“There’s someone here to see you.” Our church receptionist had just found me in our dark auditorium at the end of a long day working on worship stuff. As we walked to the main entrance she smiled and indicated that this visitor had specifically asked “to see that Muzungu who preached on Sunday.” Silently wondering what his hidden motive was I put out my hand and welcomed our guest as we sat down on plastic chairs. Sitting near the doorway I could barely hear him over the blare of a nearby advertising blitz so after understanding that this young man was more interested in knowing God than knowing a white guy we moved to a quiet place where I could hear him out.
While it wouldn’t be right to publish all the details of our conversation, I quickly learned that while he had given his life to Jesus many years ago and had been involved in various churches over the years, it had been quite a number of months since setting foot in the house of God. He had been tricked into coming on Sunday by a family member, thinking they were headed to the beach! He testified that as he sat down with a skeptical attitude, he suddenly found himself surrounded by loving people and the presence of a living God. He cried tears as he heard the message and while he made it clear he didn’t want to “praise the place” our church was different than any he had encountered in his 30+ years of life.
“Tell me what to do to get close to God,” he pleaded. He told me his story and how he had ended up with a successful business, nice house, plenty of money, a beautiful family, but a nagging emptiness. He had found out that the things so many of us seek after for satisfaction did nothing for his longing soul and just like so many in my own developed country gained the world but still had nothing.
We talked, we prayed. He left for home with a church brochure outlining our programs, excited to gather his family to their knees and commit themselves to Jesus. I saw him again a couple days later at an evening service with the whole family, smiling and happy to be together in a new growing relationship with God.
It’s such a blessing to be a part of a church that’s filled with new life. This past Sunday I met another couple who lives nearby our newly formed campus in a town called Kawuku. “We’re believers, we really love God, but we haven’t been attending church anywhere.” God had called them out with a public word of prophecy on their second visit to our church and this man indicated that he had been arrested by God and would be joining us from now on. This new campus is overflowing with more than 300 precious people after only seven weeks in operation. Last week’s youth rally turned up over 400 young people across our two campuses. Visiting ministers say that what they see in our congregation is so unique we could almost extend anywhere in the city and have immediate success in this momentous season in the life of Life Church.
I stood in the congregation Sunday holding my son while one of my worship teams led us in incredible praise and marveled that with all our faults and failures, all our imperfections, challenges and issues, God has chosen to bless this house with great fruit in making disciples. And as we continue to straddle the call of reaching the islands through the Island Leadership Network and building Life Church as the worship pastors, we feel blessed to call these precious people our family and our home.