by Simon
Over the last four weeks I have preached in three different churches in three different langauges. all of this without leaving the city limits of Windhoek.
The first church was a Luchazi speaking church set in the midst of one of the poorest parts of the city. There is no electricity and a tap and toilet to every 10 or 20 houses. Not like the poorest slums of the world... but a very neagre existence for most people there, with very little hope of escape. At this church I was asked to speak on Pentecost from Acts 2. It was great to be reminded again of the out-pouring of God's Holy Spirit on the believers in Jerusalem... the ushering in of a new age. And in the love that people at church showed our family and one another there was clear evidence of the Spirit being at work there too. There is a 70 strong choir and nearly 250 people jam into the corrugated iron shed. The singing was simply extra-ordinary. You couldn't just hear it... it reverberated through your body.
The next church that I spoke in was also an Evangelical Bible Church, but they speak Otjiherero and are in a nicer part of Katatura. There were even other 'white' people at this church (3 of them). Again the singing and mood of the church was great, but the thing that struck me here was the concern that the people had for hearing God's Word. I was asked to preach on Jacob and Esau. There has been tension in this church in the past over issues of understanding how God can be completely in control and yet people also be held responsible for their actions. The Jacob and Esau story put that issue front and centre and it was wonderful to see people genuinely wrestling with how God reveals himself... instead of retreating to well known trenches.
The third church that I spoke at was a Baptist church on the far west of the city. The pastor there is a part-time NETS lecturer (great young Namibian bloke - NETS graduate), and we are working together with a few others on a public Bible teaching workshop to be held in August. He asked me to preach from James 1. This passage gave me a chance to again reflect on how I respond to tough circumstances in life. Can I consider it 'pure joy' whenever I face trials of many kinds (James 1:2)? Well, if I can remember that God is using these things to shape and fit me for heaven, I can. The man who perseveres under trial is blessed and will receive the crown of life!! (James 1:12) Please pray with me that I won't just preach that, but live it out always.
As I've been preaching I have been very aware of how much further I have to go in understanding the cultures and people of Namibia. While I want to work hard at these things for the whole time we are here, I am very glad that I have the opportunity to train up Namibians who will be able to preach into their own cultures. They will do a much better job than I could ever do I am sure.
