God So Loved The World
John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his One and Only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Purdue '08 Conference Report Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 7/31/08
The Purdue '08 International Summer Conference was held at the beautiful Purdue University from July 24-27, 2008. God blessed us so much! He sent 3,200 people, of which 1,100 were from 88 other countries. We all could find some way to participate in this amazing work of God. This conference was a rare historical event, showcasing the work of God on college campus' around the world. It should be broadcast far and wide. Some delegates spent over $2,000 dollars each to get there. They took a couple of weeks out of their lives to come and celebrate the love of God and reveal the work of God in their nations. The spirit of unity, Christian love, and world mission abounded through the entire conference. Even our young people felt God's special love through high quality middle school and high school conferences. Purdue '08 was even graced by the presence of author and professor, Robert Coleman, who preached on John 4, "Open Your Eyes And Look At The Fields."
Part 1: God's Work In The Hearts Of NIU Attendants.
God sent 12 members through our NIU ministry. Our three oldest children came, Jennifer (14), Augustine (12) and Sarah (11). They were so happy to come. This is their first international conference. God was preparing their hearts through our weekly "World Mission Night", where they read about the mission work in other lands. They were happy to sing their special song at the one early morning devotional meeting. They sang "Amazing love." Jennifer was even a good shepherd to Emily D., a 16 year old daughter of Kathleen. They were room mates. I pray for my kids to be second generation shepherds who can lead their generation to Jesus.
Julie gave her whole heart to conference registration ministry. The whole year had been in preparation for the conference. But things became intense during the month of July. Serving conference registration is her joy of life. She came to the university early on Monday morning to help set up the offices and to meet early arrivals. She spent much of her time in the armory building overseeing the office and solving one problem after another. I thank God that she could be a blessing to all of our co-workers. May God continue to build her capacity to serve the work of God throughout her lifetime.
I thank God for Tim Sagel. He too has grow a lot over the last couple of years and it has been made evident at the conference. He was chosen to lead a small group. He also was the presider for my message on Sunday morning. He gave his heart in everything he did. In past conferences he used to lead 50 people in group games, like "Mafia" until 5 am. But this conference he went to bed at a time that he could be fully awake to serve. Andy S. was also his room mate. Tim made special effort to care for Andy and also his friend Jason. Tim was so happy and eager to serve every task that Jesus brought before him. Tim experienced a special blessing by seeing Chris and Maria Sagel and his nephew John Sagel. It was a family reunion. He prays for some missionary direction after his graduation from NIU.
We pray for Andy. He came to conference, not knowing what to expect. I knew it was not going to be easy for Andy. He is a loner. He also has a habit of watching movies until 4 am. I thought that he could never be able to keep up with the hectic schedule. But the spirit of God animated his spirit. He got up for daily bread meetings. He attended every program. He even went to his small group meetings by himself and participated. God has been helping him to see himself and to experience to love of God personally. God is helping him to not blame people that have wronged him in the past. He knows that he needs to forgive others. I pray that Andy may continue to grow in the word of God and be healed in his inner person. I pray that he may tackle a new semester of studies with a changed attitude and focused life style. May God bring true joy and spiritual strength to Andy's life.
Kathleen H is a nurse the mother of Emily. She has been a source of blessing to our family and ministry. She overcame a lot to come to Purdue '08. She has to clear out her house and move to an apartment by August 1. She was no where near being able to move. There was so much pressure to keep her eyes focused on her problems and ignore Jesus. But she has faith enough to lift her eyes from her situation and focus them on Jesus. She came and brought her daughter Emily with her. Kathleen also has a hard time walking long distances but she walked to the various meetings joyfully. She felt at home with younger students and gave her heart to participating in the program. We thank God for Kathleen, especially for her faithful attendance to our family's daily bread meetings to come and pray. She also invites her neighbors to study the Bible with her. May God grant her strength to move into her new apartment and wisdom to lead her children to Jesus.
Emily D. is Kathleen's youngest child. Emily is a quiet girl of 16 years, with a gentle spirit. She needs a lot of healing in her heart and God has been working patiently with her to bring about that healing. Emily overcame a lot to come to the conference. She does not like crowds. But she came knowing that there would be over 3,200 people. She was able to leave the side of her boyfriend, Nick, to come. She also was happy to be the room mate of my daughter Jennifer. Emily studies on and off with my wife Julie. She comes to the Sunday service sporadically. We pray that she may be completely healed in her heart and that she may give her life to Jesus. May she be a source of blessing to her generation of young Americans.
Janice T. came. It has been over a year since she moved out of our house. Many things have happened in her life. But God has been working faithfully in her heart and she was moved to come to Purdue '08, even by herself. She spent some quality time with Julie, served in the registration office and even as an usher at times. I pray that she may restore her 1:1 Bible study and grow as a shepherdess and lead others to Jesus.
Trish and Camillo also came. It was not easy to come since they just finished their honeymoon. But they came because they wanted to begin their married life with the word of God in their hearts. They will be blessed when the gospel becomes the foundation of their family. They were very happy. Trish even answered the altar call to be a missionary in the future.
Part ll: God's Work In My Life.
I thank God for the blessings that he has bestowed upon me at this conference. At first I did not know the role that I would play, but God gave me three missions. I could serve as an usher and greeter at many of the meetings. I was a group leader, leading about 9 people in Bible study and testimony writing. I could also co-work with Dr. Allen Wolff in delivering the devotional message on Mark 16:1-11 on Sunday morning. My conference was filled with mission and preaching the word of God. I can not but thank God for his grace on this sinner.
I thank God for my small group. We had 9 people in our group; Analucia G. (El Camino UBF USA), Missionary Daniel Choi (Toledo UBF USA), General Kim (Youljun UBF S. Korea), Kathleen H. (NIU UBF USA), Maria Tang (Hong Kong UBF), Marianne P. (El Camino UBF USA), and Missionary Ruth Kim (Washington UBF USA). All the members were so sincere towards Jesus and the gospel. Analucia and Marianne are growing Bible teachers in S. California. They want to share Jesus with students. Marianne invites students all by herself. They were full of spirit, giving many enthusiastic "Amens!" in prayer. General Kim is truly living up to his name by having vision for himself to be a spiritual general in the Lord's army. Missionary Paul and Ruth are being used by God to be wonderful missionaries for American college students. Maria Tang received her Phd in Marino-geo-sciences. She studies the geology of the ocean floor. Truly, she could easily make lots of money working for an oil company or lots of honor being a professor. But she teaches the Bible to Hong Kong students full time. I've heard that she serves 20-25 Bible studies every week! Kathleen wrote and shared a testimony for the first time. I thank God for the privilege to lead this diverse group of Christians.
