Nehemiah's Sword & Trowel

Intro remarks...

In the hustle of life you sometimes forget some of your basic motivations and get caught up in rocks, thorns and thistles. But when push comes to shove it is your basic motivations that come to the fore. These are the enduring factors that no span of time or trial can change. When they are the foundation they are always there.

One of ours is the Great Commission to preach the gospel to every person. This is compelling in its simplicity and its authority. Another is a heart for the oppressed. This leads us out of the major centres, to look for those who haven’t heard. We want to reach those who have been marginalised, who have had everything stacked against them, to offer them the free gift of God’s Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ. The poor can be unbelievably rich!

These things drove Jesus. He went from village to village, seeking the lost. He preached the gospel to the poor. God made it that these are the ones who are rich in the kingdom of heaven.  He sets us free from our pride: “Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted (accepted in Jesus), but the rich in that he is made low (to discover true wealth).” The one who has nothing trusts in Jesus. The one how has something trusts in himself. What a difference!

This motivation has also led us to the Muslims, to the joy of seeing God turn hearts from darkness to light, from poverty of spirit to open faced faith and love, from intimidation to boldness. We also love the cultures with the richness and grace God has given each one.

Then there is the cross. “So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you." (1 Thess 1:6 NLT) There is something about being made right with God that makes us wrong with this world. It has happened throughout church history and it is the same today. There comes a point where we are forced to nail our colours to the mast. This time has come in our Western nations. Appeasing political correctness just gets us into deeper trouble.

Appeasement paints a false picture about the situation in Jos. In this state as a whole the Muslim no longer have the votes to elect a governor. The election of a Christian governor and recently Christian local government members has reignited two brutal attacks in just over one year to drive out the Christians and re-establish a political majority. What are we to do? First, we defend all the wounded, Christian and Muslim alike, as many as we can help. Second, we stand strong in our faith and message of the truth. If we yield to intimidation we have lost.

And the stakes are high. Not only eternal life for many, but the future of the nation of 150 million people, the future of the continent as a whole, and make no mistake, the impact upon all Christians worldwide. For what was done in Jos last week, would be done in every nation if at all possible.

Please pray for the staff...

Our compound remains under threat. We have had threats by email, text and by word of mouth, against us as people and against our buildings and property. We even had one from Saudi Arabia two months ago, through an email address we haven’t published. We cannot underestimate the situation. It calls for constant vigilance. We cannot be at all presumptive.

Our staff are preparing for classes to begin in one week. We have an international friend coming to conduct a seminar on Paul’s use of the Old Testament to preach Christ (a wonderful series). Pastors from the wider Jos region are invited and will be joining our students for this week, to encourage all those in Jos. While everything and everyone has scattered we are building, preparing and gathering and the contrast is plain and an encouragement to all.

Rumours circulate each day of impending attack. Our staff will continue to sleep at night with one eye open.  All the staff could have good pastoral positions better paid in churches in other places but they choose to be in Jos for the gospel. We hold none of them back. When we help each other with furniture or cars they are gifts without any strings attached. They are free to leave with their property with full blessing. But like the servant who had his ear bored through they stay.

We have reduced our employment of armed police from 24 to 12 hours per day because of the cost. This is one of the things adding more costs to the college, but it is responsible for us to do it. We look to the Lord for his leading and trust in him to reply and don’t want to run when he hasn’t said. Once before when some big names prophesied Nigeria was about to be thrown into a civil way we prayed. He spoke to our hearts and we returned with our five children and witnessed the largest period of church growth we had seen to that point.

But it takes risk. We have to be like Paul, who didn’t put his own life first.  The main things are important and are in tact: the goodness of the Lord in marriage and family and that he has made each one of our hearts right to put him first. What more is there? We are willing to risk our lives to stand in the love of Jesus for his people. Rather, it is an honour. But we need you to stand with us. Not to do all we could at this point to promote the work of the gospel among the millions of souls wouldn’t be right. Please stand with us.

One way is to support. Another is to get all the people you know to stand with us also, in prayer and to contact us to be included in our email updates so we spread the word and gather more help. I am not ashamed to gather all the help I can, to help others.  Please send this email to your friends and ask them yourself if they wouldn’t mind contacting us to stand with us. We are on the field and we can’t do that. We need you in this way, to help contact other people we can’t reach unless we leave the people we serve. Thank you.

“He who loves his life in this world shall lose it, but he who loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s shall find it.”

You can leave a comment on our website homepage by going to the section on the lower right and clicking it. This way all our staff and friends can see it. We thank those who have done this, for the encouragement to the whole team. I have copied just one of them to the comments section below.