One good reason to return to Sudan

While planning for the Students’
Holiday Camp in Yei on my last trip, someone asked, “Uche, since you’ve
been holding these meetings with students, over the years, how many have
committed their life to Jesus and are still standing today?”

Initially, I
was tempted to think the question was cynical and somewhat sarcastic than
constructive. But I shrugged off that thought and chose to see it as an
opportunity to bring this fellow and others there alongside us as we prepared.

So, I
responded immediately using some statistics to buttress my assertion. But as
soon as I laid out my points and facts, I felt strange. I knew this was not
right. Not that my claims were false but my reason for the response was simply
pride. I loathed myself. I’d been stuck with this “numbers” thing,
counting how many came, how many filled the slip and made a commitment. The
more the merrier they say; but there’s another serious aspect to consider.

The gospel
does not only have a quantitative side, the qualitative side is the second side
of the same coin. Jesus’ command to go make disciples in all the world,
preaching to every creature and the gathering in of a great multitude which
no man could number speaks of quantity; yet He longs to present  everyone
of that great number to himself, as a glorious church, not having spot, or
wrinkle…; but that it should be holy and without blemish, is indicative
of a set quality. Both are necessary in the big picture.

There’s a
corporate effort in both cases. We preach, He convicts and converts. We make
disciples as He works in them to will and to do His good pleasure.

I have one good reason to return to Sudan when the stage is set. It will not be for
numbers but for members, for QUALITY.

Some young
disciples that had unique encounters with the Lord during the Student’s Holiday
Camp and also at the Coach Me classes are pressing into Him for more and I long
to be part of it.

Their
honeymoon period may be over soon and the euphoria could fade anytime but we
need to plow deep and hard for a lasting harvest. Pastor Stanley is doing a
great job maintaining the momentum in his church and I’ll be returning to
assist him.

Discipleship,
which is the process of maturing into the image of Christ, could be as arduous
as it could be complicated.  Converts soon realize it’s a narrow way and
the temptation to return to a known path and a comfortable environment seem
more appealing as soon as challenges come banging with both fists on issues
from the past that don’t just go away without a fight.

Precious souls
like Sister Tabita were at the camp. I long for more for them. I desire a
deeper, richer and more meaningful relationship with the Lord and with the
world He loves.

As I
listened to radiant and joyful Tabita share her experience (see the clip below)
and observed her expressions of hunger for truth after that Holiday Camp, I
knew we’d struck the right cords. I said to myself, “… if this camp was
designed just for you dear girl, it was worth it.”

I’ll be
going back to help fan the flames of this fire in her soul. Thankfully, she’s
not alone. There’s a good number pressing in. That fire must spread. God
helping us, we’ll be at the furnace, working the hole and hoping to see the
dross give way for pure gold to flow forth.

When the Lord said, “Let us go
back to Judea.” (John 11:7) His request didn’t go down well with any of
His disciples. Worse still, His reason for that dangerous trip seemed ridiculous
as far as they were concerned. But we know how it ended. A certain Lazarus had
in his sickness, death and eventual resurrection, the platform for one of the
greatest miracles in the Bible. 

Great glory could be waiting to
spring forth but on whose account? Even people close to us may think we need to
see a psychiatrist when God prompts us to take certain actions in faith and we
go public with it. How scary is that task God is nudging you to undertake for
Him?

As I continue to ponder on these
and on that one strayed sheep from the ninety-nine, I’m persuade
that Tabita alone, though not a straying sheep (far from it), is enough
reason to return to Sudan. I’m not finished.

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