Moses Manyando, 23 years old, started out as a Children’s Church volunteer in 2015 and now is an area Pastor in Sioma district, Western Zambia, through being trained up by Reaching a Generation.
Moses became a born again Christian at 18 years & now serves as an area pastor because he learnt what God means in his life. Before that time he used to go to church but had to learn who God is to develop a personal relationship with Him. He used to smoke and drink but God convicted him to stop that kind of wrong behaviour and to commit his life to God. When he read Jeremiah 2:29 which says “You have all rebelled against me, declares the Lord”, at first he did not understand the meaning of the Scripture, until he realised that God was telling him that his behaviour was wrong in the eyes of the Lord and that he should change his life. He heard the Word of God, repented, became a new creation and a born again believer. He believes in Jesus as his personal Saviour, Redeemer and Provider.
Moses relays Isaiah 1:18 & 19 – “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land,…” No matter how your life is, God is a God of mercy, you can come to Him as His children, He will wash away all your sin and change you. Moses knows that God has called him into ministry, is using him to minister to others, to pray for healing and to cast out demons in His Name. First he preaches the Gospel of Jesus to people, when they accept Jesus as their personal Saviour, he prays for them to be set free.
Many people are still caught up in traditions and believe in spells and other trinkets. Sharing the gospel of Jesus with them helps them to be free from these influences. A few examples include praying for a girl in hospital, riddled by spirits, not being able to talk or eat for three days, who fully recovered after receiving prayer and a woman who struggled to deliver a long overdue baby, who delivered her son after receiving prayers. The baby was called Emmanuel meaning “God is with us”. He believes in the power of prayer to God and that God uses him to deliver the message of Salvation. Moses runs one of many Children’s Churches in the area of Sioma and can see how The Word is spreading, making a difference in the lives of people.
Moses quotes Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” as one of his favourite Scriptures, believing in the great future that God has planned for him, sharing the Word with many.
Finally Moses refers to Luke 15, from verse 11, the parable of the lost son, calling God a God of second chances, mercy & love, who will always take us back and forgive our sins, something that all of us need to remember. We need to admit our sin, repent, turn back to God and He will restore the broken relationship. Jesus came to heal the broken relationship between man and God, is the final message from Moses to all of us reading his story.
God Bless