It's 6.30 in the morning. It's dark and a bit quiet on the street. I walk towards the main road and wait for a boda driver to take me to Naalya roundabout. As I am sitting on the back of the boda, I regret having put on just a T-shirt. Even though Uganda has a tropical climate, it can be quite chilly just before the sun rises.
Joshua is already waiting for me and the others at the roundabout. I quickly recognize that this must be the one: he carries a sign about the Gospel and has come with a speaker. Everything is ready for us to preach. And preach we do! For an hour we proclaim the truth of the Gospel to the people that are passing by.
"Jesus loves you. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the One that can bring you back to the Father. He forgives your sins and heals every sickness." These core truths are what I proclaim in English, being translated by my friend Shepherd and cheered on by the others that have come to join the outreach.
This is something that Phaneroo - the church I am teaming up with here - does across the city. Very simple, but very powerful. The Bible says that it's through the foolishness of preaching that salvation comes to people. I am willing to be a fool for Jesus, so He can save those that are lost, hurting and broken.
Imagine a young man, in his early twenties. He is depressed and lonely, and his life has no purpose. If we can trust the statistics, this is a very common situation in our world today. In the Netherlands, for instance, studies show that 3 out of 10 youths feel depressed!
Now imagine this same young man listening to a podcast about Jesus. A podcast that tells him that there is a God who made Him, a Saviour to set him free and a Spirit to be his Friend. And imagine the words that he hears reaching his heart. Lighting up the darkness and igniting a flame of hope. A hope that gives him strength to face life, find purpose and change the world around him for Jesus.
I believe this is God's heart for our generation. Both here in Uganda, but also in Europe and so many other places across the globe. More than ever, I feel an urge to share the Gospel and to see the Word of God change those who are hopeless into world changers. To empower others to live out their full potential.
This is what I want to do in 2024: sharing the Gospel, with the saved and the unsaved, and see a generation empowered to change history for Jesus. There's a number of ways that I want to apply myself to this.
During this new year I want to team up with Phaneroo Ministries, a ministry that focuses a lot on the young generation in Uganda and its neighbouring countries. They go to schools, universities and so many other places. I have already started joining them for weekly street preaching, and I know that much more is to come!
Helping Hans Baksteen develop, organise and teach a course to equip pastors and other leaders with a special emphasis on them being grounded in the Gospel of Grace.
Over the last few months, different people have suggested me recording podcasts. I have already recorded a few and feel led to do this more often and to share these on an online platform. This is still something that needs to be worked out, but I believe it's going to impact many lives. I will keep you posted!
In closing, I cannot but stress how much all of this is a team effort - and you are a part of this team. Your support and prayers make you a very important part of God's plan to change the shape of the future with the Gospel. There's a reason why I use the phrase: "Share the Gospel and bring others along". Those others include you. I believe you are more than just someone who prays for me or supports me financially. No, you are a minister of the Gospel. I believe that you being a part of what I am doing is going to empower you to do nothing less than impact a generation for Jesus!
Let's keep running together this year and be amazed when we look back at the end of it!
Blessings,
Stein
If you would like to read earlier blogs, please go to www.steinversluis.com. The password you need is Romans10.