I have just returned from an 18 day mission trip in Africa. Approximately 800 pastors, evangelists and church leaders attended the 2 conferences in the nations of Uganda and Kenya. The first week took place in the city of Jinja, Uganda. There were 521 pastors representing 8 different districts of Uganda, that gathered at the Oasis of Life Church. Daily, from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., I had the wonderful joy of teaching the “Christ-centered Evangelism” workbook, to this very hungry and receptive group. As you know, the theme of this study is to call the body of Christ to fully return to God’s instructional manual, concerning the New Testament teaching of Biblical evangelism! Each one of us are called and commanded to be on mission with God! However, God desires that His people would use His means to carry out His mission. The great tragedy of the evangelism of the last 70 years, is that the vast majority of the evangelical church has been attempting to do God’s work; man’s way! The church has been steadily moving away from the “Jesus-focused” message found in the Book of Acts, and has been focusing the message on the “felt-needs” of sinners. In addition to this deceptive and damaging error, the church has been attempting to use methods that have not been ordained by God. They have adopted techniques and tactics that are the inventions of men! The continent of Africa, in particular, has been thoroughly contaminated with the false message of ‘the prosperity gospel’. It is heartbreaking to see how the “peddlers of the Word of God” have corrupted the minds of millions of Africans, within the professing church. The purpose in teaching ‘Christ-centered Evangelism’ is to call the church to return to God’s ordained means, to carry out his mission; and to return to the authentic Gospel message that focuses on the Person of Jesus; the Work of Jesus; and the Terms of Jesus.

 

From the beginning of the first session, I had an overwhelming anticipation that the Lord was going to do a powerful work in the lives and ministries of these spiritual leaders! It was absolutely incredible to watch our Lord perform this amazing work of a “reformation revival” in the lives of these pastors! By the end of the 2nd day, there were scores of pastors testifying of a thorough willingness to turn away from using man’s message and methods; and embrace whole-hearted committing to do God’s work; God’s way; for God’s glory! As the week progressed, the Holy Spirit was mightily liberating leaders from the errors of “man-centered” evangelism and planting a new passion and purpose to be involved in Biblical evangelism! There were countless testimonies verifying this commitment. Let me just share a few of them with you. CONFERENCES IN KENYA AND UGANDA

Pastor Fred Kayanja, a pastor of a 3,000 member church in Entebbe, Uganda, testifies, “This is incredible. These teachings are coming to all of our pastors in a powerful, powerful way! Every pastor that I am talking with is just amazed of these transforming truths that God has graciously blessed us with. They are testifying that they are ready to go back to their many places of service, and pour these truths into the lives of their people. God is bringing us back to His message and His methods to carry out His work of evangelism. I, personally, have come to realize many things that I did not know and understand, concerning God’s methods and message of evangelism. The Lord Jesus promised us, ‘You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.’ The truths that we have learned this week have liberated us from many errors, in relation to our ‘man-centered’ message and methods of evangelism. We believe that our ministries are going to be transformed, because we have learned how to do God’s work of evangelism in His way! We know that God has sent Bro. Ed to us at this particular moment of time, to help us in Africa to understand how to do God’s mission, using His means. We are so grateful for all of the people who are partnering together, to bring this message to Africa. We are in the eastern region of Uganda at this time; but we have 4 others regions. We are praying and believing that next time, we are going to be able to take this message to the western region, the central region, and other parts of our needy country. Please pray with us that Bro. Ed will be able to return and saturate our nation with this needy message.

Pastor John, who is a spiritual leader from the Bungoma district of Kenya testifies, “This is the greatest conference that I have ever attended in my entire life! My eyes have been opened to the vital reality that God desires for us to carry out our evangelism, in a manner that is pleasing to Him. In the past, we have only focused on things that we had picked up from our church traditions; and many of these traditions were in grave error. But I must testify that my life and ministry has been changed. I am not the same anymore. The truths that we have learned in this conference are vitally important for Africa, because we have so many ‘peddlers of the word of God’. There are so many who are using gimmicks and gadgets that have not come from God, but are only the concoctions of men. It is my prayer that every one of us will embrace this biblical approach to evangelism. I am praying that these teachings will take deep root in our lives and ministries. One of the other areas that have challenged me personally, is the reality that voluntary sacrifice and suffering is one of God’s means to carry out God’s mission. I am more willing than ever before to go through suffering if necessary, for the sake of propagating the authentic gospel of Jesus Christ. This training has touched me deeply. My total approach and perspective will never be the same again.” 3 Pastor Zephaniah, who worked on the organizational committee for the conference both last year and this year shares, “Our lives and our ministries are not the same. These fundamental teachings have taken us back to the Bible truths, that we desperately needed. We are realizing that we have been attempting to do evangelism according to our own inventions, and not according to God’s ways. A year ago, when I met Bro. Ed for the first time, I keenly took the studies that hundreds of pastors have taken this week. Our lives and ministries were profoundly changed. We have heard many awesome testimonies from the over 500 pastors that took these teachings last year. They have been equipped to bring forth much lasting fruit, in their ministries and evangelism. There have been many who have been soundly born again, because of pastors’ return to God’s methods and a Christ-centered message! Now at the conclusion of this conference, over 1,000 Ugandan pastors have had the great privilege of learning how to do God’s work; God’s way; for God’s glory! We desire to continue to conduct these ‘Christ-centered evangelism’ conferences, until all evangelical pastors in Uganda have an opportunity to be renovated and transformed through these powerful truths!”