Through preparing the message on Mark 16:1-11, I accepted Mark 16:6, ""'Don't be alarmed,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.'" I realized that the simple facts of the Gospel, that Jesus was crucified and has risen, are enough to change hearts. A few years ago my heart was despairing and fatalistic because I tried to be righteous though legalism and self condemnation. I felt that, no matter what I did, I could not bear fruit that pleased God. I was joyless and waited to be taken out of this world. But through two years of weekly testimony writing and Bible memorization training, at the UBF Chicago center, the gospel could recapture my heart. I could have full confidence that Jesus died for all of my sins and my heart was filled with God's hope through his resurrection. The fruit of the spirit could form in my heart. I could become a hopeful, joyful shepherd, propelled by grace. The simple facts of the gospel saved my life and I know they can save others lives also.
That was then, but what about now? The simple facts of the gospel are still at work to bring new life to my soul. Prior to the conference I realized that my heart had grown cold towards to love of Jesus. Sure, I believed John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.", but this truth was met with a cold heart devoid of passion and an eagerness to share with others. But through this message, my love for Jesus was fanned into a flame. My appreciation for what he accomplished for me on the cross was stoked. My desire to share it with students…rekindled. The simple facts of the gospel, that Jesus died for me and rose again changed my heart. Truly it will change young students' hearts too when I share it with faith and prayer.
My heart was particularly moved by Germany's Peter Schweitzer's message on Mark 13 concerning the end of the age. I liked his message delivery. It was a sincere, pointful discussion, full of spiritual weight. He helped us to see that these are indeed the end times by including many up to date facts that are occurring in the world. He warned of turning our hearts to false messiahs, encouraging all to turn their hearts to the only true Messiah, Jesus Christ. He also urged all of us to be ready when Jesus comes again. There is only one way to be ready, to repent of our sins and accept the gospel of Jesus' death and resurrection personally and by faith. We need to find peace and rest in the love of God, that is found in Jesus alone. I thank God that he has led me to the point where I can say, "Amen! Come Lord Jesus!" When he comes I can lift my head high and be welcomed by the loving arms of my heavenly Father. I pray that I can share this gospel with American students so they too may have such confidence in the love of God.
I was thankful for the booths displaying the work of God in the various continents. I was especially taken back by display from our co-workers in Kazakhstan. They had several student leaders who were dressed in native costumes. One played a native instrument. They were all so happy and beaming with joy. They were so proud about their country and shared the meaning of things in their display eagerly with all who would listen. They were so happy and smiled so much. They invited everyone personally, in broken English, to come to Kazakhstan as missionaries. My heart was warmed and yet convicted by their joy. I pray that I and my co-workers may have even a small portion of their joy and eagerness towards Jesus and the work of God in our nation.
At the Missionary calling time, my heart was moved to go up and receive prayer to one day be a short term or long term missionary. Sure, I am from Canada. But I don’t feel that I have crossed cultural language barriers to be here. My dream is for my whole family to go one day to another nation to serve the work of God. But right now there are many obstacles in my way. But I know that God can work to open doors in his time and in miraculous ways. My prayer was that he may remove obstacles and open doors for me to live as a missionary one day. Please pray for our family.
One Word: For God so loved the world.
8th Grade Graduation Testimony- Jennifer Jesmer
06.12.08
Key Verse:
Genesis 39: 20b-23
“But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” -Genesis 39:20b-23
Part 1: God Was With Joseph
The story of Joseph and his brothers is a story of a humble man who saw God's purpose in his life and who allowed God to use him to save nations. It is also a story of how God can work in someone's life and bless them.
Joseph didn't start out as extraordinary. He was the object of his brothers' jealousy and the favorite child of his father because of who his mother was. He was defiantly not the man that became Prime Minister of Egypt without a drastic change. But by the end of the story, Joseph is barely recognizable and we see instead of a tortured little kid, a man who can save nations from starvation and reunite a broken family, all while being the Prime Minister of Egypt. How did he do it?
First, Joseph trusted and had faith in God. God in turn showed him grace and granted him great success. All of Joseph' success came from God. The key verse I chose really illustrates this. I chose this verse because the writer makes plain the fact that Joseph's blessings were just that- blessings and kindness shown to him from God. Joseph would be nothing weren't it for God being with him and showing him favor. Joseph was humble with the blessings that God had given him.
Second, Joseph was a shepherd for those around him, and he used God's blessings in a way that would both glorify God and help those around him. Joseph befriends the cupbearer and baker in the prison he is in and helps them to interpret their dreams. When the cupbearer forgets about him, Joseph is not resentful. He is also not resentful towards his brothers who sold him into slavery. He said in chapter 45 verse 7, “But God sent me ahead of you to preserve FOR YOU a remnant on earth and to SAVE YOUR LIVES by a great deliverance.” It surprises me that Joseph still loved his brothers, even counting all of his trials as God's will to save THEM, the very people that tried to kill him. This is the heart of a true shepherd.
Part Two: God Was With Jennifer
Although I was never sold into slavery or put in jail like Joseph was, I have pressures in my life to live for myself. But God has blessed me a lot this year, and I want to honor him in my life. With God's help this year I overcame the pressure to both do well in school and still be a coworker, maintaining my spiritual responsibilities. God is still helping me to be humble, faithful and obedient like Joseph in the midst of these pressures. God helped me to receive good grades, and 11 awards at school including the Most Likely To Succeed Award. This year God has used me to lead the daily bread at my house every morning, and even to teach the bible to one person. I made a relationship with one teacher in 6th grade, who became the advisor for a Christian Club that Augi and I have kept through prayer every Friday at our school. With God's help Augi and I laid the foundation of this so that in the coming years the club can grow into a weekly bible study for middle school students. With God's help, I could be a messenger at several of our bible schools. Augi, Tim and myself also co-worked to lead singspiration. When our guitarist moved away- Tim and myself taught ourselves guitar.
Now as I go to High school I have the choice of living like Joseph, or living for myself. I can serve my self, or I can serve others. I can trust God, or I can trust in my own human strength. I can give credit to my success to God, the one who gave me my life, or I can lie and say I did it. I can live in obedience to God, or live by my feelings. I might make it somewhere if I live for myself. But ultimately, God has the best plan for my life, and trusting in myself would not only be a bad choice, it would be lying to say that the God who created me has nothing to do with my life today. God is equipping me for a great purpose. There is a great temptation to claim it for myself and live selfishly. I don't yet know my clear purpose, but I pray that I can continue to be faithful in high school by living in obedience to God like Joseph did. I pray that I can live as a shepherd to other people through participating in the Christian club at my High School, the Christian athletes club, and through being a good influence so that even if someone doesn't know me, they can see Jesus in me. I pray to be diligent in bible study and teaching God's word so that I can keep my heart when so many other people are doing other things. And I pray that I can accept God's plan for my life and not live by my own will or selfish hopes and dreams, because God is sovereign and he has a plan for me.
