MARTIN CHAMA NDIWA 5/10/2024

DIPLOMA CLASS BATCH 2

"Prophets" in the old world were people said to have a private relationship with God or the
divine beings, and directed the matter of sending messages between the heavenly and natural
domains. They talked for the benefit of God or the divine beings, and once in a while requested
demands from the god or brought to the god solicitations of others. The revelation of texts from
the old Close to East in the nineteenth and mid twentieth hundreds of years has provided us with
a more full image of prophets and prophetic movement in the old world, adding extensively to
reports of prophets serving different divine beings in the Good book and substantiating insights
regarding prophets in the Judeo-Christian practice. Two assortments are significant: (1) letters
from the eighteenth century Mari composed during the rules of Yasmaḫ-Addu (c. 1792-1775)
and Zimri-Lim (c. 1774-1760); and (2) the seventh century archives of Assyrian rulers
Esarhaddon (680-669) and Assurbanipal (668-627).
Predictions at Mari are positive generally, and scolds of the lord, when they happen, are not
cruel. Many just help the ruler to remember some disregard or give him some admonition. One
advises the lord to rehearse honesty and equity for anybody who has been violated. None blames
individuals of Mari as scriptural predictions do individuals of Israel. Assyrian prophets are
generally prophets of harmony and prosperity, commonly giving affirmation to the lord about
issues of progression and outcome in overcoming adversaries. On the off chance that prophets
reprove the lord, it is a gentle censure about the ruler disregarding an earlier prophet or not
having given food at the sanctuary.
As indicated by the Good book (Bible), Israel's prophetic development started with Samuel, and
it emerged when individuals requested a lord. Prophets show up all through the government and
into the postexilic period, when Jewish practice accepted prediction had stopped. However,
prophets return in the New Confirmation and early church: Anna the prophetess, John the
Baptist, Jesus, and others. Paul permits prophets to talk in the places of worship, positioning
them second just to messengers.
It doesn’t take long when you log online and look at different communities online where you see
people being anti-church or anti-evangelicals. Which I can’t really blame them. In recent years
there has been what I would classify as a very vocal group of Christians who have preached hate
and have attacked people and isolated those who don’t look the same of them. This is wrong,
there is no way around it. Any version of Christianity that spews hate is counterfeit and
counterintuitive to the nature of the Gospel and Jesus character. However, because hate has been
allowed to be the reigning narrative in some spheres it has caused the Church as a whole to seem
less relevant today. Which is a big deal for us Jesus followers as our primary goal is to tell
people about this dude name Jesus and invite them into his kingdom. If the Church is no longer
relevant in its current form then we must reclaim what the Church was always meant to be about.
The church is a community – The church is regular people; people who love God with all our
hearts and try to live it with our lives. We aren’t perfect by any means! But hopefully, through
Jesus, we are growing and maturing to live more like Jesus. I speak not just for our local
congregation, but I know the churches across this community are the same way. And many
MARTIN CHAMA NDIWA 5/10/2024
DIPLOMA CLASS BATCH 2
ELDORET G.B.T.C

times, we will work together, side by side, to help others. It is the cooperative efforts of the
different congregations that make ministries like Family Promise and the list goes on effective to
make our community better. The church seeks to be outward focused – Our doors are open. We
are not exclusive in that we welcome people to worship with us; to seek Christ together; to work
together spreading God’s love.
The gospel of Jesus Christ never changes. (John 3:1-21) However, our perspective, our
leadership lens needs to change. We need to see things differently in order to reach people.
People expect options today, and new and improved options tomorrow. They want multiple
service times. They want your sermons online so when they can’t attend, they watch the service
from their hotel, lake house or wherever. They want lots of choices for small groups, multiple
ways to give financially, options for where to sit if their baby is crying, and they want it all to
work. The worthwhile challenge is to deliver options while remaining focused as a church. Since
busyness kills the church, this means offering a very streamlined number of ministries and
methods, but with several ways for people to engage each one.
It’s not uncommon for a church to operate weeks, months, even years behind in terms of
technology, current events, social media, and the arts Your congregation is accustomed to
instantaneous access to what is happening live and real time around them. If we let Google beat
us to the punch on everything, the world wins Our great challenge is to deliver unchanging
biblical truth in a way that is fresh, current and speaks to their lives with a sense of immediate
connection People no longer attend church because it’s Sunday. Work, travel, kids sports and
leisure trump church at the drop of a hat. You can call people uncommitted, but instead, I suggest
that times have changed. Many of your most committed people attend 2-3 times a month and that
takes effort on their part. Our leadership challenge is to capture the hearts of people
with worthwhile vision and meeting real needs that translate to changed lives, and not become
frustrated by attendance patterns.
I’m not saying people are looking to see if your church recycles. (Although they might.) Green is
bigger than that. It’s about the way you see the world, and how you view the future. As
Christians we understand eternity and teach the good news of Jesus Christ. And we should! The
unchurched want to know what we are doing to make a difference today. They want to know
what are we doing about compassion, justice and the next generation. Our challenge is to help
connect the power of eternity with our practices today so the people see God at work in their
daily lives. Far more than our cool lights, awesome bands, and fantastic children’s ministry,
people want to see if we believe.
In the 80’s you could fill a church with great preaching, in the 90’s you could do the same with
amazing worship. Today, in a world that is confused, people are searching for what matters and
want to find someone who cares. When genuine faith is backed by love, it provides hope. That
inspires people, it helps them believe. They want to be part of that. Deep down they know they
don’t have the answers, but will no longer settle for a polished theological treatise covered in
MARTIN CHAMA NDIWA 5/10/2024
DIPLOMA CLASS BATCH 2
ELDORET G.B.T.C

