news from uganda
BUSIA
Love is the reason for redemption. Love came first from
God and He sent His son into the world. Love cannot be reduced to a law
or considered in terms of rights and earnings. Love is above all,
beyond mere meeting for bread and wine alone, or greeting brothers and
sisters and merely saying “I’ll love him/her”. Love is above and beyond
all other considerations. Love owes nothing to any goodness or merit in
us. Love comes from God who is “merciful and gracious”. Before you
forgive, you must have love. If you forgive and don’t forget it means
that you haven’t really forgiven and have no love.
One of the secrets of the cross is that it is the source of the
forgiveness of sins. The cross is not a debt being settled. It is not a
substitutionary offering whereby someone is paid a price so that others
might go free. No, the cross is a means of forgiveness, and forgiveness
is an act of grace, not of rights or earnings in the settlement of a
debt. Oh, brothers and sisters! Do you want to be paid or bought before
you forgive? If God forgives freely, what about you? Therefore, our
understanding of the redemptive work of Jesus our Lord must allow for
the full expression of the love of God and His forgiveness.
The blessings of love and forgiveness flow to us through the channel
of faith in the message of the gospel of Christ and by God’s acceptance
of us through Jesus. Forgiveness comes to a believer when he personally
seeks and asks for it in the way appointed by God. Forgiveness is
certain but is not automatic. There is forgiveness with God, but it is
not bestowed on men without their knowledge and co-operation. Such a
thing would be true if redemptions were the erasure of a debt or a
substitutionary transaction which had totally removed the necessity for
us to seek forgiveness. Forgiveness comes to the man or woman who
believes the gospel, repents and is baptised into the name of Christ
(Acts 2:38).
Brothers and sisters, are you able to forgive now?
Bro Wilberforce Wandera
BUSWALE
Jesus Christ teaches us that our relationship with the
world should be in it but not of it! Throughout history men and women
have lived by Jesus’ pattern, those who have kept away from the ways of
the world.
Noah could have joined the merry-making of his days but
instead toiled to build the ark. Moses could have given in to the
murmuring of the people and returned with them to Egypt, but he chose
to lead them on through the wilderness for forty years. Jeremiah could
have avoided a dank, unpleasant prison by ceasing to prophesy. Paul
could have avoided many of his hardships and his final imprisonment by
ceasing to preach. All these, and many others, provide telling examples
of the practical outworking of the commandments.
We need to
carefully consider our own positions. All too easily the world can
embrace us as we start to let its influence work on us. Around us there
are members of other religious groups who take a much stronger stance
than we do on many things. It is salutary to ponder whether they are
being too extreme or we too loose. It is always more comfortable to
take the easy path.
In contrast, the established churches wallow in
a mire of uncertainty as they strive to remain MODERN. They profess the
need to adapt to changing times, and so such things as divorce,
remarriage, homosexuality and ordaining of women are permitted,
contrary to the ways of God. Why? Because the world wants them.
Brothers and sisters, remember: God’s ways never change. We must follow
them for they give us hope. What hope is there in the world?
We are
about 26 in the ecclesia, so dear brother, if you can let us have more
copies of ‘Gospel News’ we shall be grateful. Our new address is PO Box
123, Bugiri, Uganda,
Bro Juma Jophta
BUTACHO
. I am happy with the ministry and the work you are
doing to supply me with scriptural materials and Gospel News. I have
sent some articles via. Bro. Roy Boyd and I am looking forward to
seeing them. It has been a long time since you heard from me but it has
been due to an unaffordable situation in life, where my brother died
and left me with the children and I have just come out of school
therefore I cannot manage to care for them. Sometimes the envelopes you
send, are not accepted by the local post office.. I have enclosed
photos of our Sunday School children. I would like to request
Introducing Bible Basics, Bible Basics and some relevant material. Any
assistance is highly appreciated and waiting to hear from you soon.
Bro. Erisania Sifuna Mayende
Butacho ecclesia Sunday School with their teacher and Sis. Catherine Mayende after football.
KASESE
Thank you for “Bible Basics for Moslems”. “Blessed
is he who has regard for the weak, the Lord delivers him in times of
trouble” (Psalm 41:1). We have both physical and spiritual weakness
because we are created with different abilities, so David calls us to
support one another both physically and spiritually, exhort one another
and encourage one another as we race to the Kingdom. “Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are those who
mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will
inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for
they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will
see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for
theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds
of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad because great is
your reward awaiting you” Matt.5:3-11 (NIV).
