“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” – Jesus, Revelation 21:5
Trustworthy and true. How lovely are those words when we can trust them. For many of us, trustworthy and true seem rare in our dishonest world. God is always trustworthy and true. As Christians, we not only need that assurance, we depend on it. We know Christ Jesus is trustworthy and true.
He was seated on the throne in John’s revelation. Other times Jesus is seen standing or sitting at the Right Hand of God. The place of supreme power in the Father. He announced, though, while seated on the throne,”Behold, I am making all things new.” Not made, not will make, but making. Creating.
Do you remember when Jesus told the disciples, recorded in the first three verses of John 14, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” Has He finished yet? Maybe that does not matter, but John saw Him, “making all things new.“
These words mean something to our missions and outreach. We try our best to build something beautiful and wonderful and Christ-centered out of the old things. We are servants of Christ working in the domain of brokenness. Emmanuel and John Bosco built a shop. Emmanuel scrapes and works hard to provide such simple things as salt to the poorest in his communities. Yes, they are that poor.
Now, I am so pleased to say that the ladies of DCF Uganda have a sewing machine! It is a thing of service and beauty, a joy, a wonder! Emmanuel wrote to tell us that he would disassemble it to get it home on a boda boda, or motorcycle taxi. Today, it is in the hands of his wife. She is ready to make some old things new, and teach other women to sew for a living.
Let’s look at the Greek word “poieo.” (That is an English rendering.) Poieo is what Jesus “is making” (or, is doing) as He sits on the throne. He is making a new heaven and a new earth. We can never do that. What we can do is our tiny part to relieve suffering. We can preach Christ, and him crucified. We can love one another. This is done willingly in DCF Uganda. It is inside the core of the sewing machine. One sewing machine will go a long, long way toward feeding people, making some things new, and offering a better corner of life for a few desperately poor and needy Children of the Living God.
Now we need another sewing machine, and another after that. This is not what we think of as “charity,” but it is love. It is providing for the needs of those willing to work for the Kingdom, and take away some of the sting of this broken world that Jesus will replace. He is making all things new.
Will you join us? We always covet prayer. We say this with genuine sincerity: we need sewing machines. We need for $140 for each machine, or any small part of that small amount in our rich hemisphere. We do not hold back. We provide these things for the truly wealthy Christians across the world, who are poor in cash, hungry in earthly food, and eager to earn money to support the work of Jesus Christ in their community. We are as trustworthy and true as men and women can be in this project, so we ask these things in Jesus’ Name. Amen
By now, you may have already heard us tell you that we are NOT a 501(c)3 organization in the United States, but DCF Uganda is a registered, licensed Christian mission in Uganda. Your contributions are NOT tax deductible in the USA. . . but we ask for your prayers. If you can afford it, write to Pete in Michigan or Dave in Arizona about how to make a free will, non-deductible donation. You will not regret the magnificence of what that donation will do to the poorest of the poor in Uganda, who are so wealthy in Christ Jesus and waiting to serve.
Amen.