TIM'S BlOG
March 27, 2012:
"I see many stones, many rocks in the way, in the path." These words were part of a prophecy spoken over me almost 18 years ago, and although I know the imagery was metaphoric, I could feel the literal reality beneath my feet as I walked up the rocky road of Laare, Kenya. Even though our driver had done his best to navigate the uneven terrain, there came a point each day when I, along with my fellow passengers Jay Pearson, John Opio, and Mugisha Goodman, had to disembark the car to give it a better chance to climb the hill to the main road that would bring us back to our guesthouse. There are many rocks in the way indeed. "Fear them not," the prophecy continued, "for every evil thing that shall rise against thee, God Almighty has made thee a conqueror thereof." Once again, even in this small thing the Lord proved his faithfulness.
I'm happy to say that by all accounts my seventh mission trip to Kenya was a good success. Of course, when we are sent out to bring the Word of the Lord to his people, the odds for success are greatly tilted in our favor. "If God be for us," the Scriptures say, "who can be against us?" All that is required on our part is obedience to the call. But as the name "Workers Together With Him" implies, a successful mission takes a united effort, and at its conclusion there are always many people to thank. Appreciation to Rev John Opio for making the invitation and prearranging the event; Rev Jay Pearson for joining me in this adventure; Rev Peter Munoru and his church for hosting the class; Rev Peter Sunungo for his excellent job of interpreting; Rev Peter Murungi for his service as our driver; Pastor Mugisha Goodman for joining us all the way from Kampala, Uganda, and all the people of Laare who opened their hearts to receive the message we'd come to deliver. Not to be forgotten are all our friends and supporters who carried us in their prayers during this time. Above all, thanks and glory be to God for making such things possible.
In retrospect, it seems impossible that we were gone from home so few days. Jay and I flew out of Baton Rouge after church on Sunday, March 11th, and by the evening of March 20th we were home again. All in all we spent as much time travelling to and from Laare as we did in the actual town. But that is how it goes on these African missions.
I came to Laare to teach my class, "In the Power of His Might." Originally I designed this material to be presented over 44 sessions. But as I prepared for Laare, I realized I'd make a greater impact if I reduced the class down to the essentials. Previously I allowed myself three pages of notes per session, pacing myself (at least theoretically!) to present one page in 15 minutes for a 45 minute session. In preparing for Laare, I reduced the class to 20 sessions, limiting myself to only one page of notes per session. Instead of giving two or three scriptural proofs for every precept I set forth, I gave only one. Some of my favorite sessions did not make the cut, but in the end the goal was accomplished: to set forth with "the simplicity that is in Christ" the gifts of the Spirit - what they are, why we need them, and how they equip us to run the race that has been set before us.
I made an audio recording of the teachings but unfortunately I was not careful with the settings and the first day's recordings are useless. It is my goal to record all my classes for distribution via the internet, and so I pray I'll have another chance with a Swahili translator. I hate that I fouled up this golden opportunity. All I had to do was ask Jay to keep his eye on the recording levels and things would have been fine. Hopefully, the sting from this mistake will keep me from repeating it.
Speaking of feedback (ha ha) I've received some nice comments from some of the participants that I'd like to share with you. I've edited them slightly for the sake of clarity.
Rev Peter Munoru, pastor
Jesus Manifestation Church, Laare, Kenya:
My life has been transformed through these teachings. In the introduction, Rev Sullivan talked about how many Christians ask God for things they do not really need. I realized that I have been doing the same thing. As ministers, we have little known our real needs before God. God knows what I need. And so I have changed the way that I pray. Now I ask God to open my eyes that I may see and understand his ways and his wondrous works, and that I may understand the real needs that I have. Then when I pray, God will meet my needs. Another lesson that touched me was about faith. It is not faith that makes things happen but it is God who commands things. Noah was faithful before God because God made him to see what was going to happen, and because of that he continued in faith. Through the teaching about speaking in tongues, I have realized that some people just mumble, they just speak things or repeat one word and claim it is the Spirit who is speaking. But I realized that it is a language, and you have to grow in this. My life is never going to be the same because I'm going to act and do these things. God bless you.
