Day 30: Seek people who are seeking God

Scripture Reading

Acts 16:6-10

6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Devotional Thought

Paul was intentional about his mission endeavors. He started in his own backyard (Asia Minor). Having grown up in Tarsus, he was familiar with the surrounding area, and he had great success in southern Galatia. He started in larger towns and cities, then sought to impact the surrounding areas through relationships built through the cities. He started in Jewish worship areas, synagogues or prayer locations, and expanded his ministry from there. He worked with specific people in each place, and many of those people became trusted co-workers.

Luke 10:6 Jesus presents us with the concept of "the man of peace." As his disciples went from town to town, they were instructed to look for town 'influencers' who were accepting of their message. Paul does this on mission. In Acts 16, the Macedonian man in his village became the man of peace the led him to ministry in Philippi.

Our trip to Kenya is rooted in a connection with this type of individual. Finding this connection begins with God’s general call for all Christians to go into the world and make disciples through preaching the Gospel to all people (Matthew 28:19-20). Our trip is also rooted in a vision from Texas Baptists. Twenty years ago, a vision was set into motion to educate Kenyans with a Bachelor’s degree in Religion. This partnership started with the Kenyan Baptist Theological College and Wayland Baptist University. This vision has seen hundreds of Christian studies graduates enter into local churches and the Kenyan workforce. These students are still actively serving God all over Kenya. This year, our trip is a part of a larger vision from Hardin-Simmons University to make a global impact for the Gospel. But most of all, our trip is rooted in a vision from one of my former students and a graduate of the WBU program. Nahashon Gichimu has a bachelor’s degree from Wayland and has also earned a master’s degree. He is pastor of the Cornerstone Family Chapel in Nairobi. He and his wife, Joyce, have started a school called Russel Academy in the area where Joyce’s family has grown up. They are our family of peace. Their vision is to reach Kenyans with Gospel of Christ while also equipping Kenyan pastors with the tools necessary to maintain healthy Christian congregations. The vision is ambitious and God-sized. And it is exciting for us to be able to participate in a ministry that is reaching many Kenyan tribes throughout all of Kenya.

Reflection and Prayer

· Pray for Pastor Nahashon (Nash) as he leads his pastor training team to reach key Kenyan leaders.

· Pray for Joyce and her leadership at Russell Academy.

· Pray for Nash, Joyce and their children: Kevin and Praise. Pray for good health, God’s provision, protection, and faithfulness to Christian living.

· Pray for the vision of EPIK ministries to become reality. From the EPIK website: Our goal is to partner with local churches by training pastors and leaders and by equipping the Church of Kenya to address the needs of its people.

· Pray for your role in fulfilling this vision.