This past month in Uganda was one of the hardest yet most amazing months I have ever known. God was so clearly opening doors and making opportunities to teach me more about Him and about His unparalleled beauty. I wish all of you could be by my side and to see what I have seen! I want to tell you some incredible stories, and I will. But first I want to lay a foundation, which I should have done long ago.
On a daily basis I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be here and am brought humbly to my knees because it is only possible because of you who have been supporting me this trip! Some of you are fellow believers although most of you are not. And let me just say, it speaks wonders about those of you who don’t support my faith but support what I am doing because you love me. Thank you! I am so honored by you.
And to those of you who love me but discouraged this trip because you feel I am “pushing my religion on other cultures”; its ok. Who God is and what missionaries do is often misunderstood. And I owe you an apology. Because instead of trying to explain to you the meat and reality of what I am doing, I have side stepped the truth as to not risk offending you. And in doing so I have not only been disloyal to YOU but also to myself and to the only truth that matters.
Before God created the world He lived in heaven with other celestial beings, the Angels. One Angel, Lucifer, wanted to be worshipped as god rather than worship the only true God in His sovereign power and authority. Full of blinding pride and ignorance he boasted about making himself “like the Most High” and one day sitting on Gods throne as his own (Isaiah 14:14). Because of this, Lucifer (Satan) was cast out of heaven along with an army of fallen followers and became God’s enemy and antagonist. God and Satan are literal opposites. God embodies love, light, truth and LIFE while Satan is hatred, darkness, lies and death. Satan’s and his demon’s main objective since the beginning of the world has been to deceive as many of God’s beloved children as possible and enslave them to his lies to the point of death. He hates God so much that he hates his children the same because we have been made “in his image and likeness” (Genesis 1:26). Satan knows he will never be able to have God’s supremacy, so his last ditch effort is to get as many people to turn from God as possible. Satan’s power, although hugely inferior to God’s is very real and very present today.
When God created the world, He created man the sixth day. Then God decided man needed a companion and created woman by taking a bone from Adam’s side (from his side; showing equality). Adam and Eve lived in paradise in perfect harmony and communion with God their creator. It says in Genesis 3 that God walked with them “in the garden in the cool of the day”! God gave his children all the freedom in the world, including free will. The only limitation he set was to not eat the fruit from ONE tree in the garden because it would lead to death.
Satan, being the opportunist he is took the form of a snake and tempted Eve to eat the fruit by convincing her to doubt the words and motives of God, her Father. Deceived, Adam and Eve ate the fruit and sin entered the world.
Sin by definition is “the violation of conscience or divine law; falling short of Gods perfect standard.” So, God being perfect and Holy is unable be in the presence of sin. It is IMPOSSIBLE for Him. This is why He warned them against forbidden fruit. Sin became THE obstacle between mankind and God. There was no longer that perfect relationship, it was blocked. From here on people were born into a sinful and imperfect world. As a result of sin, disease and suffering also became reality.
So then mankind was held in bondage to sin, suffering from the choices of their forefathers. Sin in a person’s life required a sacrifice of atonement, a way to get right in the eyes of God again. People were required to sacrifice an unblemished lamb for breaking the perfect commandments of God. Of course as a fallen people, sacrifices were being made OFTEN and people became preoccupied with fulfilling the law rather than worshipping the Lord. Out of love for His people and a desire to be in pure relationship with them again, God created a way for one final atonement. That way was Jesus.
Jesus, the ONLY son of God, was sent to earth to live as a human being, suffering as we suffer and living as we live. He was born to a young, humble, and unlikely woman in a barn! The very SON OF GOD didn’t enter through a line of famous Kings or into a royal palace with wealth and servants in a booming metropolis. Jesus had peasants, no-bodies and prostitutes in his lineage, because God LOVES imperfect people. He delights in the poor and destitute and fights for their cause (Jeremiah 22:16). Because Jesus walked the earth in such humility he was also tempted at every turn by the enemy to despair and to deny God. But He lived a sinless life as totally divine. He was unblemished. He had to be, to accomplish what He came for.
Jesus lived on earth about 33 years in which he taught people the truth about God and His huge love and desire for freedom for His people. Many religious leaders felt threatened by this new way of thinking (which undermined their authority) and were filled with rage at the “audacity” of a man claiming to be the prophesied Messiah, preaching repentance and mercy instead of the law. With hardened hearts they refused to believe He was from God despite the many miraculous signs and wonders He performed before their eyes (including healings, multiplying food, raising the dead etc.) Threatened and deceived they plotted to kill him. None of this was a surprise to Jesus though. He knew God had sent Him to die as a blameless sacrifice ONCE and for all the sins of all the people for all of time. He came knowing that His death would reunite us with our Father and destroy all condemnation. When Jesus was crucified he took upon himself all of the sins, all the pain and all the sickness of the world to be put to death with him. He died on the cross after being beaten, spat on, whipped, starved, degraded and abandoned. Three days after His death, God resurrected Jesus from the grave and He appeared to over 500 people (including many people who had not believed) before ascending to heaven to live at the right hand of God and to live as our High Priest. He not only conquered the sins, disease and bondage of this earth but He also overcame death itself. He is alive right now!!!
Being the spotless (sinless) lamb sent as a final sacrifice to atone the sins of the world he fulfilled the law of sacrifice. Freedom was released by mercy and the block sin created between us and God was absorbed and erased forever! Now, through Jesus we are ALL able to be in open relationship with God. And in receiving what Christ did for us we defy death and come to have eternal life with Him (the lover of our souls) when it all comes to an end. On top of this we gain His power to overcome the darkness of this world and live abundant redeemed lives while we are still here.
This freedom is what I stand on and what I am sharing with the people of the world. So many people have NO idea that the God of the universe loves them passionately and faithfully. Or that He made the ultimate sacrifice for them and returned from death just to be with us!They don’t know that we were all created with a purpose and have a unique destiny that will prosper us and bring us a future of hope (Jeremiah 29:11)!!! They don’t know that He can speak to them today and provide for all of their needs because He is GOD!!!
We have all been given the freedom to decide whether or not to receive what our Savior did for us- so when sharing God’s story there is no “pushing my religion on people”. It is telling people something they were created to know, that can change their lives! And it is my joy to reach out to a desperate world with news that is GOOD and full of HOPE. It is up to them and God work out the rest.
