“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ…” 2 Corinthians. 4:3-4
We’re back from our third trip to the bush in three weeks. I’m so far behind in admin work and answering emails; not sure when I’ll ever get caught up. It has been a joy having the company of dear American friends, Terry & Cindy Hammock, for the past week.
While in the bush, we taught sessions on God’s holiness and true conversion. Two sessions were in sub-villages of Ilwendo where we had never taught before. At the close of the first of these sessions, the Lord provided a special word of encouragement for us. One older woman asked, “Since you were chosen in America by the Lord to come and find lost sheep, when will you come teach in our village again?” How many times have we heard that question? What touched us most was her wording, “chosen to come find lost sheep.” In that moment, all the hard hours driving and setting camp seemed insignificant.
Our session in Makanda village produced a lengthy discussion on the place of keeping the law in salvation. Shannon was also visited at camp one morning by a young man, and spent a couple of hours debating salvation by grace through faith verses the works of the law. We are seeing like never before the reality of 2 Cor. 4:3-4, that our gospel is veiled to those who are perishing and Satan has blinded their eyes to the glorious gospel of grace in Christ. The older Lozi generation is blinded by ancestral traditions and witchcraft. The younger Lozi generation is blinded by works-based religion. We can spend 2 hours walking them through Galatians 2-3, Romans 3, and Ephesians 2, showing that no man is justified by the works of the Law, and they will immediately return to speaking the language of works rather than grace.
Even with the most curious, eager, and genuinely hungry, we are seeing that just because we teach something once or twice does NOT mean that they “get it.” We are just beginning to see the depth of hard spiritual labor that will be required to establish even one biblical church in this area. Those of you who’ve walked this road before us are laughing and saying, “Welcome to reality.” As a result, my vision for the Lozi work is actually growing 'smaller,' or perhaps I should say more sharply focused.
Let me use this example. The first time I visited Bass Pro Shops, it was overwhelming. So many departments to see – gun-hunting, archery, fishing, fly-fishing, camping, clothing/shoes, art gallery, etc. One wanders in frustration – there’s no way to see it all in the time available. But when I moved to the Ozarks, my trips to Bass Pro became more sharply focused. I knew what I needed, and rather than wandering through the store in a daze, I headed straight for the fly shop or archery department.
When one first surveys the spiritual need among the Lozi it is overwhelming. The Gospel is needed everywhere! There is a glamorous attraction to pushing deeper and deeper into the bush, preaching to unreached areas. But now that I’m here, reality is setting in. If our time and energy is consumed with trying to teach everyone, then no one will receive adequate teaching. God only called one David Livingstone, and I’m not him. During this last week in the bush, I resolved in my heart to focus on the field where God has sovereignly placed us, and do the hard labor of plowing the same field with the Word over and over again. If we leave Zambia someday with one biblical church established among the Lozi of Ilwendo village, it will be a life well spent and I will be pleased. If the Lord would allow us to establish three biblical churches – Ilwendo, Makanda, Imbwae – I will be ecstatic! Those of you who’ve walked this road before us are smiling and nodding, aren’t you?
Please pray. . . .
-That the Spirit will give us a clear vision for the work
-That God will speak the light of the Gospel into Lozi hearts.
-For progress in learning the language (we’re still in the helpful phrases stage)
-For the Lord of the harvest to send more workers into His field
~Sean Reece, HeartCry Missionary Society
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