Prophesy, Dream Dreams And See Visions
NIU UBF Joel Bible School Report:
by Shp Kevin Jesmer
Key Verse 2:28-29,
6-5-08
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
On May 27-29, NIU UBF held a Joel Bible School on three successive evenings with a symposium on Sunday. We wanted to hold this Bible school in order to inspire each of us for the upcoming summer ministry. We also wanted to unify our members in a mission that can inspire us to invite people to Purdue '08 before the registration deadline. God sent 11 people through our NIU ministry and we received the gracious support of 16 of our Triton UBF co-workers. We also received clear prayer topics for the summer ministry.
Each night, I led group Bible study. Tim Sagel and the three older Jesmer kids, (Augustine, Jennifer and Sarah) led singspiration. On the first night, Tim Sagel delivered a message on Joel 1, "To you, O Lord I Call…" (1:19a). We learned that all of our trials in life are meant to draw us near to Jesus and call out to him. Tim's Bible student, Josh Wojtoweiz (Phil 2) shared a testimony. Josh is going to finish he bachelor's degree in Florida but plans to return to NIU for post graduate studies. I pray that he may study over the internet and possibly teach others in Florida.
On day two, Julie shared a message based on Joel 2, "Rend Your Hearts And I Will Pour Out My Spirit." (2:28-29). Through her message we learned that God wants us to repent of our sins and accept his forgiveness and he will send his Holy Spirit and fill our hearts with dreams and visions of the Kingdom of God and God's work on earth. We will also be able to preach the word of God to the people of our generation in meaningful ways that touch peoples' hearts. Augustine Jesmer shared a testimony.
On day three Jennifer Jesmer delivered a message titled, "The Lord Will Be Refuge" (3:16b) From her message we learned that Jesus is our refuge from Judgment and from the storms and trials of life. We all need to repent and enter into our refuge, Jesus Christ, through faith in him. I am especially proud of Jennifer because, just before the meeting, her pet dog became gravely ill. She was in tears. I asked her if she wanted to postpone. She regained her composure and stated, "No, I can do it." All of the kids were sorrowful but you could not tell it at the Bible School. They were full of eagerness and joy. They glorified Jesus. Sarah Jesmer shared a sincere testimony.
That Sunday we held a Symposium. Each of us wrote a testimony based on the one word of God that we accepted from the book of Joel. We also shared clear prayer topics for our Summer ministry. All five of my children shared. Josh shared also. Even Andy Shumake was inspired to share some thanksgiving topics.
I thank God for granting us clear prayer topics, right at the beginning of the summer ministry, for each of our members. I thank God for Tim Sagel, who gave his whole heart to prepare the environment for the Bible School, making sure that everything was covered. I thank God for Triton UBF, who sent 16 people over the three days. I thank God for my family who all worked together as one body to make this possible. May all of our members share the word of God to the young people of this generation through 1:1 Bible study. I pray that our hearts my be filled with dreams of the Kingdom of Heaven and visions of NIU, Triton and all of America to be Kingdom of Priests and A Holy Nation. Please pray for us to have 30 1:1's, 20 SWS attendants, to study Acts and to bring 16 eager hearts to Purdue '08.
One word: Prophesy, dream dreams and see visions for the glory of God.
The Gospel Of Our Salvation
The Joint Triton/NIU UBF Easter Celebration
By Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 3/27/08
Romans 5:8
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
This year we held an "Easter Celebration" on March 21-23, 2008. On day one, we had a group Bible study led by Pastor Teddy Hembekides as well as a prayer journey. On day two, we were led through a Passover Seder ceremony by a co-worker in the Messiah, a representative of the "Jews for Jesus" ministry, David Ortega. And on day three we heard a Resurrection Message, delivered by Pastor Kevin Jesmer from NIU UBF. This Easter Celebration was very special, not only because the contents of the celebration were satisfying spiritually, but because all of the programs were held on the campus of Triton College. Indeed God is helping us to influence the culture of Triton College with the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The opening night consisted of a group Bible study and a three room prayer journey. Shp Teddy led about 50 people through Mark's account of Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection. Through it, we discovered the heart of the Gospel message. We could see the simple, gospel truths, that Jesus was crucified and that he has risen. These truths are enough to change, sorrowful and despaired and fearful people, into joyful and powerful witnesses of Jesus' resurrection. After the group Bible study we were all invited to participate in the J.O.Y. prayer journey. J.O.Y. stands for Jesus, Others and Yourself. When we live with these priorities then we can taste true joy. Three rooms were set up as a multi-sensory prayer experience. One prayer room was set up to pray for our relationship with Jesus; the other for World Mission and the other for prayers for ourselves. The prayer rooms utilized all the senses in order to help people to meditate and pray with all of their hearts. People went through the prayer rooms alone or 2X2. Everyone prayed sincerely for over an hour. We hope to present this prayer room journey to the greater Triton Community in the future.
On Saturday night we had a special guest, David Ortega, to perform a Passover Seder ceremony with us. The presentation was entitled "Christ In The Passover. A presentation of Jews for Jesus." At the Seder were people from Triton UBF, NIU UBF and also West Loop UBF. Several people attended through the Triton Bible Club outreach. David identifies himself as a co-worker in the Messiah. With true missionary spirit, he took time off of work to prepared an extensive ceremony in which approximately 65 people were provided with bitter roots, matzoh bread, salt water, a boiled egg, minced fruit, five small cups of grape juice, basically everything needed to demonstrate the Jewish Passover ceremony and how it points to Jesus. He involved the entire group, even small children. We all sang Messianic themed songs. It is amazing how Jesus is not only found in the story of the Passover, from the Book of Exodus, but Jesus is also found in the Passover traditions, practiced by the Jews for thousands of years. God has been making it clear He is the only one who can deliver us from our bondage to sin. David encouraged us that Jesus will be clearly revealed to the Jewish people if there are only people to step up and explain it to them. David Ortega gave us some hints on how to minister to the Jews. He also pointed out, that we, as Gentiles, have a unique opportunity to reach out to our Jewish friends because they are more open to our words than the words of a Jewish convert. We all enjoyed a delicious fellowship meal together, prepared by our woman co-workers.
