Just another ordinary slave of King Jesus in yet another time to preach his Gospel
Author: A life in time to Preach
I'm Peter Muturi Kimotho. Christian. Kenyan. Ministry Training Facilitator at iServe Africa. Passionate about studying and teaching God's Word. Seeking to preach the Gospel and raise faithful Gospel workers in Kenya. Blogs at timetopreach.com
I’m keeping this in and taking it to the grave I keep it close to my heart never letting go It’s a dirty linen to keep away from the world Not for a man of my stature to be exposed But how long can you lie to a mouth?
Kings and nations have hidden great secrets People have died in the name of secret affairs Secrecy might be the most notorious criminal But what secrets hide tongues confess Mouths reveal in seconds what hearts hide for years
People are enslaved for years by hidden sin Families tiptoe around unspoken rules and lies But tongues are always free to let it out What the heart digs in, mouths dig out In a flash tongues burn mountains of secrets
Within no time you are caught in the act When the mouth speaks the heart is exposed No one is safe with an open mouth None can hide where the tongue is loose Because tongues are the eyes of the heart
No man can make an alliance with a tongue It’ll betray you early in the morning But if you want true freedom then be ready to be caught Speak it out, shame the heart and free the soul If you confess you’ll never have to fear your mouth again
Don’t tiptoe around life fearing what people might see Don’t enslave your heart with hidden sin Let the mouth tell on you before God Use that tongue to confess the mud of the heart And run to him for his Gospel eternal rescue
I think as you get older you start paying attention to the News and you even get excited wanting to know what’s happening around you. I’m one of those who easily gets glued to a political talk show. I don’t know if I should apologize for that. But I’ve always loved debates and I really enjoy the heated engagement. I want a taste of true genius in responding to questions and a bit of that sneaky avoidance of difficult questions. But I also want to hear of leaders that know the plight of my fellow citizens and seem to have care and concern for our future.
In general though I want to watch news lest I keep looking like the only alien in the country. I want to be in that class that is in the know of how things are going down here before the Lord calls me up there. My only problem is the more I read the paper and tune in to the latest, the more I feel angry, disappointed and disgusted by what’s happening in this country and the world at large. It’s not once that I have decided to stop watching news altogether, stop paying the license to watch TV only to find myself searching the news channel on YouTube or going for the free options.
Thing is even if I succeeded in turning off that TV and Radio, Social Media won’t let me off the hook that easily. And most importantly I do want to be in the know. I don’t want to be one of those Christians we used to say in Campus that they live in heaven and only appear to attend Class in the morning. I want to think about my world and apply my faith in this sphere. I want to be someone who speaks to the culture and my friends while knowing what goes around them. But neither do I want to keep wounding my soul with endless stories of the latest murder, the latest scandal and the greed of politicians. You can see my dilemma!
And so like we are asked to do with everything I applied the Golden rule of Christian living and asked myself what the Gospel tells me in this situation? How am I to approach my News Channel biblically? As it turns out at our Church (Gracepoint Church Kikuyu) we are just turning to a new Exposition series through the dreadful Judges after the Glorious book of Joshua. Honestly, every time I contemplate reading the book of Judges I get scared a bit because I still can’t believe it’s in the Bible and the people in it are actually the chosen race of God’s priests. But Judges and the Bible in whole resolves this dilemma.
The Bible doesn’t try to hide or water down the true nature of humanity even when it’s speaking about God’s people. It tells me that what I watch in the News is a just a tip of the iceberg. Man is desperately corrupt and without God’s grace of godly leadership he is capable of the most heinous of acts. It tells me that when things work out like you see in Joshua it’s because God is in charge and when man gets his way, well, then you have Judges. So I shouldn’t be surprised about what happens around me. That’s just the true color of man. But I do need to look elsewhere as I watch all this and that’s where the Gospel lands.
If I keep watching the news I’m either going to get so disgusted that I have to stop which is hard to run away in this social Media world. Alternatively, I might just get so used and so numb to what happens that it no longer scares me or makes me at least uncomfortable. And I don’t want to get there as I don’t think that’s biblically healthy. But I think there’s a last and far better option and that’s to read my Newspaper with my Bible. To watch the News and scroll down that Timeline with one eye but have the Bible informing me on the other.
