The Continued Work of Missions by Local Churches
By Simon Mubanga
Whenever we go to baptize believers in the Mansa River, I enjoy watching the ripples created by this act. This reminds me that when God calls a person to serve Him in a particular Assembly, He expects that person’s ministry to ripple out into the wider community with the effect of flooding it with the Gospel.
God “picked me up” while studying Bible courses in form five at Mwense Secondary School in 1975 and “threw” me into a number of local churches to create ripples of His grace. After that, Scripture Union (SU), Emmaus correspondence courses, and reading books contributed to my spiritual growth. It was, however, at GLO Zambia that the Lord equipped and shaped me for ministry. Although I answered the call for full time Christian ministry at GLO in 1991, it took five more years before this could happen. My time at the Theological College of Central Africa (TCCA) introduced me to cross cultural missions, while training and working with Sowers International enhanced my evangelistic calling. Conferences at home, in Amsterdam in 2000, and recently at IBCM have also impacted my life and ministry.
The first church to be planted in Mansa in conjunction with Mansa West was Ebenezer. Gospel Mission followed that. The Sowers team worked with me in planting these two assemblies. Both churches continue well with lives being changed by the Gospel. Kazungula Mission Chapel in Southern Province and Sesheke are two churches that have been planted outside my region.
At the latest church plant, more than 35 people have been witnessed to and discipled. Every Sunday, we have testimonies of how people who were alcoholics have been set free. The Gospel has reconciled many broken marriages.
Mentoring is another ripple effect. A good example is that of Shadrick, a young man who has been mentored at Good News Bible Chapel and is helping me in a new church plant. He is studying at Samfya Bible School.
Working in a very needy area is very challenging. To find ways of supplementing Gospel work in this area, the Lord provided the vision of the Blessing Centre. The school ministry came about when I realised that many children in these villages never attended school. We expect that the devotion given to the children will build their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Through this ministry, we are also reaching out to the parents. Once this ministry is fully functional, it will help provide income to some believers and meet some financial challenges in the needy community, including supporting children.
Some other activities we are involved in to help expand the Kingdom of God, as He provides and leads, are:
Farming: Training church leaders to use their time and available land for modern maize and poultry farming to increase their income. With a Bible in one hand, and a farming tool in the other, they can form effective and efficient ministries.
Leadership Training: During a one-week intensive, we encourage groups to work to enhance each other’s understanding of the course content and motivate each other to be passionate for and obedient to disciplined systematic study.
Youth Camp: Our annual youth camp helps youth understand the Bible, believe it, and live lives of obedience to the Word of God in the hard and challenging times that they are facing in this time.
Sports Evangelism: Every holiday, we bring youth together to play sports, and share the Word of God with them before and after playing, leading them prayerfully to the Lord.
Sunday School: Nurturing boys and girls in the way of the Lord, knowing well that it is better to build boys and girls than it is to repair old men and women later in life.
Bible Study: Group studies help youth grow in the Word of God by discovering for themselves through structured and systematic Bible study. This is bearing fruit, as we now have youth who are rightly sharing the Word of Truth, which is good for the Church and their fellow youths.
Reaching the Unreached: We aim to reach the unreached with the Word of God by sharing the love of Christ with them. We work with needy widows by identifying their needs, prayerfully mobilising resources, and helping them with shelter, food, and medication as God provides and leads.
School Ministry: We teach government curriculum and the Word of God to help the young prepare for a better future.
In my years of ministry, I have discovered that the grace required to maintain the ripples of ministry comes from the Holy Spirit, who provides the vision, wisdom and perseverance needed to keep going. Spiritual disciplines and active participation in the local Assembly are vital to maintaining a strong relationship with God.