biblical brilliance. They want to know if we believe what we say enough to truly live it. They
want to see faith in action. That is our wonderful challenge.
The church has tried, in many ways, to keep up with the changes, but at times has been
detrimental to our message of our hope in Christ. We have pursued changes in music style to stay
with the culture. We have tried to keep up with ever-changing technology. We have tried to
communicate the ancient (yet, still relevant) message of the Scripture to the current culture. We
have tried to keep up with all this because we have a basic desire to communicate to people that,
even though the culture changes, God’s love for us and His purpose to redeem us and give us
hope in life is still the same message. Yet, increasingly, the perception of the church in our
culture is that it is some kind of exclusive club of do-gooders. The reality is actually the
opposite; at least we strive to be welcoming and kind-hearted.
The theme of Isaiah is in his name. Isaiah, whose name means ‘Jehovah (Yahweh) has saved’ or
‘Salvation is of the Lord’, saw in his lifetime the power of God at work among his people. Isaiah
witnessed the collapse of the Northern Kingdom of Israel with its capital Samaria under the cruel
Assyrian onslaught — under Tiglath-PileserIII, Shalmaneser V, Sargon II and Sennacherib. These
kings were ambitious and ruthless. They sought after territory ferociously and without any
compassion, dealing swiftly with any sign of rebellion by means of brutal force and mass
transplantation of the populations. The fault, for this onslaught and destruction of the Northern
Kingdom of Israel according to Isaiah lay in the people’s sustained rebellion against God.
But ministering in the Southern Kingdom of Judah, in the capital Jerusalem itself, Isaiah also saw
his own country brought to the edge of disaster. But the Lord intervened and saved them. Isaiah
could testify to the fact that ‘Jehovah has saved’. But Judah (the southern kingdom of Israel) did
not learn the lesson well. In the not too distant future the Babylonians would capture Jerusalem
and take the people of God into captivity. Isaiah gave warning of this to king Hezekiah — an other
wise good king, but for a lapse of faith which brought the catastrophic judgement upon Judah
(Isaiah 39:5–7). The king’s response was merely one of relief that it would not take place in his
own life time.
It is with this Babylonian captivity — perhaps the greatest trial for the Old Testament people of
God after the captivity in Egypt — that the rest of the book of Isaiah is concerned. The prophets
message is one of judgement but also the promise of restoration. The exile to Babylon would prove
to be a terrible ordeal, but God would not abandon his promise, his covenant, he would restore the
people to their land once more. Isaiah’s vision of a restored Jerusalem, however, transcends the
historical situation of the Old Testament. Judah’s return from captivity was to be a foreshadowing
of a far greater splendor: the recovery of the heavens and the earth to the glory that was originally
intended for her, but which had been ruined by the Fall and the introduction of sin into the beauty
that God had created — a transformation so spectacular and magnificent that it makes Isaiah’s
prophecy thrilling and captivating reading. One is left in no doubt.Truly the Lord
delivers. Salvation is of the Lord.
MARTIN CHAMA NDIWA 5/10/2024
DIPLOMA CLASS BATCH 2
ELDORET G.B.T.C

The book of Isaiah serves as an incredible reminder and lesson on the faithfulness, love, and
compassion of God, as well as His role and rank as sovereign God, Creator, Redeemer, and Judge
overall. Throughout the book of Isaiah, we read prophecies about the promised Messiah, Jesus
Christ, and also of the hope of a new heaven and new earth. Isaiah was called to prophetic ministry
by a divine encounter with God in the temple which served to be a turning point for Isaiah and
seems to have helped immensely to form his theology. Throughout Isaiah, the message is that of
hope and redemption for God’s people. Isaiah communicates God’s heart for His people and
encourages the Israelites as well as future generations to draw near to Yahweh and to trust in the
hope we have in Him. The book can be separated into 2 main parts, as well. The first 39 chapters
focus on the Assyrian threat the Jerusalem, and the remaining chapters focus on the future of Israel
and God’s people. Isaiah is bold in his proclamations and exhortations, had a huge impact on the
New Testament writers, and is frequently quoted or referenced throughout the New Testament
books.