Our Lord's Cross is the gateway into His life: His Resurrection means that He has the power to convey His life to you and me. When we are born again from above we receive from our Risen Lord His very life.
Dear Friends of BESI / Radio Kahuzi,
The first thing we want to do after the plague of our century is past is to return to church and rejoice in Communion and the fellowship of fellow-believers as we partake of His Body and Blood in remembrance of Him.
ANOTHER RESURRECTION STORY
As we at BESI celebrate our 35 years of ministry, we have been taking a look back to our many resurrection stories...times of looking into the face of death only to be brought back to serve again.
We had a real surprise of the same order on December 28, 2015 for that afternoon's broadcast relay as Pastor Gregoire returned to Bukavu from IDJWI Island with ten pastors and leaders during four days of Pastor's Conference and decision making. Truly, the prayers of the Saints and the power of the Holy Spirit came to the rescue of our staff member Pastor Gregoire, and a boat load of 80 people doomed in a terrible storm on Lake Kivu!
It almost paralleled the story of the Apostle Paul and his shipwreck in Acts 27: "...But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind called Euroclydon. And when the ship was caught and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. ...and we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; and the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship...all hope that we should be saved was then taken away."
Gregoire asked the pilot of the ship with 80 passengers to pull in and let the storm pass, but the pilot refused and kept on sailing into an impossible stormy gale with a tornado and clouds dropping right down to the water. The waves became like mountains, and the boat was thrown in every direction, so it was impossible to steer, or know where they were going, and the water hit their bodies with such force and freezing cold that it was very painful!
After forty-five terrible minutes of terror when the clouds dropped onto the water and the tornado hit, several pastors came up from their cabin below deck stating the boat was filling with water. The Captain ordered everyone to remove as much clothing as possible and prepare to swim for their lives! This was an impossible situation in frigid water and no one knowing which way it was to the land; plus, the Captain and the Pilot were the only ones who had life preservers to wear, and no one knew which way to swim in the direction of IDJWI Island!
Just as Pastor Gregoire prepared to jump over board to swim for his life, a woman grabbed him by the leg and screamed for him to pray for Jesus "to Save us from the storm!" So he obeyed the Holy Spirit and gave a salvation message and prayed for each soul aboard to submit to the power of the Gospel and be Reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. Soon after that, the storm subsided and they arrived safely in IDJWI Harbour.
(Note: It is the second-largest lake island in Africa and the tenth largest in the world. IDJWI is roughly 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 9 mil) separating its western shore from the DRC mainland and a similar distance between its easternn shore and the coastline of Rwanda.)
Scripture indicates that God intervenes, personally, when someone is saved from certain death. We are to be used of Him to Glorify His Name, not our own. We are to tell others what He has and is doing around us.
Likewise, with your prayer and provision throughout our 35 years, our little (BESI) Believer's Express Service boat has also been saved to continue afloat in this turbulent region, daily broadcasting the Good News of Jesus Christ's Birth, Sinless Life, Death and Resurrection for our Justification and Adoption into His Family!
"For we are laborers together with God:...For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
II Corinthians 3: 9 - 11
Keep Looking Up!
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