Discipling with The Mask

We called it: Coach Me – Youth
Forum. We set out with some youths in our church here in Yei, on a trip to
somewhere and in search of something we all knew we desperately needed – TRUTH.
This invaluable commodity seemed to
be elusive.

To move as a team, we had to define the terms governing our
time together. We agreed to meet every Sunday evening for 2hrs, we agreed on
this and that. God would be the Driver and Uche will serve as the conductor,
which meant he’d call the stops and be on the trip till we arrived our final destination.
Anyone was free to get off wherever they wished so class ended with 25
disciples out of 34 that started.

When at our first meeting I introduced The Mask to these young
chaps and used my life, my past failures and hypocrisies as the guinea pig, explaining
the stifling and fearful nature of a masked life; I didn’t know what to expect.
But I knew that whoever among them would embrace the profound message of the
Mask before we depart the station
would never be the same again.

When they finished reading this great article which I had
reworded a little for their understanding, it was as if a bomb went off inside
every one of them. That was the same experience I had! It was the moment of
TRUTH for me and them.  Age old Masks must
be removed as a prelude to this class.

After that first class, it was clear that something had gone
right. The demystification of the Masks and the persons behind them completely
changed many lives here in the past 7weeks. The Mask served as the compass to our final destination.

We held a total of 10 meetings, discussing various life
matters from how to remove our masks and why it’s necessary for discipleship,
dealing with spiritual strongholds, understanding and dealing with the four
personal fears.  Embracing pain as a
divine tool was not left out.

They gathered for each meeting and like sponges, soaked up
every detail, asking awesome questions in the process. How do I narrate their
facial expressions when shocking revelations were understood or the anguish
conveyed, on seeing how insidious self preservation could be? The sound of
laughter and pure fun greeted every joke from anyone. This was a family affair.
It was deep, rich and liberating. I had some of my best moments ever in Sudan
within the last 2months.

Their open confessions of wrong and the desire for change
shocked me. Week after week and up till yesterday’s meeting, there were still unforced
open confessions and repentance. The small group discussions during the
meetings awakened a passion to be real and to know more. Never
underestimate the power of openness and truth. This is one profound lesson I’ve
learnt from these lads.

How can there be
authentic worship without the freeing of the human soul to embrace truth,
regardless of the discomfort it could render? When we are unfettered by
lifestyle strictures mandated by theological curmudgeons, we find our wings and
take flight. That’s a great line from Seth Barnes.

Here are the brief comments of some of the disciples after the last
class.

Author: Uche Izuora

I'm inspired by God’s passion for His name in every generation, which provokes global worship through Jesus Christ. Becoming an emotionally healthy and transformative disciple, I aim to mobilize the Church to engage in cross-cultural missions and raise other like-minded disciples who discover themselves in Christ and seek to present and represent Him as Savior and Lord among the nations northward of Uganda. View all posts by Uche Izuora