning the world upside down for Christ!” Yet today, Christians have not even turned one city upside down for Christ, much less the world! Something is wrong! The church and church leadership must dramatically change. We must humble ourselves and acknowledge that the churches, spiritual leaders and we are missing the mark. It is we that must be revolutionized. We need a spiritual revolution.

Charles Otieno Owino of the Kenya House Church Movement brought Jim McCotter to my attention and I am glad he did. Make sure you read it and bring it to the attention of all those who want to be obedient to God’s call to preach the Gospel, particularly to pastors in traditional denominational churches.

ARE DENOMINATIONAL CHURCHES FULFILLING GOD’S PURPOSE?

Posted on by

Roger E. Olson is Emeritus Professor of Christian Theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University in Waco, Texas (USA). This is his testimony about a Southern Baptist denomination in the USA.

I recently received the Summer 2021 issue of my current Baptist denomination magazine. This denomination, like many, denies being a denomination and calls itself a fellowship of churches but, sociologically, anyway, it is a denomination. I am still a member of one of its affiliated churches and was a member of another one for many years. I won’t go into the reasons I changed congregations but it had a woman pastor.

The magazine I referred to above (Summer 2021) is about my current Baptist denomination’s impact on the world and contains stories from around the world about its field personnel. (The words missionary and missionaries are notably missing). The magazine contains about ten articles profiling this Baptist denomination’s work in America and many countries. I sat down and read every article, even every word of the magazine. Notably missing, so far as I can tell, is any mention of evangelism, telling people about Jesus and inviting them to accept him as Savior and Lord, or conversion. Everything is about social work, advocacy for the disadvantaged, and offering suffering people hospitality and hope. But nary a word about inviting people to become Christians or even just to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

One article says that the deepest root of our Baptist story is freedom of religion or belief for all. That is an important emphasis of traditional Baptist belief and practice, but is it the deepest root of our Baptist story? I don’t think so. Baptists are Christians (or should be) and the deepest root of our story, together with all true Christians, is Jesus Christ and the gospel. I failed to find the gospel of Jesus Christ explicitly mentioned in this magazine which makes my heart sink. Twenty-two years ago, when I first entered this fellowship, this Baptist denomination, I researched it, met some of its leaders, joined one of its leading congregations, began teaching at a seminary affiliated with it, and knew that it was Jesus-centered and gospel-centered and mission and witness-centered. I am sure they will say they still are all of those things, but this magazine leads me to think otherwise.

Lacking is any conversion story or any story of a partner who leads someone to faith in Jesus Christ. Nothing even remotely approaching that appears in the magazine so far as I can tell.

Put this together with the testimony I heard not long ago at my church and I am convinced, but willing to be unconvinced, that this denomination has lost its way. She is a paid partner of the denomination working with immigrants to the United States. She talked endlessly about transforming initiatives but failed even once to mention witness to Jesus Christ. The transforming initiatives were/are what the magazine calls offering hospitality and hope to people with physical and emotional needs. Not once during her thirty-minute presentation did she say anything about telling people about Jesus.

Sadly, I have come to the conclusion that my denomination is no longer evangelical, even in a broad sense. I am open to correction, but someone from the denomination will have to tell me how and where its partners in America and around the world are actively inviting people to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior by faith in him (conversion).

I believe the “end times” church will be like the church described in the Book of Acts and the church in countries where Christians are already under persecution. Check out http://www.HouseChurches.net and http://www.smallgroups.com

MY AFRICA TRIP REPORT

Posted on by

I had several objectives for making the trip to Kenya to meet with Charles Otieno Owino head of the Kenya House Church movement and the other KHC leaders.

KHC was created to serve Kenya’s and now Tanzania’s rural areas.

I connected with Charles almost three years ago now on LinkedIn. It was largely because of my posts on www.livengeternal.net where I said the end-times church will be like the church described in the Book of Acts – House Churches.

In one post, I used the example of Francis Chan. He walked away from a church of 5000 to establish house churches with no paid pastors or buildings. Francis said the church was all about making disciples that make disciples. If a house church has not trained up disciples prepared to start another house church with family and friends in a short period of time (e.g. 6 months) then the church is not functioning as it should, he said.

