When the people trapped in the bondage to evil spirit worship are set free, there is great rejoicing. The outward demonstration of what God has done in the heart of the believer requires courage in the face of the threats from the demonic realm. Justine, a witchdoctor—one who served the demons by calling upon them to issue curses or tell fortunes—has come to faith.
She made a complete surrender when she gave her life to Christ. The church gathered to pray as she brought the fetishes that she had been using to engage the spirit world for her hexes and fortune telling. These items were valuable to her since people paid her great sums of money to put curses on others and to tell them their fortunes.
Many villagers gathered—watching—waiting—waiting—waiting to see if harm would come; would the spirits she has served now strike her, would she become ill or even… death! God protected her! No harm occurred!
Now many people are coming to the church in Rutete searching for the same knowledge in the gospel of Jesus Christ that freed this witchdoctor from her imprisonment.
Public renouncing of the former partnership with demonic powers was demonstrated during the ministry of the Apostle Paul in Ephesus: And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. Acts 19:19 [ESV]
Just like those new believers in the book of Acts, this lady has rejected the earthly value in favor of a heavenly treasure.
Pastor Onesimus reports that God is answering the prayers of our partners.
One of the testimonies from Kinyamahwa demonstrates how God is working among the people. Despite the resistance and the persecution from the religious leaders (non-evangelical or non-Christian religions), the Lord is bringing many to Himself. He shares: In our home visit approach; we visited a family that worshiped spirits and practices witchcraft. The father of the family had failed to keep the covenants required by the spirits and was punished. His punishment was that he was not to eat any food except half of a sweet potato and drink half a cup of milk. If he ate beyond the specified limits, his stomach would swell and be very painful.
They tried going to witch doctors for help, but there was no help. They tried hospitals; the doctors didn’t find anything wrong according to their tests. So they sent him back home.
This condition had lasted over ten years. Somehow the community knew this man’s situation, and they were all expecting him to die any time. Upon our visit, the family welcomed us but had no hope that the man would be delivered. They just wanted prayers to encourage them as they prepared for the worst to come. Pastor John told me that they prayed for the man, and believed God to intervene in his condition; who knows what the Lord can do. They prayed and promised the family that they would bring them a liter of milk the following day. They brought milk and prayed.
Behold! The following Sunday, the man, and his family came walking to church. The wife had prepared him a meal of Plantains, which he ate to his full and his stomach did not swell. The news spread across the community and this past Sunday many came to see the man. Some even gave their lives to Christ because they were seeing what the Lord had done for him. Many people came, so many that some stood outside the church because they could not fit in our small wooden church structure. The man told our pastors, “For all the years I had been sick, my priest had never visited my home, no one ever has gone there to pray for him, but this church, God’s Embassy, which just started visited him, prayed for him, and now he is healed.” He praised the Lord and gave his life to Jesus. And told his family this is going to be our church.
And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. Acts 16:29-32 [ESV]
God is at work in the villages of Uganda. He is overcoming the power of darkness with the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This Good News is spreading. Thank you for your participation to bring the truth that sets the captive free.
