By: Bishop Warwick Cole-Edwardes
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INTRODUCTION
Here I am on my way to OVAMBOLAND for the 4th time. Patrick Johnstone
in his monumental book “Operation World” says this of Namibia
“secular state with freedom of religions. Despite the high profile
of Christian denominations, non-Christian religions are being
granted similar opportunities in schools and in the media. Namibia
is Africa’s only country with a Lutheran majority. Also Namibia
has the highest percentage of Christians for any country in Africa.
The early labours of German and Finnish Lutheran and then Anglican
Missionaries gave birth to large denominations. But the influence
of liberal and then Black theology erodes that spiritual heritage and
true discipleship and holy living are now in short supply.”
I will be in the northern Ovamboland province based in ONDANGWA, near
the Angolan border, so I can’t wait for another opportunity to visit into
central Africa and to teach the Word of God to some very precious people.
As always I seek to read books which inspire me, challenge me, rebuke me
and keep the fire for missions burning in my life.
1. THE JOURNAL ONCE LOST
John Sung was born in Fijian, China and studied at the Ohio
Wesleyan University in America and the Ohio State University, graduating
with a Master of Science in Chemistry and a PHD. He then went on to
further his studies at the Union Theological Seminary. During this period he
became a born-again Christian, heard the call of God, was held in a mental
institution and went through many other unusual experiences. Upon his
return to China, he set up evangelistic bands and undertook extensive
ministry works before fanning out into the region of S-E Asia. John Sung
conducted revival meetings, Bible study classes, disciple training courses and
brought about an unprecedented revival to the churches in the region. His
active ministry ended only when his health finally gave way. An operational
wound from his student days never healed. But his sense of urgency
prevented him from taking time off to undergo the required treatment.
When he finally entered hospital in December 1940, it was too late. He died
four years later at the age of 42.
Now listen to what he wrote in these amazing diaries:
ON HIS CONVERSION
“my involvement in analysing the various religions left me
in a state of confusion and total darkness. Just before Christmas,
I attended an evangelistic meeting with several friends. Imagine
my surprise when I saw a 15 year old girl preaching on stage
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instead of a learned and eloquent professor as I had expected.
She was all dressed in white from her dress to her shoes and even
socks. When she opened the gilded Bible, her delivery of the
message was as crisp as it was powerful: the Cross was lifted
high and salvation message was thoroughly presented. I was so
deeply impressed by her powerful sermon that I went back for more
of her message 4 times.”
ON HIS BIBLE
“Last night I read the Gospel of John from 2.10am to 3.37am.
What joy indeed. The great love of God was expressed on the
Cross and never will He forsake me …….. guided by God, I read
The Bible 40 times, each time using a different scheme to
study. I devoured the Bible as a thirsty man yearning for water.
The Word provided me with the most nutritious of foods, without
Which I would not have been able to move forward.”
By God’s grace I have now read the Bible 43 times but I pray for that thirst
that John Sung wrote about till the day I die. When my Mom and Dad died I
got their Bibles …… completely worn through….
What a legacy.
ON HIS VOW
“I wish to keep the will of God in all that I do. If I have not experienced the reality of
God in my heart, I would have worshipped mammon. But now that I have such an
intimate relationship with Him, why should I not give up all that I have for Him? His
path for me I must tread, unclear as it seems, and His will I must obey.”
I have made up my mind: even if I have to die, I will preach the Gospel in China.
I will die a willing death, If only my fellowmen be saved.”
It was an amazing book. I love reading the diaries of these great men of
God. At the moment I read a few pages of John Wesley every night, it really
is moving.
2. _ LIVINGSTONE BY R.J. CAMPBELL
I got this book from a second hand bookshop in England last year; it made
such inspiring reading for me. Listen to quotes from this book:
ON HIS CHARACTER - “the chief reason for Livingstone’s lasting
Experience on the African soil was his character. The greatest
asset that the reputation of Great Britain has ever possessed in Africa
is the respect felt by the nature of every grade for the manhood of
David Livingstone.”
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ON BEING EVANGELICAL - “from first to last Livingstone retained
the evangelical faith in which he had been brought up, a faith
necessarily broadened and rendered more sympathetic and
tolerant by his growing knowledge of life in its manifold aspects
but remaining fundamentally unchanged.”
