Sep 11, 2024 Faith Comes by Hearing

During our mission trip to Malawi, we had evangelistic meetings every evening in three different villages: Yudea, Mwanje, and Namingazi. Each night without fail, there would be hundreds in attendance, from toddlers who just learned how to walk to great-grandparents.

During the day, each speaker accompanied a gospel worker to visit homes in the villages. They would pray with the residents, study the Bible together, and answer any questions they might have.

In each village, there were a many people who said they had never been to a meeting, but they could hear every word preached from their houses. They shared that they had been so blessed by the messages.

This news came as a surprise to the speakers. Not only were they preaching the gospel to the hundreds that came each night to the meetings—but unknowingly, they were preaching to hundreds more who decided to stay home!

“It’s been such a blessing seeing people coming up and say they want to be baptized, not because they’ve been physically coming to the meetings, but because they could hear the sermons from their homes,” said Pastor Encile.

To close out our mission trip, all the churches in the Chiradzulu district came together on Sabbath morning to worship in a large soccer field. Hundreds were seated underneath big tents, and hundreds more were scattered across the field underneath the trees. For some of these people, this was their first time worshipping on Sabbath.

That final Sabbath was the climactic close of the meetings, and special way for all the churches to celebrate those who decided to be baptized.

Almost every night, the speakers at each site would end their sermon by asking if anyone would like to get baptized. Their appeals, plus the hard work of the gospel workers, and the power of the Holy Spirit inspired 240 people to give their lives to Jesus in baptism! Praise God!

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29