We receive tremendous assurance when we understand the above Scripture with our spirit, and realize that God's promises are fulfilled prophecy and to them He adds His “Amen.” But there are numerous reasons to feel downhearted and discouraged when we turn our eyes away from God's Word. How can we fulfill the Lord's commandment to be witnesses of His truth? We look at Scripture, and we read such promises as “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18), and we realize that we can rest in Him: He will do that which we cannot, but He expects us to do what He will not do.

“I will build my church.” How refreshing. He is in charge, not our mission boards or our church denomination.

He adds His exclamation point to this promise to build His Church: “And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Note that the verse does not say the “arms” or the “powers” of hell, but the “gates.” In ancient times, the gate was the way in which a person would enter  or exit a city. The elders of the city gathered at the city gate to handle business transactions, public matters, and even to hold court. Therefore, whatever the devil and his demons decide, whatever strategy they deliberate upon, will not prevail.

We serve the crucified, risen, ascended and returning Lord. He is the beginning and the end. He is the author and finisher of our salvation. That is extremely encouraging in these unstable and often chaotic times.

Cameroon

Midnight Call Missionaries at Work

Once again, the time has come for us (Samuel Rindlisbacher and Peter Ramseyer) to get ready for our tour to visit the Midnight Call missionary team in Cameroon. We left Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and flew directly to Yaounde, Cameroon. We did not know what to expect. Is the work still functioning? Has the operation grown or has it decreased since our last visit?

Finally, we arrived. Our dear brother Richard greeted us and brought us from the airport to the headquarters. Here we met the other two full-time co-workers (Lydia and Miriam). What a great joy it was to see all of our friends again. There was so much to talk about.

Because we only had taken one week for this visit, we were keen to make use of this short time. Our team had a fully booked schedule prepared. We were shown in detail the many branches of work they had established. Of course, we knew that our international headquarter in Switzerland supplied literature according to their need. Our team in Cameroon was responsible for the distribution. However, we did not know the exact details of how they went about distributing the material.

One interesting avenue needs to be mentioned; namely, book rooms, of which a number were established throughout the city in cooperation with local churches. Their eagerness and willingness to work really amazed us and gave us new courage in our work.

Although they have little, it is amazing to see how much is being accomplished with limited resources to bring the Gospel to their own people. These book rooms serve as bookstores as well as libraries where people can rent books, which many cannot afford to purchase.

Furthermore, Midnight Call's missionary team is producing a half-hour radio broadcast aired over Bonne Nouvelle radio. The radio program is also used to answer questions from listeners and debate topical issues and concerns. The advice is always centered on Jesus our Lord, and this is particularly important due to the growing Islamic influence in this city and much of the country.

Our co-workers also offer Bible courses, particularly for young people. During our visit, one of the “finals” took place in which over 200 young people participated. We were not surprised to hear rather difficult questions being answered from a biblical perspective.

Besides these works, our co-workers are in charge of the Cercle des Amis d'Israel de Cameroun, which is designed to foster understanding and love among Christians for Israel. We were astonished by the biblically grounded knowledge that was present. Great love for the Word of God was clearly expressed and all built upon Holy Scripture. Actually, we were somewhat embarrassed when we thought that in Europe more and more believers seem to get stuck — remain infants — in their biblical knowledge regarding Israel. Many believers in Europe simply disregard Israel's significance for the future as documented in prophetic Scripture. We experienced this to not be so in Cameroon, thus, the Scripture found in Matthew 20:16 seems to be fulfilled here: “the last shall be the first, and the first shall be the last.”

Deeply moved and richly blessed, we pray to God that He will continue to cause our missionaries in this country of West Africa to be a great decisive guidepost for many. Thanks to each of you for continuing to stand behind this team in Cameroon.