HIS CALL TO AFRICA - “Moffatt made the memorable reply
Which more than any other single influence shaped Livingstone’s
future. It was to the effect that a man in full health and vigour,
with his best years before him could undoubtedly advance the
cause of Christ in AFRICA, if he could be content not to settle
down in an old station but penetrate to the north, where no
Missionary had yet set foot and where in the bright light of an
ordinary morning there could often be seen the smoke of a
1000 villagers.”
HIS STRONG WILL - “with the exception of what his gun
procured him, his staple food during this exhausting journey
of nearly 7 months was the same as the people lived on, often
he was reduced to a diet of bird seed, manica roots and meal,
and now and then had to go hungry. Little wonder that for the
greater of the times he was a very sick man. Nothing but his
indomitable will enabled him to keep going and overcome the
huge difficulties that daily beset him.”
It made wonderful reading for me and was a massive challenge; I could not
put it down.
NOW I AM READY FOR NAMIBIA!
Today I head off to Namibia, but as always I read from the Bible from l
Chronicles, 1 Peter, Micah, and Luke. This plan of Robert Murray McCheyne
is brilliant and enables one to read the Bible right through each year. As
always I end with Oswald Chambers in his “My utmost for His highest”.
Today in speaking on Galations 6:4 “but God forbid that I should glory save in
the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”, Chambers wrote:
“in external history the Cross is an infinitesimal thing, from
the Bible point of view it is of more importance than all the
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empires of the world. If we get away from brooding on the
tragedy of God upon the Cross in our preaching it produces
nothing. It does not convey the energy of God to man, it maybe
interesting but it has no power. But preach the Cross and the
energy of God is let loose”.
A long day lies ahead of me. First I fly from Pietermaritzburg to
Johannesburg, then another flight to Windhoek and from there another
flight up to Ondangwa where I will be met by the Church leaders. As always
I bring some books with me. They are a massive help in assisting me with my
walk with God and to bring the Word of God into Africa.
A book which has been such an encouragement is _ “A PRACTICAL
THEOLOGY OF MISSIONS” by Eric Wright who also was a missionary in
Pakistan for 20 years. On the different flights (which take 12 hours from
Pietermaritzburg to Ondangwa) I was blessed by the following:
ON THE MINISTER
“To the pastor belongs the privilege and the responsibility of
Solving the foreign missionary problem. Until the pastors of
our churches wake up to the truth of this proposition, and the
foreign work becomes a passion in their own hearts and
consciences, our Boards may do what they can, by way of devising
forward movements … yet the chariot wheels of missions will
drive heavily. Every pastor holds his office under Christ’s
commission, and can only fulfil it when, as a missionary bishop,
he counts the whole world his fold. The pastor of the smallest
church has the power to make his influence felt around the
world. No pastor is worthy of his office who does not bring
himself into conformity to the magnificent breadth of the great
commission, and draw inspiration and zeal from its world-wide
sweep.”
ON BIBLE COLLEGES
“The problem of the theological seminary is this: not how to
train an occasional individual for the foreign field, but how to
kindle missionary passion in every person who passes through
the school, that he may thereby become an able minister of
Christ. The essential thing is that there shall be within the
School a sacred altar of missionary passion, at which the torch
Of every man is kindled”.
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DEFINITION OF MISSIONS
“By missions, I mean specifically the outward activity of the
Church – reaching the unreached with the Gospel. Missions
Aims to plant viable churches of mature disciples in every
unreachable area – among every people, tribe, tongue and
nation. Genuine missions always retains both a vision for
the whole world and a Christ inspired passion to reach the
Gospel-destitute with good news wherever they may be”.
SOCIAL WORK
“as commanded by Christ, disciples must respond to medical,
economic, social, educational and general human needs.
Humanitarian activities may undergird church planting but must
NOT supplant it. Such ministry is Christlike, genuine and
necessary but it is not to be understood as missions”.
DOCTRINE OF GOD
“The supreme arguments for missions are NOT found in any
specific words. It is in the very being and character of God
that the deepest ground of the missionary enterprise is to be
found. We cannot think of God except in terms which
necessitate the missionary idea ….. the grounds are in the
very being and thought of God”.
