Sovereign Grace Churches in West Africa

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Ben Kreps:

Hey everyone and welcome to the Mark Prater podcast, where our aim is to connect our global family of Sovereign Grace Churches with our executive director. Mark, as we record this, I am speaking to a jet lagged Mark Prater. You're just back from a wonderful time in West Africa. Tell us about your travels and what happened there last week.

Mark Prater:

Yeah, thank you, Ben. I actually just landed early this morning and landed with a happy heart and very excited about all that God is doing through Sovereign Grace Churches in West Africa. I was there for a number of different reasons. Spent a couple days in Ghana before traveling to Monrovia, Liberia. And I was there because Dyonah Thomas, who leads Grace Life Church in Monrovia, Liberia, is our key leader there, for Sovereign Grace in West Africa. And as you well know, I had the joy of ordaining Dyonah Thomas last Sunday as the first ordained elder in West Africa for Sovereign Grace, which was very exciting. I know you know that because you participated in giving his oral exam just a week or two before. So it was exciting; and for the church it was a very happy day. It was a very exciting day. That church, they love Dyonah Thomas, their pastor. And so there was just a lot of joy in that room and a lot of excitement, and a lot of hugging, because they love him. So, that I did last Sunday, had the joy of preaching at that ordination service and then ordaining him.

And I was also there because we had our very first Sovereign Grace West Africa Pastors and Wives conference this past Tuesday through Thursday. And we had about 80 pastors and wives from six different West African nations. Two of those nations are French speaking; Ivory Coast and Guinea in particular. And so throughout the conference there was translation into French, and the conference just went remarkably well. I want to commend Dyonah Thomas, who just planned it very effectively, and the theme of the conference was God's Unchanging Word in a Changing World. And what he really wanted to build into his pastors that he serves there with in West Africa, is the word of God, that's what we're going to build on. There's a lot changing around us, but we know the word of God is unshakeable, so we're going to be faithful to preach God's word and obviously the glorious gospel it contains, and the theme just ran through the conference so well.

He chose that theme partly because, in West Africa, there is a multitude of prosperity gospel churches. And, the Prosperity Gospel, in my opinion, is a false gospel. It's false teaching. And the best way to counter that is to build gospel centered churches, which is what they're doing in West Africa. And so the conference was to bring all those pastors and wives together and make sure that we're all on the same page of building gospel centered churches that over time will be light in darkness where the prosperity gospel, which makes a lot of promises to people that are never kept, so they get disillusioned and are looking for genuine Christianity. And they'll find that in churches, some of those being Sovereign Grace churches in West Africa. So it was wonderful. Dyonah spoke once, I spoke twice. Bart Lipscomb, a senior pastor of Christ Church in Conroe, Texas, spoke twice, did an outstanding job.

And, it was just a lot of fun. I was telling you right before we started the podcast, I don't think those pastors and wives have been together quite in a context like that where they could build relationally and realize we're on the same page when it comes to gospel centrality, we're on the same page when it comes to doing gospel mission. The transformation that occurred from the first day to the third day was remarkable. They had knitted together relationally. They were excited about doing gospel mission and ministry together in West Africa, and they're looking forward to the future with a lot of faith. So, just a wonderful week and a wonderful conference. I would say that what happened at the conference is that a family of churches in West Africa, known as Sovereign Grace, was born and was established, through this conference. And it's going to be really exciting to watch what God's going to do in the coming years.

Ben Kreps:

Yes, what a happy and historic occasion that you got to participate in this past week. I have been there once before, and it is impressive to see the investment that Dyonah and the school is making in local pastors and men aspiring to pastoral ministry and the difference it makes as they come alive to biblical theology and the doctrines of grace and expositional preaching and all those things that we hold dear to and doing it in West Africa. So, that sounds like a great time. You have a couple more highlights for us from your week there.