Christians cannot afford to keep feeding on these News without God’s Word refreshing and detoxing our system. We need the News Channel to remind us where we live and the desperate need of the Gospel. But we also need the Bible, the teaching and encouragement of the Gospel to have true hope beyond this world. Jesus had an option to pick us up as soon as we received the Gospel and take us with him. But he left us here knowing so well the world we live in and what happens down here. Why? Well, as he says in John 16:33, because he has overcome the world.
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16
Through the message and the hope of the Gospel we are able to overcome the negative tide of this world. Where the world paints it’s ugliness on our walls and recommends useless escape plans. God in the Gospel gives us real hope and power to face the ranging storm. I think the News should send us running to the message of the Gospel as taught by the Bible. When I hear the latest murder, the rottenness exposed by investigative media and the latest Corruption scandal, I should see this from the Gospel eye.
I shouldn’t be surprised although I can’t help it sometimes. I shouldn’t seek to run away though I may need to apply some measures to safeguard my soul and those with children may need to think more seriously about this. But in the face of all this the Bible tells me it’s not completely hopeless for us who believe. Though the natural man is rotten there’s hope for the new man, created in the image of the best of men, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus lived in this world and he conquered it living in holiness and obedience to our Father. And through the Gospel and his ever present help so will we make it.
In the next Chapter of John in Ch. 17 the Lord Jesus prays for his disciples throughout all generations:
15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. John 17
John 17
He calls on the Father to sanctify and set apart his children by the message of the True Gospel. The evil one would want us to see the hopelessness in our world and fall for rage, insults or escapism. But the Gospel faces our world head on exposing its ugly belly and pointing us to our only hope which is found only in Christ. We need to apply the Gospel in every sphere of life to be healthy Christians. And I believe that applies to my News consumption and engagement, to what I read and write on my Social Media walls.
It’s not bad enough that Christ suffered on that hill for us. That he was beaten, mocked, chastised and killed for you and I That his justice was denied and the innocent killed for my sin That the most holy God was drowned in the sewage of your sin But he was cast away, ripped from his eternal union to take my judgement
It wasn’t bad enough that he was rejected by those he came to save That the very ones he sought to redeem cried out for his death That his very disciples betrayed, denied and deserted the Saviour But even today his message is maligned and his people twist his Gospel Like our forefathers we reject, deny and undermine his claim on us
It was bad enough that all his apostles suffered for his message That his people were called a cult and cast away from Israel But today his name is used as a curse word, a play word for children His eternal rule is ridiculed and none fears the Lion of Judah Everyone trembles at human rulers but laughs at his face
It was cruel and futile enough for the former governments to attack him But in every age and every state they rebel and renounce his claim The world of today like yesterday treats him the same if not worse They treat his message, his claim and his people the same way None considers the humble Passover lamb is the ferocious Lion of Judah
But it’s worse in his own church and among his own disciples By word, deed and testimony we betray, deny and desert him Some twist his message for their own gain, laying a claim on his people Others claim to hold out his Gospel but by their conduct deny it’s truth And the many forget his very existence, rarely seeking to live for him daily
We may look down on those who killed and tortured our Saviour We may despise the early disciples and the first church But we need to ask, are we any better today or worse? Is the risen Christ alive in our sermons, in our witness and living? Is he the Lord and Saviour, ruler and God of us and everything we possess?
Our world doesn’t mind a full weekend holiday in his name But it must consider the fate of sin as seen on that Good Friday If God didn’t spare his innocent son for the sins of the world What makes you think he’ll overlook yours that fully deserve judgement? Run to him for his Easter refuge or prepare for the judgement of eternal hell
When your breath fades And you hear the last bells When a voice whispers in your mind And deep in thought your hear a last word I wonder what will come to mind one last time
What will become of my life? Who will look after the children? What of my life plans and ambitions? What legacy do I leave behind after me? I doubt where you leave will matter that much.
