Sunday rain

The electricity has been off for a few days.  We are in the middle of the rainy season where most afternoons we receive a nice 30 minute shower.  When it does come down really hard, and when the drumming of the rain is accompanied by strong winds whistling, even yowling through the banana leaves and openings in the house, we can usually expect to lose the electricity.  Such are the present conditions.  It is now raining rather hard ... and the winds have started their melancholy tune ... yet again updating this blog may be delayed.  At least it is not procrastination - this time!

It is Sunday morning and I'm sitting here with my swollen leg propped up on a pillow listening to the rain and praying for those pastors I meet with each week in my home.  Every tuesday and thursday afternoon I meet with several pastors and teach them how to interpret the Bible and how to communicate the meaning of what they see in the text.  They have come a long way and it is a joy to hear of the changes in their congregations.  But today they will most likely preach to empty chairs and pews.  The rain started early and has continued for hours.  

**For those of you reading who live in the West, perhaps the pictures can help you visualize what many of the churches are like here.  To sit in "church" is, in many cases, to sit in the elements. Beyond that, to get to church everyone has to walk in the elements.  

In America, folks may travel many miles to worship.  They have the privilege of "shopping" for a church that meets all their requirements of what they think a church should provide for them. They load up in their car and jet down the nice paved highway to their extravagantly furnished buildings and "designer" programs (this is not a criticism, it is a real comparison).  Here, if a church, any kind of church, is not within a couple of miles people do not come.  It is not that they are unwilling, but for many who are elderly or with several small children (all Ugandans have several small children!), they simply cannot come.  But the opposite is also true - whatever is within a couple of miles, no matter what it is, the people will come.  

Churches are very "local" here - and need to be! In fact, we need many, many more "local" churches to serve the people (a study was recently done in Kenya and it was determined that there is a need for 50,000 more "local" churches to better serve the existing population of Christians).  This is a great need throughout east Africa.  But even greater is the need for trained leaders for these churches - men who follow Christ and can lead others along the same path they are truly on, men who have come to know Christ as He is revealed in the gospel (2 Cor.3:16-4:6) which is contained in the Scriptures (Rom.1:1-2; 1 Cor.15:1-4), men who have learned to see what (and Who - Luke 24:27; 44-49) is in the text, insightfully interpret its meaning for today, and faithfully and clearly communicate it to the people they serve.  

I'm reminded of what John Stott in his recent book "The Living Church" said regarding what we really need.  In the Preface of the book, he says that the what we need is more "R.C." churches.  By this he does not mean Roman Catholic, but rather "Radical Conservative".  They are conservative in the sense that "they conserve what Scripture plainly requires", but they are radical in relation to "culture".  I heartily agree, but in order to have churches that are truly "R.C." we need leaders who are "R.C."  For as Jesus said, "When a disciple is fully taught, he will be like his teacher" (Luke 6:40).   A congregation rarely rises above its leadership.  I suppose that is why God, through the prophets, had such withering words to self-indulgent shepherds (Ez.34:1-10; Jer.23:1-4).

So, on this rainy Sunday morning, confined to a chair, I'm praying for my fellow pastors and the congregations they serve who are confined to their homes.  May the Lord continue to build His church.