The Whole Story

I first saw a photo of this family around May of last year. It was just a photo of an impoverished family, but it struck me, and I pondered the meaning of who this family was, and could we do something to help? Pastor Onesimus had sent the photo, so I began asking questions about them.

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He shared with me the history of the family, giving more details about their story. A team from God’s Embassy church had visited the home and took this photo. They had come by on their home visits because we had many people from their village begin to show an interest in the gospel, and they began attending one of our churches about an hour walk away.

This family shared that they had been attending a mainline majority religious church. But the leaders of that church eventually told them that you have not been paying the quarterly dues, and you are so far behind that you will never be able to go to heaven. You are so poor that you will not be able to pay the fee to have a Bishop come to the funeral if one of you dies. You should give up and don’t come to church anymore.

They left that church but still desperately desiring to be acceptable to God; they found a smaller church not part of a denomination hoping that they would achieve lower fees and pay the amounts they required to participate in church.  After attending some time, the pastor came to them one day and said, “You are so poor that God does not want you!”

At this point, the father desperate that he was responsible for the eternal damnation of his family, left to find work somewhere, maybe in the capital city. He would do anything to try and provide so his family could go to heaven.

That is when our team met this family. You will notice the father is not in the photo.

I showed this photo to several churches as I spoke about missions. I believe the Scriptures make it clear that the gospel transforms our lives so that we see people differently from the way non-believers view them. I asked, “What Do You See?” I received many interesting responses:

• Poverty
• Poor Children
• Dirty rags for Clothes
• Disintegrating, decaying house
• Discouragement – Hopelessness
• Collapsing dirt place to live
• I’ll tell you what I don’t see – a Father

When I showed this picture, I still did not know the whole story that I’ve related to you. But I followed my question with this passage of Scripture.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:9-10 (ESV)

I grew up in church during the rise of the Social Gospel. That was a term used to identify mainline denominations that went out to serve the poor, but eventually denied the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and our personal need to repent of our sin to be Born Again. They believed we just needed to be helpful and kind to people and give the poor our help, but they failed to see the need to be forgiven by God and have our sins paid by the sacrificial death of Jesus.

By the time I had reached college, I had begun to see that he pendulum of the church doctrinal positions had swung too far to one side. My fundamental church experience had lost their vision to see the poor as needing any help whatsoever. They came to believe that JUST the gospel was all that was required, and slowly, they no longer had any compassion for the physically hungry.

I see that Scripture teaches us that we see the world through his eyes once we have truly believed in Jesus Christ. We are involved in ministry to the poor, widows and orphans, and to destitute people WITHOUT losing the priority of sharing the gospel and calling on people to come to faith.

When I showed this photo and asked, “What Do You See?” I finally shared – Do See Opportunity?”

God has left poverty in our world so that we can put our Christian Love into action. Not to forget and ignore the proclaiming of the gospel, but to put a wholeness into our ministry.

Don’t Just Pass This By: See How You Can Participate

This family, after the pastors shared the true gospel, began attending the weekly Bible Study. The mother and the children placed their faith in Jesus and learned that God does not want our money to pay for going to heaven. He wants us to trust in the death of his Son for our salvation.

My wife and I had the opportunity to visit this family a few months after seeing this photo. We brought some simple items to give as a gift to a new family in faith. We visited their home. I brought some farming implements to the father and a bag of corn seed and some bean seeds. He indicated that he didn’t own any place to plant the seeds. That was no problem since Pastor Robinson said that he would arrange an area with a landowner that would let him plant on his ground for just a small percentage of the harvest so the father could keep the rest of the crop and feed his family.

We spent some time sharing the gifts we had brought with the children and showed them in tangible ways how the church cares for an loves one another.

During that week, after we visited them, Dr. Jeremiah Mutie and Dr. James Fazio taught a daily Bible Conference at God’s Embassy Kotobo. This father never missed a session. Afterward, the father expressed to me that he has never heard the Bible taught so clearly, but now he knew that he must work even harder to find a job and work, not to get his family to heaven, Jesus did that. He was going to work to show that God blesses those who put their faith in his Son.

God is blessing this family. This is the same family on Sunday after we visited their home. The Lord has also provided so that we started a local church in their village. Many people are coming to faith in Jesus Christ.

I hope that you see the opportunity. Join us as we serve the members of our churches, both in Bible training and through our Poverty Solutions.

Do not grow weary of doing good for in due season we will reap.

Galatians 6:9

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There is poverty all around the world. Our pastors reach out to minister to the weakest and most impoverished people. Your support and prayers have an impact.

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