ON THEOLOGY
“Theology, the study of God, ought to energise missiology.
No doctrine of God, Christ, the Holy Spirit has been
expounded completely according to the Bible, until it has
established the triune God as the outgoing God of mission”.
Had three excellent flights.
to catch a taxi to another airport called
EROS, about 40 minutes away. Found a
fabulous taxi driver called ROMEO, who
not only took me to Eros but we arranged for him to meet me on Monday
and take me back to the main Windhoek airport.
When he heard I was a bishop, I had to bless him!
Which I did ………
Which I did ………
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On the little 6 seater up to Ondangwa we had a lady pilot, so my prayers
were enhanced amazingly. But there was Denis Nandi to meet me and I was
taken to my hosts, Timothy and Hertha Hanine, a delightful Namibian family.
For them to have a bishop in their home is the
at the bottom of the pile. Africa is full of fun
….. as Denis left to go his car would not start,
so no trouble to the folks in the area, the rally
around, get some wire and 2 spanners and
Denis was on his way.
Time to unpack and enjoy a wonderful African
meal in Ondangwa.
My reading is so critical to me so after supper could settle down to a few
hours of great inspiration. Listen to what Eric Wright said:
_ ON THE GIFT OF TEACHING
“the gift of teaching is that Spirit-endowed ability to instruct
others in the Word of God in such a way that God produces
in those taught present and lasting changes in understanding,
attitude, will and behaviour”.
How I pray for that!
GIFT OF PREACHING
“History tells of no significant Church growth and expansion that
has taken place without preaching. What history points to, rather,
is that all movements of revival, reformation and missionary
outreach seems to have had preaching at their centre, instructing,
energising, sometimes purging and redirecting and often
spearheading the whole movement. It would seem, then, that
preaching is always necessary for a proper sense of mission to
be evolved and sustained anywhere in the church”.
SHOCKING STATISTICS
“in our global village there are 285,000 active cross-cultural
Christian missionaries …….. amazingly about 91% of the
Missionaries work with already reached Christians: about 8%
work with evangelized non-Christians and 1% or just under
3000 missionaries work with the unevangelized…..”
JOHN PIPER
“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is.
Missions exist because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate,
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Not missions because God is Ultimate, not man. Missions is a
temporary necessity, but worship abides forever. Worship
therefore is the fuel and goal in missions”.
It is now almost midnight; this great book has stirred me deeply. Tomorrow
is going to be a great day when, as the Bishop, I will be visiting our rural
churches. What a great day in Africa …… and what a book!!!
FRIDAY 26TH NOVEMBER
We will leave by 8 so I got up early to do my readings before breakfast
which will be prepared for me at 7. Read my 4 chapters from 1 Chronicles, 1
Peter, Micah and Luke and then closed off with prayer and reading Oswald
Chambers who wrote –
“in holiness movements and spiritual experience meetings the
concentration is apt to be put not on the Cross of Christ but on
the effects of the Cross”
Managed to begin a new book entitled _ “BIBLICAL CHRISTIANITY IN
MODERN AFRICA”. It looks phenomenal but begins with the challenge of
Africa. Wilbur O’Donovan, a missionary in Africa for 40 years, writes –
“ injustice is just one of many overwhelming problems that are
devastating the African continent. Other problems are just as
bad. There is poverty that is beyond imagination. There is
tribalism and tribal killing. There is rampant disease, in many
cases with little or no medicine available to treat the disease.
There is oppressive corruption among government officials.
There are terrible economic problems and unemployment.
There are huge levels of debt. There is fighting, killing and war
in one country after another. There is a massive breakdown of
marriages and families in the cities. There is more crime in the
cities than anyone living can remember. The streets are filled
with homeless and handicapped people. There is widespread
prostitution. There is an epidemic of sexually transmitted
diseases greater than at any time in history. There is widespread
despair, depression and hopelessness. The news is
bad. Where is God in a continent some analysts say has
become the next Christian continent in the world by the
year 2010 AD. Where are the Christians who can change
what is happening by their actions and by their prayers?”
It is the most amazing experience living in the homes of the local people.
