Arriving in Goma

February 21, 2009

I am in Goma, Congo again visiting the ALARM staff this time with Mark struck and Kevin Block who are from Berean Community Church in Rochester, Minnesota. Mark is associate director for ALARM and makes trips around the US to raise funds for its cause. Emily Chengo, ALARM African director, is also with our team. She is based in Nairobi, Kenya. All three were in Nairobi before coming to Kigali en route to Goma. In Nairobi, Mark interviewed a Member of Parliament, who is an alumnus of Biola University, about his experience at the school and about his ongoing faith as a Christian. The interview was recorded and transcribed for an eventual article to be published sometime in the future in Biola’s alumni quarterly.

When our party arrived in Goma, we were warmly welcomed by the ALARM/Congo team: Jonvier, Theopholis, Espiranz, and pastor Kivi. Less than three months ago three of the four were staying at the ALARM compound in Kigali due to the violence in Goma caused by Nkunda’s Tutsi rebels. It is a pleasure for me to see God’s faithfulness in protecting them and allowing them to live in Goma now in a period peace.

On Sunday, Mark, Kevin, Emily and I all visited different churches, which were pastored or attended by Janvier, Theo, Kivi and Espiranz. The last time I visited with the Watermark Church team of lawyers, I attended pastor Kivi’s church. This time around, I visited Pastor Theopholis’ church, which is Assemblies of God. When I arrived in the morning, the entire congregation was waiting to greet me. They came out of the small wood-framed building singing and clapping their hands. Since the children gathered tightly around me reaching out their hands to touch mine, Theo encouraged me to move into the building to the front so the service could begin.

The service started out as many African services do: with singing from the choir. Three different choirs sang including a group of children. The children always sing the loudest. I had an opportunity to preach with Theo translating for me.

Before I came to the church I was praying about what God would have me speak on. The ALARM staff the day before told us nominalism is rampant in the church; many churches subscribe to tribalism and some pastors even go so far as to bless groups of men from their congregation who go to fight other tribal groups. The question the ALARM staff asked was: who are true believers and who are simply in the church for cultural reasons.

With these thoughts in mind, I was praying to God about what he wanted me to say to the people. The topic which came to mind was “finishing well.” Many times as believers we start out our relationship with God for various reasons: to help us out of a crisis; because tradition dictates we become Christians in name; because it is good to be ethical or morally upright. How many times do we, as Christians, live our life of faith in the now in accordance with how we want to end our life on earth? Granted, many times it is hard to predict how an individual Christian will be transformed in the end. But I doubt any Christian thinks, “I want to look back on my life with disappointment.” With these thoughts in mind, I decided to speak about Paul and Jesus according to their last remarks before they died. In 2 Timothy, Paul says: I have run the race God has set out for me and I look forward to the reward awaiting me. In the book of John, Jesus tells his disciples he is leaving them, but will not abandon them as orphans; he will give them another counselor, the Holy Spirit.

As I spoke about these mens' words, I tried to recount the events in their life they must have thought about as they were giving their last remarks. For Paul, he must have thought about how he persecuted the church before he met Christ on the road to Damascus. I told the people, if you believe Christ’s blood has forgiven your sin; you don’t need to feel guilty.

Paul must have also thought about the process of his integration into the church; being sent out with Barnabas for mission; and rejecting John Mark which caused the split between himself and Barnabas. In all of these events, whether good or bad, Paul was confident in his knowledge and relationship with Christ.

I felt the people should know, in the midst of violence and pressures they face in life, not to lose heart. God has not forsaken them and continues to be with them. With that in mind, they should live their lives now in anticipation of finishing well. In this way, they do not need to be ashamed of the gospel, but can continue through the temptations and challenges to the prize God has prepared for them.

I believe having the end in sight can help fight against the tribalism that many Christians face in Congo. They don’t have to go along with what the group think says even though they risk being outcasts. They can trust God to be their guide through life. When the end comes, they can be confident in their hope in Christ.

Tomorrow is the conference. I look forward to witnessing God’s spirit move at that time.