Ministry to Internationals@ Christ Chruch Stellenbosch

This 'Post' comes from the annual report of Christ Church in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Nigerian Independence Day Celebration. 

RE: Christ Church Stellenbosch Ministry to Internationals.

The ministry to ‘Internationals’ at Christ Church Stellenbosch seeks to connect ‘International Students’ to Christ, to one another and to our Church. We want to create a community where ‘Internationals students’ can hear and tell the gospel through the Bible’s own stories.  Every Thursday on campus we hold our ‘Story Group for Internationals’ where we tell and discuss Biblical stories. Our ‘Story Group’ now has about a dozen regulars. Four of last year’s most faithful attenders received their degrees in December and returned to their home countries.    

Laura, Clara and Chimwemwe from Zambia.

We also seek to show hospitality to internationals by sharing meals with them in our home and we invite students to church braais. Our hope is that church partners will get to know internationals and welcome them into the church community. This ministry is an opportunity to extend the outreach of Christ Church. Dr. Ephraim Yoms, a Nigerian Pastor who attended Christ Church and ‘Story Group’ regularly has given us an open invitation to visit Nigeria to train Church leaders in ‘Bible Storytelling’. We have also been invited to teach Pastors in the Nkhoma Synod in Malawi. Here are testimonies from those who have benefited from the ministry to internationals.

 “Discussing Biblical stories brings the characters and their circumstances alive in a fresh way. It is challenging and inspiring! God’s plan for salvation shines through in all of Israel’s history and this is amazing to grasp!” Timwani Phiri; Ph-D Candidate in Engineering from Zambia.  

 “In the ‘Story Group’ I discover what the stories mean by listening and thinking deeply. When I hear the Bible stories, I feel that no story is meaningless because they are our stories. When I listen to the opinions of others I learn how others think and sometimes they challenge me. I always appreciate both the love we receive and the food for lunch.” Pastor Jacob Lee; M-Th Candidate Practical Theology from Korea.

“The ‘story group’ for internationals has been so enriching to me, I have learned a lot and I have been impacted spiritually. Studying God’s Word by storytelling is fascinating and helps one to grasp events from the scripture in a practical and imaginative way. It helps me to identify the context of the scripture more from my African perspective of telling stories in a communal setting. It would be for me a unique way of sharing God’s Word when I go back to my country after my studies here at the University.” Kefas Garba; M-Th Candidate from Nigeria.

“It was a blessing for me to join this group. Most people who gather at this meeting are from different countries with different denominational backgrounds. Jay uses Bible stories to teach and after the Bible story he leads discussion about the story. Everyone participates in the discussion actively. I believe that the students are helped; both spiritually and physically, and will be good Christian leaders in their countries upon returning.” Dokeun Byun; Theology Student from Korea.

“Our gatherings with international students were great and enriching. It was an opportunity to know each other as well and to share the ‘Word of God’ in different cultural perspectives.” Tony Gunde; Ph-D Journalism from Malawi.

“Thank you very much for the privilege to have learned from the story group. We arrived at our home in Nigeria safely.” Pastor Ephraim Yoms; Th-D Practical Theology from Nigeria.

Please Pray for the 'Ministry to Internationals at Christ Church Stellenbosch'. 

Pray for the growth and participation in our 'Story Group'. 

Pray for our community as we seek to show hospitality to Internationals in our home. 

Pray for our the spiritual and emotional health of our family as we seek to minister in South Africa. 

Pray that my 'Research Proposal' be approved so we can renew our educational visa to stay in SA.  

Your prayerful support of this ministry is deeply appreciated!

Jay, Laura, Clara, Katherine, and Lauren Stoms

To make a tax-deductible donation send your support to:

Jay and Laura Stoms (Stoms Ministry Fund)

Africa Christian Training Institute 
P O Box 15621; Panama City FL 32406-5621

'The Twelve Spies' (Numbers 13-14).

