A few months ago, a news story about the death of more than 170 followers of a Kenyan pastor made worldwide headlines. This leader used a false reading of the book of Revelation to teach his people that they could meet Jesus by starving themselves.
It is heartbreaking to see Jesus’ name and the Word of God being invoked to cause the deaths of sincere believers. Of course, from the start of the Christian church, there have always been false teachers. The apostle Peter wrote:
There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies ...
and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed (2 Peter 2:1-2).
Our hearts hurt for those who listened to these lies. But not all preachers teach lies on purpose. Many just haven’t had a chance to learn the Bible properly. They genuinely want to follow God and lead well, but they have no access to sound biblical training. Geographic and social constraints, governmental regulations, or a lack of resources affect great numbers of people and can create insurmountable obstacles to receiving the seminary training they so desperately need.
And what happens to their congregants when superstition and cultural beliefs that have been around for generations lead them away from the true path of salvation and into spiritual darkness? As we learn from this false teacher’s story, bad theology can have dire consequences.
But some pastors have a different story.
Pastor Amwayi also works in Kenya. Rather than teaching lies and bringing destruction, he is sharing the truth of the gospel and changing lives for the better. He credits Thirdmill resources for his biblical training.
“Thirdmill materials are one of the [most] inspiration materials to our ministries. I
am using them at my church. Through Thirdmill, we have planted 12 churches
and five outreach ministries.”
Rather than plunging people into darkness, he is lifting them up out of it. And he is training others to serve, equipping them with Thirdmill resources so they, too, can share the hope of the gospel accurately. He wrote recently of evangelizing among the Turkana, a marginalized people group known for embracing the occult and ancestor worship:
“It is now two weeks since I came from a hard and difficult ministry in Turkana’s northern region—a dry, hot and thorny land... These people still believe in the spirit of their ancestors. They are very hostile, but the Lord led us through this hardship. [During] our one week stay, 60 souls surrendered their lives to Christ
Jesus!”
Pastor Amwayi’s story likely won’t make global headlines. But rather than offering false readings of God’s Word, he is actively advancing God’s kingdom, bringing people to faith and leading them to live out God’s plan for their lives.
In both pastors’ stories, one thing is clear: people are hungry to know Jesus!
As members of the global Church, we pray for those communities in Kenya who are mourning the loss of their loved ones. And we pray that more pastors like Pastor Amwayi, who are faithful to learn and grow in understanding God’s Word, can be raised up to lead in truth.
To give so that more pastors can have access to sound biblical teaching, please go to thirdmill.org/give.
This originally appeared in the 2023 Winter Newsletter. To see the rest of that issue, please go here!
