Friday night mama Sylvia and I got into an OPEN ENDED conversation about Zambia and what many Zambians believe. If you didn’t know, Zambia was founded as a Christian Nation and therefore many Zambians claim to be Christians whether they actively follow the faith or not. We were watching TV after dinner and the only two choices we had were music videos or church services. We started watching a church service taking place in New York City and Mama Sylvia said, “Stacey, why are your churches in the United States so big? It seems like everyone in the United States must go to church because every church I see on TV is so big with so many people; is that true?” I thought to myself and I wasn’t quite sure how to respond. I have attended a small church of 20 people that meet consistently on Sunday’s in a lunch room cafeteria and I have attended churches like Willow Creek, Harvest Bible Chapel, Park Community, and Mars Hill who have thousands and thousands of members. Still, I am not quite sure how a church like Willow Creek came about or how to answer her question, but I do feel honored that I am apart of a church plant that has built itself up from the beginning.
My church in Chicago is called The Emmaus Community and it started with a handful of people meeting at someone’s house and doing Bible Study. From there it grew, I believe, to seven family owned SUV’s carrying all the church materials to a local college where they would meet. Then, God gave a woman of the church a vision for a vacant church building to become their actual home and that is currently where we reside today. Now, Emmaus is no Willow Creek in size but God has blessed us abundantly above anything our Pastors or members could have ever imagined. We meet multiple days a week for different activities and we try our best to live out the call of Christ, but it doesn’t have to do with numbers or how much Faith and effort WE can put in. We don’t have the perfect pick of people, the biggest building, the smartest seminary students, or the wisest words every Sunday morning (even though they are pretty great, don’t get me wrong) but we worship a God that is wise, trust a Father that trustworthy, and prayerfully honor Yaweh for being all that we need! I shared the story of Emmaus to Mama Sylvia and she responded, “Oh, ok. I like that! Very Nice.” Haha. She is a wise woman of few words but shortly after that she was telling me about a new thing, a new idea happening here in Zambia.
I heard stories about a few different pastors in particular. When these certain pastors come into town, people flock to them as people flocked to Jesus when they heard of his presence. Many Zambians believe that there are specific people who heal, special people who hold God’s blessings and can give them out, and a few people awarded the gift of seeing the future and therefore they have held onto this thought. (This next statement was made as generalization and not meant about all Zambians, but a great deal of people are moving towards this mindset.) When they are sick, they don’t go to the clinic or the hospital, they just wait for the healing pastor to make a presence near their city and then they go to him. If someone is struggling financially or a widow, there are special places you can go and fill out paperwork at which time you will receive financial assistance. Well, Mama was saying that many people do not accept the help that the government provides because they are “trusting in God” and they will wait for that specific pastor to come into town and then they will make their way to his conference or service as if he can save their situation. Mama speaks of this from personal testimony of knowing women, as she herself has been a widow since 2003. I was told that people here put pastor in high priority positions as they are the favored ones of God and it made me think.
I first began thinking about how I view my pastors and what authority I give them or claim over them. I then started thinking about the greater idea of the church and how we teach about spiritual gifts and parts of the body. Honestly, I was kind of shocked that this sort of thing actually takes place and that people actually believe and trust in ONE PERSON’S gifts this much. She was sharing with me that many people in Zambia believe in witch doctors as well and this creates a division among Christian people and the Church. As bad as it is, she was telling me all these stories and all I could think was, “What? This is crazy! Are these people serious?” Again, I didn’t know how to respond but I went back to the first thought that popped into my head; “how do I view my pastors and what authority do I give them or entrust to them in my life?” As I thought about it more, I realized, I too am one of these people that put a pastor in a high priority place. I think most of us are whether we would like to admit it or not, and maybe not to the extent of the stories above but in some cases. I know that when I was struggling through the death of my cousin, uncle, friends, and grandmother all at the same time, I looked to my pastor to have all the answers. I longed to be in her presence as I thought it would give me understanding and peace. I feel as though I can even testify to this right now as I am in Africa; I often listen to Christian music and podcasts with the hopes that the song or pastor will give me wise words and answers to how I should deal with certain situations that I am currently facing.
I am beginning to realize that as I mature in my faith and who I am in Christ, very little of this comes as truth! No person can ultimately give me the right words to say or explain the right way to problem solve a situation. The only one that can satisfy those needs is Christ Himself. There is no pastor who knit the words of their sermon together so perfectly; there is no church who welcomes everyone and honors where that person is in their journey exactly; there is no answer that is sufficient enough for a mother or father who has to bury their 17-year-old daughter because of a disease like Malaria as we have had to do this week. The only one who can do these things and do them with perfection is God. This is why many pastors pray before they preach and say, “God, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be honoring and pleasing in your sight. God, may your words be my words. God, may any thought or word that is not of you quickly leave my mouth for I am simply a conduit, a vessel for your plans and purpose.” The church exists to bring God glory and bring God praise whether we do it with perfection or in ultimate chaos.
So, Mama Sylvia has a friend who came over later in the night. Her friend is traveling up to Israel for a vacation. She is a single woman who is very intelligent and has a lot going for her. She shared with us that she struggles to believe that God has blessed her and that she is worthy of it. She has been baptized before and claims to be a Christian but she will be going to Israel to be baptized again at the mark of where Jesus was baptized. She told us that she believes once she is baptized there, in that one location, then God will show her greater favor and she will now receive more blessings. She currently believes that her first baptism is not quite “good enough”. Mama Sylvia responded to this, “So the water in which you are baptized makes all the difference on whether or not you receive blessing and favor?” There was no real response to that and then I was brought back. I was listening to a sermon by Pastor Judy Peterson from North Park University’s Chapel Service last week and she was talking about community and all the things that divide our church communities today. She ran off a list of things such as: worship styles, race, class, political conviction, biblical interpretations, a preference for a small church to a large church, and theological differences. Then, she talked about the reason in which we should stick it out, come back together, and remain family.
I am not quite sure why I was reminded of this sermon but I think it plays an important role in answering the question that titles this blog: “Who Is This God We Serve?” Who is this God that we devote our lives to; that we sacrifice our best and even our worst for; that we divide amongst our own families and friends for? Do we know this God and do we really understand His power and ability? I think this is what it all comes down to. Every story, every situation, and every thought written above boils down to ones knowing and maturing in their Christ like Character. Do we, as followers of Christ and as the Church, Trust in His provision? Do we, as followers of Christ and as the Church, allow Him space and access to move and transform our daily lives? Do we, as followers of Christ and as the Church, allow such things to distract us, detour us, and divide us as the body?
I don’t know… do we? Do I? Do you? Does the Church?
-SLE
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