Perhaps it’s what left undone The future you never got to enjoy That trip, that job, a final expedition I think it’s more how you leave that matters What awaits me across the bridge of life and death?
When I close my last what will happen? Who will receive me across the river ahead? What will become of my soul on this other side? Eternal peace and salvation or the lake of eternal fire When it comes to it how you leave will matter the most
It may seem like a millennia away But one day you’ll surely have your last The worst thing is it might come suddenly You may never have all the time and space to think So I thought I should give you this chance here and now
Let’s dream and reconsider this life Begin from the end coming backwards Have that last thought now before it’s too late Make it the most exciting thought you’ll have then To know tonight I’ll surely be with my Saviour forever
Run to him before the end comes Make him your rest and refuge today A hiding place when the worst happens Make your last thought your best thought To know he’ll be happy to receive your above
When I miss the light of day And the moon denies me her gaze When the mountains sink behind And there’s no waters to swim again My one and only desire is to see Him
When my body gives in to pain And I succumb to the way of life I want to wake and see him See him who made me his own Him who conquered my rebellious heart
I want above everything to see his hands Touch his head and his side See the wounds that bought me life Touch the scars that healed my sin-sickness When I close my eyes, I want to see Him
I want to sit at his feet forever To tap from his eternal wisdom Of all the gold and riches I will pay anything to be his audience To hear from the true breath of life
I long and yearn for that eternal Day To see in full what his Word teaches I daydream and get lost in imagination Longing and waiting to hear his trumpet To wake up to be with my Saviour forever
People get into their line of work for all kinds of reasons. For some it’s their talent, passion and gifting, others saw a need they wanted met while for others, well, that was all that was on offer. The dream is when they love their job and find fulfilment in it. They have a reason to wake up everyday and take risks because they believe in what they do. That’s what anyone wants for their pastor. That they love the Lord and his people which makes them ready and happy to go the extra mile.
But quite often people lose the passion that got them through the door. It happens to everyone for all kinds of reasons and it applies even to ministers of the Word. These streets are full of people who rise up early and come home late because they have to. What else would they do? They have bills to pay, children to school and families that depend on them. But we don’t stop to imagine our pastor maybe on the same category. I mean he works for God, he changes people’s lives, he offers hope and has a whole community cheering him on. Surely he must love his job and can’t wait for Sunday.
In truth, and contrary to what a lot of people think, your pastor is a normal human being. He has the same struggle sometimes to get out of bed and preach that powerful sermon. Home visits might not be what he looks forward to. But more to our topic of interest he may not be finding as much fulfilment from the job as you may think. Now we want to start with the assumption that he first got in for the right reasons, that he saw a Gospel need and realised God had given him the gifts and training fit for it. That he couldn’t wait to reach the lost and disciple others for the rest of his life.
But then a few years in things haven’t gone exactly how he thought, there’s the burden he carries for the flock, his own family in addition to the struggle with his own sin. On the other hand, perhaps things are great, the church is growing and his life is stable but he has lost that first fire to wake up everyday, take every opportunity to do his share of Kingdom business.
Worst case scenario he’s been in this rut for quite some time now and he can’t see a way out. Now some of you out there would think well maybe he should quit. But it’s more complicated than that, first what else would he do? What about his bills, family and his own reputation? You see his predicament? Now add that like the many people who don’t like their jobs he has to keep doing it for the foreseeable future. Then you’d have a lot to worry about if you are part of his congregation for his sake and the church.
Now, I know I’m painting a rather extreme picture and one that negates God’s ever present grace, encouragement from the Word, fellow ministers and the congregation. But I’m doing this because when it comes to ministry I find sometimes people don’t see things realistically. They never imagine what happens to so many people in our midst might happen or is happening to their minister as well. We think because God called him he’ll always be firely for the Gospel and passionate about pastoral work. Yet we know even the most fulfilling of jobs have bad weeks and passion can fade with time.
Supposing I’ve convinced you of the possibility of this happening then we ask what should be done. What kind of measures and strategies should we lay down in place to spring the man of God back to the horse. Perhaps a better ministry language is how can we pray, help and encourage our minister to fan the flame, see 2 Tim 1:6? We are in the right territory here and my answer is one the Gospel, second Gospel love and third prayer not in any order. You could easily say the Gospel is the answer.