Mark Prater:

Oh, we could spend several podcasts with me telling stories. There are just so many highlights so I'll try to narrow them down to just maybe one, two or three. There was a group of about 20 or so that traveled from Sierra Leone, that was for them about a 22 hour drive, they didn't get on a plane. They got in mobile transport, and it just took time to get there, 20, 22 hours. But they were excited about being there. They loved being a part of Sovereign Grace. And some of them face unique challenges in Sierra Leone. Obviously there's the Prosperity Gospel that's there. And there's a senior pastor of a church in Freetown, Sierra Leone, which is now pursuing adoption in Sovereign Grace as a candidate church. You can find them on our website. Morlai led his church out of the Prosperity Gospel movement and he began to teach gospel centrality and reformed doctrine. And he lost a lot of people. His church went from 150 to 50, and he just remained true. He just remained focused on preaching God's word, faithfully, energetically, and preaching the gospel and building a gospel centered church. And they've slowly grown back up to 100. So, it's exciting to see how God is blessing the faithful preaching of his word and I think that's going to have an impact, with all the prosperity gospel influence that's around him.

The other thing I learned at the conference is that in Sierra Leone, there are a lot more Muslims than there are Christians. And so they can face some degree of persecution because they are Christians and some challenges because of that. One of the interesting stories Morlai told me is that they started a school along with their church, because education is a need in Africa. And, they're offering quality education. So people in the community are hearing about this school, and they're sending their kids there. And, many of those families sending their kids to this school are Muslim. And, Morlai and the teachers there are teaching the Bible to Muslim children. They are sharing the gospel with them. It's just a part of the curriculum that they have. So it's just wonderful to hear a story like that. Even with the opposition, and prosperity gospel in the air, there's a church that's thriving and growing in the gospel, because of their commitment. And now they're getting ready to plant another church in the Freetown area.

Francis, who spent the last year, he and his wife and their family, in Monrovia, Liberia, he just graduated from the Sovereign Grace West Africa Planters and Pastors Academy. The graduation was actually during the conference. We got to pray for them. And he's going back to Freetown and planting a church out of Morlai’s Church. So, exciting to hear that.

If you get to West Africa, get to one of these conferences, the folks from Guinea are just a lot of fun, they were just a blast to be around. They just have a lot of joy, and they face some similar challenges, because of the Prosperity Gospel, but also because there are a number of Muslims in Guinea. They're in Conakry, Guinea. And Samuel, who planted that church, was actually sent from Dyonah's Church in Monrovia, Liberia, to plant a Sovereign Grace church there in Conakry, Guinea. And, they had some challenges, for example, just to find a meeting place. It was hard. And they found a house that they could rent where they could meet, and it was owned by a Muslim, and he learned they were Christians. And so he kicked them out. So they go to a second house and they begin to meet again, and a Muslim owner, hears their Christians, kicks them out. They're in a third location now, and they think they've got a place that they're going to be able to remain and potentially, there's a piece of property where they could build a building and have a permanence there. So again, some of the things that Samuel and his church are facing. They are candidate church, and they're pursuing adoption into Sovereign Grace.

And, then there are the churches in the Monrovia area.  Dyonah has planted Grace Life Church but there are also four other churches there.  And all the men that I met that are leading churches there are gospel centered men. They love our shared partnership with Sovereign Grace and have a vision to plant more churches, not only in Monrovia, but throughout West Africa.

So, just a few stories from West Africa.  I could tell you a lot more, and I’m excited <laugh> as you can tell, but this podcast would go way too long so let me end with this.  If you’re a reader or listener of this podcast, please pray for Sovereign Grace Churches West Africa.  Pray that God would multiply their labors for the gospel.  Pray that God would protect and provide for them, given the challenges they’re facing.  These are dear brothers and sisters in Christ I came back carrying on my heart.  And so it’s a heartfelt appeal that you would pray for the brothers and sisters there.

Ben Kreps:

Excellent. Will do. You know, it's such an honor that we are able to partner with what God has been doing for some time in West Africa, and to be in partnership with these men and women. Shout out to Dyonah and the other men that you mentioned. We respect your perseverance and your faithfulness and your courage. That's an example to me, for sure. And it's a joy to see what God is doing through our partnership in Sovereign Grace Churches. So Mark, thanks for your investment. Bart, thanks for heading out there and investing, as well. And thank you all for watching or reading this podcast. We'll see you here, Lord willing, next week. Bye for now.