God promised to bless the world through Abraham’s descendants who multiplied in Egypt but became enslaved. God called Moses to lead them and God delivered them out of Egypt with many ‘miraculous signs’. The Lord parted the Red Sea and Israel walked through on dry ground while Pharaoh’s army was drowned in the sea. The Lord led Israel by the pillar of cloud and fire and miraculously provided ‘manna and water from a rock’ despite Israel’s grumbling. At Mt. Sinai the Lord established His covenant with Israel and gave them the 10 commandments. But, while Moses was with God on the mountain the Israelites made a golden calf as an idol. Moses went down smashed the idol and went back up Mt. Sinai to intercede for the Israelites. Moses pleaded with the Lord and the Lord promised to go with Israel and to forgive them (Ex. 34:1-9). The Israelites set out from Sinai in their tribal divisions with the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ before them with the pillar of cloud above them. Their journey was difficult and they complained about their hardships (11:1). They wailed for meat and claimed they were better off in Egypt which provoked the Lord’s anger.  Moses started talking about his calling being a burden that he was unable to carry. So God, in His grace, anointed seventy of Israel’s elders with His Spirit to help Moses. (Ex. 18:13–26, Num. 11:24–30). Then the Lord brought so much quail into the camp that the Israelites became thoroughly sick of it. They came to the border of Canaan where we learn the story of the ‘twelve spies’ who explored the Promised Land (Numbers 13-14). Watch the story and read the comments below. 

 The Lord led Israel by the pillar of cloud and fire to the border of the Promised Land and they sent twelve spies to explore the land the Lord was giving them. They returned with a branch with such a large cluster of grapes that two men had to carry it on a pole. They also brought pomegranates and figs, all of which evidenced that the land really was a land flowing with milk and honey. It was like a new Eden and the grapes, pomegranates and figs were a kind of first fruits of their promised inheritance (Numbers 13:1-25). Joshua and Caleb, the other spies and the whole community knew that God had delivered them out of Egypt and had been leading them by the pillar of cloud and fire. Yet, Caleb believed that they should take possession of the land while the other spies brought a bad report. They said that the land with its powerful inhabitants and their fortified cities would devour them (Num. 13:26-33). Why did Caleb and Joshua believe God and Moses and while the community believed the bad report of the other spies?

For Israel to take possession of the land God would have to intervene. If He didn’t then they would die in battle and their families would be taken as plunder. Caleb believed they could take possession of the land, but the others saw themselves as grasshoppers and the land’s habitants as giants who would devour them. The report of the ten focused on the powerful inhabitants and their fortified walled cites. The community believed the ‘bad report’ and they grumbled against Moses and Aaron. They said that they would be better off dying in Egypt or in the desert. Moses and Aaron fall on their faces and Joshua and Caleb address the community. Joshua and Caleb said that if God was pleased with them then He would give them the land. They exhorted the people not to rebel against the Lord and not to be afraid of the inhabitants of the land because the Lord was with them.  But the people wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb (Num. 14:1-10).

For Joshua and Caleb it wasn’t about how they measured up to the land’s inhabitants. Joshua and Caleb exhorted the Israelites not to rebel against the Lord and not to be afraid of those in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Moses at the Tent of Meeting and said that He would destroy the Israelites and make Moses into a great nation. According to the Lord the people were treating Him with contempt even though the Lord had delivered them out of Egypt with many miraculous signs. Moses intercedes for Israel by saying that the Egyptians and the inhabitants of Canaan would wrongly believe that the Lord destroyed Israel because He couldn’t bring them into Canaan. According to Moses the inhabitants of the land knew that the Lord was with Israel and had been leading them by a pillar of cloud and fire. Surely the Israelites knew this but they didn’t believe like the Lord’s servants, Caleb and Joshua. Moses appealed to the Lord’s great love and asked the Lord to forgive the Israelites as He had been forgiving them since they left Egypt (Num. 14:10-20).  The Lord forgave yet that whole generation of Israelites who complained in unbelief would wander forty years and die in the desert.  Only Caleb and Joshua who were loyal to God would enter the land.  The children of those who failed to believe God would enter and enjoy the land that their parents despised. Those spies whose bad report incited a rebellion were struck with a plague and died and Joshua and Caleb were the only spies that remained alive (Num. 14:20-35).

