We went to Nigeria with the intent to participate in the 13th
annual Macon Missionary Conference hosted by Apostle David Ina and his wife
Helen. David is in his thirties, has
been a pastor since he was a teenager and has a remarkable grace for gathering,
challenging and supporting other ministries.
Nate and I both had it in our hearts to simply come along side David and
assist him in what he is doing.
The Context
By all accounts the nation of Nigeria faces many
difficulties. There is a great gap
between the rich and the poor. Suffering
and poverty can be seen everywhere even in the wealthier parts of the
city. There is also great discouragement
and animosity towards the government. This
was voiced to us often. Corruption is rampant. There are many large ministries in Nigeria
but there is very little unity among Christians. In addition, the conflict between Muslims and
Christians is quite severe. Over the
last year many Christians have been killed in the northern parts of Nigeria by
radical Muslims. We were made aware that
we would be ministering to some of the pastors and missionaries from some of
the most difficult areas.
The Setting
The conference was held at David’s church site which
consists of a simple metal roof covered pavilion. The roof was supported by non-uniform beams,
on a slightly slanted cement slab, using plastic chairs situated in a back
alley behind a hotel overlooking a creek that basically operates as a sewage
system. There is a sound system and like
almost everywhere in the third world, it is cranked up way to loud. Loud is often considered synonymous with
powerful. Nevertheless, most of the time, the worship
was simple and authentic, especially when it was led by David’s wife,
Helen.
It was very hot but fortunately there were a number of tall
trees providing shade and a slight breeze and electric fans set up. Occasionally, one could watch lizards up to a
foot long with bright orange heads and grey bodies climbing the walls. Africa!
The Theme
The Theme of the conference was Repositioning the Church for Positive Transformation. Primarily we spoke on coming back to the
basics, the need to be simple but deep. We
spoke on power of the Gospel, Resurrection Faith, the grace of God to forgive
and transform, seeing with “Gospel eyes” and the power of the New
Covenant. We challenged church leaders
to make their churches and communities safe places for people to be vulnerable,
to confess their sins and to process their brokeness so that they could get
free. We talked about the power of
transparency and that without it there can be no transformation. Additionally, we postured our hearts to be
open and honest about our own weaknesses and failures but to more importantly
testify to the triumph of grace in our lives.
Personal Interactions
We usually spoke in the mornings and evenings and then we
would do seminars in the afternoon behind the pavilion and out under the
trees. As the week went on, we purposely
curtailed our speaking and made room for people to begin to share their hearts
and ask their questions. People began to
engage in these seminar times more and more.
Nate and I both got into lively discussions. Young people flocked to Nate. They obviously were starting to trust him but
they complained bitterly about their experiences in the church. They said that church leaders do not give
them a safe place to develop and get free.
We had obviously struck a nerve.
Nate listened patiently and hearts began to get free just by bringing
their hurts into the light. But he
also challenged them to believe in the Gospel and to trust God to work things
out.
What would you do?
During one of the seminar someone asked about responding to
persecution from Muslims. I started reading
from Romans 12:20 where it says, “If your
enemy is hungry feed him….” But then
a pastor challenged me very directly and said, “You’re from America. You do not know what we deal with here in Nigeria.” He began to paint a scenario of someone
pouring gas on a person and getting ready to strike a match and set him on
fire. “What would you do in such a
situation?” he demanded. I smiled and said, “You are right. I am from America and I do not know what you
face. I have wondered many times what I
would do under such circumstances… but I have decided that I do believe in the
Gospel and I believe that the Bible is true.”
Immediately many hands went up of those who had something to say and men
began to testify of how the Lord had kept them safe.
