Preaching to the Dead

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved

It was a hot afternoon. Small shops lined the narrow road—now even narrower due to the vendors and crowds. People were everywhere: of all ages, each with a soul that will never die. As I drove my car down the road, I hoped I wouldn’t encounter another car coming toward me. There was barely enough room for one vehicle, let alone two. Thankfully, no car came, and we found a parking spot near a large outdoor market.

We got out of the car, prayed for the Lord's blessing, and then my dear brother and fellow laborer for the Kingdom of God climbed on top of the car. We turned on the speaker, and he began to preach the greatest message God has given to the world: free salvation and eternal life in His Son. Jesus took on flesh and lived among sinful men, yet was not defiled by sin. He willingly went to a Roman cross to bear the wrath of God for sins not His own, and He proved His Lordship over sin, death, Hell, and the devil once and for all when He rose from the dead. My brother preached that this work of the Lord Jesus Christ was done for even the most sinful man or woman who believes and trusts what Jesus did and who He is to save them. After he finished, it was my turn. I got on top of the car and preached on the reality of eternity in Heaven or Hell. During both our times preaching, many people stopped and listened, and one drunk man even got on his knees in the middle of the road and acted like he was praying. As we were finishing up, it started to rain, which made the road even busier as people rushed to get home before the downpour. We decided to take another road, which led us right next to a small, open hut where typically 5-20 men sit, waiting to be hired for work. This hut is very close to my house, and almost every day when I drive by, the men wave at me and yell something about giving them money. Earlier that day, there were more men at this stand than usual, and they were especially eager for me to give them something. It had been my thought for some time to go preach to these men, but the right moment hadn't come yet. On this day, as we drove back from preaching, according to God's plan, the road we ended up on came out right next to this hut. As soon as we pulled up, 10 men ran to the car, jumping up and down at the window. So, we took our Bibles and got out of the car, and walked over to the hut. In total, there were about 20 men who welcomed us to preach to them. I preached for about 10 minutes, trying to show them that where they will spend eternity is more important than getting food in their bellies today. After I was done preaching, many of them told me that I was always welcome to come preach to them. Of course, some of the men very aggressively wanted money, which I did not give them. In all the commotion, a young man, probably 12, who was passing by, came to me and asked why I would waste my time preaching to these men who are drunks and nasty people, many of whom say that God isn't real. This is, in fact, a very good question, and many people have the same one: Why waste your time? What is the statistical percentage that any of these men will become Christians? What I explained to the young man was this: If I had to convince these men to become Christians, if I had to win them over or tell them how God can give them their best life now, I wouldn't waste my time. If that's what I had to do, then I would focus on the people who seem the most moral and the most receptive to God. And yet, my job is not to convince anyone of anything; I can't do that. The problem I face is much more impossible than getting a bunch of drunk men who just want my money to become Christ-loving people of God. The job the preacher has is far more impossible. It is as if I went to a graveyard, stood atop a chair, opened my Bible, and began to preach to the graves, and the application of the message was, "Come to life, come from the graves and live!" (Ezekiel 37:1-14) People would say I was wasting my time; people would say that it is statistically very unlikely that anyone would come to life. And yet, who has the power to raise the dead? Who has commanded the preacher to go and preach to those who are spiritually dead?(Ephesians 2:1-5) Is it not God who has told us that His power is in the message of the Gospel?(Romans 1:16) It is impossible for anyone to be saved apart from the sovereign grace of God that makes them spiritually alive and gives them the gifts of faith and repentance. God has promised to do the impossible in saving sinners by the message preached. (John 6:44) I told that young man that I know God can save even those who have no desire for Him because He saved me when I was running as fast as I could to Hell. We are called to tell people what the Bible says about sin, judgment, Christ, and eternal life, and then... we trust that God's word, which has gone forth, will accomplish all that God has purposed it to do.(Isaiah 55:10-11) This is my confidence; this is the reason why we can keep preaching week after week, month after month, year after year, even when we see little to no fruit. God is on His throne, and salvation is of the Lord alone.(Jonah 2:9)

Ministry Updates

Many Gospel seeds have been planted in the hearts of the people of Siaya since the last time I wrote. Before I begin my report, I again want to thank you all for your prayers for us and the work going on here. Not much has changed here since the last time I wrote, as our schedule is basically the same, but we trust the foundation is being laid one stone at a time for, Lord willing, a long ministry ahead of us here in this town. Rome was not built in a day, and neither is a good ministry.

