By Steve Gober
Decatur, Alabama
Regional Rep for Advancement
Last fall, I wrote an article in ACTION! about God’s work through WBS to bring many souls to Christ in Malawi. For two consecutive years I have made trips to Malawi to study further with the WBS Students and new Christians. (Click here to read previous article).
In 2022, we saw 80 souls put Christ on in baptism. One of those was Juap William, who was my Online Student and a former Pentecostal preacher. After his baptism, he revealed to me that he was also a Pentecostal Bishop and oversaw 16 Pentecostal churches in Malawi. As I returned home, he met with all 16 congregations and converted them to New Testament Christianity! Knowing that these were all still babes in Christ, I returned in 2023 for the purpose of grounding them in the faith. God had even greater plans for the trip and led 111 more souls to be baptized into Christ!
Since Juap William has a background in both the Muslim faith and Pentecostalism, he has been converting many from both religions using the WBS lessons. Unfortunately, this has upset the Muslim community. Several weeks ago, a group of Muslim men wearing masks and armed with machetes and large sticks broke into his home while his family was asleep. They proceeded to bind Juap and his wife with chains and beat them with the sticks. They told him that “his work of preaching was finished and he must stop.” Juap, his wife, and one of his children had to be treated at the hospital for their wounds. His wife experienced a few days of internal bleeding as a result of the attack. Yes, persecution does still exist!
I tried to encourage Juap by emailing several Scriptures to him as a reminder that God had not forsaken him. One of those, Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose,” has certainly proven true.
As the men departed, following the attack, they stole some items from Juap’s home. Two weeks later, the police called Juap, telling him they had three men in custody who were trying to sell some of the items he reported stolen. Juap went to the police station and identified the items and the three men were sentenced to three years in the penitentiary.
Two days later, the Village Chief (similar to a mayor) called Juap into his office. When he arrived, he discovered they were holding eight other men who had been involved in the attack. They were asking for his forgiveness. Juap forgave them and proceeded to tell them the story of Jesus. After subsequent Bible studies all eight men and their wives requested to be baptized into Christ. Five of those families are now attending the congregation Juap attends and the other three families are attending a congregation closer to their homes.
“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. To Him who alone does great wonders, for His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1, 4)
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