These testimonies were amazing. One pastor said that his house had been
burned down twice but that the Lord had protected him and his family and they
were still involved in the work, still full of hope and thankfulness and that
some of the very people who persecuted him were now part of his ministry. Another told how some of the Muslims involved
in the persecution were going to authorities confessing their participation
because of how guilty they felt. One man
said that many Muslims stopped persecuting Christians because they saw angels
coming to protect the believers. He said
that four times mobs have come to his village to kill Christians and burn their
dwellings but that each time the believers got word of it, began to pray and
that always something turned the persecutors back. There was a chorus of agreement as this man
shared his story and then everyone had a testimony.
At the end of the discussion, the man who had challenged me
came up to me and thanked me and said, “You are all right.” I felt so blessed by that. But I was more blessed by the testimonies of
others who lived there. I was preaching
but they were testifying and confirming our words with their own
experiences.
Growing Faith
As the week progressed, hearts became more open. Every night the people came forward for
prayer. We looked them in the face and
prayed for them. A few needed healing
and were touched by God’s power. Most
needed their faith restored in the power of God to overcome every
situation. Day after day they seemed
more open and the ease of prayer increased through the week. Humility grew, walls fell down, and love
abounded.
As the week progressed we watched the faith of the people
growing as they began to testify to the grace of God in their own lives. We had been preaching that they were blessed
with the Gospel. They agreed to it,
began to testify of it and atmosphere of faith increased every day. Even as we would go home each night, many who
were sleeping near the facility spent the night in prayer. Pastor David testified that this gathering
was different than any other that they had ever had. People were praying a lot and lighting their
fires again in their own prayer closet. Faith
grew, more came for prayer, and empowerment was everywhere. The congregation grew each day also as locals
caught wind of the meetings. We felt a growing sense that the Spirit was orchestrating
and administrating the meetings and the times of fellowship in between. Prophetic words also began to come from the
congregation.
Practical Expressions
of a Supernatural Gospel
Though we continually emphasized the power of God, there is
a practical side to the Gospel. Much of what made our job such a joy was the
giving heart of the host pastor and his wife.
They believe in the power of the Gospel but also feel compelled to help practically
in every way they can. Every year they
buy food to feed everyone who attends the conference three meals a day. Many barely have enough money to get to the
conference and do not have enough to get home.
Pastor David helps many with the funds to return home. This extraordinary grace blessed us deeply as
we personally witnessed the personal needs of the pastor and his wife. Even though they were in personal distress, day
after day they spent what money came in on those who were attending the
conference.
At the end of every conference they try to sow something extra
meaningful and practical into some of the various ministries who gather for the
conference. They give to those
ministries that they know well are already doing the work in the various
fields. This year they gave away two
sowing machines to help widows make a living and a food grinder to a lady who
gathers unwanted babies and takes care of them.
The sowing machines will be used to train widows how to make a living
with sowing. The food grinder will be
used to grind food for the orphan ministry but also it will also impact the
entire village and help lots of people process more food to sell.
Heart Connections and
Open Realms
The final day we probably stood at the front of the pavilion
for over an hour as people came who wanted to have their picture taken with us. The
people thanked us over and over for coming.
One of the most life changing things that can ever happen to a person is
to have hungry people pull on that internal thing one has to give. It is profoundly fulfilling but it also opens
up realms inside of the person that the person did not know they had. Both Nate and I had this type of experience
in Nigeria. I felt a new clarity in my spirit like I have
never had. I felt a new sense of
understanding and boldness in the Gospel.
Since returning home, my mind has been running continually and I do not
ever remember a time when I have had so many dreams that were so full of
meaning. I feel like I have been thrust
into another dimension. My spirit has
been opened up somehow and I feel like I am engaged in an almost continual
download.
I believe that God graced us to genuinely impart something
to the many pastors and leaders that we shared life with for a week. But I also believe that we have brought
something home. One thing I feel deeply
is an overwhelming sense of the power of the Gospel. Indeed, “It is the power of God unto salvation
for all who believe.”
Thank you
In closing we just want to thank you all again and tell how
much we appreciate your love, your prayers and your investment into our
lives. It was a short visit but I trust
that it will have a long impact. Thanks
for coming with us.
Blessings to you all,
Brian Harrison
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