A STORY OF A PROPHET IN ASSIE KOUMASSI VILLAGE

From left is your servant Jean Claude, on middle is prophet Armand and Rev. Pastor SACHOU who is the director of Evangelism department.

I had a privilege to visit Assie Koumassi village. It is a well known village because there is a United Methodist member, ARMAND by name; who is a prophet.  Many people are traveling from all over the country to visit Armand for prayer, deliverance and healing. In this village, there is a UMC church building and a prayer camp building where Armand is performing miracles.   

                                       Inside the prayer camp. Hearing more stories from Arman

As Methodist, I know the name of prophet sounds unfamiliar in our church context… but when God gives you an opportunity to learn from others we have to see and analyze with God’s wisdom before assisting the church to keep our faith and our Methodist heritage. We all know that a prophecy is the ability to relate biblical truth in a timely and relevant means that offers interpretation of historic or modern messages from God. (Acts 2:14-36; Roman 12:6; Ephesians 4:11-14). My concern is the way many people are looking for healing and deliverance through the prophet but they look like living under fear and don’t have assurance of salvation.   

  

Something we can reflect on is what I have observed to see thousands of people running to the prayer camp but only hundreds of members are at the church of the village.  Many are looking just for their deliverance or healing but not to be a church member.  Those who came for deliverance, they don’t like to return where they came from if they are not healed. They prefer to stay around the prayer camp in any condition until they will see the hands of God.  It is really bad to see the conditions within the camp where hundreds of families are living. Ignorance is a big disease and the church has the mission to teach people.  

    Many people have constructed small houses where they are living to wait for their deliverance and healing. The condition is not good at all. 

  

                         The only place at the prophet's house where people will find water.

The Bible says in  John 8:31-36   ³¹ So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” ³³ They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” ³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. ³⁵ The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

There is need of much training to fight ignorance in rural areas. Evangelism, church planting and discipleship are my main assignments which will help to set free those who are living with fear and without hope. My program is to train and provide effective leadership for the development of vital congregations filled with faithful disciples.

The United Methodist Church in Cote D’Ivoire is well established in the Southern region and the Northern region is under church planting program. Our slogan for evangelism is every town should have a United Methodist Church and in the South region where all big cities are reached, the slogan is every village must have a UMC congregation.  The current statistic is estimating 60 % of population is Muslins; 30% represent Christians and 10% are Animists (African traditional religious). The Northern region is dominated by Islam and Animism. To do evangelism and church planting in this part of the country needs more efforts, strategies and prayers.

You can get involved at many levels; offer prayers, financial support, resources, encouragement, perhaps join a travel team, or ideally, lead a team into mission.  All churches should have a heavy investment in supporting missions as well as serving in missions; across the streets from our churches and homes, around the world, and in all places between where the love of God can be shared and nurtured.     SEND YOUR SUPPORT TO ADVANCE # 3021990 For Leadership Development and  To my missionay  advance is # 3021390. You can visit www.umcmission.org

Expanding the Faith in Côte d’Ivoire - General Board of Global Ministries

Expanding the Faith in Côte d’Ivoire - General Board of Global Ministries

We are all God’s missionaries in the UMC

 

Talking to brother Dr Watara, who was an animist and now Christian, he wants to go in the Northern part of the Cote D'Ivoire to reach his fellow brothers and sisters with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Watara is physician medical doctor by profession. He spent more than twenty five years as animist (African religion). He told me that he was initiated to worship gods but God saved him, and he is surprised how God called him when is now old.  Watara is among 16 local missionaries who were trained at wesley center in Dabou. They were trained as trainers  in  our strategic plan to reach  everywhere in Cote D'Ivoire and  the surrounding countries, to plant churches.

Anytime you are hearing testimonies from missionaries, remember you are also part of God’s work. We are one body in Christ; our journey with God makes a difference in our world and prepares us for eternity. As missionary, I cannot move forward without your supports. Your payers and financial supports are making difference in the world. I cannot make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world without you. All Methodists members are by nature missionaries and all United Methodist Churches should be missional churches. 

God is leading us on a spiritual journey to transform ourselves, our community, and our world. Many churches are not experiencing how great it is to serve and to support mission work around the world. I invite you and your church to plan enters in covenant relationship with me and the mission work in Cote d’Ivoire. If you want to be part of our strategic plan, to plant the UMC, in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry and Benin; what you have to do is to pray for the Cote d’Ivoire annual conference, to pray for Bishop Benjamin Boni, to pray for the evangelism and mission team, without forgetting myself your humble missionary in Cote D’ivoire.  

Every church should have a plan to get the gospel to the ends of the earth through the support of missionaries both at home and abroad. Remember, the Great Commission commands us to preach the gospel to ends of the earth.

Every church should recognize the importance of church planting in their vicinity, their region, and to the ends of the earth. To omit any one of these steps is to misunderstand the Great Commission. Our primary goal for missions in Cote D’ivoire is church planting.

If you are interested to hear more about our work in Cote D’Ivoire, plan to meet with me. I will be in itineration in the USA from later July to September 2014. Your gift of LOVE and HOPE are our blessings in God’s mission. SEND YOUR SUPPORT TO Advance # 3021390.

“I continue to dream and pray about a revival of holiness in our day that moves forth in mission and creates authentic community in which each person can be unleashed through the empowerment of the Spirit to fulfill God's creational intentions.”  John Wesley

John Wesley's Prayer

I am no longer my own but yours,
Put me to what you will
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for you or laid aside for you.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal
And now glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
You are mine and I am yours. So be it.
And this covenant now made on earth, let it be satisfied in heaven.

Amen