What was different about Caleb and Joshua? The community knew that God had delivered them out of Egypt and had led them by the pillar of cloud and fire. They all saw the evidence that the land the Lord had promised to their forefathers was a fruitful land. Yet they thought God had done all this just to bring them into the land to die by the sword and have their families taken as plunder (Num. 14:3). On the hand, Caleb and Joshua concluded that if God was pleased with them then they would take the land. They interpreted the very same events and concluded that God was with them and they trusted that God was including them in His good purpose. The others knew that God had been leading them but they had no assurance that God was pleased them. They showed contempt for God and rebelled against the Lord. They did this by believing that God was leading them into the land only to die by the sword and to have their wives and children taken as plunder. They even thought it would have been better to die in Egypt or in the desert than to risk entering the land. Then when the Israelites learned that the ten who brought the bad report had died they confessed their sin and claimed they were ready to take the land. But Moses said they would be crushed for the Lord had abandoned them because they had abandoned the Lord. They had said they would be better off dying in the desert and this is exactly what God said would happen to them. So now they try to enter the land even when both Moses and the Ark of the Covenant remained in the camp. This was pure presumption and the result was that the peoples living in the hills came down and attacked the Israelites and beat them back (Num. 14:39-45).  

'Fire and Quail from the Lord' (Numbers 10-11).

God promised to bless the world through Abraham’s descendants, who multiplied but became enslaved in Egypt. God called Moses to lead them out of Egypt and God delivered Israel with ‘His mighty acts of judgment’. The Lord parted the Red Sea and Israel walked through on dry ground while Pharaoh’s army was drowned in the sea. The Lord led Israel by the pillar of cloud and fire and miraculously provided ‘manna and quail’ and ‘water from a rock’ despite their grumbling. They came to Mt. Sinai where the Lord established His covenant with Israel and gave them the 10 commandments. Yet, while Moses was with God on the mountain the Israelites made a golden calf as an idol. Moses went down the mountain smashed the idol, then the next day Moses went back up Mt. Sinai to intercede on behalf of the Israelites. The Lord said He would give the Israelites their homeland but he wouldn’t go with them. But Moses pleaded with the Lord and the Lord responded by saying, “My presence will go with you.” Moses wanted to see the ‘glory of God’ so the Lord caused His goodness to pass by Moses (Exodus 34:19). Moses asked the Lord to forgive Israel’s sins even though they were a ‘stiff-necked’ people (34:1-9). The Lord confirmed the covenant with Moses and Israel and gave Moses the ‘tablets of the covenant’ (34:10-28). When Moses came down Mount Sinai with the Ten Commandments his face was radiant from speaking with the Lord (34:28–35). This brings us to the story of 'Fire and Quail from the Lord' which is coming from Numbers 10-11. Watch the story and read the comments below. 

In this story God is with Israel leading them as He had promised Moses (Exodus 33:14, 17). The cloud lifted and Israel set out in their tribal divisions from the Desert of Sinai at the Lord’s command through Moses. The tabernacle would be taken down and the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ would go before them with the pillar of cloud above. As they set out Moses would call upon the Lord to scatter His enemies. When the cloud settled they would set up the tabernacle again and Moses would call on the Lord to return to the countless thousands of Israel. God was present with the Israelites but their journey was still difficult. Almost immediately the Israelites started complaining about their hardships (11:1). The Lord heard their complaining and He sent fire to consume the outskirts of the camp. So the people cried out to Moses who interceded for Israel and the fire died down (11:1–3).  The place was called Taberah (‘burning’ 11:3) and the story reminds us that God is a consuming fire (Exodus 24, Hebrews 12).

