Back to the Rift

Karibu!

After a long flight to Kenya via Dubai, we arrived in Maai Mahiu late Friday evening. This year rather than stay in Kijabe, which is up the mountain, we are staying in a recently constructed building that sits adjacent to Rift Valley Fellowship in Maai Mahiu.

The team of leaders from RVF are staying with us, as well, and we were all eager to dive in to training first thing Saturday morning. But the first order of the day: a scrumptious omelet breakfast. 

For about half of our team, there was a sweet reunion that took place Saturday morning we we reunited with several people we had met on our previous trip last November. Just as sweet was that we all met so many new people that day. It's wonderful to see how God is growing Rift Valley Fellowship.

There were many introductions and much catching up to do, but our first day's training began with a devotional from Josh on Psalm 1. Michael gave an overview of groups at The Village and then spoke more specifically about the two distinctives of biblical counseling - that it is rooted in scripture and aimed at the heart, based on Jeremiah 17:5-9. 

Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:5-9 ESV)

It was encouraging to have much participation and insightful questions from the leaders at RVF.

Men and women broke into groups for a time to share testimonies and encourage one another.

We all shared dinner with our new and old friends, followed by a time of prayer with our team.

Sunday is church service and fellowship at RVF, and being that the church now has three campuses, we had the great joy of attending services at RVF's Mwangaza campus as well as Maai Mahiu campus.

RVF praise and worship....one of the many things we have been looking forward to in coming back. We made a joyful noise to The Lord and prayed. The young children were presented to the congregation and cheerfully performed a few songs for us before shuffling off to Sunday School. 

Michael introduced our team one by one and as he was concluding, a woman who was seated asked us to sing a song for them, to which we happily agreed and sang "You're a Good, Good Father" by Housefires.

The message was given by Michael from Genesis 1, God's introduction of himself. In the creation account, God is pulling back the curtain and wants us to know him. 

In the beginning....who was there before time began? God has always been there, existed eternally. He was there when he laid the foundations of to earth. 

Just as the earth was full of darkness, many who come to recovery feel they are in darkness. But God doesn't leave us in the darkness. He brings his word to bring us hope and life. When God speaks, things happen. We can have confidence in God's word because when God speaks, it is done.  Even in the darkness, God is there. He is hovering, ready to act in power.

In creation, God declares, "It is good". Therefore, it is God who defines what is good. 

We are image bearers of God. We are to reflect his character on earth. He assigns us value above all creation. We have value because we have value to him.

The truth is that sometimes we do not reflect gods character because there had been a fracture. (Sin)

But God had promised a hope.

One will be sent to free us and he will be wounded in the process. God made that promise thousands of years ago. The fulfillment of that promise is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

In John 1 we see that Jesus was there in the beginning:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God." The word became flesh and dwelt among us. God becoming a man to come rescue his people. Fully God and fully man. With God from the beginning. Three in one, acting and orchestrating the creation. 

In 2 Corinthians 4:6 there is a creation account echo.

For God who said let light shine out of darkness has shone on our hearts.....

Our prayer is that God would enlighten our hearts to the reality of Jesus Christ. As his word goes out.

No matter what our circumstance are now, there is a time coming when He will make all things new.

And that is worth giving our lives for.

Amen.