Rading Time: 3:30
Today is my 10th blog post for this year. It’s actually been good. I get a few things off my chest, I ramble about odd events and thoughts, and I also learn things about myself as I write. I hope you also see a little more of my heart and vision as I share each Monday in this blog.
What I want to share about today is last night’s missions service with Bernie and Brenda Smith from the West Africa Advanced School of Theology (WAAST). It excited me and grieved me as I listened to the miraculous things God is doing among the people in Togo, Africa. We learned how the Smith’s ministry is greatly multiplying the Pentecostal presence of the Assemblies of God throughout the continent of Africa.
Our church (Calvary) has a donation box in the foyer for Africa Oasis, a missions arm of the AG that digs wells in communities all over Africa. Bernie saw it and built upon our commitment to clean water by expounding on how his team and Africa Oasis has partnered together to place a well in front of every Assemblies of God church in Africa to provide clean water for all who come there. He told of how a market place will rise up in front of these churches as people come daily to fill their water containers. People from miles around come to get fresh water and hear the gospel preached to them in their own language.
Since the beginning of their ministry these Assemblies of God churches have grown from a few hundred church plants to over 2,500 throughout the country. Togo’s capital of Lome is on the Gulf of Guinea, sandwiched between the nations of Ghana and Benin. Brenda and Bernie travel extensively throughout the region equipping native pastors and building steel church structures. These structures replace the old weakening pole buildings which have grass thatched roofs. Bernie has founded a factory to build the new metal enclosures locally to speed up the process and lower the cost of production.
I sat amazed and confounded as Bernie told of all that was possible when God’s people came together and invested in reaching the lost and building new churches throughout the land. What grieved me though is why can’t we in America do similar things? Why do we spend so much and see so little for it? Why does all of the investment go to maintaining a facility and not reaching those around us? Then the thought came to me. We just don’t care. As long as we are doing well and our church is warm and comfortable, we seldom reach out to anyone outside our comfort zone.
Living in a culture of hate and fear, we ought to shine intensely into the darkness around us. A big part of that light is what we invest our time and treasure into. In a land like Africa, where people don’t even have water, a small investment reaps many souls for Christ. However, in this land of plenty, we rarely see people committing very much to the gospel. And we see very little to show for what they do. I thank God for the places that are growing and the people who are committed to the cause, but our missionaries showed me, God wants so much more. He wants us to give our lives for the cause.
Sorry for the lateness of this post, but work and ministry took over this week. See you next Monday.
Pastor Brian Jenkins
Calvary Assemblies of God