However, God’s judgment really didn’t change this for the discontent Israelites (11:4–15). Almost immediately the Israelites started craving other foods and wailing for meat. They even claimed that in Egypt they had free fish with cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic (11:5). Yet, in the wilderness day after day all they ate was ‘manna’. So they craved other foods and they wailed for meat to eat. They even claimed they were better off in Egypt which provoked the Lord’s anger. Then Moses himself begins to complain about having to carry in his arms this discontent people like a nurse carries an infant. If this is how the Lord was going to treat him then Moses wanted to die. Moses says that he would rather die than see his own ruin.

God became very angry and Moses was troubled. Moses starts his calling as being a burden that he cannot carry. Now we find Moses himself complaining about having to see his own ruin (11:11-15). So why after all that Moses had been through do we now find him complaining? Is it because the Israelites are not responding? Perhaps he was overwhelmed because the people weren’t responding to him. Perhaps Moses felt like he was having no real influence on the Israelites. Yet, Israel has done this before. So why is Moses so troubled now? Is it because Israel is falling into the same old sinful patterns again and again and Moses is simply worn down. Surely when you try to encourage people to trust God and they don’t listen and they do the same things again and again it’s discouraging. When this happens again and again you can feel like you’re wasting your time. But Moses himself and tried God’s patience several times so shouldn’t Moses have been more patient with the Israelites? But, now Moses is overwhelmed and troubled to the point that he seems tired of interceding for Israel.

So what is it that is now so troubling for Moses? In this incident we find the Israelites being provoked by the ‘Rabble’ that came out of Egypt with them so that they were reminiscing about how good the food was back in Egypt. They weren’t responding to Moses and they were falling into the same old sins, but now they claim they were actually better off before they started following Moses. Moses hears the Israelites claiming that following Moses had actually made their lives worse. Now Moses is filled with second thoughts and self-doubt to the point that he can’t see any way that he can accomplish his mission. Moses sees his work as futile and he feels like a failure. Moses seems to have forgotten about what God has done and about what God has promised. God is no longer in the picture and all Moses can see is his own inevitable failure.  If this is how it’s going to be then Moses would rather die than face his own ruin. But God, in His grace, has an answer for Moses.

What is God’s solution to Moses having to carry a discontent people to their ‘promised land?  God did not expect or intend for Moses to carry this burden alone. The Lord told Moses to gather seventy elders and the Lord would anoint them with His Spirit in order to help Moses (See Ex. 18:13–26, Num. 11:24–30).  The Lord took of the Spirit that was on Moses and put the Spirit on the elders to help Moses carry the Israelites to their ‘promised land’.  Two of the elders, Eldad and Medad, stayed behind and the Spirit came upon them and they prophesied in the camp. When Moses and Joshua heard this Joshua was jealous for Moses and wanted Moses to stop them. But, Moses’ desire was that the Lord would put his Spirit on all of God’s people!  In His own time, the Lord would do what Moses desired. Joel would prophesy of the day when God would empower all His people with His Spirit to do God’s work (Joel 2:28-29). In time, Joel’s prophesy would be realized when God would fulfil this promise in the ‘New Covenant’ in Christ by pouring out His Spirit on all God’s people (Acts 2:2-4, 17).

Then Moses was to prepare the people and God would provide enough meat for them. God would provide meat but not just for one or two days, or for five, ten or even twenty days. The Lord would provide meat for a whole month until it came out their nostrils and they hated it. Moses doubted that the Lord could provide enough meat to satisfy the six hundred thousand Israelite men. In Moses’ thinking all the fish in the sea wouldn’t be enough for them. But the Lord told Moses that he would see God’s word come true. Did Moses doubt that God could provide enough meat for a month or did Moses doubt that God could provide enough meat to satisfy the cravings of this group of discontents? The Lord sent a wind that brought quail all around the camp a day’s walk in every direction. The Israelites gathered the quail all that day and the next and they had so much meat that they actually got sick of it. So the Lord put the lie to the claim that they were better off in Egypt. Moreover the Lord provided enough meat for a month and He satisfied their cravings for meat by giving them so much that they became thoroughly sick of it. So the people ate meat but some of them died from a plague sent by the Lord and the place was called Kibroth Hattaavah (‘graves of craving’; 11:34).