Leaving Windhoek –the Capital City of the Republic early in the morning as he normally do when he depart for mission journey. Roundabout 10h00 Am. He arrived in Swakopmund, after spending most of his time in Okahandja. Before entering Swakopmund, a sign written “Martin Luther Steam Engine” appeared –see picture 2. I will give you a reason why it is named after Luther in paragraphs to come. He turn to where the induction points then saw another face written “Martin Luther Museum” –see picture 3. He entered the museum, than there stands an old model engine steam –see picture 6 and 4. The history behind the engine steam is as follow…
Some time after the Germans had settled in Namibia, and though the rollway already existed, the Germans were still exploring the country. They tried this engine steams to see if it can work to assist the already available means of transport. It didn’t work; the Namib Desert had resisted it till it killed it. The German Laughters gave it a name “Martin Luther”, referring to that great statement Dr. Martin Luther made –part of his Resolution for Reformation, when he said: “Here I stand… I can do nor other, help me God.”
Back to his vehicle –see picture 5, then traveled to Wavis Bay, that Town of a reliable Hub –remember, that was Monday morning, that very evening, members, and only members were waiting for him for re-registration… because their memberships has expired on that very day; the 25th May 09… The reason for re-registering in few of our churches, especially those targeted mission stations is based of the fact that, after some people from other Baptist churches had sloped into our midst, and thought that, things has to be done the only way the new. Some of our members were influenced by them, till they made some complain about few things related to the essential aspects of our Christian Faith. A lesson to be learned that a local pastor isn’t just needed but it is a must that every local church has to have a local shepherd to protect sheep from wolfs. Wolfs do not only attack sheep, but they assault the doctrine –poisoning the food that sheep eat. In our case, the essential which were attacked are;
1 ) Evangelical and Reformed Statement of Conviction –this includes;
A) Women in home and church leadership
B) The authority of Scripture, of Jesus Christ and of his apostles
2 ) Some aspect of the doctrine of grace –e.g. limited atonement etc.
Pastor Laban has started the instructional service that night of the 25th May 09 –see picture No 1,7 & 8, his main purpose was to help these individual to see the need of placing God above everything. His texts of the first night were taken from two books, namely;
1 ) Exodus 20:1-26, and,
2 ) Mathew 6:9-13 where he shows that both the ten commandments and the Lord’s prayer are divided into two sections.
A) In Exodus 20:1-18, the first 5 commandment are dealing with God and everything essential to God, the last 5 commandments are dealing with man and everything related to man. God first, then man second –God and man aren’t equal to share whether idea, essence or authority. One must submit to other, and in every case, is man who must submit to God in both words and works. So on that ground all men’s complains can’t stand.
B) In Mathew 6:9-13, the first three statements are related to God, while the last three related to man. So God is and must be before every stage, including man’s need. Pastor Laban had helped our people to see the importance of placing God in center of everything before we think of it, say about or do it, above and beneath, behind and before everything we must be protect by God’s affirmation. Every man’s conviction when it comes to life and doctrine, everything we do must be judged by God through his word. Pastor Laban has maintained that it is God who must determine.
J What must we believe
J Why must we believe
J Who and what must be our source of authority, we must be subjects under the authority of Scriptures, of Jesus Christ, and under the authority of God the Holy Spirit
Roundabout 25 have been re-registered, that is exactly what pastor Laban wanted, to him the small church the better, while 13 were rejected by the interviewing elders, they have either to bring their letters of transferred from their previous churches or spent at least a year or so attending our church services to learn more about us. It has been discovered that most of these people who have been coursing problem in our churches are those who came from Armenian Baptist Churches, who turn to our churches after wondered all over… attending other churches. After senescing love and acceptance, they took everything for granted by thinking that they have all rights to complain about cretin things we do, especially those that they are not familiar with.
Constitution of the Evangelical Baptist Church was re-read (all over the country, we have similar constitution guided by 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith) and a copy is placed in the hand of every re-registered member.
Joy has been expressed by all true Evangelical/Reformed church members after pastor Laban has re-preached sermon after semon restating our main objectives, starting with our main objective, and that is;
1 ) The glory of God
Evangelical Baptist Church -Monte Christo, a sister local church that has been instrumental in starting these other local churches has been emphasizing that, what ever we believe and live must lead us;
v To glory in our great and glorious God greatly and glorifying him / make him glorified
v To know this dear God better and (through his grace) make him known to the others
v To love our heavenly Father dearly and make him loved in all possible manners
v To serve God wholeheartedly and make him served in this World and beyond
2 ) The salvation of many souls
After the marriage of the two visions (the marriage of the Evangelical Baptist Church –Monte Christo’s vision, with that of her Pastor Laban Mwashekele’s); the two vision had become one and a united vision, it had led us to launch a great and global mission called the Evangelical Baptist Mission. Though it started local to regional, and then to national, now is moving toward global. From the central part of our dear and beloved Country, we have targeted our four corners of Namibia. We –and here I mean all Reformed Baptist Believers both Blacks and Whites in Namibia had proclaimed that;
v From Orange River to beyond Kunene River, and
v From Hub of Walvis Bay to afar Zambezi River. 1. The gospel of the kingdom of God will be preached. 2. The seed of the Word of life will be planted. 3. The harvest will be eaten, though not today or tomorrow –we are aware of that, but for sure, future will tell. Life of Faith is about resolutions. Mission in Namibia –especially the Evangelical Baptist Mission is inspired by History, and much the history of Heinrich Schmelen, Carl Hugo Hahn and Martin Rautanen –Missionaries to the Namibian Nation in 1800’s to 1900’s and that of Robert Moffat –a Missionary to South Africa in 1795-1883. Even though EMB is distinct by her major being mentioned objectives.
