I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all the first years into this fellowship and to welcome back all those continuing students who have been on holiday. We welcome you back home, since we believe that the body of Christ is our true home and we as well spend 9 months out of 12 in the University. Makerere is a very enlightening place in all ways. First it is the peak of academic studies in the nation and secondly it possesses some of the strongest and most radical believers in Uganda.
Many of the great names that we hear about in the secular and church world began their illustrious careers in this Ivory Tower. Since this institution prepares all the movers and shakers of the nation, it is only logical for Satan to influence people as they pass through it. However, God also has a plan, which far exceeds any device the enemy may throw your way. Many people have been told about the negative aspects of Makerere before they step into it, yet are not told that there is a God who together with His Son Jesus Christ influence men and women of all calibers by the power of the Holy Spirit. We do not deny the presence of sin in this world or at this campus, but we deny that it has power over you. “Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound. BUT WHERE SIN ABOUNDED, GRACE DID MUCH MORE ABOUND” (Rom 5:20). God’s grace is even greater where the proportions of sin are higher. God does not need a hundred thousand people to come and change Makerere, He is only looking for one man or woman who will stand in the gap and turn this place upside down, “And I sought for A MAN among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land” (Eze 22:30). God is seeking for only one person and I dare to say that that person is you. You are the one who has been uniquely positioned and brought into this environment to be a witness for Jesus Christ. There is no one else who can fulfill your special assignment in this generation. Purpose to be like David who fulfilled the will of God in his generation, “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers” (Act 13:36). Generations come and go at campus and you have a limited time to make a mark for Jesus that can not be erased.
Purpose to make a confession of faith that you will stand and make an impact for God at this University. You can have whatever you say, so use your mouth to shape your destiny at this University. Make a bold declaration that, “I will live and not die at Makerere. I will have a great impact on many believers’ lives. I will preach the gospel in power and lead many to Jesus during my stay here. I will excel and have good success in my academics. I prosper and have a full supply for my tuition, accommodation and all my welfare.” Jesus made it very clear that when you speak to the mountain, that is when it will move away, not when you ask God to remove it, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever SHALL SAY unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; HE SHALL HAVE WHATSOEVER HE SAITH” (Mar 11:23). You can have whatever you say, so use your mouth to frame your world for the next couple of years (Heb 11:3).
One of the greatest catalysts for your Christian growth is your associations, they can also be your quickest path to downfall if they are unbelievers or Christians influenced by Satan. Make friends only among those believers who challenge you to climb a step higher in your salvation. Get rid of all OG’s and OB’s who take you back into the world. “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners”(1Co 15:33), some believers deceive themselves that they will associate with the heathen but will not be influenced by their behavior, this is a big lie. Whoever you associate with determines your altitude. When you associate with chicken you will always be picking worms in the mud, however when you associate with eagles, you will soar higher than the clouds, above every storm. “He that WALKETH WITH WISE MEN shall be wise: but a COMPANION OF FOOLS shall be destroyed” (Pro 13:20), when you walk with spiritual believers, you will become like them. When you associate with the believers and leaders in Edifire Ministries through the writings and sermons preached, you will surely rise to greater heights in your salvation. There are four categories of people in the world, first we have the unbelivers, theses are spiritually dead and their father is the devil, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do” (Joh 8:44). These are the lost ones. Then we come to the category of the born again believers, these are sons and daughters of God the Father. Theses are subdivided into three categories, “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto SPIRITUAL, but as unto CARNAL, even as unto BABES in Christ” (1Co 3:1). These three categories are the baby Christians, the carnal Christians and the spiritual Christians. The baby Christians are those who have just given their lives to Christ and are just discovering the promises of God and applying them in their lives for the very first time. Let me make it clear here that these categories have nothing to do with age, since we can have a spiritual Christian who is 15 years old with a grandfather of 70 years who is a baby Christian, both in the same church. Spiritual maturity is not measured in natural years. The baby Christian is similar to a physical baby since they are only able to feed upon the milk of God’s word. These are the foundational doctrines of Christianity that are mentioned in Hebrews, “For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. FOR EVERY ONE THAT USETH MILK IS UNSKILLFULL IN THE WORD OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: FOR HE IS A BABE. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore leaving THE PRINCIPLES OF THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment“ (Heb 5:12-6:2). We then come to the carnal Christians, who have advanced in maturity beyond the baby hood stage and can now take a little bit of the stronger meat of the Word of God. These can be compared to teenagers, they are still under the careful scrutiny of their parents but have gained a greater level of independence. These have been exposed to the five-fold ministry of the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers. They have been equipped with the Word and the Power of the Holy Spirit, they speak in tongues regularly, exercise spiritual gifts in a limited measure and can fairly hear the voice of God. However the carnal or soulish Christians have not yet tamed the flesh and are subject to a host of worldly vices. They can be singing Hallelujah on Sunday but are watching the worldly soap operas on Monday. The final category are the spiritual Christians, these have attained a firm grasp of the scriptures and have memorized large portions of it. They have been fully equipped by the five-fold ministry, “And he (Jesus) gave some, APOSTLES; and some, PROPHETS; and some, EVANGELISTS; and some, PASTORS and TEACHERS; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph 4:11-12). These fully do the work of the ministry for which they have been equipped. This does not mean that they are full-time ministers necessarily but they could be. This could be a professional lawyer, a farmer, student, businessman or evangelist. These Christians understand the righteousness of God and walk in it by faith. They have a constant communion with God and have developed their faith over time to believe God for answers for themselves and others. These operate in the gifts of the Spirit at will and go ahead to teach other believers the Word of God, “For when for the time YE OUGHT TO BE TEACHERS… But strong meat belongeth to them that are OF FULL AGE, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb 5:12). These spiritual Christians are ready and cheerful givers, they win the lost and facilitate those going out to reach the unsaved. They are loyal and committed to the ministry and the leaders can always rely on them. As Edifire Ministries our assignment is to bring you from being a baby Christian to a carnal Christian to a mature spiritual Christian. With your cooperation, we shall be able to go through an exciting period of Spiritual growth and Apostolic equipping.
The sky is the limit as we embark on our race for this academic year 2006/2007. God has great plans laid out for you. The inheritance God has prepared for you to receive now in this world is yours for the taking. Ignorance has kept many of the believers out of the promised land. Let’s join hands and see your faith rise and develop. You are called to be a world-shaker in every place and every field God has placed you in. You are more than a conqueror through Him that loved you. I see you rising above every obstacle, victory belongs to you as you take it by the force of your faith!