and Christians Nigeria came to a head this past March when 500
Christians were brutally massacred. In the middle of the night,
hundreds
of nomadic Fulani herdsmen launched carefully planned attacks on
three separate Christian villages.
animal traps outside the huts of the villagers, then fired weapons
into the air to scare residents from their homes. As men, women, and
children rushed outside and fell into the nets, they were brutally
hacked to death with machetes. Homes, businesses, and churches were
then burned to the ground. News of the attacks spread like wildfire
across Jos, creating panic throughout the state.
When the survivors in these
villages heard that we were coming to help with restoration, they
were very emotional. They said that after the massacre, when they
awoke the next morning and saw what had become of their villages,
they thought the world had forgotten about them. We’re here to show
them how wrong they are.
first to respond to the massacre. We will be working with a
missionary from the United States who has been living in Nigeria for
10 years. He assures us that the violence is strictly between these
two different ethnic groups, and we are not a target. He lives here
with his wife and children and says he feels perfectly safe. We are
here to bring hope and restoration to the Christian families affected
by the massacre. While we are here, we will be going throughout the
villages to help rebuild homes and businesses, offer counseling and
prayer, and to just bring the love of Jesus to these people. Talk of
retaliation among the Christians in Nigeria is what we are here to try to
put a stop to. Our ultimate goal is to try to establish peaceful
relations between the Muslims and the Christians here.
When I found out I would be going to the villages where
the massacre occurred, I turned to God for His wisdom and His
guidance. During our flight to Jos, He gave me a word:
When the Kingdom of God has come upon you, the powers
of darkness will be FORCED to leave. When a light is switched on,
darkness immediately flees. It doesn’t resist. There is no debate.
It doesn’t stay dark for a few minutes until light finally wins.
LIGHT IS SO SUPERIOR TO DARKNESS THAT ITS TRIUMPH IS IMMEDIATE! The
Holy Spirit has no battle wounds. He bears no teethmarks, no scars.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, you will be a LIGHT in a dark place.
But remember that light shines BEST in dark places. I will pour into
you until you are overflowing with my Holy Spirit. I will pour into
you, so that I may be poured out of you. Remember that nothing can
live in stagnant waters. Fullness of the Holy Spirit means
OVERFLOWING. I will be with you every step of the way.
As the Church, we have a
tendency to put off those things that require courage, faith, and
immediate action. For example, many Christians believe that the
condition of the Church will always be getting worse and worse, as a
sign of these being the last days. In other words, the worsening
conditions of the the world and of the Church are a sign that we are
on the right track. The problem with this kind of thinking is that
IT REQUIRES NO FAITH! And Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith,
it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God.” And chapter 2 teaches us that
faith without works is DEAD.
What else does God say
about the importance of faith?
Mark 11:22 So Jesus
answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I
say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast
into the sea,”and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that
those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”
Col 2:6-7 As you therefore
have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built
up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught,
abounding in it with thanksgiving.”
2 Cor 5:7 For we walk by
faith, not by sight.”
We have to remember, Jesus
said that NO ONE but God knows the day and hour that Jesus will
return, not even the angels of heaven. All He tells us is that He
will come at an hour we do not expect. He tells us to be faithful
and wise servants, so that when He does return, He will find us
working. If we accept worldly violence like this massacre as just
another sign of the end times, and we do nothing, then we are like
the evil servant Jesus talks about in Matthew chapter 24. His master
came on a day his servant was not expecting him, and he did not find
him working. So he was cut off from his portion.
We are here to bring peace
to these two rivaling religious and ethnic groups. Matthew 5:9 says
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of
God.” We are here to shine as a light in a dark place. Matthew
5:16 says “Let your light so shine before men that they may see
your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Please do not be afraid
for our safety, for our Father in Heaven has gone before us and will
be with us every step of the way. He will protect us, and guide our
paths. We are in good hands, and we assure you that we will make
wise decisions.
I recently read “When
Heaven Invades Earth,” by Bill Johnson. He made a statement that
pierced me to my very soul, and this is the statement I want to leave
you all with:
This
world is my assignment, but not my home. My purpose is eternal. The
resources I need to complete my assignment are unlimited. My only
restriction is myself.