On the second week, I once again had the privilege of teaching “Christ-centered Evangelism” in Kenya. This particular conference was held in a suburban area of abject poverty. Approximately 250 pastors, evangelists and church leaders were in attendance at the Redeemed Gospel Church. The host pastor, Pastor Brown testified about the conference. “I have sat here for the last 4 days and my life has been radically changed! I am no longer the same man. I believe that what I have received is going to take me as a pastor and our entire church to the next level of ministry! I know that God has a Divine purpose for which He sent Bro. Ed to this needy place. God has radically transformed us through his Word, to reveal to us our grievous errors in our methods and message of evangelism. God has mightily called us to return to His instructional manual. Oh how we praise God for having mercy on us, and revealing these essential truths about evangelism to us.

A Personal Message to You

 My interpreter, George Wafula, Pastor and Bible College professor sends you this heart-felt message. “I want to thank each and everyone of you very sincerely and honestly, that are a part of this ministry, because of the prayers and support that you have given to the Lord on behalf of us. They have been extremely effective. Since I began to interpret for the ‘Christ-centered Evangelism’ conferences 5 years ago, my methods of ministry, my view of scripture, my way of preaching the Word of God, and my personal evangelism, has been entirely changed! What God has deposited in me through this teaching, is exactly what the church in Africa desperately needs, at this time in history. This is truly the voice of God to our nation. These teachings have left us with our eyes open. As a Bible College professor, I have been pouring these truths into all of my students; as well as many other pastors and leaders, these last 5 years. The body of Christ has really been sick in our nation, because of the false doctrine that we have received from our forefathers. But, God is using these truths of Christ-centered Evangelism to bring spiritual healing to our pastors and congregations. I have interacted with many of the pastors in attendance at this particular conference. They are all saying that these are the truths that the church in Africa desperately needs! God has used these truths to cause us to re-evaluate our ministry, our message, our methods and our motives. Thank you!

Upon the conclusion of the final session, needless to say, I was totally exhausted. However, at the same time, I was rejoicing over the great blessing and privilege that God had given to share truth with these spiritual leaders. There was a line of pastors and evangelists waiting to talk to me, desiring to ask questions and share testimonies. Near the end of the line, stood a young lady in her 20’s. She had been present throughout the conference. Approaching me with tears flowing down her face, she began to say, “Bro, Ed, since I was born again, I have been asking the Lord to allow me to live for 99 years on this earth, so that I can live all of those years for his glory! But as of this week, I am no longer praying that prayer for me! I have now begun praying that prayer for you. I am asking the Lord to allow you to live for 99 years, so that you can go all over our continent and pour the truths of ‘Christ-centered evangelism’ into the lives of the pastors, leaders and believers from all over Africa!” Humbled by her passion and burden for God’s Word and her country, I began to weep uncontrollably! I was absolutely overwhelmed with the reality that God would save an agnostic, rock drummer; placing His eternal treasure within this worthless clay pot. Friend, isn’t it absolutely amazing that our Lord would give His unworthy servants the astounding blessing of being a channel, through which His ‘life-transforming truths’ could flow into the lives of others, all over this world. To God be the glory! Great things HE HAS DONE!

Multiplication of Ministry

 The Lord has raised up a team of pastors who are duplicating this teaching in local churches, in remote areas of Kenya and Uganda. There is a team of 4 pastors who recently returned from the border of the Sudan, where they taught this workbook. This team consists of a Baptist pastor; an Evangelical Free pastor; one Assembly of God pastor; and a Pentecostal pastor! God has brought them into a unity of mind and heart, concerning God’s great mission and God’s means to carry out that mission! The Lord of the Church has given them a passion and purpose to plant the truths of ‘Christ-centered Evangelism’ into as many local churches as they possibly can! My heart is overflowing with gratitude, as I stand back and see what our Lord is doing. We are so very grateful for all of you, who are standing with us in intercessory prayer and financial support for these tremendous doors that God is opening! God is at work in an extraordinary way.