Timothy and Hertha prepared a phenomenal breakfast for me and then I set
off with Denis to visit our local Churches remembering the great challenges
in Africa. BUT as Don McClure wrote –
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“I am filled with an amazing ambition to do
something worthwhile in the great land of Africa.”
1. OMUGWELUME : (ST LUKE’S)
A very depressing picture where these dear
people worship in a building with 3 walls, the
front wall is completely demolished. Had a
time of singing and I preached from
Matthew 4:19. Afterwards we went to their
new site where I will seek to raise funds
which will enable them to put up a barn
structure.
2. OHANGWENA : (ST PAUL’S)
A fairly good building, lots of children but
few adults. After some good singing I spoke
to the children on the hands of Jesus. Such
a privilege to visit there out of the way
places.
Met with 8 of their men which was
encouraging and one of them wants to go and
study for the ministry. Spoke on Acts 2:42
We travelled in unbelievable heat returning 7
hours later to a cup of tea. These churches are small, very little Gospel and
they desperately need pastors who are godly and trained. We must pray to
the Lord of the harvest. But it was a great privilege for me to visit them as
their bishop.
After an exhausting but glorious morning, I can now settle down and finish
my book “Biblical Christianity in Modern Africa”. It has been brilliant
covering subjects like – African culture, urbanization, sex, money, poverty,
politics, power, women in modern Africa and all these coming under the
authority of the Bible. Listen to how he concluded:
“the church in Africa urgently needs to return to Biblical Christianity. Churches are
plagued with nominal Christians, false miracle workers, modern day Pharisees and false
teaching of many kinds. Marriages and families are in great need of family life teaching
based on the Bible rather than on culture. The church is consumed with conflict,
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denominationalism and division. All of this has kept the church from being the greatest
force on earth for God in a sick and sin-filled world. The church is in need revival- a
revival based on obedience to the Word of God that will bring reconciliation, love and
unity to God’s people. God’s people need to pray for such a revival”.
Here is a book which should be read by as many Christians as possible. It is
unusual in that its pages range across theology, culture, sociology,
contextualization, ethics, and even politics, but O’Donovan tackles each with
an unflinching commitment to the Bible.
I want to also summarize the book I read before coming to Namibia and
which Peter Squires has also just finished.
It is called _ ‘THE COMPROMISED CHURCH” by John Armstrong. I found
this book touching on the two issues which I am wrestling over so much at
the moment. Listen to what he says on:
PREACHING
“is it not clear, as you take a bird’s eye view of Church History,
that the decadent periods and eras in the history of the church
have always been those periods when preaching had declined?
What is it that always precedes the dawn of a reformation or a
Revival? It is renewed preaching”.
He then quotes John Stott –
“but we preach… that is, our task as Christian preachers is not
subserviently to answer all the questions which men put to us,
not to attempt to meet all the demands which are made on us,
not hesitatingly to make tentative suggestions to the philosophically
minded but rather to proclaim a message which is dogmatic because
it is divine”.
ON WORSHIP
“Evangelical worship is becoming an oxymoron. Irreverence
has become to rampant in our worship services that one would not
be shocked to hear of deacons walking up and down the isles yelling,
popcorn, peanuts and sacraments.
Worship in the Bible is the due response of rational creatures to the self-revelation
of their Creator. It is a honouring and glorifying of God by gratefully offering back
to Him all the good gifts, and all the knowledge of His Greatness and graciousness
that He has forgiven. It involves praising Him for what He is, thanking Him for
what He has done, desiring Him to get Himself more glory by further acts of mercy,
judgement and power, and trusting Him with our concern for our and others future
well being”.
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“What they do not realize is that by changing their priorities from worship to
evangelism, they are actually weakening their effectiveness in these endeavours. If
the people do not focus on Christ, feed on Christ, ascend into the heavenlies with
Christ in worship as a Church, all of life suffers due to a perverted perspective, not
to mention suffering a depletion of spiritual empowerment”.
WOW………3 incredible books. Now to supper, real African style…..
I LOVE IT!
