GOD IS STILL ON HIS THRONE
When my wife Ruth was teaching Bible school near Nairobi, Kenya she had a very unusual student.
Ruth had a student in her class by the name of Samuel. He came from Northern Kenya and was from a Muslim family. His father had four wives with 21 children.
One day during break Ruth sat down with him to get his testimony.
Samuel married a girl from his village while he was in the Kenyan Army. When his wife delivered their first child she became insane. She had to be tied to her bed with ropes around her wrists and around her neck because she was wild and unrestrainedly.
Samuel tried every doctor that was available, both medical and psychiatric doctors from all over the country of Kenya after entreating his Muslim God. He spent a lot of money for doctors. They all told him the same thing, she was insane and there was nothing that could be done for her. She would only get worse and he should abandon her and think of the child.
One day about five months after the birth of the child a man came to his Army base and asked for him by name. After meeting Samuel he asked him if he could go to his home. Samuel didn’t want to take him home because of his wife, but after persistence, he relented and took the man home. He had never seen him before and had no idea who he was.
Samuel gave him a meal and the man asked Samuel if he would go to church with him the next day, which was Sunday. At that point Samuel said that he was so desperate that he would try anything, so he agreed. He had exhausted every medical possibility to no effect plus Allah had not answered any of his prayers for help so this was his last chance. He thought that he would try the Christian’s God.
It was getting late in the day and the man asked if he could spend the night with Samuel and then go to church together tomorrow.
The next day they went to church and somehow the man left Samuel alone and went somewhere else where Samuel couldn’t see him. Samuel has never seen the man since that morning.
Samuel said that he had no idea what the service was about because he sat there and cried during the whole service.
Samuel went home after the service and when he arrived at home and walked into the house he saw his wife sitting on the edge of her bed.. He asked the woman who took care of his wife why she was untied. The woman replied that she asked a while ago if she could be untied because she felt better.
Samuel couldn’t wait to get to church the next Sunday. The pastor asked if there were any visitors and Samuel stood and asked for prayer. They told him to come forward and they laid hands on him and prayed for him. Samuel was born again during that service.
Samuel went home and when he walked into the house his wife was sitting in front of the mirror combing her hair. She had not done anything to herself since the baby was born five months ago; she had to be taken care of by someone else.
From that time on Samuel’s wife has led a normal life and is completely well. To this day she still has the rope marks around her wrists and neck.
His wife had planned to go to Bible school with Samuel but she got pregnant and had to put that idea aside.
Samuel transferred to our Bible school from another school so he could get a four-year degree. He planed to go back to his village and preach to the Muslim people.
Samuel had been dead for 15 years in the eyes of his family. When he had become a Christian his father disowned him as a son and vowed to never speak to him again.
I asked Samuel to contact me when he graduated from Bible school and was ready to go back to his home village to minister. He contacted me in the summer of 1994 and told me that he wanted to start a church in Nairobi and make trips into Muslim territory to minister.
A friend of mine had asked me to recommend someone in Africa who needed some monetary help to set up a ministry. I put the two together and Samuel began to receive support from our friend.
In the fall of 1995 I received an e-mail from Samuel telling me that he had recently made a trip to his hometown to hold a weekend seminar to strengthen any Christians who would come and preach the gospel to the non-Christians.
The results of the weekend were nothing short of fantastic. Several Christians came to be ministered to and to rededicate their lives to living for Jesus.
During the weekend one-person came forward to receive Jesus as their Savior, this is where it gets good, that person was Samuel’s father. Samuel had not seen his father for 15 years. Can you imagine the high excitement when he saw his Father receive Jesus?
Samuel’s father was a Muslim leader in the village and had over 30 families under him as their leader.
Samuel’s father now holds classes in his home on Sundays, but he is not teaching Muslim law, he is teaching them about the love of God from the Bible.
Today Samuel is the pastor of a church in Nairobi, the Capital of Kenya. He has a growing church with outreaches to several other communities including his home town.
The following is from a weekly update called “Friday Fax.”
“Africa is more open for the gospel than it has ever been,”
reports DAWN Africa Coordinator Danie Vermeulen. “Thousandsof Muslims are finding Christ, and some of the most exciting church planting movements are among Muslims. Civil wars, AIDS and political repression are other factors leading growing numbers to be open for the gospel…”
These are exciting times for us Christians as we are going to see the “Spirit poured out upon all flesh,” (Joel 2:28) as we have never seen it since the days of the “Book of Acts.”
