Cholera Outbreak in Zambia and the Church

Let us first agree that cholera is a disease and Zambia is not the only country in the world to be hit with such a disease. Wherever there is natural life there is disease. There is disease in Africa, America, Asia, and any other place in the world you can think of. There is malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, diabetes, and the list goes on. What makes cholera unusual in our case (i.e. Zambia) is the seriousness of the disease. I know Yemen has been hit harder with recorded numbers going over 1 million. Lets Put this at the back of our minds. If people do not take necessary steps to contain Cholera, it can spread very fast and kill many in a few hours. I suppose this is the reason why government has swung into action and put up measures they believe are appropriate to contain, control and eventually eradicate the outbreak. Government has issued SI 79 prescribing guidelines/ rules or laws citizens need to follow in order to assist government contain the disease. In addition, military personnel have been deployed on the streets to assist with cleanup of our country. I believe, and agree that our country is rather dirty because as citizens we have allowed bad behaviors to be a norm. it is normal to litter our streets, street vending is normal and clogging our drainage network with litter or deliberate blockage is normal behavior. We have created a situation that can easily enable the quick spread of cholera. It is therefore no secret that what the government has done is what they think is the best action to combat the disease – keep this point in mind. One of the measures taken has been to ban certain gatherings which include church gatherings or meetings.  

I am a Christian too. Not a Christian of title but a born again Christian that believes that God sent his son Jesus Christ (God) as a sacrificial lamb to take away the sins of the world. He died, went to the grave and on the third day was raised from the dead, went up to the Father and he is sited at the right hand of the Father. One day he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and establish his eternal kingdom. I am that kind of Christian – one translated from death to life. So now, the church (when I say church I mean the covenant people of God and not denominations and buildings) has reacted in several ways towards the measures implemented by the government. Of interest, are those people in the body of Christ that are against the measures that government has taken. I have seen many comments on social media and heard much about how people are allowed to go for work and to malls but are not allowed to congregate in their respective places of worship which others call churches but I’ll call buildings and centers so that we do not mix two different things. Others have said this is the work of Satan to stop the church from meeting in their buildings. Still others have said this is judgement from God to the nation for not have allowed to admit certain prophets into the country. Well I will not speak much about the judgement theory because it is not consistent with how my God judges in the bible. As much as my faith goes I will utterly rubbish this theory because it is inconsistent with the God of my bible.

However, let me speak to the Christian brothers and sisters that have risen against government interventions; and challenge them to just pose for a moment, hold on to their opinions and ask themselves this question, what if? Yes, what if what you are saying is not what God is doing. Remember he tells us that his ways are not our ways. He also calls us to count it all joy when we are faced with adversity and all manner of difficulties because all things work out for good to those that trust in the LORD. This I believe is clearly demonstrated in the bible and is consistent with my God. Remember, I asked for you to keep in mind that government has done what it thinks is best for its people. Repeat this thought as you read this article. Also, I believe government is composed of Christian believers of which the President is a part. How do I know this? I have seen him say and act in a manner that shows that he is a fellow believer. I know the state house chapel is functional and holds prayer meetings. I need not much proof than this. However, if this is pretense by our leader, it is up to him and his God just as it is up to me with my God if what I speak are not words of wisdom. I also believe that every leader holds their position because of God - whether they are believers or not. This is because all good things come from God. He has further called everyone to respect authority. If our God be one, then his spirit is one. The spirit of God in our leaders, is the same spirit in you and me. However, how we respond to this spirit varies because of our own blindness, egos, pride, arrogance and ignorance. Nonetheless, if we acknowledge that it is the same spirit why then are we rising against one another? So then, what if the measures that government has put in are influenced by the mind of God? there are so many ifs to consider? This is why I urge you to look at this differently. Yes, the government has banned certain gathering which I believe they think are high risk situations that can easily allow easy transmission of the bacteria that causes cholera. I took time to see what believers that are saddened and aggrieved at what government has implemented are posting on social media. My reaction to this is that sometimes we need to put our emotions aside and apply wisdom so that we avoid making statements that divide the people but rather unify them. This will ensure those in the church are strengthened and those that do not believe will marvel at the works of our God in us. Our work is not to divide but to show love. Love brings together. God already made the division between the tare and the wheat and he certainly does not want anyone helping him with divisions he has not sanctioned.

