Reflections—Kingdom of God—a priceless treasure here and now!
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Matthew 4:17
What do … spokespersons for Christ do? They bring the life of the kingdom to other people. They bring that life in themselves. That’s what Jesus himself said, and that’s what he did. ..What was at hand? The kingdom that was in him. As people looked at him and listened to him, they realized that the kingdom of God was there and that it was available to them, and they became disciples of Jesus because of that. ..spokespersons for Christ exemplify eternal living and bring it to bear on everything around them. Eternal life is the life we live now, because our life is caught up in God’s life. It is not later. What Jesus is doing is a part of what we are doing, and what we are doing is a part of what he is doing. Living in Christ’s Presence, Dallas Williard, pp. 19,20.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is heaven. …
Do not lay up for yourselves treasure on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…..For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also…Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body what you will put on. Is not your life more than food and your body more than clothing?….your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:9,10,19-21,25,33
“And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.” Matthew 9:35
So what did Jesus preach? What was his gospel? His gospel was the availability of life in the kingdom of the heavens, or the kingdom of God, now. …Isn’t this the gospel: that when others not only hear the content of it but also see how we live it and present it, they say, “I want that. I want to be a disciple of Jesus. I want to be one of his students, learning how to live in the kingdom of God now as he lives in the kingdom of God”? …Jesus is about bringing the life of the kingdom of God into my life and making me a citizen of that kingdom. Living in Christ’s Presence, Dallas Williard, p. 20.
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13: 44,45
“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sin and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5b,6
..our job is not to make things happen. We live in the kingdom of God, where God is active. His Spirit is present, His Son is alive. That’s where we live. Living in Christ’s Presence, Dallas Williard, p. 21.
The kingdom is not ‘by and by, pie in the sky’ (heaven); it is here and now! Am I actually living in the reality of the kingdom moment by moment—dead to sin and to myself, but alive to God in Christ? Every moment is an opportunity to be with our teacher, Jesus, and to learn to live in the Reality…to arrange our lives around the kind of practices and life Jesus led to be constantly receiving power and love from the Father..to live as though I am an unceasing spiritual being with an eternal destiny in God’s glorious universe. Living in Christ’s Presence, Dallas Williard, pp. 42,46.
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” Revelation 11:15
Praise
-that Bo’s training with Panda Express and the resulting family separation while he completed the training is coming to an end. Debbie was able to go to S. Carolina to spend time with Abbie and Tim and they came back with her to Arkansas for a couple of weeks.
-for a change of pace for Aaron and Bethany with the summer break from Denver Seminary. Aaron is working at Home Depot over the summer and Bethany continues with her accounting job with the inner city mission.
-for safe travels to and from Banda—two full days by road each way (1000 kms) from Entebbe to Dungu, and a 50 minute flight on the MAF Caravan from there to Banda. Praise that I was able to get to Bangadi to participate in the graduation ceremonies for the Portable Bible school. What an amazing experience to see men and women from different churches and backgrounds being recognized for having completed the training and being sent out as spokespeople of and for the Kingdom of our God and of His Christ. Pray that they will live in the Reality of the Kingdom.
-for what we—Mark Knoner, me, the indigenous Congolese missionary team of 4 (two masons, a carpenter, and Pastor Etienne Ngadu—a disciple maker/teacher), and a young lumberjack from Bangadi were able to accomplish at Banda toward the rehabilitation of the three houses for the AIM team. Pastor Etienne was able to follow-up with those who he and a team of indigenous missionaries led through a 3 month discipleship program in 2011. He also had the opportunity to lead devotions during the Banda Section church council meetings and to teach/preach several times. I had the opportunity to preach in the French service in the Banda church on—the kingdom of God, here and now! Our expectations of having the locally available supplies of sand, gravel, and timber provided through local church participation and on hand when we arrived were not met. This together with the fact that the truck delivering the building supplies purchased in Ariwara (cement, re-bar, roofing, etc.,.) only arrived on the 20th prevented us from getting as much done as we would have liked. In spite of the heat and Mark not feeling ‘up to speed’ the whole time we were there, we worked hard making arrangements for the sand to be dug and delivered from three separate sights, trees felled and timber sawn with a chain saw and delivered, poles and ceiling materials cut and delivered, walls scraped and prepped for finishing, windows, doors and frames removed, repaired and replaced, etc.,. There remains 4-6 weeks of work to be done in getting the houses ready to be occupied. The church has requested that I return ASAP with the same team to complete the work. This is a matter of both praise and prayer! Praise that the Banda church leadership recognizes the value and necessity of the indigenous mission team to complete the work; and prayer, for the logistics of actually getting the team back to Banda ASAP for 4-6 weeks.
-for the opportunity Debbie had to facilitate the Healing the Wounds of Trauma training at IBCD and again this week in W. Virginia.
Prayer
-for Debbie as she travels with the Trinity Christian Academy team to Kenya, leaving Dallas on the 11th. I plan to travel by road from Entebbe and meet up with her (really looking forward to that—2 months apart is a long time!) and the team at Machokos where we will be involved in a project for Scott Theological College. We will also be traveling to Kajiado, Thika, and El Pejeta involved in projects, holding VBS’s, clinics, etc., Pray that we will be an encouragement to the TCA team members and through our lives, words, and actions point them to Jesus and his kingdom. Along with this pray that we will specifically be able to help with cultural issues, sensitivities and interactions. We will travel together back to Uganda after the team returns to the States on the 26th. Debbie has been asked to facilitate a Healing the Wounds of Training at Buyovu with the pastors from the Ssese islands fellowships.
