BREAKING: OneHope Kenya Chairman recommends how we should respond to the killing of their Christian young people at the hands of Muslims this Easter
Friends and Partners in the ministry,
As you may have seen from the news channels, Kenya has just experienced the worst terror attack this Thursday with the death toll now standing at 148 killed. Out of this number, 142 are teenagers attending a local university in Northern Kenya.
The militants spoke in fluent Kiswahili and were fairly young. From reports, the terrorists targeted Christians whom they found praying in the early hours of Thursday morning. This tells you of the coordinated approach that shows that they must have had quite good intel about the college.
From other reports, as soon as the attackers rounded up the rest of the students, Muslim students were released while non-Muslims were asked to prove they had converted to Islam by reciting Shahada, a proclamation by new converts – those who failed to recite were shot immediately.
The Christian union members who were found praying at that early hour were the first ones to be killed as they had gathered in a hall to pray. All 22 were killed.
We do know that the Lord calls on us to be ready, in season and out of season. Please pray for the parents of these your kids whose lives were cut short.
Our missionaries in that very town who reach out and deal with issues of discipleship are all safe. Our resolve is even stronger to reach out to our younger generation who don’t know Christ with the Gospel.
Let’s remember that those young people who died were so young and died for being Christians. Let us pray for a greater resolve to reach out with God’s love to those who are still out of the fold and driven by hate with the love of Christ. Pray for our missionaries who work in the schools and colleges in the Eastern, Northern and Coastal parts of Kenya witnessing for Christ.
I am reminded of some passage in the Bible that instruct us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, so that we may be sons of our Father who is in heaven.
For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Matthew 5:45-46
In 1 Corinthians 13, we are told what this love is, “Love is patient and kind … It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
It is this kind of love that takes us back on our knees to love and make intercession for our land, the salvation of those who are against the gospel, and those missionaries who work in the frontline.
We are looking forward to intensifying our outreach and discipleship among the young people in schools and colleges so that we may bring in a great harvest and also reduce the ground from where our youth are recruited to advance such evil.
Pray that:
- God’s love may flood the hearts of our next generation
- God’s love may win the sinner to salvation
- God may protect the church in Kenya
- No weapon the enemy may want to use will succeed
Blessings,
Bishop Kitoto
Bishop Philip Kitoto is General Secretary for Assemblies of God in Kenya, overseeing over 5,000 churches and 6,000 pastors. He is also the District Superintendent for Assemblies of God in Nairobi, and the Senior Pastor of International Christian Center, Nairobi. He has served in ministry for more than 30 years and has authored numerous books.
For further reading:
- Digital is the new water–trending in missions in Kenya
- Macro trend: Inevitable clash of Islam and Christianity in Africa
- Return to Africa
- Family trip to Kenya and reflections on spiritual heritage