The final day of our conference was Easter Sunday. On that day Shp Kevin Jesmer delivered a message based on Mark 16:1-20, "He Has Risen! He Is Not Here." Even though the death of Jesus has power to change hearts, we need to also have faith in the resurrection of Jesus in order to truly empowered to live as witnesses of the Risen Jesus. He urged people to hold onto the simple truths that Jesus was crucified and that he was raised from the dead. These simple truths, coupled with prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit is enough to touch the hearts of even post-moderns. We are thankful for the music servants, who worked hard to prepare and practice music not only for Sunday, but also for the opening night.
In conclusion, we thank God for sending Jesus as our Passover Lamb. Just as he delivered his people from bondage in Egypt, God is still delivering his people of every nation from their bondage to sin and bringing them into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We thank God for making this Easter one of the most meaningful, memorable and joyful Easter celebrations. We thank God for opening the way for us to celebrate it on Triton Campus. We pray that, through this celebration, God may prepare our hearts with Gospel faith, so that we may stand up as powerful resurrection witnesses on our respective campus'.
He Has Risen! He Is Not Here.
Mark 16:1-20
Key verse 16:6
2008 Triton/NIU Easter Conference
Shp Kevin Jesmer Triton College 3/23/08
"'Don't be alarmed,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.'"
In the previous passage it is made clear that Jesus actually did die on the cruel cross. And his death had power to change hearts. The Roman centurion, who was at the foot of the cross, gave testimony to this fact. Hearing Jesus' cry and seeing how he died, he declared, "Surely this man was the Son of God!" (15:39) Jesus' death changed his heart. Joseph of Arimathea, a Jewish religious leader, took Jesus' lifeless body and prepared it for burial. The death of Jesus changed this once fearful, closet Christian to be one who clearly identifies with Jesus and Jesus' cause. (15:42-47) Many women, most of whom were called Mary, were faithful to stand by Jesus even in the throws of his anguish. They bore faithful witness to Jesus' death. Their love and devotion to Jesus were also clearly revealed. Indeed, Jesus had died, and through his death many hearts were moved. There is a missing element however. The centurion stated that Jesus WAS the Son of God. (instead of IS.) Joseph came out of the closet, but he was still a joyless follower. The women were faithful and devoted, but oh so very sorrowful. And the disciples were hidden behind locked doors. Luckily, Jesus' death is not the end of the story! The missing element in all of their hearts is his resurrection.
Through the resurrection, we will find sorrowful women changed to become joyful witness of the Risen Christ. We will see fearful men changed and enabled to become fearless witnesses. We will find people who are living in the reality of eternal life…now with our living Lord, Jesus. We will also discover Jesus' world mission command to his disciples, of all time, to go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Therefore, through this passage, let us behold, with the eyes of our hearts, the Risen Christ and hear his call to go and tell the world that Jesus has indeed been raised from the dead, just as he said! Amen!
Part l: Faithful Women Became The First Witnesses (1-10)
There were women who loved Jesus not only in life, but also in death. Look at verses 1-2, "When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb" Who were they? First of all, these three women, were followers of Jesus. They were devoted women. These three women were the first devotees to come to show love to Jesus one last time, placing sweet smelling spices on his body. It is akin to us bringing flowers to lay on a loved one's grave. They were women who had been touched by the grace of Jesus. Many believe that Mary Magdalene was the one saved from being stoned to death in John 8. She was the one out of whom Jesus drove seven demons. She tasted the forgiveness and restoring grace of Jesus. All of these women had their own personal testimonies. All of their lives and hearts had been renewed and restored by the love of Jesus. And since that time they had been faithful followers. The Bible says that they supported Jesus and his ministry out of their own means. They were like the women of Triton UBF, who prepared a delicious Kosher meal, even Kosher Korean noodles, for some modern day disciples. Or the one's who spent so much time and effort on the prayer rooms to glorify their Savior. These women were also very pious. Their first instincts would be to run off immediately to anoint Jesus' body, immediately after he was laid in the tomb. But they held back in order to observe the Sabbath. And so they came to the tomb when the Sabbath was over.
They managed to hold onto faith, even in their sorrow. Look at verse 3. "And they asked, 'who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?'" As they were solemnly making their way to the tomb, they were talking amongst each other. They wondered who could roll the huge heavy stone away so that they could get into the tomb. They had no idea. None of them could roll away a 1,000 lb boulder. It was like lifting a compact car. Salome might have said, "Where there's a will there's a way." Mary the mother of James might have said, "Have faith ladies. Let's trust God!" And their faith and determination paid off. Look at verse 4. "But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away." Problem solved! We need to learn their faith…faith to set out, even when facing seemingly insurmountable odds, knowing that God will surely come through and open the way! Didn't he do that in helping us to prepare for this conference? Didn't he do that in allowing us to have our first conference on Triton College campus? God will continue to roll away one stone after another as we learn to engage our faith even when our hearts are heavy laden.
These women were in for another surprise. Look at verse 5. "As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in white sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed." They weren't afraid of the prospects of meeting some crude Roman soldiers. They were not afraid of a huge rock. But I don't think anything could have prepared them to meet an angel of God. The angel of God came to them with a very important message. Let's read verse 6, "'Don't be alarmed,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.'" They were alarmed. I would surely be alarmed. Wouldn't you? God was trying to communicate to these faithful women through a powerful angel. The angel of God told them that the one whom they loved, and were grieving for, was no longer dead. He had risen. He showed them the proof of the empty tomb. It was true, Jesus was no longer in the tomb. The angel showed them the clear fact that Jesus had risen from the dead.
It is important to note that the angel gave these when the simple facts of Jesus' suffering, death and resurrection, "He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him." We are always tempted to think that people require, long, elaborate explanations of the Gospel message to reach the heart of sinners. But we learn from the angel that the simple Gospel facts, under girded by prayer and the Holy Spirit, is enough to change hearts, even the hearts of post modern youth of our times.
From his the angel's message, we learn two, simple, very important truths. First, Jesus was crucified and second, Jesus had risen. First, Jesus was crucified. Through the Passover Sader we saw the symbolism of Jesus' death, the perfect sacrifice. If you recall, in the ceremony, we took the Matzoh and held it up and broke it. The Matzoh is an unleavened bread, bread without yeast. It was pierced with many holes. We took a piece of the Matzoh and hid it in a napkin. Bread without yeast represents Jesus, the bread of life who was without sin. His body was broken on the cross where his hands and his feet were pierced. His body was taken off of the cross and laid in tomb, hidden for three days. Through his crucifixion, Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. (Jn 1:29) Jesus' death seemed like a tragedy, but this had always been God's plan to bring about world salvation. We see this, not only in the Bible's teaching, but also in the Jewish traditions, passed on through the generations. We must never forget the truth that Jesus was crucified for our sins.