Rev Joseph Kinyua
I thank God for the opportunity to be in this seminar. These teachings are full of dynamic truths. If I'd learned these things some years back, I'd be very far along in the ministry. But I thank God because he comes at the right time to heal the wounded and help the helpless. By these teachings, I've been blessed. I especially enjoyed the session concerning King David, called "You are the man." I've come to understand that being tempted isn't a sin; but yielding to sin is sin. My inner eyes have been opened. We put so much emphasis on faith, and then we let our constitution be moved away from God, the source of faith. When we believe in the God of miracles and the God who makes faith work, we can go very far in the ministry. My prayer for the ministry of Workers Together With Him is may the Lord bless this ministry and give it more insight and willpower to help us more, especially we in these rural areas.
My brother Peter and I were among the first to organize Pentecostal and charismatic revivals in this area, and we've been at it since the year 2000. In those years it was very dark in this land and no one wanted to hear the word of the Lord. But my brother and I stood firm with the little that we knew, and God helped us through the years. Our prayer was that one day God would help us by sending men from around the world to find us in this place. That time has come. May the Lord bless you mightily. Even as you move all over the world, remember there are people who love you in this land, and who want to hear the treasures God has put in you. Thank you very much.
Mugisha Goodman, senior pastor,
Christ the Answer Church, Kampala, Uganda:
Grace and peace from our Lord Jesus be with you all. I thank God for having enabled me to be part of Rev Tim's class, "IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT" which was held in Meru, Kenya. Rev Tim's teaching was very life-changing. I testify this because it happened to me but also to the church leaders who attended. The teachings were delivered to us in simplicity with practical examples that blessed us all. One of the many teachings that I would like to single out is about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, that they are given to us for three cardinal reasons, for edification, comfort and exhortation to the body of Christ. This was challenging to me because we have used these gifts to parade ourselves as great ministers of God. We have taken advantage of God's people and forgotten the cardinal reason why God entrusted us with these gifts. As the Bible says in Hebrews 11:32, I too wish I had more time to speak of the great teachings I heard in Kenya, but I’ll just say Glory to God. I thank God for Rev Tim's family and all the friends who have supported him as God uses him as a vessel of his grace to reach out with the whole council of God to the church. May God reward you and your families. I salute you.
Jackson Muthine, Pastor
Maximum Miracle Centre Church
I work in the ministry of Maximum Miracle Centre, but I was not aware how miracles work. Today I understand that miracles come from God alone, not by the faith of people. I've also learned how faith works in a human being. I now understand that faith helps you to see what God has done in supernatural realms, and I love God for that. Amen.
Catherine Kathuri
Through this training I've been lifted from one level to another, especially when we were taught about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The teachings brought clarity to my life. In our culture, so many people misunderstand these gifts. We have people who are forcing others to speak in tongues, but I realized that we need to have desire and then the will of God will be done. When I pray in tongues, I'm not praying in my own understanding but its the Spirit who is praying in me. In prophesying, we need not to understand the message we are speaking because we do not prophesy of our own mind. We are bringing forth the word of God as it is in HIS mind. I also came to realize that we have the ability to control the tongues. When we speak in tongues and there is no interpreter, people will tend to think that we are confused, and they will not desire to listen to the things we are saying. But when there is an interpreter, this will bring clarity and the mind of God concerning his people, his church. In our culture, so many people are lazy and they don't want to read the word of God for themselves. They just want to go to so-called prophets who are even outside of the church of God for direction concerning things they can better know by reading the word of God. It is not good to have people who always want to prophesy about your life. When God is speaking a certain prophecy, there is a reason; this prophecy is for a purpose. I've been edified through these teachings. May the Lord bless your ministry. May you continue seeing his goodness when serving his people.
Gerald Kimathi
I've been saved about three month, not very long. Really, the lessons have touched my heart and they are going to develop me. Along the way, I've been asking one question: how can I grow in my faith in God? People tell me, "Just have faith. Increase your faith." Through the teachings I've learned that you cannot increase your faith unless you believe in God. I believe in God, and all the scriptures I've written down in class will help me to grow more, and bring me into the ministry of the Word of God. Thank you.
It is always a very humbling experience to meet men and women like this, and I promise, these few testimonies are only a sampling. People want the truth, they want a sure word. Clearly they deserve a teacher better than me, but for my part, I will try to be a faithful messenger of the things I've been entrusted with. Thank you for your prayers and financial support. These testimonies bear witness to what you have sown.
I hope you enjoy the photos from this mission.
In the service of His Majesty, the King of kings,
Tim
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