by admin | Mar 19, 2023 | chruch empowerment
When Jesus had finished His work in this world, He left us with these orders, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). We call those words “The Great Commission.” But Jesus also gave us other commandments while He was here too. Once while being questioned about this He was asked, “What is the greatest commandment”? Jesus responded, “Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). So then, those of us who follow Jesus, those who make up His church, our orders are simple. We are to both make share the good news of the gospel, but also to love others as Jesus loved them.
To accomplish this Y-Malawi has partnered with our friends at World Relief to create a Church Empowerment Zone. The zone is the centerpiece of the work taking place in Malawi. It is composed of almost 70 small village churches or all denominations. Their differences in doctrine don’t exist when they come together. Instead, they are working as one to carry out the commands Jesus gave us. They are coming together for training, but so much more. They are doing door to door evangelism, worship and Sunday Schools, but that’s only the beginning.
These churches in the Church Empowerment Zone are reaching out to their communities just like Jesus did. Working together, they are helping those who are hungry. They are loving people who are sometimes forgotten, like the sick and disabled. They are teaching Biblical principles for marriage and parenting. Even working to improve their communities by building things like latrines and fixing roads. World Relief has seen the impact, “Working with the local church is not only a good strategy, it’s at the very heart of our work. We believe that God gave us a plan to save our broken world, and that it begins with his church, and his people leading the way. We want to see local churches creating and leading change in their communities.”
Is it working? The answer is clearly yes! Churches are growing as they share with their communities. Many have come to know Jesus, even those who follow other religions have noticed. When people see the church reaching out to love as Jesus did, they can’t help but notice. Then they want to know why. This provides a perfect platform to share the gospel message. We are loving others because Jesus first loved us. It is really that simple.
The Apostle James was responsible for establishing one of the most important early churches. In James 2:14 – 17 he gave this direction. “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you say to him, “Go, I wish you well: keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
In this new Biblical model God is on the move. People are coming to know Jesus, and entire communities are changing. God’s plan works. We can change lives, we can change the world, and the church should be right in the center of all of it.
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by admin | Nov 11, 2021 | chruch empowerment
None of his family believed in Jesus. Aloni grew up in that environment. Then one day he attended a showing of The Jesus Film near his village. He had never seen a movie before, and he just couldn’t forget about what he had seen and heard. It wasn’t just the images of people walking and talking, it was the story itself.
Aloni’s heart was telling him he had to do something more, but what? He decided to go to a local pastor who was part of the Y-Malawi Church Network. He went at night so that his going would not be known in the village. He had only one thing on his mind. Just one question. It was the same question Nicodemus asked Jesus in John chapter 3. His question was, “How can I be born again?”
The pastor shared with Aloni what it means to follow Jesus. Right then and there Aloni decided to become a follower of Jesus. He was so excited about his new life! He immediately ran home to tell his family what had happened. His family was not happy.
His parents threw him out of the house. They sent him away with nothing. No food, no extra clothes, nothing. The next day the family started telling everyone in the village that Aloni was no longer a member of the family. They mocked him and said awful things about him.
Aloni was distraught. He returned to the pastor and told him what had happened. Later the pastor said, “Aloni came to my house on several occasions, tears in his eyes, pain in his heart.” On each visit they opened the scriptures together and learned more about what it meant to follow Jesus. As Aloni began to learn more about what Jesus had suffered, he realized that what he was experiencing was nothing in comparison to what Jesus had done for him. He realized that suffering can be a natural part of living the Christian life. The Apostle Peter even predicted that we should expect it (I Peter 5:10).
Yet, as recorded in John 16:20, Jesus also said our suffering will turn to joy. That’s exactly what happened to Aloni. He has now married. He married a woman who had 5 children from a previous marriage. Then they had a child of their own making them a home with 6 beautiful children.
Life is not easy for Aloni. It is difficult to make ends meet for such a large family. They sometimes struggle to feed everyone. On balance, what they lack in material goods, is not even close to the joy of serving Jesus. Aloni is proud to tell others he is a follower of Jesus. He cleans and works at the church almost everyday. He is happy to be playing a small part in helping others to come to know Jesus as he did.
Aloni gets it. He understands what Jesus meant when He said, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” There is a lesson here for all of us. Aloni’s old life is gone. In his new life he is ministering to people he will never even meet. Even to people on the other side of the ocean.
by admin | Oct 29, 2021 | chruch empowerment
God is on the move in Nkhotakota, Malawi! Many are becoming Christians; Muslims are coming to Jesus and entire communities are being changed! It’s all happening through the local village church.
With the support of World Relief and Y-Malawi so far nearly 70 churches, made up of many denominations, have agreed to come together to work for the cause of Christ in church networks. Churches within this network receive:
- Pastor and Elder training and development
- Support to lead programs like Sunday School, Families for Life marriage enrichment and evangelism initiatives
- Encouragement, and support to engage in sustainable community development.
Now your church, Bible study, or small group can play an important role in what God is doing in Malawi. You can partner with one of these village churches. As a partner you will benefit too.
- You, your group or church, will be linked with a village church.
- You will be able to communicate through monitored email.
- You will be able to share progress, prayer requests, testimonies, stories, photos.
- You will become an encourager for them, and they you.
- Quarterly you will receive an email update and progress report.
- You can even visit your partner church during a Y-Malawi Vision Trip.
This isn’t just about carrying out the Great Commission, it’s about awakening us. This awakening happens as we learn together how God uses you a tool to reap the spiritual harvest in Malawi. After all, if God is moving in Malawi, why not in your village? Ready to get innovative and partner for change? It takes just $60 per month. Money that will go to support the Malawi network of churches and provide the resources they need. That’s it. You are on the road to change.
click here to get started
