Discipleship in the Hills of Rwanda
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7
I am writing this IW from Kigali, Rwanda before I leave to go home for Thanksgiving. By the time you read this I will be home after a wonderful trip to Asia and Africa.
Kigali, Rwanda is the last stop on this trip and it is where I have been meeting with the F4L Africa directors from October 8 to 10, 2024. We have talked about the great need for discipleship to counteract the many false teachings that invade the churches. We have heard stories of the successes they are having training disciple-makers who are having amazing ministries. We have talked about the massive amount of money needed to move forward at a fraction of the pace that is possible. We have prayed and planned for what we will hope to do in 2025 with God's help.
Rwanda is a small but amazing country. It is called the country of 1000 hills. When I leave here a piece of my heart will be left behind (as it was last time). In 1994 the country endured a terrible genocide which snuffed out the life of an estimated 800,000 people. Visiting the genocide museum is a sobering experience but I am always most deeply impacted by the story of one lady whose husband was hacked to death by a machete wielding man. After the genocide ended the authorities arrested the man who had killed her husband. She was asked what she wanted to do to the man who had killed her husband? She responded: “Nothing. There has been enough killing.”
In the grace filled words of this woman we are reminded of the words of Jesus when he prayed “Father forgive them …"
Upon my arrival in Rwanda I discovered that 10,000 places of worship have been closed by the government. Most of the closures are due to building code violations and once these matters have been rectified a further inspection should get the place of worship open again. However, a new rule may prevent some from ever opening. The government is requiring CCTV to be installed so they can use the data gathered to match with the reports from the churches regarding how many attendees are present. This is because churches are taxed based on the number of people who attend.
There is much work to be done to evangelize and disciple the people who live on all those hills that make up this amazing country. Joseph, our director here has a vision to not only reach the main population but also the Twa people (Pygmies) who are not integrated into the society.
In the current environment the F4L approach to disciples making disciples who in turn make more disciples is an answer to the the churches being shuttered. Church buildings are not needed for discipleship to take place. The church can gather in small groups in homes and other places so that the Kingdom of God can continue to advance regardless of the circumstances.