As we drove into town at 5:30 am, I turned to Moses and asked, “So… how many people does this radio program reach? Is it for all of Kigali?” Moses just looked at me and said, “Not just Kigali. The whole country of Rwanda!”
Oh my goodness, the whole country?! Lord, help me now. I don’t even know what I’m going to say when I actually get on the radio. God, please give me the words to say. What do you want me to share? Jesus whispered to me, just share with them what I am teaching you.
Okay Lord, I hear you. Yesterday you had me preaching in front of a church and today you have me preaching in front of a whole country. How did I even get here?
In Acts 4, when the disciples are filled with the Holy Spirit they start speaking boldly in the name of Jesus.
Our team name is Parresia, which is a Greek word meaning boldness and speaking confidently. It comes straight from the disciples’ prayer in Acts 4:29. When your team is called Parresia, you better be ready for the Lord to put you in situations that stretch you out of your comfort zone and demand that you start speaking boldly through the power of the Holy Spirit.
On the way into Rwanda, God gave me a vision of me preaching to a church. I thought, ‘God, are you really sure about this? Me, preaching?!’ Public speaking is not one of my strengths, at all. But God always knows what He is doing, and on our first Sunday in Rwanda I was given the opportunity to share the word of the Lord in the Sunday morning service at Kanombe Faith Center. I spoke on the passage from Acts 9 about Saul’s conversion and the response of Ananias. I wrote lots of notes and even had a bit of help from my resources at home (thanks again, Jacob 🙂 ). I felt prepared for the service and encouraged by the church. After it was over though, I was thinking ‘Yes! I preached and now I’m done. Thanks for that opportunity God. I get it. You want me to use my voice for You. Maybe I’ll try to do that more… sometime…eventually.’
And yet the very next morning I found myself on the way to speak a word from the Lord on a morning radio program for all of Rwanda. Our wonderful host, Bishop Peter Kamuzinzi (who we call Papa), is a well-respected church leader and spiritual father in Rwanda. His weekly radio segment is apparently quite popular and he graciously invited us to come and share along with him. My teammate Morgan shared her testimony, Papa prayed for us, and then it was my turn.
Moses translated for me as I read from the passage in Acts 4 where Peter and John are taken before the priests and Jewish leaders. They are being questioned about the miracles they have done and Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, boldly proclaims the name of Jesus before them. Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
God uses ordinary men to preach His word boldly. The power of the Holy Spirit in us can enable us to proclaim the name of Jesus, perform miracles that bring glory to God, and all kinds of things we could never accomplish in our own power. I pray that, like Peter and John, people will be able to see that I am just an ordinary person. There is nothing special about me, but with the power of the Holy Spirit within me, I can speak boldly in the name of Jesus.
The disciples in Acts prayed a dangerous prayer and our team is praying that same prayer. We pray that God will fill us with the Holy Spirit and enable us to speak boldly for Him. When you pray those kinds of prayers, who knows where God will take you. Maybe He’ll even choose to have you speak His Word to a whole country.
Acts 4:29-31 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
