On Sunday I had the privilege of preaching two services at Daranjani Baptist Church in Nairobi. It was quite the experience and possibly has the loudest music I have ever experienced in a church. This is saying quite a lot as many churches blast their speakers at full throttle every week. Mixed with everyone singing and shouting the songs as loud as possible, concrete walls and tile floors and the sound will make your liver dance even if your feet are not. My ears were still ringing Sunday evening.
Connecting through Teaching
The story of how I came to know Pastor Kariuki of Daranjani is one that I pray is repeated. In February I taught a class at the Kenya Baptist Theological College. Kirimi was a student and we got to know each other. He lives only a few miles from us and wanted me to meet his pastor.
The first time I met pastor Kariuki was in March this year. We scheduled a missions weekend seminar in conjunction with a local outreach the church had already planned. I would preach and then lead a training for the church leaders and anyone who wanted to participate. However, Covid-19 interrupted our plans and the missions weekend did not take place.
Matthew 11
As the Kenyan government has eased restrictions on churches and gatherings, I reached out to Kariuki once more. We met and he invited me to preach. They currently hold two services each week because of social distance rules.
The verses in Matthew 11:28-30 kept coming to mind:
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Rest in Christ
Many people here misinterpret these verses as physical rest and prosperity. However, when taken in the context of Matthew 11 as a whole chapter, they offer us so much more. Eternal life and rest with Christ. Salvation is the offer. Rest from the burden and weight of sin which we are entangled in is the offer Jesus makes.
We can throw off the burden of religion placed upon us. We can give Jesus the sin which he took for us at the cross. We are invited into relationship with Jesus, and in him alone can we find rest from the world.
Salt and Light
What a beautiful message of hope Christ gives us. I also challenged the people of Daranjani to be salt and light. I pray they too will take this message of hope and rest from the weight of sin to their community and neighbors.
Relationship Building
After preaching, I was able to share a meal at pastor Kariuki’s home with his wife. During this time, he shared with me more of his family story and that of the church. Overall, it was a long day, but very satisfying and productive. We are planning to still have a missions weekend sometime and continue reaching Nairobi for Christ together.
Building relationships like this is exactly why I love teaching at bible schools and seminaries. My prayer is that in the coming years this story will be repeated many times as I get to know more students and therefore meet more churches.
What sin?
As I conclude let me ask you the same question that I posed to the people of Daranjani Baptist Church: what sin is weighing you down that you need to bring to Jesus? Is there anything you need to repent of and bring to Christ so you can have the weight and burden of sin lifted off?