Out of Africa

I Saw What I Saw
by Sarah Groves
Tell Me What You Know CD


Last week our family attended The Rebelution Conference in Dallas with our best friends from Texas (now living in New York) and my parents and my older brother and his sons. What a grand time of exhortation and learning!

We attended my brother's church in Keller on Sunday and went to his home to change clothes and grab a quick lunch before heading back to Wichita. There, I saw an interesting photograph on his living room table. It was a photo of children in Africa...I'll come back to this in a moment. Many of you probably don't know, but my heart has been drawn to Africa ever since a missionary from the UK serving in Sudan came to admonish our church in Phoenix. Actually, he was admonishing the enitre American Church for her lethargy, apathy, and lukewarm spirit. He told of families in Sudan being butchered because they met in the bush with other Saints to take Holy Communion. They are not ignorant of this risk, yet gathering together for fellowship and communion is worthy. They treasured Christ and His Bride to the point of death! He rebuked us for thinking it was a big deal to get to church on Sundays faithfully. He rebuked us for allowing garbage to enter into God's Holy temple by the music we listen to, the literature we read, and the way we spend our time, the amount of pointless leisure we assume is due us - how we squander the time. I've never been the same. This was before Nicholas was born. I believe it was even before I was pregnant with him. I repented that Sunday. I've not been the same. From that Sunday, I longed to go to Africa and serve in any way I could....

My heart is in Africa.

Not a year goes by that I don't long to go to Africa. Lately, I've been even more encouraged to go because of a man in South Africa named Dr. Peter Hammond of FrontLine Fellowship. His ministry is powerful! I also have friends from our Southern Baptist church in Lewisville, TX who served in Senegal, West Africa. They are home on furlough, but will be going back as soon as possible. Lastly, a dear friend (who used to be a sixth grade Littleton, Colorado student of mine when I was a public school teacher) is headed to Zimbabwe to be a chiropractor. She will be a missionary who happens to serve people by chiropractic medicine. Incarnational ministry - not just drop and run Jesus Film blip. Then there is the picture atop my brother's living room table. A picture of children from Uganda. My brother supports a missionary who serves in Uganda. She used to be the children's ministry director at his church in Keller, TX. He told me she could get me to Uganda....

I don't know how God is going to get me to Africa, but I believe He will. I believe God is working out the details even now. I should not be discouraged but have hopeful expectation for what He is going to do.

Our family makes it a habit to listen to conference CD's when we take a road trip anywhere. Redeem the time! During the trip to Dallas, we were working our way through American Vision's Worldview Training for the 21st Century. While listening to Putting Your Faith into Action by Janet Folger, I was rebuked, humbled, and inspired. (By the way, if you've not 'met' Janet Folger, I encourage you to get acquainted with her!)

In the Putting Your Faith into Action CD, she shared how we Christians think little thoughts and expect little things of God. CHRISTian, this should not be! We hold God in contempt and despise Him because we are fearful and defeated by the 'giants' in the land. So true! Do you know God equates unbelief and retreat and withdrawl with holding Him in contempt? With despising Him? He does! WoW!

I have been guilty lately of little thinking and little belief and little faith. I've been guilty of ungodly fear and unbelief. I've been guilty of retreat! God, forgive me! Beloved, forgive me!

Janet told of the account in Scripture where the spies were sent to Canaan in Numbers 13 and Numbers 14. The first account of spies being set to scope things out. How only Joshua and Caleb believed God and sought to ready the people for victorious battle. How the other spies were fearful of 'the giants' and prompted the people to retreat, to even want to go back to Egypt (bondage) rather than risk dying by the sword. Let me share with you a portion of this text:

14:1 "Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night.
2 And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become a prey. Would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
4 And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. 6 And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 10 Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? (ESV)

The NIV puts it this way: The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?

The NASB puts it this way: The LORD said to Moses, "How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst?

The NKJV puts it this way: Then the LORD said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?

The KJV puts it this way: And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?

What a rebuke! What a charge! I am praying I will not be guilty any longer of holding God in contempt. I have seen, time and time again, His wonderous works and His faithfulness. His mighty hand. He has not kept me from seeing His glory! I should not fear!

GOD IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS!
GOD CAN DO WHAT HE SAYS HE CAN DO.
I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM.
I CAN DO ALL THINGS - THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.
GOD'S WORD IS ALIVE AND LIVING IN ME.

I'M BELIEVING GOD!

Thanking God that He is faithful when I am faithless.