3 ) The reformation of many local churches
We have been repeating that, “saved souls cannot be reborn and brewed in deformed local churches.” Reformation is a must, and for that very reason; ceaseless, humble and uncomplicated prayers are needed from all God’s people who;
v Love the work Reformation,
v Labor for the World Revival, and
v Live to see God’s word Reveals the sacredness of God’s Name, Nature and Nuance to all the elect.
Here one has to stand, and must do no other, as long as God helps him.
The great statement made by Dr. Martin Luther is a great resolution indeed. When a man called of God, and have only few years to live like you and me, before he depart to yonder to appear before that great and awaresome God who had called him, such a man must determine to anchored his resolutions in great realities of Faith, to be explicitly;
* He must labor to be a heart to heart minister (man of God) Mathew 9:35-38, rather than a head to head manipulator (man of men) Mathew 23:1-39.
* He must live to see to it that he is wholeheartedly accountable to God, and keep others accountable by living a genuine life of integrate and a confronting light in this dark and lawless World (Mathew 5:13-15).
* He must love seeing the gospel preached in an influential manner instead of being imposed in a legal method.
* He must develop a lifestyle of quality on the expenses of quantity, and expand a routine of effectiveness in the World of activities,
* He must do his best to see to it that he lives a sacrificial life –of course Christianity is all about that. In Mark 8:34-38, the statement; “Deny yourself… means sign your death. “Take your cross… means make everything easy and light for your suffering and death. “Follow Jesus… means marching to a place of conqueror’s sacrificial death or hero’s acre.
* He must stand the test, the temptation and the tricks of times –tests are of God, temptations are of Satan while tricks are of man
* He must have a different Worldview;
· He mustn’t solve a problem by creating another problem, but learn to solve problems by facing realities and sacrificially give himself to it, if it is worth dying for.
· He mustn’t solve a problem by winning arguments and lose the hearts of his rival, but learn to win both the hearts and the arguments
· He mustn’t solve a problem by arguing with a fool, for at the end of the day, people will not know who is the most foolish between the two
· He mustn’t solve a problem by defending his right in the expense of someone’s life –people who love to shoot guns on un-permitted ground end up gunning down even the innocent ones
· He mustn’t solve a problem by revenging the enemy for vengeance is God’s.
For the Evangelical Baptist Church –Monte Christo to maintain these rules isn’t easy both for us and our elders, but as pastor Laban use to say;
J We must learn to glorify God in all situations –easy or tough, with all means –delicious or bitter, through all roads –rough or plain. For if we cannot glorify God in, with or through death? How can we glorify him in, with or through life? How can we glorify him in and with songs of joy if we cannot do it in, with or through voices of sorrows?
J We must learn to glorify God with our pain and unadorned, when we are rejected or accepted, where things goes well or not well, and in whatever be the situation, let us learn glorifies God. “For we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28) ESV. In everything, we must labor to glorify God, knowing that the end result is and will always be for our good.
J We must learn to glorify God with
v Our ages –old or younger age.
v Our marriage –happy or unhappy, Charles Haddon Spurgeon and Martin Luther had glorifies God with their painful goats and health times, while Apostle Paul did the same with his thorn in the flesh and blessings o giftedness.
v Sex –many people think of sex as a dirty thing, other see it as a something to enjoy etc. The true about sex is that, it is something to glorify God, a gift to enjoy in marriage, and means of binding the couple in marriage.
v Children
v Homes
v Work
v Food
v Clothes
v Inmates
v Vehicles
v Health
v Wealth
v Friends
v Churches
v Pastors, elders, deacons and church members
v Governments
v The World and all that is in it –the list is endless.
J We must learn both to handle both hands, to glorify God with these things and without them.
J We must do what Jim Reeves had said in his songs, when he said –some people might have a problem with Jim, though the issue here isn’t about Jim, these people or you and me. Everything is about God, his glory, the salvation of many souls and the reformation many churches.
Our is but to thank God who works in his World through is word –yes the God who acts as Jim Reeves has putted it;
“We thank thee each morning for new born day
“Where we may walk the field of a new morn hail
“We thank thee for the sun shine and the hair that we breathe
“O Lord we thank thee
“We thank thee for the rivers that run all day
“We thank thee for the little bird that sings along the way
“We thank thee for the tree and the deep blue see
“O Lord we thank thee
“O yes we thank thee Lord for every flower that blooms
“Birds that sings, fish that swim and the light of the moon
“We thank thee every day as we knell and pray
“That we were born with eyes to see these things
“We thank thee for the filed where the thorns made rose
“We thank thee for the pasture where the cattle may roll
“We thank the for thy love so pure and so free
“O Lord we thank
I might misquote some verses in this song… a poor Namibian trying to quote a song sung by an Englishman… isn’t easy…
Till we meet at the
Information No2 for Laban’s BLOGSPOT
From the Desk of Laban yaMwashekele