Second, Jesus was raised from the dead. The angel declared, "He has risen!". The angel’s message was crystal clear. Jesus was not in the grave anymore because he had risen from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus had also been his plan all along. In Acts 2:24 Peter said, “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.” Jesus, through his resurrection conquered death! He has procured for us the ultimate victory, that victory over death. Death has always been the ultimate nemesis of mankind. When I was a young man I will never forget the boastful words of the heavy weight boxing champion, Mohammad Ali. On international television he boasted, "Fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Nothing compares to the punch of Ali." He was a powerful boxer who won many victories. But he was wrong. There is one thing that is more powerful than the sting of Ali's punch. It is the sting of death. The sting of death wallops us with many painful blows. Death cause us to despair of life. Death causes us to live in sorrow and defeat. Death robs us of the meaning of life. Death drives us to declare, "What's the use anyway?" and so we live by the motto, "Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die." 1 Corinthians 15:32b) So many of our young people are plunging themselves into a life of hedonism and of constant entertainment, because of despair brought on by the sting of death. Satan keeps us all captive to sin through our fear of death. Eventually death delivers the knock out punch.
I was amazed by the conversion story of David Ortega, the co-worker in the Messiah from the Jews for Jesus ministry. He mentioned, that prior to his conversion, he watch the documentary "Nova". On it he learned that all stars eventually expand and engulf all of the plants around them and explode, creating a supernova, completely obliterating every trace of any plant in it's solar system. Such is the fate of our own sun and our own planet. He came to he conclusion that if every trace of human existence and accumulated knowledge and culture will be obliterated and if it will be as if we never existed, no matter what we do, then what is the meaning of our existence in the first place? Death made life in this world meaningless…his life meaningless. His heart was stung by the sting of death. But by God's grace he was saved. This revelation drove him to place all of his faith and hope and trust in God. Through faith in the resurrection he found new meaning and new hope and new life. Now he wants to tell the whole world about the Risen Yeshua. The sting of death may be stronger than the punch of Ali. But the resurrection of Jesus is more powerful than the sting of death. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 read, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"[a] 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ., " Indeed, the hope of the resurrection unto eternal life in the Kingdom of God is forever alive in the hearts of all those who place their faith in the risen Jesus!
These women became the first witnesses of the Risen Jesus. Look at verse 7, "But go, tell the disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'" These women were the first to receive the good news of the resurrection and also the first to be receive the commission to go and preach the good news to others. The Bible tells us that they were trembling and bewildered. They were crying together in a group. But God had mercy on them. Look at verses 9-10. "When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping." Jesus appeared to Mary who appeared to be off by herself, near the tomb. The way I see it, she came to comfort and encourage her lady friends. The sniffles stopped and they all got up to tell the disciples. What does this world tell us to do when we are trembling and bewildered? "You need to have a drink. It will take your mind off of things." We all have our different coping mechanisms, but they only serve to cover up some hidden sorrow problem. Here we can find that the real solution is to meet the Risen Jesus personally and go and tell other disciples and potential disciples of the Risen Christ…even if you are trembling and bewildered. It is the sure fire cure.
Part ll: The Disciples Overcame Fear (11-14)
The women obey the angel's direction and went and told the disciples. Let's read verse 11. "When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it." Amazingly they did not believe the women or the good news they bore. They too were deeply sorrowful and fearful. They had not paid close attention to Jesus' constant reference to his eventual suffering, death and resurrection. They were faithless and helpless. But the Jesus never abandoned them in their unbelief. He tried to help them to the end. Look at verses 12-13, "Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either." This is in reference to Jesus appearing to two of his disciples as they were making their way to a town called Emmaus. Luke tells us that Jesus rebuked them. Listen to what Jesus said to them in Luke 24:25-27, "He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Did not the Christ[b] have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." Jesus helped them until they could open their minds, through the Scriptures, to behold his glorious resurrection. Their hearts burned within them as their spiritual eyes focused on Jesus. We can learn how important Bible study is for each of us to have resurrection faith. David Ortega told is that God prepares people's hearts and when someone comes with the Gospel message their eyes are opened. May we commit our hearts to studying and teaching the word of God. Then God will surely work through us to reach others.
The disciples had some faith in Jesus, how else could they follow Jesus for 3 ½ years? But they needed to have resurrection faith to be truly set free from all fear. Let's read verse 14, "Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen." Some may think that rebuking someone while they are at a dinner party is impolite. But apparently not. Jesus did it. It is amazing that Jesus' cure for the unbelief of these fearful disciples was to rebuke them for the their lack of faith and remind them of the words that were spoken to them. This remedy caused heartburn in the two disciples traveling to Emmaus (Lk 24:32) and indigestion to these Eleven. But it was a most effective treatment. These disciples were imprisoned by their own unbelief. The power of death has darkened every corner of their thought world. Every word that came out of their mouths was filled with darkness and despair. But Risen Jesus came to save them from all of their fears, sorrows, anxieties, insecurities and despair. They needed to have their spiritual eyes opened and overcome all of their unbelief through resurrection faith. Then they could walk in spiritual victory.
Indeed, our victory over death, through our faith in the resurrection, is the greatest victory we can ever achieve. There is no greater laurel or crown. Rejoice that the ultimate victory has been bestowed on you, by the grace of God. Never envy someone else's' worldly position or achievements. For you have received eternal life and are part of Jesus' resurrection. We are victors in Christ. No one or nothing can take this victory away from us. It is ours have and enjoy forever and ever. Amen!
Part lll: Jesus Gives The World Mission Command (15-20)
Jesus gave his disciples the world mission command. Let's read verse 15. "He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.'" These disciples had been fearful and trembling behind closed doors. They had lost their calling and life direction to live as disciples of Jesus. But Jesus restored their life direction, to go and preach the good news to all creation. Does this mean to cats and dogs and trees? Not really, however you can if you want to for practice. It means to preach Gospel to all peoples of all nations. Those who have received the forgiveness of sin and eternal life through faith in Jesus, have been entrusted with a very sacred task, to go and tell the good news. Not just the good news, but the great news! And what is the great news? The great news is that Jesus has conquered death and he is risen! We who have experienced the glory of the resurrection must go and tell.
And this message is not just some feel good story we hear every Easter, like the Easter bunny. It is very serious. Look at verse 16, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." At the staff conference, we heard from Marvin Newell, Executive Director of Cross Global Link, an umbrella group for over 15,000 missionaries, that there a growing trend, even among Christians, concerning the state of "lostness" among the people. In short, he was telling us that many young people do not think that people are lost without Jesus and that there are alternative ways to be saved, like being a sincere person, in whatever religious context you are living in. 60% of those within the church think this way. This has deep ramification in regards to Christian missions, because if people can be saved by being sincere people then why did Jesus die on the cross? And why go into all the world to preach the Gospel? This is one factor that is cooling down Christian missionary fervor among our young people. But Jesus is always the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father except him. (Jn 14:6) The acceptance or rejection of Jesus precious Gospel is a matter of eternal life or eternal death. Let's read verse 16 again, ""Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." Let us dedicate ourselves to preaching the gospel to the students of our nation!
