I had never met the men. I promise! But the first day that Matthew’s physical therapist came to the house, he got lost. He turned up the road on the other side of Braeburn school instead of passing the school and turning up the hill to our house. He came to one of Braeburn’s gates and asked if they knew Jimmy Gee and where he lived. They said “Yes, we know Jimmy Gee. He comes by here in the morning when he is jogging. He is a big man! Go to the bottom of the hill and turn left. His house is the one with the red roof after you pass the school.” Now, just to set the record straight, I don’t jog, I walk, and I don’t do enough of that but I am trying. However, the point is that I had never introduced myself to these men. I just wave at them as I walk by their guard post. They somehow know my name. The fact is that there are no secrets in Africa.
Along those same lines, there was a time in the ministry of Jesus when He told people not to say anything to others about who He was or what He had done for them. For our purposes here it does not matter why Jesus did this, but some people refer to this as the “Messianic Secret.” It was after His resurrection that Jesus told His apostles (and by implication every other Christian throughout time) to tell everyone the message of the Good News about the fact that He was the Messiah and had come to save mankind (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16). It was no longer a secret. The whole world needed to know.
We are seeking to tell the Good News here in East Africa. The team is doing its best to accomplish this through the ABS, the KBS, the ACSOP, seminars, tracts, BCCs, and personal evangelism. But, still, there are millions and millions who have not heard the Truth. Cy Stafford wrote in his weekly report several weeks ago that the Kensington Woods congregation needs to raise $150,000 per year to make sure that this work continues and grows at the necessary levels. If you are already helping, will you increase your support? Will you tell others of the need, whether it be congregations or individuals? Will you rise to the challenge and make sure that the Gospel does not remain a secret to those who are yet untold?
