Outreach to Pastors in Malawi
Effectively leading the people by example is not determined by our age, nor by our stature, nor from our textbook education.
Our effectiveness in leading by example (Matt 5:19-20) comes from the Spirit of God (John 16:13) He illuminates the Word of God (Jn 16:14).
A pastor’s duties do not come from our natural tendencies (1Cor 2:14) or from worldly wisdom (Col 2:8-9) . Our responsibilities come from a calling from God. We need the guidance of the Spirit of God (John 16:13), said Pastor Wiskie Chidobvu in the introduction to the pastors.
Wiskie shared the word from 2Timothy2:1-3 :
“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
We introduced the topic by sharing the word of God from this scripture. The passage shows us the importance of being a leader, to learn and act on the lessons then to be able to teach other people, who will be able to transfer the same message and conduct to other people. Those that hear the word of God depend on teachers that know the truth and are faithful to perform it (Jas 1:22-25). They are able to do and teach what they are saying (Matt 5:19-20).
The leadership position is a place of many battles but we thank God that all the weapons of our warfare were made known to us (2Cor10:4). The “Warfare Against the Beast” (Rev 12:17-13:1) is a tool to help us to perceive the main seven enemies we encounter on our spiritual journey. God also made available the LIGHT of His Presence (1John 1:5, Matt 5:14-16, John 3:20-21, John 1:7-8, John 3:30) as a weapon to conquer those seven enemies of our Faith.
Then Wiskie shared how the law is of great help to show 7 moral vices and 7 moral virtues. Apostle Paul explains how the Law is still applicable to the church in Romans 3:31 because it represents the presence, character or nature of God (Rom 1:20,1Cor9:9-10). “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”
Paul’s testimony of the Law through faith is an encouragement to the church to view the Law as a light in darkness in our walk of faith(1John1:5-7, John 3:19-20). We are not the LIGHT of the Gospel. Instead, we bear witness of the LIGHT (John 1:7-8). Wiskie said even Jesus Christ emphasized that he did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it in Mathew 5:17.
The booklet above demonstrates that the moral positives of the Ten Commandments are the Beatitudes in Matt 5:3-12. These seven moral virtues in Beatitudes (Matt 5:3-12) are shown to be in the same sequence when compared to the Ten Commandment moral virtues. This LIGHT of the Beatitudes (Matt 5:14-16) is the Person of Christ.
A graphical Children’s Chart is used to illustrate that the Beatitudes (Matt 5:3-12) are an outline of events in the Gospel of John. This chart helps parents to teach the Gospel of John to their children as moral opposites.
The graphical children’s chart will develop spiritual discernment in children (Heb 5:12-14) when they read other literature. Events in other literature should be compared to the images shown on the chart and compared to the Bible references displayed in the various categories.
The same chart was translated into Chichewa to help Malawi pastors to learn and teach the topics to others in their congregations. Malawi parents will be able to do the same.
Everyone’s focus when we mention the Law is the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai. This is a good start on the subject matter. Afterward, Wiskie shared the 7 vices and 7 virtues from the Law which will be expounded throughout the discussion of “Warfare against the Beast” (Rev 12:17-13:1).
1. Pride – Humility
2. Rebellion – Obedience
3. Bitterness – Forgiveness
4. Defilement – Purity
5.:Theft – Diligence
6. Deceit – Honesty
7. Greediness – Contentment
Pastor Wiskie showed the team of Pastors how the the book of Deuteronomy and Exodus pictured these vices and virtues in the Ten Commandments.
The Pastors were so glad to hear that word of God in such a way, and upon hearing the introduction they discussed that we need to mentor them into the details of the teaching. We mutually agreed to meet twice every month and one these meetings we will be teaching them. They also planned to invite as many pastors as they can. All of the attendees received the booklet “Warfare against the Beast (Rev 12:17-13:1)” for further studies. They also requested us if it’s possible to speak the word of God in their churches.
Pastor Phiri, who is also the leader of the team, encouraged the pastors to take heed of the truth about these common vices that have been secretly destroying many leaders even the Christian family. He said this is practically happening among us, and we need to let this truth free us from these great enemies of faith in Jesus.
Pastor Magetsi, the one who hosted the gathering, said it’s a new approach and wonderful way of seeing the scripture the way we have heard today. The experience is so good to see these in the Ten Commandments that we have known for so long. We thank God for an opportunity to have such a wonderful moment of personally getting this truth and to have the booklet for personal studies. He also said this is a great tool, since as much as we study, we are sharpened to utter the truth to our church members . Now, we will not struggle to share the scriptures we have been taught.
Another Pastor said it was a great moment of leaders to stay together hearing the word and be revived. Most of the time, pastors have no one to teach to them. The church members expect pastors to continually share their spiritual knowledge. This moment is a great opportunity for us pastors to continue learning, and as consequence, we can also teach others.
At the end of our meeting, Pastor Wiskie said it’s our Joy to have the message extended to them and we have open hearts to share as much as God gives us an opportunity of doing so.
We are looking for other volunteers to assist with teaching Malawi pastors and other Malawi visitors. We plan to set up Google Meet sessions using a cell phone or iPad.
Please note that Malawi time is 9 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time (PST). Contact me at the following email address if you would like to assist: pschidobvu@gmail.com