Jesus has promised to help us when we choose to obey his world mission command. Let's read verses 17-18 all together, "And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." How could these fearful disciples go into all the world to preach the good news to all creation? They had to stand toe to toe with Romans, Saxons, Celts, Barbarians, Bedouin, intellectual Greeks. They had no spiritual maturity or life experience. They did not have the necessary life skills or social skills. They stammered every time they thought about stepping out of their comfort zone. Their pupils expanded like saucers every time Jesus talked about the world mission command. But Jesus promised that he would be with them. They would drive out demons through prayer and Bible study and serving. They would speak in new tongues. We were speaking in Hebrew yesterday. Do you remember? "He na ma toh, He na ma toe. Lai. Lai, Lai." They would go and out, even if they never had health care coverage. If they accidentally drank poison it would not affect them. Does that mean if I accidentally ate a Wendy's Spicy Baconator I won’t gain weight. Not likely. They would be a source of life and blessing to all they came in contact with. And Jesus could fulfill all of his promises to them because he died and rose again. He was taken up into heaven where he seats at the right hand of the father. Now he can dwell in all disciples' hearts and be with them as they carry out his world mission command. Gee, It's great to be a disciple of Jesus!
So what do the disciples do? Look at verse 20. "Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it." They did it. They responded well and all went and preached the gospel of Jesus' death and resurrection. And Jesus was with them just as he promised. These words can be a part of our life testimonies if we simply repent of all unbelief and believe in the resurrection of Jesus and decide to go and tell the Gospel story. May the Holy Spirit of God open all of our hearts to behold the Risen Jesus. May we overcome all sorrow, all bewilderment, all despair and all fear through resurrection faith and be victors in Christ. Hold onto God's vision in your hearts and conquer your lives and your world with the Gospel of Jesus. Jesus really wants to do his life giving work through his people. Amen!
2007 NIU-DuPage Fall Genesis Bible School Report by Jeremy Hajek
“But God intended it for Good!”
Genesis 45-50 KV 50:20
Thank and praise God for his mercy on our joint NIU-DuPage Fall Genesis Bible School. God blessed our Bible school with 11 attendants from NIU, 14 from Triton, 34 from DuPage, and 5 other brother and sisters. Since 2003, the two ministries have joined together to have 5 bible schools on Genesis in both Glen Ellyn and DeKalb, and after 4 years we have finished the entire book. The main theme of this Bible school was the God of Joseph who works through even tragic events for his sovereign good in the lives of the faithful. We wanted to come to know the God of Joseph personally to be a blessing like Joseph. Our conference had 4 days of programs with one speaker and numerous testimony speakers each day.
The first day’s title was, “God was with Joseph.” NIU Singspiration band sang the opening songs, consisting mostly of Pastor Kevin’s children. The praise songs were heart moving as they sang enthusiastically to God. We had a message delivered by Shepherd Jeremy Hajek(IIT. Ph D. program) from Genesis 37-39 titled, “God was with Joseph.” Through this message we learned that Joseph never complained because he knew God was with him. We learned that we too can see our troubles as opportunities when we know the God of Joseph. Shp. Jeremy wants to struggle for God to raise one Bible student into a disciple of Jesus this year. That night Shepherd Steve Slattery (Work) shared his testimony, expressing that he wanted to take care of others like Joseph. Steve has grown over the last 4 years into a true Joseph-like person. He has purchased a house and is now helping two other brothers in common-life to come faithfully to Sunday and Friday service.
On Friday night we had one message from Shepherd Tim Sagel of NIU, titled “God Reveals his Sovereign Will.” He is a young man full of energy, and delivered the gospel message with spirit. We learned that through God’s working that there are no isolated events, but everything is connected in God’s plans. Joseph had cared about people and genuinely wanted to serve them, even when in prison. Tim prays to serve one new Bible student, Abraham, through sharing this message and be a shepherd like Joseph. Jason Havey, Tim’s long-time best friend, attended the meeting to hear his friend preach. Mark Kischner (COD) shared his testimony about how he felt he had failed God. But he noticed that God loved him in his suffering and called to him. God has big plans for his life. Christopher Barth (COD) testified that like Joseph, God helped him arrive where he is in life.
Saturday evening’s program was titled, “Joseph’s Brothers Repent.” Shepherd Matthew Monroe of DuPage ministry commuted over 200 miles from Eastern Illinois University to share this message. Through this we see that God wants to help us repent and take responsibility for our sin, and then God can use us mightily. Matthew wants to take charge and show responsibility in caring for God’s ministry and his people. We had testimonies from Jason Young (NIU), Jennifer Jesmer (JBF), and Alex Smith (COD). All shared about how they want to give their fears and problems to God and be used greatly in this generation. Especially we were greatly moved by Jennifer who tried to preach the gospel of Jesus to her friends and began to enjoy suffering for Jesus. Msn David Hong (Chicago) came with his wife, Shepherdess Lani and shared his life testimony to encourage us that when we repent we too can live great lives of mission before God.
Sunday was the final part of the Bible School. The final message was delivered by Pastor Kevin Jesmer of NIU, with the title, “God Intended It For Good”. Through the final five chapters of Genesis, the God of Joseph revealed himself to all attendants. God thwarted the evil intentions of men to bring about his work of salvation. When we see God working, we can serve God's purpose in our lives, even letting go of grudges to lead others to salvation. We also learned that sincere repentance is the first step to accepting God. There were 4 testimonies on the last day: Stephanie Young (COD), Franco Jacobson (Benedictine), Tim Myzinski (COD), and Hannah Kim (Wheaton). They all testified that they wanted to be good witnesses like Joseph to others. They shared that God knows what he is doing and we should trust him. Especially Hannah testified that after a severe trial and much anguish, she wants to surrender to God and be used as a medical missionary some day.
We thank God for the beautiful co-working between DuPage and NIU ministries, as well as the whole-hearted support of Triton co-workers and Pastor Teddy who sent prayer servants throughout the Bible school. God gave us joy to see Dan Knutsen all the way from Streator, IL. God is living, and he is with those who have faith in him to work his good in and through them. Through this Bible School we learned that even when man intends his actions for evil, God uses them for his good purpose. When we find our purpose in life from God – then we will be a blessing to our generation just like Joseph.