Keep the faith brothers and sisters.
Ruth had a student in her class by the name of Samuel. He came from Northern Kenya and was from a Muslim family. His father had four wives with 21 children.
One day during break Ruth sat down with him to get his testimony.
Samuel married a girl from his village while he was in the Kenyan Army. When his wife delivered their first child she became insane. She had to be tied to her bed with ropes around her wrists and around her neck because she was wild and unrestrainedly.
Samuel tried every doctor that was available, both medical and psychiatric doctors from all over the country of Kenya after entreating his Muslim God. He spent a lot of money for doctors. They all told him the same thing, she was insane and there was nothing that could be done for her. She would only get worse and he should abandon her and think of the child.
One day about five months after the birth of the child a man came to his Army base and asked for him by name. After meeting Samuel he asked him if he could go to his home. Samuel didn’t want to take him home because of his wife, but after persistence, he relented and took the man home. He had never seen him before and had no idea who he was.
Samuel gave him a meal and the man asked Samuel if he would go to church with him the next day, which was Sunday. At that point Samuel said that he was so desperate that he would try anything, so he agreed. He had exhausted every medical possibility to no effect plus Allah had not answered any of his prayers for help so this was his last chance. He thought that he would try the Christian’s God.
It was getting late in the day and the man asked if he could spend the night with Samuel and then go to church together tomorrow.
The next day they went to church and somehow the man left Samuel alone and went somewhere else where Samuel couldn’t see him. Samuel has never seen the man since that morning.
Samuel said that he had no idea what the service was about because he sat there and cried during the whole service.
Samuel went home after the service and when he arrived at home and walked into the house he saw his wife sitting on the edge of her bed.. He asked the woman who took care of his wife why she was untied. The woman replied that she asked a while ago if she could be untied because she felt better.
Samuel couldn’t wait to get to church the next Sunday. The pastor asked if there were any visitors and Samuel stood and asked for prayer. They told him to come forward and they laid hands on him and prayed for him. Samuel was born again during that service.
Samuel went home and when he walked into the house his wife was sitting in front of the mirror combing her hair. She had not done anything to herself since the baby was born five months ago; she had to be taken care of by someone else.
From that time on Samuel’s wife has led a normal life and is completely well. To this day she still has the rope marks around her wrists and neck.
His wife had planned to go to Bible school with Samuel but she got pregnant and had to put that idea aside.
Samuel transferred to our Bible school from another school so he could get a four-year degree. He planed to go back to his village and preach to the Muslim people.
Samuel had been dead for 15 years in the eyes of his family. When he had become a Christian his father disowned him as a son and vowed to never speak to him again.
I asked Samuel to contact me when he graduated from Bible school and was ready to go back to his home village to minister. He contacted me in the summer of 1994 and told me that he wanted to start a church in Nairobi and make trips into Muslim territory to minister.
A friend of mine had asked me to recommend someone in Africa who needed some monetary help to set up a ministry. I put the two together and Samuel began to receive support from our friend.
In the fall of 1995 I received an e-mail from Samuel telling me that he had recently made a trip to his hometown to hold a weekend seminar to strengthen any Christians who would come and preach the gospel to the non-Christians.
The results of the weekend were nothing short of fantastic. Several Christians came to be ministered to and to rededicate their lives to living for Jesus.
During the weekend one-person came forward to receive Jesus as their Savior, this is where it gets good, that person was Samuel’s father. Samuel had not seen his father for 15 years. Can you imagine the high excitement when he saw his Father receive Jesus?
Samuel’s father was a Muslim leader in the village and had over 30 families under him as their leader.
Samuel’s father now holds classes in his home on Sundays, but he is not teaching Muslim law, he is teaching them about the love of God from the Bible.
Today Samuel is the pastor of a church in Nairobi, the Capital of Kenya. He has a growing church with outreaches to several other communities including his home town.
The following is from a weekly update called “Friday Fax.”
“Africa is more open for the gospel than it has ever been,”
reports DAWN Africa Coordinator Danie Vermeulen. “Thousandsof Muslims are finding Christ, and some of the most exciting church planting movements are among Muslims. Civil wars, AIDS and political repression are other factors leading growing numbers to be open for the gospel…”
These are exciting times for us Christians as we are going to see the “Spirit poured out upon all flesh,” (Joel 2:28) as we have never seen it since the days of the “Book of Acts.”
Keep the faith brothers and sisters.
posted by Jim Burton at 2:19 PM
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