When calling fails, and I don’t want to debate how extreme that sounds, what will keep one going is a constant reminder why they got in the first place. They got in because God drew them in by his Gospel, he transformed them by the power of the Gospel and gave them his passion for the lost by the calling of the Gospel. The beauty of Gospel ministry is what gets us through the door is what will keep us on the family business. The fire might dwindle and the enemy might get us doubting and despairing but when we come back to the Gospel in the scriptures the power, the strength, the energy, and the motivation is always there.
Paul writes something that I think every minister needs to keep going back to. In Romans he argues out his passion and mission statement and I think the reason he writes this powerful letter:
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1.
In the Gospel we find God’s saving power and that’s what everyone including your minister needs every day. This is also the motivation he needs, to know that through his mundane work of preaching and teaching, God is working to save and sustain his people for eternity. He needs to preach to himself this Gospel everyday and we need to do the same for his sake and ours too. When is the last time you encouraged your minister by something you are reading from the Bible? He needs it and the encouragement is twofold, one for his soul and second for his ongoing ministry.
In addition, the Gospel is founded on God’s love for his people, see the popular John 3:16. The son of God invites us to love instead of judgement and the minister’s work extends that love to others. But the minister needs to know and cherish that Gospel love. To swim and bathe daily in the amazing love of God that brought an enemy to his dinner table. To remember that one died that many may live and he needs to die daily following his master’s footsteps. That’s the job, that’s the calling.
And when hardship comes whether from the congregation, his own life, his sin or from the world, that’s not a barrier it’s the price. But as those who share and benefit from this love we need to extend it to him as well. We need to bear a part of this burden ourselves. We can’t be all receiving and never giving. We need to think seriously about the welfare of our ministers both spiritually and physically.
But none of these works unless God works. The greatest motivation comes from God himself. It’s God working through his Spirit by his Word that keeps his man on the job. So above everything else we need to pray and pray some more for ministers of the Gospel. Pray that the same word they preach bears fruit in their hearts. Pray for protection from sin and scandal. Pray for his contentment and joy in the Gospel. Pray for his family that they’ll be full partners in this work. Pray for his children to believe and be proud of their dad’s work. When Calling fails, the Gospel and our prayers will keep the man of God in office.
You can be whatever you want in life Work hard and you’ll be rich and successful Find within what makes you great and special Go for that person who makes you happy It’s all about you in this me world It’s a shame the world doesn’t belong to you
What makes you happy is all that matters If they won’t join team A cut them out They should be glad to join the winning team She should be happy she’s dating you They should be glad they know you But what happens when team A fails?
You turn to blame game, it’s never your fault Something or someone is to blame not you It can never be you, you are so special Why do bad things happen to good people? Where is God when I need him most? You get bitter and wallow in self pity
In truth the world is first God-shaped before you Everything revolves around him and not you And he calls you to be outward looking True happiness is not me shaped he taught us It’s giving and dying for others that’s our foundation And in his footsteps we find true happiness
In a me world life very quickly crumbles We are stressed when things don’t go our way But in a God world that’s to be expected Because this world is not our home But he makes worth our failures and weaknesses Before bringing us to our real eternal home
A proper perspective is to see all in God’s eye It’s his world and all happen for his glory And what’s good for God is good for us His glory should be our greatest pursuit His will and mission on earth our life goal To live for him now before living with him forever
4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation nor will they train for war anymore.
Isaiah 2.
Bearing COVID in mind, it seemed like the world only had one problem to deal with and once resolved everything else would fall into place. In truth seeing what is happening now in the world and here in Kenya this cannot be any further from the truth. To some political stability, good health care system, end of lockdown is the dream and to us jobs, economic recovery and political goodwill seems even more urgent as we gear towards general elections next year. In truth our best hope lies not in fixing the next crisis but in the hope we find in the Gospel of Jesus. And from Isaiah we are learning we need a complete makeover. A New Exodus for God’s people, a whole new creation under a better ruler in a land where unemployment, diseases, poverty and injustice is unheard-of.