After an amazing supper I spent most of the time thinking through my
program for next year. Here I am in my 60th year and life can’t get any
better, the Pastor of a church, the Principal of a Bible College and a Bishop
into Africa. Next year I will visit Malawi twice, Namibia twice, Zambia,
Congo, Kenya and hopefully Ethiopia so I want to spread these visits into
Africa over the year. But Africa is where my heart is. I love what Stanley
said of Livingstone –
“he was dedicated to Africa, its heat and fevers and their future. There
could be no going back o n Africa. He had married Africa on that
March day in 1841 when he first set foot on its soil and now 30 years
Later there could be no divorce”.
It’s late; a storm has cooled us down so now time to sleep. Tomorrow I have
a morning with all the Church leaders in ONDANGWA.
SATURDAY 27TH NOVEMBER
Always begin in the precious Word of God and I benefited greatly from my 4
chapters in 1Chronicles, 1Peter, Micah and Luke. Oswald Chambers in “My
Utmost for His Highest” wrote –
“if I brood on the Cross of Christ, I do not become a sufectue pietist,
interested in my own whiteness, I become dominantly concentrated
on Jesus Christ’s interests”.
Before breakfast I dipped into John Wesley’s Journal, listen to him again:
“Elizabethe Walcam was born in March 1733……on Sunday evening,
June 1751, I found her much weaker in body, but her soul was
full of life and vigour. When I came in, she said, “I am exceedingly
you came. Now let us rejoice together. We shall meet together in heaven.
I am washed in the blood of the Lamb, I know God is my Father, I
know my name in written in heaven, there we shall rejoice together”.
What a way to die…
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What a soul winner Wesley was. Now listen to what his barber said on 11th April
1751 –
“Sir, I praise God on your behalf. When you were at Bolton last, I was
one of the most eminent drunkards in all the town, but I came to
listen to you at the window and God struck me to the heart. I then
earnestly prayed for power against drinking, but God gave me more
than I asked : He took away the very desire of it. Yet I still felt myself
worse and worse, till on the 5th April I could hold out no longer. I knew I
must drop into hell that moment unless God appeared to save me…..
and He did. I knew He loved me and felt sweet peace”.
These are 2 amazing testimonies, praise God for the GOSPEL. Now to
breakfast and then to the leadership training in Ondangwa, so
exciting for me.
went to the grave of Bishop Peter
Kalangula, the man God raised up to begin
our work up here in Ovamboland. He
clashed with the Anglican bishop and was
booted out which meant he was looking for
a home in a Bible believing Anglican
denomination. Through David Samuels in
England, he was put in contact with Bishop
Stephen Bradley and so our work came into
being. There are now 5 churches in
Ovamboland and even today he is revered
and held in highest regard. In my early
days he was so kind to me; it is a privilege
to continue with his legacy. From there I
went on to the meeting with the Church leaders.
After sharing with them the 9 marks of an alive Church, I opened it up to
discussion and debate, real African style and this went on till 1pm. They are
so incredibly grateful for my visits to Namibia; it seems to be binding them
all together so nicely and also gives them hope for the future. From there
we went and had a drink at an African bar in the township which was such a
wonderful experience for me. I shocked them all by being a champion at the
one video game which I used to play with my sons when we were on holiday at
Karridene. After a Coke and some fun we headed home where lunch was
waiting for the bishop. The hospitality is quite overwhelming.
After lunch I began the last of my books which I brought with me and it
promises to be one of the greatest biographies I have ever read, and I have
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read hundreds. It is the story of HENRY MARTYN called _ ‘FOR THE
LOVE OF INDIA”. My two heroes are David Livingstone and Charles Simeon
and Henry Martyn was the curate under Simeon at Holy Trinity Church in
Cambridge. In the summer of 1805, at the height of the struggle for naval
supremacy between Britain and France that was to culminate in the Battle of
Trafalgar, a young man, newly ordained to the ministry of the Church of
England, and always showing symptoms of T.B. which had claimed the life of
his mother, set sail on the long and hazardous voyage to India. Leaving
behind friends, family and the woman he so loved, he turned his back on the
prospects of a brilliant academic career in England, in order to bring the
Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of God in their own language
to the people of India and Persia. Struggling against the vigours of a climate
which was previously undermining his health, facing scorn and hostility from
many, within the space of a few short years he completed the translation of
the New Testament into Hindustani, Persian and Arabic, opened several
schools and brought the Gospel to thousands. In the list of missionaries the
name of Henry Martyn will always occupy a special place. Listen to some of
the things he wrote about in his diary before arriving in India –
ON DAVID BRAINERD
“I feel my heart knit to this dear man and really rejoice to think
of meeting him in heaven. I long to be like him, let me forget
the world and be swallowed up in a desire to glorify God”.
