Matthew 25:34-36 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Greetings Brethren,
I have much to report on today, and it’s all good news. First we want to thank you for the quick response to our plea for help. Those who were going without food are now eating; those who were sleeping on the ground, now have beds, and the leaking roofs have been repaired. Yes, the suffering of many of our brethren continues to be eased. Praise God for your good works. Our impoverished brethren send you their heartfelt thanks for continuing to assist them.
In our last update we reported on Kelvin (age 16) and his brother Klein (age 10) who are living on their own, and were totally destitute. They had no food, no furniture, no pots & pans for cooking, almost walking naked, their roof was leaking, and they were sleeping on a worn out mattress on the dirt floor. Thanks to your help brethren, they are now fairing much better. This was the first time I saw young Klein smile, having a bed to sleep on for the very first time.
Many of us living in these wealthy countries take so much for granted. But in 3rd world countries like Kenya, nothing is taken for granted. Many (if not most) spend their life in survival mode due to so much poverty. Kenya also has an extremely young population, with nearly half of the population (40%) aged between 0 and 14, while only 6.9% of the population is aged 55 or over. And many households (after the death of the parents) are headed by the eldest sibling. This is a case with Kelvin and Klein, and a number of our other Kenyan brethren, Like Thomas, Kevin, and the other Kelvin from Ogembo.
His older brother Kelvin was in school when this picture was taken. Yes, they both attend school now thanks to the love from their brethren, and they are so thankful.
I received the following from Elijah (the overseer of the Shimba Hills congregation at the Coast near Mombasa:)
“Hi Bill
Here we have widow Ellen Mutua, a long time member of the church who needs urgent rescue. Her house collapsed down due to heavy rain. Currently she sleeps outside in a wind place. Ellen has a sight problem, pressure effected her eyes, so she doesn’t see, she recognizes someone by using ear. We always pay boda boda (motorbike taxi) to take her to church. We are trying our best to construct a new mud house for her, but we need your help for roofing. Can you buy for us 18 iron sheets if possible? Thanks Elijah.”
(Thanks to you donors, we have been assisting them in helping this widow.)
As many of you know, Nehemiah gives Bible studies at his old High School. Even now after he has graduated the teachers are still requesting more studies. They love hearing the Word of God, and most importantly they love seeing and reading for themselves the Scriptures that support the teachings.
Not all the teachers are Sabbath keepers, some keep Sunday. Recently one of the teachers requested Nehemiah to come and speak at his Sunday service. Nehemiah agreed and addressed them on November 13, 2022. The congregation loved the message. (He also elaborated on how each person “individually” needs to study the Scriptures for themselves and rightly divide the Word of Truth.)
After the service some requested Bibles. The following Sunday Nehemiah sent David Mokoro back there, and he distributed 15 Bibles. They were very much appreciative. They also requested for Nehemiah to bring them more studies in the future. Many in Kenya are on fire for the Word of God. It reminds me of how many were being “called” into the Truth in the 80ies here in the States.
Yes, our Heavenly Father is still calling people; Why? Because He wants His banquet hall filled. But many who were previously bidden have lost sight of their High Calling. Some continue to ask to be excused, by refusing to come out of this present evil age in which we are now living. Some have lost sight of the future city that is soon coming, the one whose builder and maker is God. (Luke 14:23-27) (Luke 14:18-19)
Brethren, let us make sure that we have our High Calling on the front burner of our lives. If there was ever a time for “us” (the called of God) to be awake, alert, watching, and to be filling our vessels with that precious “oil” spoken of in Matthew 25, it is now, because time is running out, and those who do not take the time to “buy” yes buy that precocious oil, will not be allowed into the wedding. (Matthew 25:1-13).
Many in God’s church still falsely believe that the “oil” in that parable represents God’s Holy Spirit, but it does not. You cannot buy God’s Holy Spirit. Peter made that perfectly clear in (Acts 8:18-20) God’s Holy Spirit cannot be bought, it’s a free gift. But what we can buy (and must be purchasing now as we await our Lord’s return) is “Truth”.
The oil that the wise virgins are filling their vessels with represents Truth, and we purchase it with our time, by studying and rightly dividing the Word of Truth. And if we think we already have all the Truth, we are in grave danger because that attitude flags one as “Laodicean”. (Revelation 3:14-19). We are to be growing in grace and knowledge. (There is a link at the bottom of this update to a study concerning the oil that the “wise” virgins are filling their vessels with.) Have a look; remember “iron still sharpeneth iron” (Proverbs 27:17)
Thanks to you donors, we have also supplied all the remote orphans and widows with beans, maze, flour, and the ingredients to continue making nutritional porridge, and they all send you their heartfelt thanks.
Let me end this update by once again requesting prayers. Please pray for us to be better stewards, and to become humble. It is those with a contrite spirit, and contrite hearts that our Heavenly Father desires to dwell with. And most of all let us pray “Thy Kingdom Come” because this evil world desperately needs God’s Kingdom to be established here on this earth.
Your brother in Christ.
Bill Goff
Link to parable of the 10 virgins: https://khofh.com/parable-of-the-ten-virgins/
Website: https://khofh.com/
E-mail: goffb50@aol.com
Phone: +1-843-447-0140