Rejoice in the Lord always!
What a change God is making in the world! We are privileged to be seated in a time of great upheaval, turmoil and change. War and rumors of war, earthquakes, famines, people falling away from the truth and hating each other, false prophets straight from the book of Matthew....
The world spinning out of control is exactly the environment for the greatest harvest the world has ever seen. It is also the perfect time to live your life as a Christian, a real Christian understanding who God created you to be, by following the voice of your Savior Jesus Christ! I started with the Philippians 4 scripture:
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Apologies for missing our monthly posts this year. We have been so busy with the mission that we could only update on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook and I haven’t posted an update on the blog for 2022. Our last update was a December to remember and in which we picked up the YWAM team and began a 10.5 week outreach marathon that would cover over 1,000 miles of travel, 28 towns, villages and cities with a team of 16 people (14 missionaries and two Kenyan nationals).
I won’t repeat all the exploits here, but you could find all the info and pictures by reviewing the last 3 months on the REACH and our personal Facebook page!
I will sum up by saying we reached out in coordination with local churches across Kenya sharing the good news with thousands of people. We saw incredible fruit in salvations, recommitments, healing and deliverance.
God was moving mightily throughout the entire trip blessing people from all walks of life and calling them into His glorious light! We are so thankful for the YWAM team that came out of obedience and forever changed the lives of people here in Kenya. Mostly we are thankful to God and the Holy Spirit who was operating in protection, providing us favor and building the kingdom of God everywhere we went!
Our building program has continued during this first quarter of 2022 and I am happy to report we have completed the ground and first floor foundations and have started work on completing the ground floor for occupation. The plan is to complete the ground floor and move the boys in at which point we will be able to move the girls out of the 16 year old temporary building and into the newer one we built for the boys last year... we will then joyfully tear down “the barn” and start work on the girls dorm foundation!!!!
The Care packages 2021 project delivered food and toys to 451 widows and orphans giving them the best Christmas ever! In addition the Widows Social Empowerment project completed the filing for a Kenyan Government nonprofit organization and is planning their first training in the next month. In addition, we have been working with three other orphanages that enabled us to feed over 900 orphans and at risk children this year.
God has been so faithful in all our projects and ministry areas and we are truly thankful for the opportunity Jesus has given us to be His hands and feet. He surprises us every day with new sources and opportunities. As we were debriefing with the team from YWAM our host for the 3 days before the team left blessed us with 170 kgs of fortified food for the orphans at Agape. His provision is crazy and encourages us at every turn.
He has really been focusing our teaching and preaching on two main areas. Number one is to set the captives free, we are focused on reaching the lost, healing the sick and seeing God build His kingdom. This is the call of God for all of us, the time is short and the harvest is great so pray the Lord of the harvest will send laborers. I was spending time in the Word and the Holy Spirit pointed out to me that those words spoken by Jesus started an ongoing continuous prayer chain that has been going on for the last 2000 years. Think of that! Millions of prayers have gone forward to launch you and me into the harvest! We have all been given this ministry of reconciliation, just as we have been reconciled to Christ.
The second message is more for the church at large, in that we must hear Christ, we must be hearers and doers of the Word. Yes, that seems like an individual message because only you can hear Christ. He said “My sheep hear my voice and follow me to green pastures”. The reason that it is a message for the church is that we all have to operate in unity towards the body, by being of one spirit. Without hearing Christ and operating individually out of His love and direction for the body we will not be a church. Get it? The church can’t be the body of Christ without hearing his voice.
As long as the church is operating out of the knowledge of man and refuses to be the body of Christ moving and operating as one under His direction, then it is not really the Church! People who are going to churches all around the world but not responding to His voice are going to reflect the world around them. I believe it is only through hearing and following the master that we develop a heart of love that allows us to die to ourselves and serve others. Subsequently it is serving others as the hands and feet of Jesus that allows the Holy Spirit to move through us ministering to those we are serving. Something truly amazing happens in our being as the Holy Spirit moves through us He also leaves the impression of God on our heart, souls and spirits. I can literally feel God’s love for the people we are feeding, clothing, visiting, praying for and preaching to. He is moving through us and in to them and marking us forever transforming us into the image of Christ!
Do you remember the parable of the sheep and the goats? The only difference between the two groups was one group “knew” Jesus. The sheep who knew Him also were the ones who served the poor, naked, thirsty, hungry, sick and in prison. Jesus was so associated with these disenfranchised people who needed help that He said ”when you did it to the least of these you have done it unto me!”
These good works are not a requirement for salvation, they are a result of our salvation and living into who God created us to be. They are a result of hearing His voice and following Him to green pastures. They are your purpose, your identity, your abundant life!
We have all heard the statement that you become like the people you hang around and this principle is at work in God’s picture of relationship.
Love the Lord your God with everything that you are and love your neighbor as you love yourself! The Bible tells us that Jesus gave gifts to men for the benefit of the body, for the teaching, training and maturing of the church. In this we can tell the health of our relationship with God; when you are walking in the truth of who God created you to be you will hear His voice and follow Him to green pastures where He will provide everything you need in your abundant life to be a blessing to others. You will be blessed to bless others, you will be building and serving everyone in your life, building relationships, using the gifts that God created in you through Christ Jesus to do the good works that He already planned for you to walk in and complete. This is the fruit that comes from being connected to the vine, and this fruit is not only people coming into the kingdom. It is the kingdom of God here on earth, it is the body of Christ living in one spirit and changing the world around them. Going into all the world beginning at home and working our way outward; We tell people about Jesus and the good news of His salvation. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. We make disciples and we move, operate, and live in harmony. We are a true expression of God’s love that people can see and recognize that we are followers of Christ.
This is the church, this is your call, finding your identity in Christ and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit that lives in you. You will live in community with the body, rejoicing in the Lord for the amazing, miraculous, overflowing, abundant life God custom made for you!
God Bless
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