Charles responded to my post with a hearty endorsement and outlined what KHC is doing in Kenya. Subsequently, I have been supporting KHC ever since to send out missionaries to establish House churches in new areas. KHC has grown from six to twenty-two house churches in the period I have been working with Charles.

We had one Zoom Meeting when Charles had all the house church leaders together for a time of thanks, praise, worship, and seeking God’s guidance on the way forward. However, despite my age, I felt God was prompting me to visit KHC to meet the leaders and establish where they were at in terms of the basics:

1. Belief in an inerrant Bible including its young earth history. This is why we had a Zoom Meeting with Creation Ministries International at the start of our three-day meeting.  

2. The Bible provides the true history of this universe. Creation, The Fall, Noah’s worldwide flood, God established the nations at Babel, God established his own nation Israel (role and purpose), central to that purpose, Jesus enters history at the prophesied time to save mankind:

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

This was Jesus’ first coming as the sacrificial lamb; however, the Bible clearly reveals that He will come a second time as the victorious King to establish His Millennial Kingdom on this earth. Prophesied end times signs indicate that His second coming is not too far distant. The principal prophesied end times sign was Israel becoming a nation again in 1948.

3. To ensure KHC understood the role and purpose of Israel in God’s plan for this universe including Jesus’ second coming to rule and reign over the nations with the resurrected saints from a glorious, restructured Jerusalem for one thousand years.

The picture was taken at the end of our three-day meeting a few of the pastors had to leave early to travel home. The dirt tracks to the meeting site were horrendous, certainly not roads.

Pastor Charles is at the far left of the picture

RESULT:

Alfred and me

I was hoping the English of the house church leaders was good enough so that we would not need an interpreter. This was not the case. Fortunately, Alfred the brother of the KHC leader, Charles is a teacher, and we proved a good team.

The agenda of the meeting shows the focus on the Bible providing a true history of this world, Israel, and preparing for Jesus’ return to rule and reign on this earth with the resurrected Saints for one thousand years.

The Holy Spirit led me to make one major addition to the program, we had two sessions on the role of the Holy Spirit in living the Christian life.

KENYA HOUSE CHURCH MOVEMENT

Preparing for Jesus’ Return

THREE DAY CONFERENCE

April 17th to 19th 2022

SUNDAY APRIL 17th

9.00 am       Welcome and Introduction     Charles Otieno

9.15 am       Purpose of my trip                    Ron Edwards (R.E.)

10.00 am     CMI Zoom Meeting              Pieter le Roux CMI

11.00 am     Rest time

11.15 am     Bible provides true history of the universe (19) – R.E

12.30 pm     Lunch

2.00 pm       GOD & ISRAEL – NATIONS ARE GOD’S IDEA (24) – R.E.

3.30 pm       Rest time

3.45 pm       ISRAEL – HISTORY & PURPOSE (35) – R.E.

4.45 pm       Rest time

5.00 pm       ISRAEL – FULLY RESTORED (65) – R.E.

6.00 pm       Close

MONDAY APRIL !8th

9.00 am       ISRAEL FEAST DAYS IN TYPE & PROPHECY (33) – R.E.

10.15 am     Rest Break

10.30 am     Presentation continued

12.45 pm     Lunch

2.00 pm    PROPHESIED RESTORATION OF THE LAND TO ISRAEL (100) – R.E.

3.30 pm    Rest time

3.45 pm    Presentation continued

4.45 pm    Rest time

5.00 pm    Presentation continued

6.00 pm    Close

TUESDAY APRIL 19th

9.00 am    ARE WE READY FOR JESUS? How to Prepare for His Return (58) – R.E.

10.15 am Rest Break

10.30 am Presentation Continued

12.45 pm Lunch

2.00 pm   Presentation Continued

3.30 pm   Rest time

3.45 pm Presentation continued

4.45 pm Rest time

5.00 pm Presentation continued

6.00 pm Close