Speaking Boldly for the Gospel
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." - 2 Timothy 1:7
In a recent visit to Ethiopia, we had the opportunity to sit down with our one of our partners, a pastor and church planter who oversees 11 newly planted churches. He told us the amazing story of his team member who travels throughout the country delivering the message of the Gospel to rural villages where much of the population is hostile to Christianity. Even more compelling, the traveling church planter has only one leg. He hobbles across the rough and rocky ground, pushing forward in spite of his disability to spread the Good News.
A Grueling Journey to a Hostile Territory
A disabled traveling church planter ventured into a village that had been torn apart by violent feuding and skirmishes. Using one leg and one crutch, his walk was rhythmic and strained as he entered the village. Some met his gaze with stiff caution while others looked upon him with antagonism and suspicion. Despite the threat of violence, the pastor obeyed God's leading and shared the Gospel of Christ with the hostile villagers. One particularly tough man listened reluctantly and then left to tell his friends of the pastor's stories, promising to return again the next day to hear more about this "Jesus."
As this tough man relayed the stories to his friends, one of them became so infuriated that a Christian would dare to come to the village to evangelize, that he plotted to murder the traveling pastor. He feared this crippled man had instead brought a curse upon the village, so he took up his AK-47 and stormed down to where the pastor taught.
Even under threat of death, God's word compels. The disabled church planter boldly and compassionately shared the word of God with the man who sought to take his life. Even though the man listening held an assault rifle, the Holy Spirit moved in his heart. He set his weapon aside, and accepted Christ into his life, as did his friend who had brought him word of the one-legged evangelist who had hobbled into the village.
A Surprising Testimony of Transformation
Our team member finished his tale with a revelation—he himself was the man who had threatened the pastor with the assault rifle. God had transformed this angry and violent opponent of the Gospel into a missionary with a passion to share the Good News. Since then, God has used him in powerful ways. He was the first convert in his community and embraced the Gospel fully, attending Bible school and planting churches. His story is a testament to what God can do in even the hardest hearts, and it teaches us the ways God can use each of us to reach the world if we are willing to speak boldly, just like the traveling pastor with one leg.
Donate $90 USD/$105 CDN to support a church planter for one month.