Stay On Mission – 28th May 2018

2. Welcome sinners!
But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:2
The Rooftop in Uganda has launched a ministry that I find really exciting!
It is exciting because it is reaching the kinds of people that Jesus spent His time with and the Christians are ‘welcoming sinners and eating with them’. In an area of Kampala is a community of ladies who, as a result of their circumstances in life, are prostitutes. These ladies, along with their children are living in a part of town that is viewed as ‘unclean’ both by the community and also many of the churches!
As a result of the ministry of our National Pioneer in Uganda, Richard, ministry was begun among these ladies and their children. Richard was prompted by the key principle of The Rooftop movement that God wants us, like Jesus, to be reaching people who are beyond the walls.
The ministry began by meeting with the ladies in a safe place and providing food and water for them and then sharing the message of God’s love and forgiveness for all sinners. Many of the ladies are coming to faith in Christ and we are now taking steps towards providing a base for these ladies and their children to be discipled as followers of Jesus who will be equipped to make disciples of other ladies. The base, which will also provide training for employment and education will be called ‘Friends of Jesus House’. This name, first suggested by Richard really excites me because it underlines the enormous truth, for which EVERY human being should be grateful, that Jesus welcomes sinners – He is their friend.
Friends of Jesus is now likely to spread into Kenya and then into several other countries across Africa. It began with a realization that Jesus welcomes sinners and that God’s love reaches out to everyone.
Where you live, is there a person or are there some people, that need to know God’s forgiveness but, if you are honest, you tend to stay away from?
I encourage you, this week, to ask the Lord to do something in your heart, to give you His vision of these people so that you will see them as He does, feel his compassion for them and then ‘welcome them’.