We thank God that here in Kenya things seem to be going back to normal. And we rejoice now in the simple things we used to take for granted like being able to work onsite and to gather physically in church. But as we rejoice in this we now realize going back to “normal” is only a return to the many other challenges that face us as a race and this world. With this in mind, we are convinced that the hope of the Gospel is even more urgent today. And this gives us great courage and motivation to keep preaching and training others for this noble and urgent task.
For this reason, we thank God that he has entrusted to us 22 apprentices: 15 first years and 7 second years, to train for faithful Gospel ministry and walk with this year. In addition, our online Ministry Training Courses, that is MTC and Utumishi Course has attracted 35 more local Gospel workers drawn from all over the country serving in different capacities. We praise God for these 57 individuals that God has led our way to be equipped and enriched with the Gospel through in-depth study of the Word of God.
I was just thinking of the difference it would make if all these men and women were captivated fully by the true message of the Gospel and were established in the Word of God. What if they in turn went out to teach it boldly and passionately? What an impact that would have now and in the future!
But in all this we realize that our work only works when God works. So our big prayer is that as we train these men and women, God will work in them and in us to conform all of us to the nature of Christ and draw more people to the hope of the Gospel through this ministry. Click here to subscribe
It’s that moment, you’ve just finished preaching. Normally you dread this moment because you aren’t sure if that sermon was any good. You struggled to show the big idea of the passage. You are not sure if the connection from the Old Testament to the Cross made any sense. You had a few jokes that didn’t necessarily get the congregation moving but you did your best. And finally you made something of the application.
But today wasn’t like that. No, you were flowing with the passage and the Spirit was speaking. You prepared well and actually enjoyed the whole process. You could feel Paul speaking through your material. You nailed the talk, you got the message and emotion of the text right. The congregation was feeding from your sermon jubilantly and you could hear it cut through their hearts. A job well done.
But the service ends, you go home and you wonder what difference did it make? Yes it did seem to stir people’s heart and demand a response. And for a moment you saw a small spark of what some call a revival coming. But days go by and you don’t necessarily see any change. Actually people very quickly forget and your effort and good work go to waste. You wonder was it worth it? Is this job worth all the headache and sleep deprivation it causes you. After all, it will all be forgotten and barely appreciated. Such is the tragedy of good sermons. Good work gone down the drain.
But maybe the reason it feels that way sometimes is because sermons are not meant to work the way we want. Because we are not meant to work the way we think. You see like those sermons we are instruments in the hands of another. It’s not how well prepared and specific we are for the job that matters. Although that is very important. But it’s what he’s doing in us and through his Word that day that matters. Who knows what his aim for the day is? Who is he after today? Perhaps our humility is what he’s after. To help us understand it’s him who works and that without him we can do nothing, see John 15:
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5.
But better still this understanding helps to remove the weight of transforming wicked sinners from our hands. To remind us we are but undershepherds in the service of the great shepherd and master of our souls. And what a tragedy would it be if those souls were at your mercies and the work you do? Can you even imagine the responsibility that would demand of you? The heartache and the restlessness? Thank God he’s in charge not me. Praise God he’s at work even when we don’t see!
The thing that blows my mind away is that he chooses to use those sermons. Not only the well polished but even the ones you doubt would make a difference. And sometimes long after your sermons you see a fruit here and another there. What a joy that he chooses to use you and the gift he gave you to conform his people to the likeness of his Son. That he draws men from the world to himself through your work of preaching his Gospel. How amazing and humbling that is!
I know it’s disappointing to labour hard and not see results. God knows how much I crave visible results. But perhaps our heartache results from focusing on the wrong fruit. When we misunderstand what we are called to do and what he says he’ll do.
Ours then is to honour him with everything we have. Labour hard not just for visible results but in honour of him and the gift and opportunities he’s given us. What he does with our labor is upto him because the flock belongs to him not us. And so we must continue doing our very best as preachers to honour our great Lord and Saviour but also learn to say with Luke:
10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty. ‘
