From the Newsletter of Bomet Africa Gospel Unity Church,

P. 0. Box 33, Tel. 220-49 Bomet, Kenya

Email - aguc@africaonline.co.ke

Habakkuk 2:20

REPENTANCE AND CONFESSION OF SIN RENEWS THE CHURCH  Revival means bringing back to life that which was dead. A church that needs revival means that she is spiritually dead. This condition is brought about by hidden sins among the members. So when we say we are having a revival campaign, we are focussing our attention on the members of the church and the backsliden Christians. At the same time also we do not neglect to evangelize those who have not primarily believed the gospel of Christ. We had such a campaign last week.

In his sermon to us last Sunday, Bishop Job Were took Joshua 7:1-26 for his text. He used this to emphasize the importance of repentance and confession of sin as a means of forgiveness and healing of the spiritually sick. Achan the son of Carmi of the tribe of Judah was one of God's people. The Lord had commanded His people through Joshua not to take an accursed thing out of Jericho, the city that was captured miraculously. Achan ignored this commandment and secretly stole a Babylonian garment and two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight. He coveted and took them. He hid these under the ground in the midst of his tent.

Now it was time for Israel to attack the city of Ai. However, victory was not assured as in the capture of Jericho. It was God's hand that had given them victory before. Joshua and the others did not know anything about the sin of Achan. So Joshua prepared the army for the capture of Ai. Joshua send the spies to view the city. The spies returned word to say that only a small army of two or three thousand was needed to capture it for the inhabitants were very few. However, their first attempt was a disaster, as thirty six of them were killed and the men of Ai chased them, and they fled before them. This put Joshua and all Israel in dilemma. Joshua rent his clothes, humbled himself and cried to the Lord. He thought that this was going to be their end. He told the Lord all the implications of the defeat. In the end he said "what wilt thou do to thy great name?"

The Lord is God who answers prayer. So when it was His time to answer, He said "Israel hath sinned, they have transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have taken of the accused thing, and have stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff' " vs. 11. That was the reason why they were defeated. The picture we see here as we were told in Bishop Ware's sermon is also in the church today. When we do not see any progress, no victory over Satan, no spiritual growth then the answer is that sin is within the church. To this point, Joshua had not identified who had committed this sin. What was needed was repentance and confession of sin.

The Lord asked Joshua to sanctify the people because sin was in their midst. Joshua was told how to investigate this matter. At last Achan was found and compelled to confess. However it was already too late for him to be forgiven. In his confession he said "indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus have I done: when I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonian garment .... then I coveted them and took them and behold they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it" vs. 21. Joshua sent messengers to retrieve these things. And as it is today so it also was then, God's truth and justice stands. The wages of sin is death. So Achan and all that was his was stoned to death and burned with fire.

This was clearly applied by Bishop Ware, that there must be sin among us in the church today, and the time to repent is now. A time will come when we will have no opportunity to repent and our confession like Achan's would mean nothing but for now it is for our forgiveness and spiritual healing The preacher did not specify any sins among us or how we have been defeated. In the past we have seen some of those who have worshipped among us and heard the gospel many times going back to the world. They have done this because they had always lived with hidden sins. Another manifestation of the presence of sin is lack of faithfulness and keeping the time in our regular worship services on Sunday, and also poor attendance of midweek fellowships, Bible study and prayer meetings. Besides our giving to support the church is very poor. Very few give their tithes and the Lord's work cannot continue as it should be. That is why we need a revival. We are spiritually dead and need to be revived. The time to confess is now, the time to be forgiven and healed is now.

REACHING UNBELIEVERS is also a means of church growth and this responsibility is the first commandment to the church. Her members are to go and preach the gospel to unbelievers. So it was also during our revival campaign that we had open air preaching twice, the first message spelled out the heart of the gospel as told by our Lord Jesus Christ to Nicodemus in John 3- Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God" vs. 3. This mighty guest who came to Jesus was no ordinary Jew, he was a Rabbi, who knew the scriptures. But he did not know the true way to the kingdom of God. He was puzzled by what Jesus told him. But he was committed to believe because he told Jesus that he knew He was a teacher from God for no man can do the miracles Jesus was doing except that God was with him.

Nicodemus became a disciple of Christ from that day. His faithfulness was seen when he joined Joseph of Arimathea in the burial of the body of Jesus. The message to Nicodemus also belongs to all who hear the gospel. They must be born again and will see the kingdom of God. This message was made clear and invitation was given to all, to believe and come to Christ.

A second message showed how we can share the gospel by directing the inquirers to God's people who can help them. This was shown in the story of Naaman the commandment of the Syrian army who was healed of his leprosy by the word of prophet Elisha. He was told of Elisha by an Israelite slave girl who worked for his wife. The girl had remarked to Naaman's wife that there was a prophet of God in Israel who could heal her husband's leprosy. This did not only lead to Naaman's healing but also he got to know that there was a true God. He gave up idol worship and committed himself to worship the true God. All this was because the little girl shared the gospel with him. "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver" (Proverbs 25:11).

The gospel message must always be told, and all who hear must believe to have eternal life. This is also why this week we had a mission team from America (Team Timothy). They have gone to many churches to share the gospel through film and also with our children in Bomet Christian School.

We have been called by Christ and we are to hold the fort till He comes

Michael Koech, Editor

*Bishop Joseph Ware and Pastor Michael Koech are both Faith College Board members.

Affiliation   History  Faculty  Curriculum  Location  Guest Editorials  Favorite Links  Contact Us   Home