One of the most important lessons I learnt here in Ivory Coast is this:
DON’T EVER ASSUME THAT BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY CHURCHES IN A PLACE THAT CHRIST IS ALREADY KNOWN THERE.
When you walk through the villages and even travel on motorcycle, you see Churches everywhere with different names, different signs and different gatherings. At first glance, it looks like the Gospel has already taken root, but as we began to engage the people more deeply, we discovered something very different.
Many people who attend Church are not necessarily saved.
Our INTERPRETER, when he found out that I was both shocked and sad, helped us understand that for many, Church is not primarily about Christ.
Some attend for food, financial assistance, job connections, marriage opportunities, family expectations, or cultural identity.
As we continued to have conversations with individuals, it became clearer to us that many had never truly encountered the Gospel in a personal and transforming way.
There is religious ACTIVITY, but no REGENERATION. There is Church ATTENDANCE, but no DISCIPLESHIP. There is familiarity with Christian language, but no understanding of salvation through Christ.
This experience has been consistent since the last one month we’ve been here and it keeps making me have some very serious reflection:
A PLACE IS NOT REACHED SIMPLY BECAUSE CHURCHES EXIST and people are not necessarily reached simply because religious services are happening in the village.
The real questions should be:
Do they know Christ?
Have they truly believed the Gospel?
Have they truly been transformed?
The truth we must all agree with and work with so we don’t waste resources and manpower should be that TRUE MISSIONS IS NOT SATISFIED WITH RELIGIOUS STRUCTURES, IT IS RATHER COMMITTED TO SEEING LIVES GENUINELY TRANSFORMED BY THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
This is why the Church must not stop at merely counting Churches or measuring activities. We must go further and deeper, until men and women become true disciples of Jesus Christ, because at the end of the day, the goal is not Church presence but Christ REVEALED and FOLLOWED.
JOIN US IN THIS MISSION!
We are currently on the field in Datta, reaching out to the unreached in Ivory Coast, engaging rural communities where the Gospel is still misunderstood, superficial, or yet to take root in hearts.
But THE NEED IS GREATER THAN OUR CAPACITY.
We are calling on partners, intercessors, and labourers in the Gospel to stand with us as we:
– Reach the unreached communities
– Disciple new believers into maturity
– Plant simple and Biblical house fellowships
– Train local believers for sustainable ministry
– Strengthen missions presence in rural regions
The harvest is real, but the labourers are extremely few.
If the LORD is stirring your heart to be part of this work, you can partner with us.
Together, we can take the Gospel beyond church buildings into transformed lives.
Grace to you!
