News From Zambia — 24 August 2022

Greetings From Luanshya! 

From time to time we have “interesting” conversations with people. A few years ago I was chatting with a man about life. His name was Joseph. I said, “Were you named after Joseph in the Bible?” He told me no, but after a favourite uncle. As we talked on, he told me that he didn’t know that his name was written in the Bible. I told him that there are several Josephs in the Bible including a great story about how Joseph was sold by his brothers and was later elevated to the second most powerful man in Egypt. He was astounded. He said that he had never heard that story. I then asked him about his church background and he told me that he was an elder in his church. (He named the church and it has a good reputation doctrinally.) I asked him how he became an elder when he didn’t know much about the Bible.

His answer: “I am 60 yeas old so I became an elder.”

Yesterday morning Sherry had a man (We’ll call him Mr B.) who came to the Christian Resource Centre saying that he was desperate. His church elders had assigned him to speak this coming Sunday and he did not know “anything” about the Bible and needed “something to preach about.” Sherry led him to her correspondence Bible courses as a good place to start. She asked him why he was assigned to preach if he didn’t know anything about the Bible.

His answer: “It was my turn.”

Mr B has started the Mailbox Club courses and Sherry loaned him a copy of “How to be Born Again” by Billy Graham. We are starting with the basics with Mr B!

We are surprised (and yet not) that people living so close to us in a country that was “declared a Christian

nation” (by a president who was being unfaithful to his wife while making that declaration) are so ignorant of the Bible that they carry to church on Sunday but never open during the week.

We have heard about the “unreached” areas of the world and pray for our co-workers ministering in those

places. Nevertheless, we find ourselves in a “miss-reached” part of the world where religion is taught, but the true story of the Christ who came to redeem mankind is lost in the pulpit.

Our purpose and goal is quite clear: From Matthew 28:19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the

Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I

am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (emphasis mine)

As we continue to serve, please pray that we never fail to teach the “whole counsel” of the Word of God. That includes teaching teachers to teach. (2 Timothy 2:2).

Thank you for the part you play in keeping us here.

Together in His Service,