God Opened My Eyes To See His Vision For
by: Shepherd Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 8/30/07
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1Peter 2:9)
On August 9–12, 2007, the third Inter-African conference was held at Kenya College of Communications Technology Mbagathi campus in
Part 1: The Faith Of African Students.
African students love to study the Bible. I had the privilege of leading group # 19 at the conference. It was refreshing to see three African students giving their hearts to Bible study and testimony writing. I visited the dorm room of two Sudanese shepherds. They too were diligently studying the Bible at their desk together. I thank God for their sincerity of heart. It was refreshing.
African people are rich in the things that matter. In the West we think that Africans are poor. But I was talking to a Dutch couple while on the way to the safari. They said, "Africans aren't poor. They are rich." I realized what he meant. They are rich in love, community, tradition, culture. From attending the conference, I can also see that African people are rich in the most important things, the things of God. Some people in America never know their neighbors. They spend lonely years in front of television. Some kids never tell their fathers that they love them. One Nigerian shepherd says that they always affirm their love to their parents, either in person or by cell phone. They also have the hope of God for their nations. If you think about richness in this way, then who are the rich and who are the poor?
African people are very friendly and hospitable. All of the delegates to the conference were friendly and excited about entering into a friendship with the delegates from outside of Africa. Nearly every mealtime, I was had engaging conversation with African students, most were UBF people, but some were outside of our ministry. All were friendly. Shp Andrew Martin of NKU UBF walked by himself to the village next to the campus. He befriended a family and invited himself into their home to see how they lived. They wanted to feed him. They wanted to give him gifts. They took pictures together. They were genuinely hospitable. The front desk worker was off work at 11 pm. When I asked about a wake up call at 4 am, he was willing to get up at 4 am, at his own room, and call me. It was not necessary but I was impressed with his desire to help me in my time of need. A young Danish couple in their 20's flew back with me on the plane. They were on a Kenyan island and their tour guide was late. They went into the local village. The local villagers brought them to their mayor and the mayor gave them a personal tour of the village and the local hospital. They were very hospitable. God can use this sense of hospitality in African peoples' hearts to be sacrificial shepherds of God's flock.
Africans are full of passion and spirit. This is evident in their singing and in their dances. The opening dance of the conference was the Ugandan dancers. It was such a noble and spirited dance that tears welled in my eyes beholding the noble spirit of these students. I saw the same spirit in all of the dances offered up by the various chapters from the eleven African countries. If these students become grounded in the word of God and couple this with their passion and their spirit, then they can become very influential Gospel workers.
African hearts are pure and fertile soil. Dr John Jun mentioned that Islam has been used by God to protect the African continent from post-modernism and thus has kept their hearts pure to accept the Gospel of Jesus. I discussed this with Msn Moses Yoon and Msn Marc Choi over dinner. We thought that Islam maintains a conservative influence in Africa. Also post modernism acknowledges that there is chaos in society, but states that there is no absolute solution to the chaos. It is very relativistic. It's mantra many be, "To each his own." But it appears that Africans still believe that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life...(John 14:6) They also still believe that a solution to the many problems on their continent can be found in God and that things will get better when their nations come to Jesus. This is in contrast to post modernist thinking and this mindset may have been preserved through the Muslim influence. I believe that God has kept young African hearts as fertile soil because he has great plans for Africa in the realm of world mission. We are already seeing it in through the allegiance of many American Anglican churches to Nigerian Anglican Bishops.
The African students were very humble. I received two privileges at the conference, one, to lead a group Bible study and two, to help train Shepherd Padiet of Sudan to deliver the message. Each time I was amazed at the student's humility and willingness to learn. In my group Bible study there was Rose and Ken from Kenya and John from Uganda. They were all accomplished students, challenging difficult subjects. They are indeed the hope of their nations. But they were eagerly listening and participating with their whole hearts. They attended every meeting and were eager to learn from me. Why should they learn from me? Who am I? ... a very ordinary shepherd with very few credentials. I was moved by their humility. Shepherd Padiet was also very humble. English was his third language. He allowed me to correct his pronunciation over and over again. He would speak with a whisper. He allowed me to tell him to raise his voice again and again. He learned the actions I told him to perform. He had a humble heart. I pray that I may learn his humility. In America we want to learn from Americans. But the African students were humble to learn from the Korean missionaries and Americans. They are copying them and producing their own 1:1 discipleship raising ministries. In doing so they are growing in their own personal faith and generating their own "grassroots" gospel movements. Indeed, God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6)
African students have vision. African people are a people chosen by God. In one drama, Ugandan shepherds were kneeling at the foot of the cross. One stated, "I am hungry" as he gripped his stomach. Another lamented, "I have lost all of my family members to some strange disease." Another stated, "My country is laden with war and corruption." Then they all looked up at the cross of Jesus, stood up and recited 1 Peter 2:9 in unison, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." My heart was strangely moved. To me it was the highlight of the conference. Tears welled in my eyes grasping the vision of God for Africa. Yes, it is true! There is hunger, death, war and corruption, but in Jesus Christ there is hope. There is a new identity for Africa as a chosen people of God for the 21st century. And African students in many nations are taking hold of this identity. God is indeed raising this continent for some future great world wide work of God.
African people are missionaries. In the West, we tend to think of Africa as missionized and we in the West as the missionizers. But there is an indigenous missionary force growing across Africa and we are seeing it also in our UBF ministry. I first heard about this in Urbana '06 where an African speaker spoke boldly to 25,000 students. I learned that there is a missionary movement alive and well among native Africans and spreading to the whole world. This movement has been largely invisible to us in the west, but is becoming more visible. In our UBF ministry, this is the third inter-African conference. In the first conference there were mostly Korean missionaries. In the second conference there were a few young African students raised up. But this conference was filled with mature African shepherds who delivered the word of God very powerfully. There were also Africans who were missionaries, like Msn Oyer Moses missionary from Sudan to Egypt, the late missionary Barnabas Kojo and his wife Chiaka Kojo, missionaries from Nigeria to Ghana. Padiet from Sudan prays to be sent out to pioneer on African Muslim nation in God's time. Currently our missionaries have pioneered 14 African nations. There are 42 African nations that need to be pioneered by UBF. We pray that these remaining 42 nations may be pioneered by Africans themselves.
