We live in the age of BIG. The general premise is “Bigger means Better.” Big muscles, big hair, big car, big house, big paycheck, big attendance, big church. Personally, I’m not into Big. Perhaps it’s simply because I’m not so big myself. After all, 6 feet tall and 160 pounds does not equate to much. I’ve carried a bit of that into Ministry as well. I’m not opposed to God doing “Big things”...but I tend to find His Presence most prominently in...small, otherwise insignificant things. As an example....His voice. I’ve never heard God audibly. Yet I simply can’t count the number of times He has spoken to my heart in the most subtle yet profound way. At perhaps the most critical point in his life, the prophet Elijah also experienced God this way...
“Then God said (to Elijah), ‘Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord. ’And behold, the Lord passed by,and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord,but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire,but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.”
Sure enough God had used Winds, Earthquakes and Fires to get people’s attention before. Even through the prophet Elijah, when he “called down fire from heaven.” But that’s not the way God normally does things. We should not require bold font billboard announcements before we venture out in Faith. Elijah needed to be reminded of that. And God surely got his attention. It wasn’t through fireworks and earthshaking tremors. It was through the still small voice of God...falling upon the ears of someone shocked into silence and stillness. We should not rely upon supernatural experiences, but rather on a more subtle and sure marker:
His still small voice. The Word of God. The whispering fine print of the Bible. Small can be a really Big thing...when it’s from God.
In August of last year, at the height of the virus restrictions, the prospects of a cancelled semester loomed large at the Bible Schools. We were weeks away from starting the final semester of the year, and there was no sign of relief from the restrictions. All the Kenyan schools were closed. Not just Bible Schools....every school! By God’s grace we were able to not only start, but finish, the final 3-month semester! We were the only Bible School in the nation that opened through the end of the year. That was not a small thing....that was a BIG thing!
The small thing was that Pastors and Ministry Leaders traveling from the neighboring country of Tanzania could not attend. Typically, we have a 3-4 Pastors from Tanzania who travel every week to attend Bible School in Nairobi. A small but incredibly serious and dedicated group. The border between the two countries was entirely closed due to the virus. Tanzania was one of the few countries in the world that refused to submit to WHO restrictions. But the border remained locked. And so were our students from Tanzania.
The original 12 has already grown to 20
The phone call came from Pastor Salmon. He is one of our DSM Bible Teachers. And he is from Tanzania! “Brother Paul, you know I cannot come to Nairobi. Can I teach here in Tanzania? Can I gather some Pastors and Ministry Leaders here and just begin teaching as we do there?”
I was inclined to say “No.” After all, how would we work out all the administration, the testing, the applications, etc., in another country, with a closed border, and only one teacher? “Let me pray about it, brother.” was the best I could offer. And then I waited upon the Lord...and His still small voice. Which came swiftly and with certainty...
“It is small. Just like it was in the slums. It’s me. It’s time. Go forward.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. I gave Pastor Salmon the green light. “Go ahead brother. Just remember: be diligent, maintain the highest biblical standards...and be ready for a lot of spiritual warfare.”
And so Pastor Salmon began. A small thing. Hoping for 3-4 Pastors and Ministry Leaders, he opened with 12. Hoping that half would finish the semester, instead all 12 finished and passed. Figuring we might cancel it once the border reopened, we have not. We are now well into the first Semester of 2021...12 has now become 20 Pastors and Ministry Leaders!
There’s not much more to say. Just a few grainy, low quality pictures from an old cell phone that I can share. But isn’t that the beauty of it? It’s all well below the standards of today’s eye-candy church culture. It’s rather raw and “off grid”....in all the right ways. Off limits to professionals... who manage the Holy Spirit right out of churches and ministries. It reminds me a bit of the early church...a bit uncouth, unpolished...and amazingly bold....
“Now when they (the Sanhedrin) saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were Uneducated and Untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”
The Word of God was written on the hearts of Peter and John. And now He’s added 20 more yearning souls. In the eyes of the world, an insignificant motley crew.
In the eyes of God, precious vessels of honor. Let’s not despise the days of small beginnings. Most often, that’s how our Big God does it.
