“Pastor Johnson just sent a message to say that people are moving all around sharing Bible stories and they are getting results. Will keep you updated.”
That was a text I received a week after my time in western Uganda. What we thought was going to be a small training ended up being 200 Ugandans from churches in 11 different village areas. During the few days we had together, we shared stories and explored them, much the same way early believers explored and learned lessons of faith, God, and Christ. On Saturday, market day, we decided to send all 200 out into the village to share these stories with anybody they met…
Two men shared the story of the demon possessed man (Legion, Mark 5) to a man at his market stand. “OH MY! That’s my story! How do I follow Jesus?!” He accepted Christ.
A woman heard the story of the paralytic lowered through the roof (Mark 2) and said, “Last night I had a dream that church people were going to tell me a story with a message for me.” She accepted Christ.
A woman was waiting outside the church, hoping somebody would explain a story she heard us talking about as she was walking by (the woman caught in adultery, John 8). Ten minutes after we sent people out, two ladies brought her to me and she asked, “How do I become a Christian?”
Sometimes in the US, I am asked, “Are people really learning things in stories?” Whether in the US or Uganda, the answer begins in the same place…are believers learning things from God’s Word first? While our large group of 200 was learning the story of Jesus walking on the water to the disciples’ boat during a storm (Mark 6), I stood by a group watching. Pastor Johnson said, “They are talking about how whatever you focus on is what you are worshipping. In the storm, the disciples’ minds and actions were focused on the water in their boat. They were choosing to worship fear instead of worship Jesus by looking for him. They are sharing now how they do that in their own lives.” What great insight!
A couple days after the text I started this letter with, I got another. “I am receiving testimonies from pastors and it is good. One told me that members brought 8 new people to Jesus and brought them to church.” Thanks for praying not only for the training times, but for Christians to become laborers and people to meet Jesus.
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