A Blog by Josh Agerton

TIA…People Need to See Jesus

Posted on 16. Jun, 2008 by Josh Agerton in Formation, Uganda

We had a big day today. I saw Jesus do something I have never seen before. Tonight we are praising him… I celebrated with a snicker’s bar. To share this with you I want to talk about two things.

PEOPLE NEED TO SEE JESUS

Today was the third time our team has gone out to visit people in the town of Buloba. Some of the local church members have been taking us through the villages to meet people and share about Jesus. Basic door-to-door evangelism…African style. In this I’ve realized how much Islam has a big-time stronghold on this community. Christians are definitely in the minority. Out of my conversations I have come to the conclusion that people really need to see Jesus. What I mean by this is to see Jesus living out of the lives of those who call themselves followers of Christ. This is so much more powerful than any words that anyone can say to them. Here’s some examples.

Saturday morning my team ended up at a place we’ve nicknamed “Las Vegas”. It’s the local hut where the men get together to gamble. We somehow ended up talking to these guys and the local church member made them stop their game for me to talk to them. She put me on the spot to share the gospel with them so I went for it. Many of them were nominal Muslims and it was a mixed response. Some were laughing at me and some were intently listening…I could see in some of their faces that they were really taking it in. Then a guy blurted out “But all the people I know who say that they have accepted Jesus are no different than anyone else. Their lives are not changed like you talk about. They act the same as they did before”. True words and hard to hear. I see this all the time myself and told him so. Soon things came to a place where we needed to end but they let me pray for them…we all held hands and made a circle around their gambling table while I prayed for them.

So moving on…today I ended up in a similar conversation with a woman. She also was a Muslim and came to a point where she did not really see a difference between Christians and Muslims. It was a dead end. We prayed for her and made our way out. But on the road our translator told us that she had said in the conversation that she needed a new blanket, that hers somehow got torn up. As we walked I told the local church person with us that the woman needed a blanket. She asked if I or someone on our team could buy one for her. But I told her that someone in the church would need to go back and take her one of their own. It would not have as much meaning if the rich white guy from America (this is how most people here see us) gave her one but that if someone there locally who understands and knows the importance of a blanket, and sacrifices their own for her…that she would see Jesus.

ZARIA SAW JESUS

Zaria is a Muslim woman who lives about 20 yards away from the temporary church building in Buloba that we are partnered with. There are 10 people living in her house that is smaller than my living room. They cook by fire in her house and barely has what some call an out house. When the church first began she had many squabbles with the Pastor. When our team came down last fall she would not let her kids come over and play with the masses of kids who showed up every day. She would not even look over at our team. In February when Rusty visited Buloba he went over and visited with her. She let him into her home and they visited for a while. He made an impact on her and opened the door. Then last week (our 2nd trip) she began peering at us through her garden…watching us dig ditches for the footing of the new walls for the church. She let her kids come over and play with us and allowed them to come to our VBS on Saturday. She also saw us carrying water back from the well (the one that is ½ mile away) and was amazed. Someone relayed to us that she could not believe that we were carrying water back from the well and that we really must love the people there.

After hearing this Tony and I made a trip to the well and brought back two 8 gallon jugs for her. She was out working so we left them at her door. She showed up yesterday at church yesterday but stayed low key.

Then today I saw her on the road and she asked if she could have a Bible. I told her that I would stop by her house later on and give her one so she would not have to carry it around while she was working (she was holding on to a cow at the time).

Then after lunch I saw her standing at the edge of her property looking down at us and I remembered. I got a Bible and headed her way. She met me half way and a few others came over to visit with her. She invited us to her home and took us inside. Once we were in she immediately said that today she was going to accept the gift from Jesus. We all hugged her and celebrated.

She told us that she was at church yesterday and wanted to accept Jesus into her heart. I asked her why she wanted to do this. She was a Muslim so why would she want to become a Christian. Her response…”I see the kindness and love that you all have for each other and the people here and I want that in my life.” I told her that what she sees is Jesus living in people and that he wants to live in her now. We talked a bit more then Pastor Eva led her in a prayer…repentance for her sins, asking Jesus to come into her heart, thanking him for now living in her…sorry, please, thank you. We all celebrated and prayed for her. Andi recorded the whole thing on video…it was so beautiful…and so real. Totally made my trip. We took her outside and over to where we were working on the building to introduce her to her new church family. It was an amazing celebration. She was now a daughter of the living God. Sandra came up to her and said “I’m so happy for you and I love you”. Zariaa said, “I know you do”.

Can we believe this…”I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20 Can we say this aloud to ourselves so that we hear these words and begin to believe it?

See the Cornerstone Mission Blog for more pics and stories.

Tags: buloba, jesus, sharing, tia, Uganda, worship