ORGANISED
BY GREAT COMMISSION FELLOWSHIP
AT CITY HALL, NAIROBI, 16th – 18th May, 2002
By Jane Mwangi
ContentsF
MOVE
ON TO MATURITY: Bishop Kitonga
| BE HUMBLE: Rev.
Dennis | PREACHING WITH PASSION:
Darwell Craft
s
I observed people stream into City Hall, the venue of the three-day Destiny 2002
Conference organized by the Great Commission Fellowship, I could sense their
excitement and expectations as to what the Lord Jesus Christ had in store for us
for the next three days. On a more personal level, I had great expectations
about the outcome of these meetings especially as it was a leadership
conference.
As
all these were going through my mind, meanwhile the organizers were busy setting
up the equipments on the stage. As soon as people had settled in their seats,
the worship leader took the stage and led the congregation through a vibrant
session of praise and worship. As I lifted my voice in praise and worship to
God, I could not help but meditate on what was to unfold for the next three
days. Finally as the drums fell silent and we were all quite in reverence to
God, I knew beyond any shadow of doubt that I had not come to just another
ordinary meeting – God had a purpose for me and many others present in that
meeting.
Next,
the host, Reverend Dennis Odhiambo, the pastor of the Great Commission
Fellowship,
took the podium to welcome everyone who had made it to the conference. He
informed us that we had all come for one purpose, irrespective of denominational
backgrounds, to lift Jesus up. He said
that irrespective of the denominations represented in the conference, God was
going to move among His people, heal the broken-hearted, lift their burdens,
and, above all, imbue them with power from on high. Above all, he promised,
‘by the end of this meeting, you shall all thank God you came.’
He was pleased to note that the
ministers, who had come all the way from the USA, were reputable and credible
men of God in their country. He said that he was delighted that the KEGMA
Fellowship and many other local ministers had honoured his invitation.
After
finishing with the niceties, pastor Dennis invited the Presiding Bishop of
Redeemed Gospel Churches Inc., Dr Bishop Arthur Kitonga, to officially open the
conference.
MOVE
ON TO MATURITY: BISHOP KITONGA ADVISES PASTORS
If you have ever listened to Dr Bishop Arthur Kitonga preach, you will agree
with me that he is one of the most exciting preachers to listen to in this
country. Known for his no-nonsense no-holds-barred brash oratory style, Bishop
Kitonga cuts a figure of one who knows exactly what he says and what he does –
and he does not speak in parables, he tells it as it is.
He
is perhaps one of the few preachers in this country who have the moral audacity
to point at the faults that afflict Kenyan ministers – and he does this
without flinching an eyelid.
As
he took the podium to officially open the International Destiny 2002 Conference
organized by the Great Commission Fellowship, all were attentive to what he was about to say. Bishop Kitonga
started by calling on the people to thank God for everybody that had turned up,
especially the team from the USA. He thanked the KEGMA members present and
lauded them for their unity. He also thanked all the dignified men of God who
had left their busy schedules to attend the meeting. He said that he counted it
a favour and not a merit from God to be given the opportunity to open such an
important international conference.
Reading
from Hebrew 11:24, Bishop Kitonga said that Moses reached a stage in his life
when he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He made this
decision when he had grown up. Many would think of growth physically but the
Bible refers to spiritually growth. He said that if you are a baby spiritually,
you will never hear the voice of God – ‘you must grow’. As you continue to
grow, he added, God continues to reveal himself to you. ‘If you want God to
bless you, grow up’, he stressed. He said that as one grew up spiritually,
‘you will not look for places to minister, people will come looking for
you.’ Speaking on his personal experience, the vivacious Bishop told the
attentive congregation that in 1975, he got an opportunity to go to America and
later to New Zealand through a prophecy. He said he never allowed anyone to
undermine him because he was black.
‘The
problem with saints is that we lack maturity and confidence in ourselves which
makes us unable to make decisions on our own. You need to mature, because when
you mature, they will come looking for you’, he said. He also pointed out that
many preachers in Africa have never grown up. ‘Remember we were called to
preach but the problem is that when you see a successful preacher like Dennis,
you want to imitate what he is doing because you have never grown up, be
original. If I tell you I used a bicycle for 13 years and now you are seeing me
in my Mercedes you will not believe it. I also had a motorbike, which had a
speaker and an amplifier for preaching. I used it to go all over the country and
even to Uganda to preach’, he added.
Bishop
Kitonga pointed out that he doesn’t like sympathizers but believes in dealing
with issues as they are. He advised the youth, especially those between 25 to 30
years, to preach the Gospel.
Noting
that that Nairobi had a population of 4 million people, he said it was
distressing that no Church has a membership of 50,000 in Nairobi. Instead of
concentrating on how to expand the growth of their churches, he lamented, most
pastors in Nairobi are busy trying to outdo one another, fighting against one
another. He cautioned them that they are not called into a gospel of competition
and challenged them to be themselves. ‘Here in this conference people will be
repaired and prepared to be effective preachers’, he added amidst applause.
Reading
from 2 Chronicles 32:7-8, the Bishop Kitonga told the leaders to be strong and
courageous and not to be afraid of challenges because the Lord God will help and
fight for us. ‘When we fail to make a decision, the only thing we see is
opposition. But if you look unto God, you will make the right decision’, he
added. He said Christians could bring a revolution in this country and make
everybody recognize the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He finished by telling the
preachers not to despise themselves because God has called them for a purpose.
