Yesterday we visited the church in Akankan, a village that had never heard the gospel preached prior to our coming two years ago. In a climactic moment in the middle of a thunderstorm in 2010, most of the village professed faith in Christ.
And ever since we started ministering in that village, we have also been attempting to put in a water well to provide clean drinking water, which would be a massive improvement to the current system of drawing water from a fetid pond about a quarter mile away.
But for whatever reason or other, our attempts to drill the well using several different companies have all failed. And as a result, many have left the gatherings, saying that we were unable to provide for them.
When Jesus preached about the four types of seed, he spoke of a kind that only grew up for a moment, but as soon as trouble came, it withered and died. Unfortunately, that appears to be the case for those who came to the faith only expecting that we would provide water. Their interest is in physical things, not spiritual realities.
And yes, drinking water is unbelievably important, and we are still doing everything we can to get the right drilling company out there, but the whole situation reminds me of the woman at the well that Jesus spoke with over 2000 years ago in John 4.
Her concern was physical water, and not having to walk to the well to draw it.
Jesus’s concern for her was for living water, and her finding eternal life.
“… whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Whoever drinks physical water will be thirsty again. And no matter how healthy that water is, he or she is still going to die. Whoever drinks living water has fellowship with the source of life, God Himself. And the person who drinks living water will never taste death, nor will he ever need anything else to find satisfaction.
This is the message that we preached. That God does not promise physical water. Because although physical water is important, it is also temporary. God is far more concerned with our eternal joy than our temporary happiness.
In reality, God doesn’t promise physical prosperity. He promises trouble in this life, saying:
“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
and
”In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
The promise is not that we will avoid trouble. The promise is that no matter what we go through, we have joy, because we know that we have friendship with God. We not only experience life, we experience it more abundantly and eternally.
And as we preached these things, those who have remained in fellowship were agreeing vehemently. For them, following Christ is the primary joy and the primary aim of life, not a mere water well.
And the amazing thing is, there are now men and women traveling from four different villages to hear the preaching of the word of God every week. These men and women are our dear brothers and sisters, and the reason we have traveled across the Atlantic to brave mosquitos, blazing heat, dangerous roads, and the loss of almost every comfort we have in the states.
It’s worth it for our family that God has redeemed. And it’s worth it for His glory.
As you have time, pray that God will continue to grow and strengthen them.
Pray that God will help us to finally drill a well to serve the whole village.
Pray that God will restore those who have fallen away.
And pray that God will continue to spread His good news of hope and joy throughout the region.
In the service of Jesus Christ,
- Paul