-for clear leading and direction as we consider establishing an appropriate base in the States from which to launch ministry opportunities, as well as the establishment of an appropriate base in Africa.
-for the details/logistics of getting back to Banda with the indigenous missions team to complete the rehabilitation of the houses. Wendy Atkins has plans in place with MAF to be flown to Banda with her belongings July 24th. Pray with us that we would be able to get back to Banda and have her place ready for her to move in to by then. Current plans are for the Williard family to move from Bunia toward the end of August. Your prayers, along with those of the local believers, towards an end to the insecurity in the surrounding area due to the ongoing presence of the LRA continue to be needed.. Several incidents were reported during the time we were at Banda—one a few kilometers away on the Banda-Doruma road where a soldier’s wife was abducted and then released, and two along the Banda-Dakwa-Ango road where several young people were taken. The report from an abductee who escaped was that the group is made up of more than 35 well armed individuals who are primarily interested in finding food reserves for themselves, not causing harm to and hurting people. Nevertheless, due to the experiences of the past, their presence causes alarm and panic among the villagers.
-for the details being worked out with CECA-20, the UNHCR, and others to help the Congolese refugees from Assa and the surrounding area return home during the month of July from Zemio, CAR. They fled from the LRA in 2008 to Zemio and are now wanting to return to their homes in the Assa area. I have been asked on behalf of AIM and CECA-20 to help facilitate their return.
CAR—See report below
Because His Kingdom is present, is being established, and is an everlasting Kingdom!
Steve & Debbie
Stephen & Deborah Wolcott
Email: sdwolcott@aimint.net
wolcottsd@gmail.com
Steve’s mobile: 479-233-0823 (USA)
256-772-415201 (Uganda)
243-824-494864 (DRCongo)
Deb’s mobile: 479-427-2598
Africa Inland Mission, P.O. Box 3611, Peachtree City, GA 30269
Alert everyone everywhere in every possible way to the universal rule, reign, and Kingdom of King Jesus! Our God Reigns!
Reflection on the Kingdom continued:
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17
“Truly I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:23,24
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7: 21
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’. …Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” Matthew 25:34,41
CAR Report
28.5.14
late evening
There have been almost daily armed confrontations between the anti-Balaka and Mu slim extremists in the Km5 area of the city. This afternoon, Burundian MISCA peacekeeping forces were fighting in support of the Mu slims against the anti-Balaka. The coast being left clear for them, Mu slims in pick-up trucks turned up at the Cath olic chu rch of Notre Dame de Fatima and climbed over the enclosure walls behind which thousands of refugees had taken shelter. In the ensuing massacre, defenceless men women and children had their throats cut, were shot, or slashed at with machetes. The parish priest was stabbed, taken to hospital and died there shortly afterwards. Tens of people were forced into the pick-ups; those who resisted were shot. The people taken away are now being tortured and killed without anyone doing anything to go in search of them.
The confusion, disarray and devastation were total. I went to the site of the chu rch myself, to take photographs of some of the dead bodies*. I then learned that Elvira, one of the orphaned children who we have been caring for, was among those taken to hospital as an emergency. I went there and saw her; she is now out of danger but remaining under observation until tomorrow. Other injured people were having bullets removed.
I have more than once already referred to the presence of extremists in Km5, and recently also to Mu slim fighters arriving in a pick-up (e-mail sent 27.5.14). Please pray for the unhappy civilian population who are continuing to suffer. While we are working for social cohesion and unity, the actions of the radicals are continually undermining our efforts. But we will continue to call on the Lord, and will not give up under any circumstances.
29.5.14
Provisional number of dead from the killings at the Fatima chu rch currently stands at 15, in addition to those seriously injured. Still no news of those who were abducted. They were taken by pick-up in the direction of Koudoukou avenue, the so-called “corridor of death”. Pray for them and their families. Also for an easing of tensions. There was gunfire all night in the northern parts of the city, and barricades up everywhere today.
30.5.14
No electricity last night, no-one able to get about, and the whole city in lock-down. Living conditions just get worse all the time – we have had no running water in our part of town for weeks. But all of yesterday we had militia groups going around, telling everyone to get out, because they were planning an attack. A few have chosen to stay, including ourselves. The area where we live has become a base for training young people in armed combat.
Out of the twenty or so people abducted following the Fatima chu rch massacre, two have been released : an old man and a child. There is no news of the others, except they were taken to the town hall in the 3rd arrondissement of the Gbaya quarter in Km5 district.
People were out demonstrating from 4 am today, banging pots and pans. Please pray for our protection. The presence of the militia groups is in no way reassuring, as we have some brothers in the Lord formerly of the other religion with us in our house, and some who have come to spend the weekend in prayer.
31.5.14
Greetings.
Things were relatively quiet in Bangui today, though there was no traffic on the streets. We are continuing in prayer. As of Wednesday evening, we have been obliged to put this week’s programme of events on hold, which was to culminate today, Saturday, in a big reconciliation gathering.
Three people were killed by international forces during yesterday’s demonstrations.
The Mu slims in Km5 were planning a protest march following a speech by the lady interim President yesterday, in which she declared that the Km5 area needed to be disarmed. Thank God it did not take place, as young people were on the point of attacking them in counter protest against their behaviour.
Please continue to pray for us. God bless you.
Wolcott Wanderings 