LOOKING BACK
“I have learned that neglect of much and fervent communion with
God in meditation and prayer, is not the way to redeem time, nor
to fit me for public ministration….my only desire is to be entirely
devoted to God. Oh may I live very near to Him in the coming year,
and follow in the footsteps of Christ and his holy saints. It will be
attended with much self-denial and warfare…”
ON HIS DEDICATION
“I solemnly renounced the comforts, even the lawful comforts of
it, before God this night, that I might be entirely His servant”.
DR VAN DER KEMP
He was the first missionary to South Africa and Henry Martyn met him on the
way to India. Martyn asked Van der Kemp if he ever regretted becoming a
missionary, to which he replied – ‘NO…. and I would not exchange my work for a
kingdom”.
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ON HIS 25TH BIRTHDAY
“I do not know that anything would be a heaven to me, but
the service of Christ and the enjoyment of His presence. Oh
how sweet is life when spent in His service”.
ON STARTING IN INDIA
“I feel pressed in spirit to do something for God. Everybody is
diligent but I am idle…now let me burn out for God”
It’s late; this book has gripped my heart, now some sleep after a great day in
Africa.
SUNDAY 28TH NOVEMBER
It’s a beautiful morning in Ondangwa, woke up early to enjoy my Bible
readings from 1Chronicles, 1Peter, Micah and Luke. Oswald Chambers this
morning wrote on the bounty of the destitute, listen
“there is a certain pride in man that will give and give, but to come
and accept is another thing. I will give my life to martyrdom, I will
give myself in consecration, I will do anything, but do not humiliate
me to the level of the most hell deserving sinner and tell me that all
I have to do is accept the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ”.
Spent some time in prayer, went for a long walk, enjoyed a great breakfast
and now I head off to preach at Ondangwa where all the people will come and
listen to the Bishop!
I am so looking forward to coming back and continuing this enthralling book
on the life of Henry Martyn – it is absolutely phenomenal, I can’t put it down.
We had an excellent service in Ondangwa where I preached on Matthew 7:
13-14. It was fairly well attended and it was a special joy to meet up again
with MARY KALUNGULA. She is a delightful woman and is carrying on all the
interests her father PETER was involved in. After the service there were 3
different choirs and it is always such a joy to hear the children singing.
Eventually after nearly 3 hours the service drew to a close and they very
kindly presented me with some beautifully woven baskets, one with my
initials on which I found very moving.
We then went back home to another excellent lunch, had a quick nap and
then carried on my reading of this amazing biography of Henry Martyn. He
is now in India and doing the great task he is so well known for. Let me share
some quotes for you:
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THOMAS QUOTE
“he shines in all the dignity of love, and seems to carry about
him such heavenly majesty as impresses the mind beyond
description. But if he talks much, though in a low voice, he
smiles, and you are reminded of his being dust and ashes”.
SHERWOOD QUOTE
‘Mary Sherwood said of him “he is one of the most pleasing,
mild, and heavenly minded men, walking in this turbulent world
with peace in his mind and charity in his heart”.
ON PERSIA
In 1812 he wrote “in all appearance the present year will be more
perilous than any I have seen, but if I live to complete the Persian
New Testament, my life after that will be of less importance. But
whether life or death be mine, may Christ be magnified in me,
if He has work for me to do, I cannot die”.
He died on 16th October 1812 at the age of 31. Henry Martyn was gone but
he left behind a name that should never be forgotten, for he gave the
Scriptures to the people of India and Persia in their own languages. Canon
Edwardes said of Him –
“I know no parallel to these achievements of Henry Martyn, the born translator.
He masters grammar, observes idioms, accumulates vocabulary, reads and listens,
corrects and even reconstructs…. But above all HE PRAYS”.
