The Gift-Offices

Launching from Ephesians 4, we taught and heard about the 5 fold gift/offices of Teacher, Evangelist, Pastor, Prophet, and Apostle.

This teaching was new to our 165 church leaders. The eager listeners were hearing for the first time God’s game plan for church leaders working together out of their God-given strengths.

(Many thanks to Hundredfold Ministries, for assistance with written materials.)

Guests on the field

Christian and I were joined on the field by Pastor Don and Susan Ketcham of First Baptist Church - Ionia.

Our audience came from many denominations and new towns including even groups from the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican church.

Conference #3 and Living up to our name

God helped Activation International live up to our name this conference. We asked God to “activate” our audience of church leaders in their gifts. Some were activated dramatically.

Hopeful and watching for rain

Even as we approached the mountain villages, we witnessed how the moisture has been baked out of the earth.

However, the crops and the people remain hopeful that God will again send rain at this critical time in the development of the maize cobs. They say that just one or two heavy rains during this critical time would be enough to produce an abundant harvest.

Drought conditions

Though rain was abundant throughout January and beginning of February, the drought that threatens the whole of Tanzania has begun encroaching again.

On the road again

About a week ago, we again hit the road for Conference #3 in the Manyara region of Tanzania.

This region has beautiful mountains and valleys, with scattered villages every few kilometers.

Return to Arusha

Our drive home the next day was awesome. We soaked in the beauty: the East African landscape, the growth that has begun in the local crops, and the faces of the people.

Truly, this was another one of the blessed times of our ministry here in Tanzania.

Thank You, Lord, for the opportunities into which You have invited us.

We praise You for the transformation that You are working in these ministry leaders’ lives,

in our lives,

in our ministry partners’ lives,

and in communities all over the world.

Bwana asifiwe! Amen.

Conference II Ending

The pastors excitedly said that they had never heard teachings and seen video evidence of God’s work in the world like they had this week. They banded together in prayer and in support of one another.
The conference ended with a wonderful spirit of unity and love.

O Lord, we need You!

The room was filled with people who were clinging to God. What started as loud prayers of open confession then turned to solemn and silent prayers of desperation, as we all humbled ourselves before God and began to seek His face.

We left plenty of time at the end of several of the sessions for these ministry leaders to “do business” with God.

My teaching sessions

Much of my teaching for this seminar surrounded the areas of spiritual hindrances: sin, pride, and curses (both on people and on the land).

The topic of curses was clearly the favorite. As I taught, I read Biblical descriptions of a cursed people and a cursed land; and, they heard descriptions that they could totally relate to! Then, as I began to teach about the Biblical remedies, I could see every eye in the room! No one was sleeping! No one was distracted. They were sitting on the edges of the benches, pens and highlighters ready. I continued to lead them to understand the problem as well as the remedy that is found in Jesus Christ. I taught them some very practical ways of appropriating Jesus’ sacrifice as the atonement for their sins and curses.

At the end of those sessions of teaching, I left them with some “homework”: to research and pray about their respective communities, asking God about those sins or curses that may be thwarting God’s desired blessing.

Even as I was wrapping up the speaking session, however, one pastor slipped a shabby, paper note up to the front for me. The paper said (in Swahili),
“My father murdered a man right here in Gendabi years ago. What do I do now to break the curses off of myself, my family, and the land?”So, right then and there, we were able to stop and practice what I had been teaching! It was a beautiful opportunity for them to “grow into” the new principles, and put action to them!
After that little activity, as pastors began to return to their seats, I spotted many of them beginning to write on spare papers. By the closing of the conference, we had a large handful of papers containing the writings of many leaders, confessing the curse-inducing sins of their families and villages. What a blessing to finally deal with the weights that have been on their shoulders and hearts for so long!