Oasis Health – Siaya

The Lord continues to open the door for us to go to this hospital and preach to their staff. Over the past month, I have preached short, 20-minute Gospel messages on:

1. Exodus 12 and the Passover Lamb: How it points forward to Christ, our Passover Lamb, whose blood saves us from the judgment of God.

2. Romans 3:23-25: This is a famous Bible verse that is often quoted, yet most do not understand it. My goal during this message was to simply define each word so people could understand what the verses were saying. At least one person seemed very thankful for this message.

3. Hebrews 9:27-28: Again, I preached a simple message on the reality of death and judgment and the second coming of Christ to rescue His people.

4. Matthew 7:13-14: Lastly, I preached on the two gates and two paths, both leading to very different destinations. I called people to enter the narrow gate and walk the hard road leading to eternal life.

One of the main people who invites us each week decided to come to church and visit us, and in God's providence, he heard the Gospel and told us he was moving away that week. May the Lord use that last message to bring him to Himself.

Please continue to pray that the Lord would keep this door open, that He would save His elect through the preaching of His Gospel, and that the Lord would give us more opportunities to speak with these people one-on-one.

Siaya County Referral Hospital

We again praise God for this weekly opportunity to reach out to the staff, students, and patients of the county hospital here in Siaya. Each week, we go there for half a day. Generally, many students from medical colleges are there in big groups waiting for training; many of these groups are from other colleges not located in Siaya. Each week, we normally preach to a group of 5-25 students. We rejoice to do this because when you ask them the very basics of salvation, they are completely ignorant.

The hospital staff have been ever willing to talk to us, which gives us many opportunities to follow up with them almost every week. One of the many conversations we had was with some of the staff who were throwing trash into a huge furnace. We requested to preach to the three of them, which they allowed, and I used the furnace as a picture of Hell. It is one thing to listen to someone speak about the danger of Hell; it is another thing to listen to someone speak of Hell when you can feel the heat of fire on your face! Pray these men would run to Jesus Christ to be saved from such a danger. Many of the people we talk to on a regular basis request a Bible from us. Please pray that the Lord will provide for this need. Please pray that the Lord will save His people at this hospital. Please pray that people would come to be under the preaching of God's word in church.

Door-to-Door Evangelism

Because we no longer go to Bondo to preach to the students at the college, we are using that day to reach out to people around Siaya and especially around the church building. Time would fail me to tell all the wonderful conversations we have had with those at their homes around where the church is. People seem to be very open to talk, even for more than an hour! One such man said that he was going to pray in 13 minutes (the rosary) so he didn't have much time to talk, but that did not stop him from inviting us into his home. One hour and 13 minutes later, we left that home with great hope that man was not far from the Kingdom. We especially ask for prayer for Richard, Kennedy, and a group of men from Burundi. Please pray for people to come visit the church, as it is less than a 5-minute walk away. Please pray that the Lord would not only save but add people to the church who live close.

Meeting with People

One of our duties is to regularly meet with those who will become members of the church and those who come regularly. We have done this almost every week. Our main goal for most of these meetings is to get to know people and for them to get to know us. It is easy to go to church, and it is easy to call ourselves Christians, but it can be hard to know how to live a faithful Christian life. Our great privilege is to meet with people and help apply the word of God to their particular situations so they may know what it means in every situation to walk in a manner worthy of their calling.

One wonderful report I have for you is concerning a lady named Pamela. Pamela is the mother of a young man who comes to our church almost every week. The first week I arrived in Siaya, Teka and I, along with my Pastor from the US, went to visit her at her job. Her job is a watchman; she stays at the company for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, so she cannot come to church. When we first met her, it became clear that Pamela was not a Christian. My Pastor preached to her, and then we left.

A couple of weeks later, we visited her again only to find she was still trusting in her works to save her. I brought her to Galatians 3:10-14 to show her that there is no hope in keeping the law to go to Heaven. After over an hour of Bible study, we thought she understood the Gospel, so we exhorted her to put faith in Christ, and then we left. After another couple of weeks, we came back only to find she was again confused about the Gospel and was back to trying to keep the law for salvation. So, we again did a Bible study with her, and this time brought her to Ephesians 2:8-9 to show her the way of salvation. Again, we thought she understood and so called her to believe. We were more hopeful this time. And then last week, after not seeing her for about a month, we came to see her again.