I am embarrassed to say I wept as I came to the end of this book; it has
really left a mark on my life, a man who wrote –
“Now let me burn out for God”
MONDAY 29TH NOVEMBER
The time is now ready for me to head back home. Woke up to read from 1
Chronicles, 2 Peter, Micah and Luke. Oswald Chambers reading for today
made this comment –
“the type of Christian experience in the New Testament is that
of a personal, passionate devotions to the person of Jesus Christ”
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My books are all read, my heart is stirred to follow in the steps of Henry
Martyn.
Timothy and Hertha who have been
wonderful to me and then catch the
flight to Eros Airport where hopefully
Romeo will be waiting for me and take
me to the main Windhoek International
Airport.
All went well; three excellent flights and 11 hours later arrived safely home.
It has been an excellent trip and I think the people were very encouraged.
“I beg to direct your attention to Africa; I know that in a few years I shall be
cut off in that country, which is now open:
Do not let it be shut again!
I go back to Africa to try to make an open path
For commerce and Christianity;
It is for you to carry out the Work which I have begun.
I leave it with you! . - DAVID LIVINGSTONE
1. MISSIONARIES
One of the best visits I have ever made in my 4 visits to Ovamboland was to
the museum just outside Ondangwa in a place called OLUKONDA. There I
found the Finnish Evangelical Missions first station established in 1872 by
Rev MARTI RAUTENNEN. He and his wife made their way up here in a
wagon, built the Church and the mission station and brought the Gospel to
this area. They laboured here for 40 years, buried 7 of their children and
eventually were buried in the cemetery alongside the church. I admire these
pioneers who came to Africa and gave everything to lead souls to Christ.
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Wherever I go across Africa these great people laid the foundation for
Gospel ministry across Africa.
2. HOW I CAN NURTURE MISSIONARY VISION
Eric Wright wrote the following:
“If, as we have seen, missions is a central facet of biblical revelation, then
wherever the Scriptures are faithfully preached God’s people should find
Missionary passion bubbling up within them. Unless the pastor deliberately
avoids certain Scriptures, a careful attention to the message of the Bible will
underline God’s missionary vision. Care should be taken to ensure that this
vision is not sidelined by the modern penchant for messages that deal only
with felt needs and issues. Missionary information and vision should be
woven into the Sunday school curriculum, Bible studies for home groups,
the organization of the church year as well as the preaching schedule.
Encouraging missionary vision requires regular exposure to missionaries,
young people full of excitement about their calls, furloughing missionaries
telling stories about what God is doing, national pastors and evangelists
providing a concrete demonstration of the worth of missions. Every Church
must have a healthy missions’ budget. The cry should not be, “We can’t
afford it!” but rather, “For what amount does God want us to trust him?”
Care should be taken to plan well-conceived missionary conferences, seek
gifted missionary speakers, encourage believers to offer hospitality to
visiting missionaries, maintain missions as a priority in the weekly prayer
meeting, give book reports on missionary biographies and keep the
congregation up to date on missionary trends and happenings.
The key to local vision will be the attitude of the pastor. The prospective
Pastor’s view of missions would be one of the central questions asked
before a man is called to a given church.”
I want to be a pastor that leads his congregation in that vision.
3. NAMIBIA
What a privilege to visit these churches in Ovamboland. Four of them are
really run down and the other one needs to rebuild. But a greater need is
the need for godly pastors who will come and love these dear people and
teach them the Word of God. Whether it is up in Malawi or here in
Ovamboland, the door is wide open for a missionary to come and work
alongside these churches, build up the leaders and generally bring everything
under the authority of the Bible. Pray….. for men ………
How better to close than by quoting Henry Martyn for the last time:
17
P.S. Should you want a copy of my other journals, please contact me on my
cell or via email as per the details below:
“I feel pressed in spirit to do something for God.
Everybody is diligent but I am idle ……….
Now let me burn out for God.”
Footprints into Africa
P O Box 22864
Southgate, Pietermaritzburg
3200 South Africa
Office (033) 346 0635
Cell 082 920 1147
E-mail: footprintspmb@gmail.com
Visit our new Website on: www.footprintsintoafrica.com