However, if the church reacts no differently to the world what honor and glory do we bring to God. this is why the world sometimes does not take us seriously. This is why sometimes we chase the lost that are seeking salvation and lose the immature believers back to the world. Here is what government has certainly not done in their directives:

1.      THEY HAVE NOT FORBIDDEN CHURCH PRAYER and WORSHIP

The church is not a building or a religion. These two things are man-made and do not move God in any way. The church is the people, the born again Christians that worship their God in spirit and in truth. Going to a building to worship God does not stop us from being Christian and will certainly not stop our God. I believe the church has every right to rise if the government says no prayer and worship until cholera is no more but they have said do not meet in large groups and not once have I heard them say, do not worship. Let me challenge you this way. Imagine if all Christians would come as one and say yes! the government has said we should not meet in our places we come to congregate but let us at such and such a time, each one of us in our homes raise together and cry to our LORD to help the government such that this time next week God rids of cholera. Let us stand together in prayer to support the government so that the nation comes out victorious by the hand of God. If such was done in unison and in faith, I believe the God we save we be compelled to move as he did towards the city of Nineveh.

2.      THEY HAVE NOT PUT THE MEASURES TO FIX THE CHURCH

Do not worry that you have not gone to congregate. The most important thing is yourself because you are the temple of God and the greatest thing that impresses God is still with you, Faith. As long as you still have your freedom to study the word of God pray and worship in your home, believe me when I say the church has not been targeted because you are the church and not the building you go to. If you still feel the need to be part of a group of other believers, technology has made things easy. You can still network with other believers and share the word of God. Believe when I say you will not miss a thing because our God is not limited by anything.

In times of hardship remember that two things can happen. First, God can use the situation to test you so as a means to either promote you or keep you at the same level so as to give you time to grow some more. The beauty about God’s test is that it is okay to fail it because it does not cause you to fall from grace. It simply means you still need time to mature more in the things of God. Secondly, the devil can use the situation for temptation. The downside here is that when you succumb to temptation you usually fall from grace. Zambia is faced with the problem of cholera, so what if God in this calamity is testing you and the devil is tempting you. Ask yourself if your reaction has caused you to pass or fail the test and if your reaction has caused you to fall to temptation like David when he saw the nakedness of someone’s wife or Eve in the garden of Eden or Peter for the fear of persecution. May be, you have stood strong like Daniel in the Den, Jesus in the wilderness or Job in a time of little faith. Whatever the reaction, it is our duty as Christians to lead by example and react to situations with the wisdom of God.

Criticizing leaders will not do us any good because our fight is not with flesh and bone. We can however, raise as one and support the efforts of government. One way we can do this is to raise up in faith to concentrate our efforts on the problem (cholera) and not the partner (government) because they (government) are equally affected just like you and me. Your God who knows your heart and sees and hears your secret prayer will not fail you no matter the situation. Count it all joy and use the situation to impress God with your faith such that he should be compelled to move. Strengthen those that you can spiritually and educate those that you can about the disease. If you have material resources, donate what you can because there are men and women in the front line risking their lives to fight this disease. There are families that have been broken due to deaths from the disease. Help where you can with moral support, with your prayers, with your donations, etc. Look at the bigger picture and come out of self and be selfless as God is challenging you. This is a war upon the nation and not on Christians. Whether you support government or not do what you can to help, save lives. Find what you can do to help with love and compassion for victims. Criticism will not take us anywhere. But consented support will take us a step forward in fighting the outbreak. I need you to support as a citizen of Zambia. I do not have another country but this one, your neighbor needs your help and government needs your help. After we have done our part and the worst is over, there will be much time to sit and reflect on the actions taken and decisions made. There will be ample time to learn from our mistakes and adopt better methods to implement should any other crisis arise of a similar nature. There will be enough time to advise one another accordingly. If you are still aggrieved that you have not been allowed to hold your church service, put this aside, swallow your pride and still help where you can. After all meekness is not weakness but strength under control. At the time of reflection bring out your points suggesting better ways and solutions. I am sure powers that be will listen to reason and wisdom. Especially if God be on your side. I do not believe government can ignore sound advice that will prevent an occurrence of anther outbreak or better handling of the situation. After all, the fight is a drain on the resources that could have been used on other productive developments. Right now, the country is faced with a problem and the country is the Zambian people and all foreigners we have welcomed in our land. The country is not government, it is not politicians, it is not religion, it is not Christianity, it is not technocrats, it is not the poor, it is not the rich. The country and our nation is people, the children, infants and babies, boys and girls, women and men, irrespective of what makes us different, that pride themselves to be called a nation. Let us put our differences and opinions aside but rise as one Zambia one Nation and play our part to assist government as the Christian nation we are. And for God to do his part.

God bless Zambia