The results of preaching repentance
This is the second part on repentance. If you haven't read the previous one, you need to scroll down to the message on "?What repentance is not.?
In the spring of 2001 Ruth and I were living in Kenya, East Africa where we were teaching in a Bible school.
We had been invited to travel across the country to the western border where Ruth was to give a seminar for the women Saturday afternoon and I was to preach in the church on Sunday
Ruth held her seminar for about 350 women. She was the first white woman that had been in the church and one 85 year old lady walked over 3 miles to hear her. She returned home on the back of a bicycle.
On Sunday morning there were about 1000 people in church. As we approached the church I noticed that there were several cars in the parking lot. I asked the Pastor about these cars as very few African people living in the rural areas own cars. He said, "?The news of your coming has reached the ears of lots of people and they have come to hear you.? There were local government officials there I was told and I noticed their big Mercedes Benz cars in the lot.
As I sat on the platform waiting for my time to speak I placed the "?Important people? who were sitting on my right near the front.
I preached a hard message on repentance. After I finished I invited the audience to join me as I knelt and asked the Lord to forgive us for not repenting and thus making a mockery of his finished work on the Cross. Upon that invitation all of the adults and lots of young people went to their knees and cried out to the Lord. It got a little noisy in the place and after about 15 minutes Ruth went to the microphone and told the people that now that they had repented they should thank the Lord for what he has done in their hearts.
Now if it was noisy in the building when they were on their knees praying, it was nothing like what happened next. The crowd exploded into rejoicing. They shouted, they jumped, they danced, and they ran around the place. I was glad that we were on the platform because it looked a little crowed out there and I didn't want to get run over. Yes, I looked over at the "?Important visitors,? from time to time and they too had been on their knees and had joined in on the celebration when given the opportunity.
The Pastor thanked me afterwards as did many of the congregation.
I have often wondered what would happen if that same message were given in one of the churches here in "?sophisticated? America. Would the results be the same or would I not be invited back.
I do recall one time when I preached a message on "?The judgment seat of Christ,? and how we all will stand before Jesus to give an account of our lives, and the Pastor avoided me, and wouldn't even shake my hand afterwards. That happened here in the States, I don't think that I would have received that reception in an African church.
This is the second part on repentance. If you haven't read the previous one, you need to scroll down to the message on "?What repentance is not.?
In the spring of 2001 Ruth and I were living in Kenya, East Africa where we were teaching in a Bible school.
We had been invited to travel across the country to the western border where Ruth was to give a seminar for the women Saturday afternoon and I was to preach in the church on Sunday
Ruth held her seminar for about 350 women. She was the first white woman that had been in the church and one 85 year old lady walked over 3 miles to hear her. She returned home on the back of a bicycle.
On Sunday morning there were about 1000 people in church. As we approached the church I noticed that there were several cars in the parking lot. I asked the Pastor about these cars as very few African people living in the rural areas own cars. He said, "?The news of your coming has reached the ears of lots of people and they have come to hear you.? There were local government officials there I was told and I noticed their big Mercedes Benz cars in the lot.
As I sat on the platform waiting for my time to speak I placed the "?Important people? who were sitting on my right near the front.
I preached a hard message on repentance. After I finished I invited the audience to join me as I knelt and asked the Lord to forgive us for not repenting and thus making a mockery of his finished work on the Cross. Upon that invitation all of the adults and lots of young people went to their knees and cried out to the Lord. It got a little noisy in the place and after about 15 minutes Ruth went to the microphone and told the people that now that they had repented they should thank the Lord for what he has done in their hearts.
Now if it was noisy in the building when they were on their knees praying, it was nothing like what happened next. The crowd exploded into rejoicing. They shouted, they jumped, they danced, and they ran around the place. I was glad that we were on the platform because it looked a little crowed out there and I didn't want to get run over. Yes, I looked over at the "?Important visitors,? from time to time and they too had been on their knees and had joined in on the celebration when given the opportunity.
The Pastor thanked me afterwards as did many of the congregation.
I have often wondered what would happen if that same message were given in one of the churches here in "?sophisticated? America. Would the results be the same or would I not be invited back.
I do recall one time when I preached a message on "?The judgment seat of Christ,? and how we all will stand before Jesus to give an account of our lives, and the Pastor avoided me, and wouldn't even shake my hand afterwards. That happened here in the States, I don't think that I would have received that reception in an African church.
posted by Jim Burton at 7:48 AM
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