By Pastor Dave Maki Southwest Lutheran Church
I have never met a more impassioned group of leaders than the ones who are carrying out the Great Commission in Ethiopia. Witnessing their commitment to reaching the lost with the Gospel was incredible humbling. It was a privilege to stand in the presence of these witnesses and experience their enthusiasm for the work of Jesus Christ. There is much for us Americans to learn from the heart and desire of Christians in Ethiopia.
We spent four days rubbing elbows with pastors, evangelists and church leaders who gathered at Mekane Yesus Seminary in Addis Ababa for a conference on Outreach to the Muslims. These dedicated disciples traveled from all over Ethiopia to learn and share ideas on how God is bringing many Muslims to faith in Jesus. Some of these saints traveled three days to be present with their Christian brothers. The conference, hosted by Lutheran Hour Ministries, was lead by Pastor Masresha (a Lutheran pastor who taught at Luther Seminary in St. Paul Minnesota) and Dr. Peter Ford (an expert in mission work to the people of Islam). These men eagerly sat for hours learning about the theology of Islam and exploring practical ideas on building relationships with the unbelievers in a country of eighty million.
We had hoped our presence would encourage these men in their difficult and dangerous work of bringing the truth to a growing Muslim population. As it turned out, they were far more encouraging of us than we were to them. They told us of the joy and privilege of suffering for the cause of Jesus Christ. One pastor explained how most of the Christian churches had been destroyed in his region and the one building that remained had to be surrounded by police as the Christian worshipped. There were accounts of Christians being beaten and tormented for their faith and commitment to preach the Gospel.
We discovered that Americans have little to give these brave and faithful disciples. God has already blessed them with a willingness to give themselves totally to the purpose of witnessing of God’s grace. In a country that has very little material things (average income is $175 a year) these Lutherans have all they need to impact a country with a message of hope. This is evident by the fact that the Lutheran Church in Ethiopia has grown from 20,000 to 5.5 million in twenty five years. What a demonstration of God’s blessings upon the faithfulness of His people.
The great blessing of our trip was to learn the huge involvement of the lay people of Mekane Yesus. With 6000 plus congregations and only about 1,000 pastors, God’s people have learned to grab the reigns of preaching, teaching and disciplining. This church is alive and vibrant in mission and ministry. The growth of the Lutheran church is an example of God’s blessing the faithfulness of a persecuted church. The lack of material things has not prevented the Holy Spirit from using the weak and powerless to accomplish great things.
It was a humbling, encouraging, exhilarating, and challenging trip. We learned the truth that God’s Word works the miracles of faith and life. May that same Word bring the same fruits in the church in America.
Posts