Baptism alone is not
enough to take us to the Kingdom, neither our trust in men, nor CBM
activities. There is need to encourage the weak in faith, there is need
to exhort them in fellowship rather than casting them out of the race
to the Kingdom. Not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
the Kingdom of God; but he who does the will of my Father who is in
heaven” (Matt.7:21). The Bible warns us to be careful on that day when
many will tell the Lord, “Did we not prophesy in your name and cast out
demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name? The Lord
will answer, I never knew you” (Matt.7:22-23). Let us always thank the
Almighty God through Jesus Christ our Master for His great grace to
have set us out of this corrupt world for His work of preaching the
true gospel all over the world. Let us do His will on this earth and
manifest the life of Jesus in our mortal flesh as we are running our
race to the Kingdom soon to come.
Bro. Isaac Bulea Cox
KIGANDALO
I am 34 years old and have 5 children and God has
blessed them all, they are still breathing the breath of life. Before I
came to the Truth I did many things I should not have done, but I
hearkened when God said to me, “Come now, let us reason together,
though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow.” So, my
dear and beloved brothers and sisters, as persons we are sinful by
nature. However God has been so merciful to us and given His only
begotten son, Jesus Christ to die, opening up the way of salvation in
order to make us clean, that is why it is stated in the Bible that
Jesus was pierced for our sins and also bruised for our iniquities. As
Christadelphians and as followers of Jesus Christ, let us try very hard
indeed to imitate our Lord and be holy, for he is holy. I was glad to
hear from you, to receive Gospel News, Signs of the Times and the
booklet. We need 10 Kiswahili Bible Basics to use at our Bible study.
Paul, almost anticipating this very question, confidently said: “For I
reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom.8:18). In
other words, the hardships of today are small and insignificant when
compared with the glory that will follow later. Paul actually calls the
present sufferings, “light affliction” compared to the “eternal weight
of glory” (2 Cor.4:17). Jesus responded to Peter’s original question by
saying that those who have “left houses or brothers or sisters or
father or mother or children or lands” – or, in other words have been
prepared to make difficult decisions to follow him – “will receive a
hundredfold and inherit eternal life” (Matt.19:29.RSV). So here Jesus
assures us that the investment we make now will generate dividends
worth “a hundredfold” in the future Kingdom of God! To comfort us even
more, Paul informs us that the faithful will receive “an inheritance”
(Eph.1:11), when Jesus returns to the earth. What an exciting prospect
– a personal inheritance – given by Jesus, the future King!
Bro. Colin Bwire
LUMINO
I constantly need to strive against the lusts of the
flesh to make my life holy before God, and should not allow myself to
be discouraged in this by the attitude of those around me. It is wrong
to give way to hasty temper. If I have, I must constantly fight to
control it. I must always speak the truth; lying is a great evil. The
consequences of the serpent’s lie in Eden are still with us, Revelation
22:15. All that I do and say should show that I am a disciple of Jesus.
I
should always be on my guard against denying him (Luke 12:8). I
should acknowledge the Father’s control in my life by saying “If the
Lord will”, “God willing” and “By God’s grace”, Proverbs 3:6. I should
keep Jesus always in my mind especially when faced with difficulty. I
should ask myself “What would Jesus do?” John 13:15.
In all things
I must aim at purity and holiness and so please my Master in heaven. I
believe the coming of my Lord is near, and I must live as one who
really believes it, Matthew 10:37,38.
Bro Denis Oguttu Ojara
MBARARA
It is quite some time since we last communicated. Even though we are always together and close in spirit as members of the same family of God. The photograph is of one
of our old brothers who crossed over to the main fellowship last year.
He is Bro James Tibesigwa, attached to Mbarara ecclesia and was
baptised in 1993. I hope you received my request for English
Bible Basics, we are indeed lacking them in all the ecclesias in the
west. The Introducing Bible Basics you said you sent to us has never
reached us. Your brother in patient waiting for our Master’s return.
Bro. Godwin Mugasi
NEKUKU
It was nice to hear from you in an encouraging spirit in
the Lord’s Name. We are worried about North Korea and America because
of the nuclear weapons; we pray to God so that He decides what to do.
The Bible says He is the only God and there is nobody above Him and He
brings peace and disaster on earth. Nekuku Ecclesia needs a dictionary,
to help us simplify words and avoid arguments as to their meaning.
Bro. Samuel Mukisa
Thanks for Gospel News and other booklets, they expand our knowledge
of God. I was baptised on 18th December 2005. Since that time up to now
I have found life so interesting in Jesus Christ. I will never join
other churches; our doctrines are so very
Bro. Fredrick Wanyami
I was baptised by Brother Paul Boyd who managed to organise my
baptism on 26th October 2006 during his visit to Uganda. I am in need
of Gospel News since I am a constant brother of Nekuku ecclesia.
Brother, please put me on your mailing list so that this magazine will quickly increase my understanding about God and His Kingdom.
Bro. Nelson Wandera
