The Power of God Is Real!
PRETORIA, South Africa -- How real is the power of God in your life? Can you see and know for certain where God has touched your life and made change possible?
My wife Bev and I are currently on an extended visit to Africa where we are meeting with members and coworkers of the United Church of God and conducting church services. This includes a number of meetings in Malawi and Zambia, some of the poorest and most economically challenged countries in the world.
While we have both been here several times before on church and humanitarian aid trips, this area of the world continues to amaze us. What is most amazing is the evident power of God in human lives.
We read in Isaiah of this power: "My word that goes out of my mouth; it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isaiah 53:11, New International Version). We have seen time and time again that when God decides to do something, it gets done!
One remarkable and inspiring such incident involves a new member of the United Church of God in Johannesburg. His first name is Johannes, and he traveled about four hours (one way) to visit us in Pretoria.
As readers of The Good News magazine know, we go to great lengths to ensure timely production and distribution of the magazine's content, which explains God's inspired word and relates that word to current human issues and challenges.
However, the means by which Johannes first received The Good News magazine wasn't in the typical way! Johannes makes a living by collecting and recycling paper, plastic and metal. One day, he found a copy of The Good News in some papers he was collecting.
Ironically, as he told Bev and me, he had been searching for answers to life's biggest questions. He found these questions answered in the copy of The Good News that he had found!
Johannes was particularly intrigued by the article "What Makes a True Leader?". It led him to read further.
As he learned more about biblical teachings, he also noticed in The Good News that a Kingdom of God Bible Seminar was going to be presented in South Africa. He thirsted for more biblical knowledge. So he did some research, and he found that one of the seminars was going to be near his home.
He attended the seminar, and one thing led to another, so he has now come into regular fellowship with the United Church of God!
As the apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, a largely Greek congregation, he quoted Psalm 112:
"He [God] has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever" (2 Corinthians 9:9, NIV). In thanking the Corinthians for their gifts and prayers to proclaim this precious truth, Paul went on to write: "This service that you perform [is] not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God" (2 Corinthians 9:12).
How marvelous that God is able to powerfully use these "expressions of thanks" to reach people like Johannes! God's Word is indeed powerful and will not return to Him empty—the power of God is real!
Many more inspiring events are taking place on this trip, and Bev and I invite you to follow our trip on Travelpod. Simply click here and join us as we visit God's people in remote lands.
P.S. Have a story about how God has worked with you? Please share it with me at victor_kubik@ucg.org.
