His Work Among the Luo People Of Kenya Go ... and make disciples of all nations Matthew 28:19
March 6, 1990

Fraley's Chapel Church of Christ
c/o Jeff Young
Rt. #2 Box 421
Corinth, Mississippi  38834
 

    For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
    but against the rulers, against the powers,
    against the world forces of this darkness,
    against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the
    heavenly places.  Ephesians 6:12

 When Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, he closed his letter with the most important warning he could give his spiritual family.  He didn't want them to take their Christianity lightly but instead exhorted them to remember that Satan is out there fighting a battle for his kingdom, a battle for dominance and power in this world.  He is busy planning and acting to try to overcome the kingdom of our Lord.
   Why do we take that exhortation so lightly today?  Perhaps it's because our life of ease has lulled us into thinking that Satan has already been overcome.  Maybe we prefer not to think about spiritual battles because they make us feel too vulnerable.  Could it be that one of Satan's own strategies is put into action by our very act of refusing to recognize that the spiritual battle truly exists?  And let's face it, many of us refuse to face the spiritual battle because it ray make us look too unusual to the world, or it may make us look too much like a denomination.  We may prefer to think that many of the things that happen to us are "just nature" in it's natural course, because if we talk of spiritual battles, and Satan in action, trying to destroy our Christianity, someone may look at us funny or question our sanity.
   The fact exists however, that Satan is out there, he has power, and he is using it against us especially when we are trying particularly hard to be a force for Christ.  I cannot read the book of Job (or just about any part of the Bible) and not see the struggle against a very active, conniving Satan.  And I can't think that Satan is just sitting back and letting "just nature" in it's natural course overcome us.  If we allow ourselves to be lulled by the idea that "nature" is what sends troubles our way, then we are allowing Satan to overcome us, and we are not even trying to fight against those powers of darkness.
   Luo's are masterly in accepting what nature has sent their way.  Often times they refer to troubles as their bad luck and accept it without further comment.  And because of this mind set, they don't act on their troubles.  Many many die needlessly because a sickness comes, it's viewed as bad luck, and no further action is taken.  And yet, I can see the spiritual battle here in Kenya much clearer than I ever saw it in the United States.  Let me tell you a story. . .
   Joash Kadwe and his wife are relatively new Christians.  They were taught by Lawrence Barr a few years ago, and continue to learn and grow in Christ.  The church at Nyafare is in existence today thanks to their zeal for the Word and for a Lord who is the power in their lives.  Their Christian lives have become an example to Many in the community and Satan is very busy trying to strike them down.  I have no doubt that their struggles are not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, powers, and world forces of this darkness.  The battle in their lives is a spiritual battle.  A year ago, Joash came to our house needing help.  His third child was very close to death and the hospital was sending them away because they could help them no further.  He came to us asking for a ride to another hospital but more importantly, he came because he wanted someone to pray with him for the life of the child.  When we arrived at the first hospital in order to move the child, a doctor joyfully told us that he was able to administer an IV and that it helped.  There was no need to move her to a second hospital.  Joash won that battle because he realized that it was a spiritual battle and his weapon was prayer.  Things looked peaceful for awhile until a few months later.  Joash's wife Jane was beaten by a relative because she dared to attend a worship service instead of going to a neighborhood funeral.  She spent two weeks recovering in a hospital.  Her letter to me asked for prayer for her strength to overcome this opposition.  She wanted to win the spiritual battle.  It wasn't long after Jane's struggle against Satan that a neighbor began troubling them over their choice to follow Christ.  The neighbor could see the power of Christ in their lives, and he saw other neighbors being convinced to follow Christ instead of some denomination.  He saw "his church" faltering and so he began to blame Joash and Jane, even to the extent of destroying one of their fields of corn, an acre that they toiled with their hands to plant.  Because they realized the struggle was not of flesh and blood, Joash and Jane turned to prayer again for help.  They were fighting Satan with their Christ, and the neighbor gave up.  Joash came to us again a few months ago with another problem.  Jane had developed a chronic eye infection.  They had been to several doctors and found no relief.  Again he wanted to pray.  Jane is still struggling with the infection which may cause blindness if it can t be checked but she smiles as she goes about her work and is not letting that spiritual battle defeat her.  Just a few weeks ago on a Sunday morning, Joash literally burst into our home, ranting and babbling, screaming for help and praying at the same time.  His brother followed him into the house apologizing and explaining that Joash had been sick for a few days and insisted on coming to us so that we could pray before he agreed to go to a hospital.  "Sick!", I thought.  This man was out of his mind.  It's true, he was out of his mind.  Joash was suffering from a severe case of cerebral malaria, a devastating disease.  We prayed first, then we took him to the hospital where he spent a week.  Joash is home now but his mind is still not right.  Satan is using the malaria to wage war on Christ's child.  And at first it seemed as though Satan was winning.  I knew I was ready to admit defeat until we visited with Joash's brother who is not a Christian.  The brother told us Joash has had too many troubles this year."  And I expected him to ask us why God wasn't helping.  But instead he said,  but I can see that Joash is a man of God.  He insisted on prayer first.  And his prayers are what has given us all strength.  God is blessing our family and we are thankful."  The whole Nyafare church has been strengthened.  They are reaching out to each other and are fighting the spiritual battle together, holding each other up, praying night and day, standing strong for their Christ, and being an influence in the community.  And we are thankful.

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   Barry and I are fighting a spiritual battle too.  This work continues to be overwhelmingly large for one family to handle.  Our vehicle is about to give up the ghost.  We feel like we are driving on borrowed time.  And in the midst of our struggle to help Joash and his family we have also been struck by sickness that Satan is using to try to destroy this work.  Last week, Barry experienced a totally unexpected grand mal (severe) epileptic seizure.  Even when we couldn't spare the time away from the work, we were forced to go to Nairobi for medical tests.  Barry is fine now but medicated for a condition that the doctor feels originated in infancy.  We don't know if he will have anymore seizures, so far he hasn't had any, but the medication should help.  He is temporarily restricted from driving but continues to work as usual.  We need your prayers and your willingness to recognize that the struggles we all receive in this world are used by Satan in the fight to overcome our Lord's kingdom.
   Our power is greater because it is Christ's power and we urge you to use that power in your own struggles and as you pray for our struggles.  Without your prayers we would not be strong enough to go on.  Thank you for praying.

For Christ,
 

Barry, Stacy & Kit Rosie