Letter from Mike: Zambia – November 2023
“‘All things are for your sakes,’ he said, ‘that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.’ Not for self-aggrandizement did the apostles preach the gospel. It was the hope of saving souls that led them to devote their lives to this work. And it was this hope that kept them from ceasing their efforts because of threatened danger or actual suffering.” Acts of the Apostles, 332.
Like the apostles, many today are being threatened and persecuted in the name of religion. Yet, despite all the dangers God’s people confront, they continue to boldly preach the gospel. They press on with the message of peace for a world that knows no peace.
The six Zambian Bible workers who have been supported through your donations for the past two years are doing a tremendous work in their homeland. In their efforts to rescue souls entrapped in the endless ceremonies and superstitions of African culture, the workers are unrelenting. With boldness, they have been entering Catholic areas and preaching the truth in open evangelistic campaigns; and by God’s grace, they have brought many truth-seekers out of darkness.
Recently, the team arrived in a Catholic area and started holding open-air meetings in the center of the village. Although these were only pre-meetings aimed at stirring up interest in an upcoming evangelistic crusade, the team lured listeners in by preaching about the state of the dead. This is an enthralling subject to the Africans because they believe that their deceased relatives are still able to communicate with them.
A man by the name of Brian listened intently to this strange new teaching on death. At the end of the message, the workers invited him to attend the upcoming evangelistic meetings, but Brian refused because he had already been threatened with excommunication from his beloved Catholic church. Yet, he felt a strange power drawing him to learn more. He decided to surreptitiously invite one of the Bible workers over to his home to discuss the teachings from the Bible. One of the Bible workers graciously accepted the invitation to visit Brian’s home in secret that night. With the luminance of a small flashlight, they read what the Bible teaches about what happens to a person in death. Intrigued, Brian invited his new friend back for more studies. Conviction took hold in his heart, and before long Brian not only began attending the public meetings, but he invited some of his family as well. He was only expecting a few to come, but 100 people showed up!
For weeks, they studied the Bible every evening, with the number of attendees increasing each night. After hearing about the Sabbath, scores of people came to church! At the end of these intensive meetings, God had called 89 people to give their hearts to Christ and go through the watery grave of baptism.
This is one of many churches Pastor Hilary and his team of Bible workers have planted in the Monze district. They need our prayers for guidance as they evangelize areas that desperately need the Three Angels’ Messages. If you are impressed to help surge forward the message in Zambia, mark your gifts “Zambia Churches” or “Zambia Evangelism.”
Yours in pressing the message forward!