There was such great potential at the conference. What was happening at the conference was a truly newsworthy and historical event. There were representatives from twenty nations. Nations outside of Africa included, USA, Canada, Germany, Ukraine, France, Switzerland, India, South Korea and Turkey. There were representatives from 11 African nations, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Tanzania, Sudan, Namibia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Cameroon, Kenya and Zambia. All the attendants had the same prayer topic and hope for the nations and Africa. They are all committed to Jesus and to the task of preaching the Gospel and raising disciples of Jesus among their countrymen. They all looked past national differences and tribal differences to come together in the name of Jesus. Their differences were a point of celebration and not a point of division. I was impressed when the Nigerian team presented a song and dance. Their spokesman declared, "Now it's time to praise Jesus Ibo style." Everybody cheered and clapped. Then they proceeded to present one of the most heart moving songs and native dances of the whole conference. This reminded me of Jesus' words in John 10:16, "I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice and there will be one flock and one shepherd." I remembered Jesus gathering his twelve disciples with a common faith and prayer topic and mission. He prayed for their unity in John 17:22-23. When they were united under the banner of Christ they changed their world in one generation. Indeed God can work powerfully through these African students when they are united in Jesus and the Gospel.
Genuine Christian faith was manifest from the beginning of the conference in Missionary Chiaka Kojo. There are two popular sayings..."When the going gets tough, the tough get going" and when under pressure you begin to show what you are truly made of. God, in his sovereignty, chose to bring Msn Barnabas Kojo, Nigerian missionary to Ghana, home to him in heaven, at the first day of the conference. Msn Barnabas wanted to come to the conference and witness the great work of God and share his mission report on the work of God in Ghana. But, on the morning of the first day of the conference he succumbed to a congenital illness, sickle cell anemia. Most spouses would be helpless before the power of death, but his wife, Chiaka revealed true Christian faith. She held onto John 11:25-26, "...I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" Our hearts were moved when she shared her husband's mission report to us all that evening. It was like Msn Baranabas himself was delivering it to us. Then she shared her report. It was full of hope in and love for Jesus and a desire to continue the Gospel work that was started by her husband and herself. We were amazed by her faith. We were encouraged to embrace genuine Christian faith for ourselves. We could see things from God's point of view and from the point of view of eternal life, right from the beginning of the conference. We also could see, with our eyes, the kind of faith that will change the African continent into a Kingdom of priests and a holy nation to the glory of God. This is the kind of faith that will thwart the influence of postmodernism and that of Islam and spread the aroma of Christ to the all 56 nations of Africa and the world.
Indeed, God will use this unity in Christ, because Africans are on the front lines of battle between the influence of Islam and the influence of Christianity. It appears the influence of Islam in Kenya is small. I only saw one tiny mosque at the roadside. I could hear the Muslim call to prayer across the campus, where we stayed, five times a day. After the conference, we had an international soccer tournament. While playing soccer, the Muslim call to prayer rang out across the soccer field. (It was something you would never hear in America.) Occasionally we saw some Muslim Kenyan students walking across the campus. There also an Algazeera news channel. But Christianity is the prominent faith in Kenya. Shp Padiet from Khartoum Sudan, grew up with a Christian mother and Muslim father. He went to Muslim schools and even to a Muslim university. He met Jesus personally and though he received much persecution, he stood on Jesus' side and now is becoming and influential shepherd for the Sudanese students. He prays to be sent to a Muslim country as a missionary. Missionary Oyer Moses, teaches in Egypt. He is missionary from Sudan UBF. Even though he gets called, "Monkey, Monkey", he loves Muslim people and serves them with the love of Jesus. Indeed they are Christian soldiers on the front lines of world mission.
Part 2: Some Prayer Topics For Africa.
There are so many great things happening in regards to Christianity in Africa, but there are also many concerns to be prayed about. I am no expert on Africa. I have very little understanding and I am looking through jaded glasses. Actually, this is my first visit to Africa. But there are a few prayer topics that I venture to set forth.
There is a need for Africans to stay in their nations. Most of the African attendants were students. Many were engineering students. They are indeed the hope of Africa. But there is a great temptation leave their countries for more profitable jobs in the West. What Africa really needs is for their educated Christian young people to stay in their nation and stand as leaders. Actually this could save more lives than all of the humanitarian aid put together. Leadership is the key and our ministry's prayer is that God may raise up African leaders who are shepherds of their people.
There is pressure from family to move back home after graduation. Parents are depending on their children to help support them financially in their senior years. It is hard for us in the West to understand the pressure that these students face to support their families. (Our parents usually take care of themselves and may have an emotional need for us to be around them.) The missionaries would like the students to stay near their mission so that they can continue to disciple them and create an environment where they can grow as Christian leaders. Students would like this too, but are faced with social pressures. There is no easy answer. Such is the nature of campus mission in both the third world and in first world nations.
There is also economic pressure to move back. Our shepherd in Ethiopia, Abraham Beleki, recently graduated from university. He is having a hard time finding a job in Addis Ababa. He does not have family connections to get a government job. If he went back to his small, rural village he could use his family connections to get a good job. But he has answered God's call to campus mission. He is serving his university mission field, but is supported by India UBF at present. But you can understand his dilemma. I don't think the pressures he faces are unique.
There is a huge mega church influence. Africans face many options in regards to church formation. Kenyans are heavily influenced by American mega churches who broadcast their programming on one "24 hour" television station. It is the best quality station. Most broadcasts appear to be out of Texas. Some Kenyans have some allegiance to American mega church leaders, identifying themselves as members of mega church leader's churches, learning from them through different forms of media. There was one African student at NIU who would invite students to his room and listen to a CD of a preacher. I was one of six people who listened quietly on the floor of his room. I didn't know what he was doing. It was a little different than what I was used to, but I realize now, that he was doing what he did in his country. My prayer is that the Africans may learn the humble, manger ministry spirit, that our UBF missionaries are introducing, rather than copy the style of American mega-churches. There is also a problem of seeking recognition from church affiliation and seeking God for financial breakthroughs. May the Africans learn the principle that Jesus laid out for us all in Luke 9:23, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. "
There is a need for individual Christians to make small practical decisions of faith. One person told me that Africans love Jesus. They love to hear the word of God. But it is difficult for them to obey the word of God in practical ways of daily life. That sounds like a world wide problem and not just in Africa. it sounds like my problem. On the Saturday evening program Msn Mark Yoon of Kenya stated, based on Mark 8:27-38, that once we confess that Jesus is our Lord, we must respond by denying ourselves and picking up our own crosses and following Jesus. This can not be done in vague terms, but must be implemented by making a small practical decisions and carrying it out in our spiritual lives. This is the hope, for all African Bible students to move beyond the vague and the general and go into deep water, into the practical, the definitive and the challenging. I adopted this prayer topic for myself and for NIU UBF ministry. After the Saturday evening program, the prayer topic for 10,000 Bible teachers to be raised up in Africa by 2041 was given. This will surely happen when African students continue to make small practical decisions of faith, daily, in obedience to the word of Jesus.
Part 3: The Faith Of Our UBF Missionaries