Back to Contents
BE
HUMBLE: PASTOR DENNIS ADVICES LEADERS
Reiterating the words of the Bishop Kitonga, the host, Pastor Dennis Odhiambo
told the attentive leaders that getting to the top is easy but staying there is
very difficult. ‘Preaching is a ministry to carry out not just sweet words’,
he added. He said that preaching must be accompanied by a life of integrity and
holiness. An effective leader, he added, should love the people. He should be a
servant, not a boss. He told the Pastors to refer to the example of Jesus
Lordship, which was characterized by servanthood. ‘If we become like Jesus, we
will do great things in the kingdom. Just ask yourselves why the educated and
most eloquent preachers do not succeed. We need to realize that it is by the
Spirit of God that we succeed. And if you want God to use you, you need to stay
humble and the Lord shall be seen in each one of us’, he advised. Back
to Contents
I have
listened to many articulate teachers of the Word of God – especially on TBN
– but few have struck as me as being so divinely endowed as Pastor Darwell.
Masterful in his sermon delivery, Pastor Darwell is so articulate in his
presentation that after he is done with a sermon, one is left in no doubt that
the message has been exhaustively delivered. As I watched him preach this
particular sermon, I could not help but marvel at a gift so rare.
He
started by thanking Bishop Kitonga for starting the fire, then went on to say
that he had come to speak to a man
or woman with a ministry. A minister with a desire to preach with passion. He
said that when one is preaching with impact, it doesn’t matter how high up you
go what matters is how you come down. The enemy is like a roaring lion but God
says do not be afraid because he has given us a spirit of sound mind.
Referring
to Genesis 22, where Abraham was put to the ultimate test when God asked him to
sacrifice his son Issac, Pastor Darwell said that sometimes leaders want the
power of God in their ministry and in them but they are unwilling to give God
anything in return. There is no way you can be an effective preacher if you are
not tested. The greatest lessons we learn in life are in the temptations and the
trials we face. It is when we give to God the most valuable thing in our life
that we show him how much we love him. It is very easy to enjoy standing before
people and get favours but will we love God because for who He is and not just
because of the ministry He has give us? He asked.
Worship
should be part and parcel of a leader’s life. A leader must be willing to
surrender to God all that they hold dear. The most important thing is what the
Word of God says about us. Saying that we’ve got to learn how to surrender to
God, Pastor Darwell noted that there is too much carnality in the Church.
‘There is need to learn what Abraham had to learn. We have children
whom we want to be identified with but remember Jesus in Phillipians 2 did not
think of himself equal with God. He was willing to surrender his rightful glory
in heaven to come to the world and reconcile mankind back to God. Passionate
preaching comes from a man willing to surrender fully to God’, he said.
Abraham was willing to surrender his pride and his personal strategy to stay in
the promise. When we surrender our pride and personal strategies, we will be
filled with God to the point that we will set aside our own agendas.
Abraham
had faith in God and believed God was able to raise the dead. He was willing to
serve God no matter the cost. When preachers face challenges in Church, they
need to make a decision whether they are hired by men to preach or called of
God. Abraham surrendered his own strategy because he believed God.
Darwell
said that the ministry is for them that are called by the Lord God. He stressed
that it is not for us to have the call of God, it is the call of God to have
us. He said that if you have to preach with a calling in your life, then you
have to have the call of Abraham. Remember Jesus had the boldness of telling
Pilate that he did not have power except that which is given to him. Jesus had
the option of escaping the cross but the call of God was on him.
He
said that what Abraham did in time, God did in faith – Abraham told his son
that God will provide for himself the Lamb of sacrifice. He surrendered his
possessions for God to work out his plan. Note that you will not have power in
the ministry if you are not willing to surrender your most precious things.
‘Would you do for God what you would for your family or your business’? He
posed. Jesus was willing to leave everything in heaven and come to the world to
be like us and live like us.
Are
you ready to lay it all on the altar for God? Imagine if Jesus said he could not
bear the cross anymore and abandon God’s plan. Would we have redemption? He
went through all manner of sufferings and challenges to redeem us. Darwell
concluded by saying that if you have to serve the Lord, you have to surrender
all to Jesus. You must be determined to proceed no matter what obstacles you
will meet on the way.
In
his further teachings on effective preaching, Pastor Darwell Craft said that it
is easy to just stand and preach but very hard to maintain a Church. This is
because without the Word of God, people will not stay on in your Church. If a
preacher is not studying the Word of God he will not know the truth of the Word.
He told the leaders present that they must study the Word of God before standing
in the pulpit to preach. He gave his own example, saying that he spends 25 hours
a week studying the Word. He told the preachers that if they did not study the
Word, they had no right to speak the Word of God because they are only supposed
to be instruments that God uses to communicate to others.
The
preaching has to have a conclusion, which should remind people what you have
already told them. You also need to make an altar call to give people a chance
to respond to the message. However, a preacher should not make an altar call
just because it is a custom to do so, but rather, to give the congregation a
chance to respond to the message.
When
you study the Word of God, have a plan for your preaching. It enables you to
teach the people and preach on the subject matter that you may otherwise ignore.
It makes the man of God to preach the truth whether it is popular with people or
not. And when you study, study historically, find out what was happening when
the scripture was written and search for contents, he advised. He finished the
advise by saying that preaching is not for personal gratification. It is the
power that brings the people to the feet of Jesus Christ. He ended by saying
that no man preaches better than he prays. ‘If there is no divine oil in your
preaching, then there will not be effective preaching’, he added. Back
to Contents
These reports were prepared by Jane Mwangi, co-founder of The Living Word. She can reached at the address below.
©
Sword of the Spirit Ministries, Kenya, 2002, 2003
ssm@swordofthespiritministries.net
www.swordofthespiritministries.net
P.O. Box 12147-00400 Tom
Mboya, Nairobi
Tel. 254-722704355
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