This time, when we asked her why she was a Christian and why she would go to Heaven when she died, she did not speak about herself except to say she had believed Christ's sacrifice to be enough to save her and give her eternal life. Hallelujah! I asked many questions of her to see if she would go back to trusting in her works to save her, and each time she went back to the cross as the reason why she has been forgiven. We praise God that it appears He has given this dear woman the free gift of salvation and brought the dead to life. It was my joy then to have a Bible study with her on 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 and what the Lord's will is after we have believed. Please pray that she would continue to look to Christ for forgiveness and eternal life, that she would seek to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord, and that the Lord would give her a new job or have one of her coworkers be willing to take her shift on Sunday so she can come to church.

Church Update

The Lord has continued to build His church here in Siaya, and we are excited as the day gets closer for the church to be constituted.

Over the past month, I have been preaching through Matthew chapter 7, starting in verse 13:

1. TWO GATES, TWO DESTINATIONS – Matthew 7:13-14

2. BEWARE OF THE HUNGRY WOLVES – Matthew 7:15-20

3. JUDGMENT OF FALSE CHRISTIANS – Matthew 7:21-23

4. TWO FOUNDATIONS, TWO OUTCOMES – Matthew 7:24-27

All available to listen to on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TrinityBaptistChurchSiaya

The goal of preaching through Matthew chapter 7 was to show that being a real Christian is demonstrated by our actions: the first being the act of faith in Christ alone to save, and the second, the action of living lives that produce good fruit. Pray that people would understand and examine themselves to see if they are in the faith.

An answer to prayer: One of the blessings we have yet to fully realize is that we have already been an answer to prayer from people in Siaya who have been asking the Lord for a biblical church. One such example of this is Hesborn and Gladys, a young married couple living in Siaya. Unknown to us, this couple, who are convinced of the Reformed faith, have been living in Siaya for the past 4 years, seeking a biblical church. In fact, they have been praying on a regular basis for the Lord to bring them a good church. Year after year, they have come home from church burdened by the unbiblical, strange fire, false worship of the "church" they were attending.

But God answered prayer! One of the people who goes to our church knows them from years ago and are friends on Facebook, and this couple saw that they were going to this church in Siaya and that the church was Reformed. So, a couple of weeks ago, they came and saw that the Lord indeed had answered their prayers. It only took two times of coming that they were requesting membership! Teka and I visited them and heard the wonderful testimony of God's power to save, as well as a very biblical understanding of the Gospel. We praise God for this and ask you to pray that the Lord would add such people hungering and thirsting for a biblical church. Please pray for the teaching and preaching of God's word, that it would be simple, clear, and would lead people to Christ.

Prospective Membership Classes

Because the church is starting fresh, we are also starting membership for the first time. Last time I wrote, we had 11 adults as part of this class, and we now have 14 adults coming. We have started the book, "Duties of Christian Fellowship," which we hope to teach what the duties are for any members of a church. This is the core group of the church, which we believe are all Christians, most of whom are 1 year old or less in the faith. Please pray we would be growing closer together as a group. Pray that people would be prepared to die to themselves in the context of being a member of the church. And finally, please pray that the Lord would give people understanding with all the very new teachings they are hearing.

Family Update

I think I can officially say that we are in a routine now. Callie and I are both doing well, as are the kids. We celebrated Callie's birthday this month by going to a restaurant on Lake Victoria, which was beautiful. We are definitely known by many people in Siaya as one of the very few (maybe only) white people here. Callie is definitely known even more than me as she goes to the market with the two kids, which is a very rare thing to see here. If she goes out and leaves one of the kids at home with me, she is often asked where the other child is. We really love Siaya and the people here and thank God we don't have to live in Nairobi, as we are not big-city people.

Please pray for us that we would be faithful witnesses in how we live our lives. Pray that the Lord would give my wife more and more boldness to share the Gospel with the many people she interacts with as she is out shopping. One thing I have been increasingly convicted of is the truth that the greatest investment I can make in my wife, children, church, friends, family, and strangers is my own holiness and godliness. Please pray that I would not neglect my own soul because of laziness or busyness.

Please do not only read the many prayer requests that I have given here but take time to bring them before the throne of grace on our behalf. We thank you all for reading this and hope you will continue to care for us, nobodies in a part of the world almost no one knows about. But even if all forget, we trust the Lord Himself will never forget us here. May the Lord use this article to stir you up to be faithful in whatever He has called you to.

Jesus! I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For, by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.

Jesus! I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.

Oh, how great Thy loving kindness,
Vaster, broader than the sea:
Oh, how marvelous Thy goodness,
Lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved,
Know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise,
And have made it mine.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,
I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,
Satisfies my heart,
Satisfies its deepest longings,
Meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings,
Thine is love indeed.

Ever lift Thy face upon me,
As I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory,
Sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting,
Fill me with Thy grace.