“I need Jesus, but I drink beer.” His name is Neto, and he was incredibly drunk. He repeated over and over during our two hour, circular conversation: “I need Jesus, but I still drink beer.” Someone has been telling Neto that God cannot love him unless he is perfect BEFORE coming before the throne. Someone is telling many people in Africa that. Someone is keeping the people of this country, this continent, from having real relationships with Jesus. That someone is a liar. That someone is Satan.
From the moment I met Neto, I knew God wanted me to tell His people the truth – that He loves them right now, despite their sins. He sees them in their brokenness and still loves them. It is only THROUGH His love that we can conquer our sins and turn away from our sinful nature. His love is the catalyst, not the reward.
Our first night in the village of Nhimbita in Gorongosa National Park, God made it clear that it was time to start telling people that truth. Though I’m a teacher, I often stray far from preaching. Adults, singular attention, the idea of a pulpit instead of a classroom…they all send me running. Because of this, I was shocked to hear myself volunteering to give the message the following night.
I prayed, “God let the right people show up to hear this message.”
The next afternoon, I was feeling the spiritual warfare. Satan did not want his lies revealed, but God had big plans. The words I had written in my notebook were clearly not my own…God wanted to speak directly to His children. While I was praying, we were called to a meeting with the chief and other village leaders. They wanted to meet us. They allowed us to pray for them and we invited them to church that night. It made me a bit nervous, but this tends to happen a lot in Africa. Invite the leaders, they politely consider it, then they don’t show.
You can imagine my surprise when I walked in and recognized the chiefs assistant. Moments later, the chief himself walked in and sat on the front row.
Oh boy. No pressure.
I still knew God had something to say. So I told them about Neto. I read Romans 8. And somewhere in the midst of my talking, the Holy Spirit took control, and He was passionately proclaiming the love of Christ over these people. He told them of His healing power and ability to break strongholds. He offered an invitation I had not planned on giving, for anyone who wanted to accept Jesus or rededicate their lives to The Lord, to those who wanted prayer for freedom, for those who wanted to experience God’s love. They just needed to come forward and we would pray with them.
No one moved. No one stood up. I was staring into blank faces.
And suddenly to my left there was movement. The chief of the village, husband of a witch doctor, walked to the middle of the room and fell to his knees.
I need Jesus. Neto’s plea. The chief’s desire. I need Jesus. I met another man who proclaimed the same thing. In a village in Kaya, we were singing songs with the children at the end of kid’s ministry. A man burst into the door and pushed his way to the front.
“I heard the music and singing and I ran down the street as fast as I could. I need Jesus.“
And with tears in his eyes, he got down on his knees and gave his life to The Lord.
I need Jesus. It’s true for all of us. I need Jesus. I need Him for strength. I need Him for love. I need Him to conquer sins and break chains. I need Jesus for so many reasons.
So will we say “I need Jesus, but …” like Neto, always keeping God at arms length because of our sins? Will we say “I need Jesus” with hesitation, unsure if we really want to commit to Him? Or will we say “I need Jesus!” running frantically down the street because of our absolute desperation for Him?
I need Jesus. You need Jesus. Do you want Him?
