The Christian Ethical Dilemma: To Celebrate or Not Celebrate Rev. John Chilembwe’s 1915 Uprising

Reverend John Chilembwe on Malawi bank note, 2000 Kwacha of 2016

January 15 is John Chilembwe’s Day and a public holiday in Malawi. On this day Malawians remember and celebrate Reverend (Rev.) John Chilembwe’s uprising against the British colonial rule on January 23-26, 1915. Rev. Chilembwe, a Baptist minister, was born around 1871 in Chiradzulu District in Malawi (then a British colony called Nyasaland). He was first educated by Scottish missionaries. Later he met an English missionary, Joseph Booth, who had a huge influence on him both theologically and politically.  Through his contacts in the United States of America (USA), Booth facilitated John Chilembwe’s move to USA in 1897 where he studied at Virginia Theological Seminary and College (now Virginia University of Lynchburg) in Lynchburg, Virginia. In 1900, Rev. Chilembwe returned to Malawi and established Providence Industrial Mission (PIM) which comprised of a church and a center where Chilembwe taught and emphasized on self-reliance, education, and improved agriculture.

When Rev. Chilembwe returned to Malawi in 1900, he was appalled by the suffering and ill treatment that his fellow countrymen were experiencing under the British colonial government and at the hands of the white European settlers. Two things that bothered Rev. Chilembwe most and led to his 1915 uprising were, first, forced labor of Malawians working on European owned farms and estates, particularly, at Alexander Low (A.L.) Bruce Estates in Magomero, Chiradzulu. This forced labor also called Thangata in vernacular required Malawians living on lands that the Europeans claimed to be theirs to work on the Europeans’ farms and estates under very harsh conditions and for free as rent or tenancy payment. In relation to Thangata, Rev. Chilembwe was also bothered by the racial discrimination and the treatment of Malawians as “the underdog.” In his letter of 1914 to Nyasaland Times, Rev. Chilembwe wrote,“In time of peace the Government failed to help the underdog. In time of peace everything for Europeans only. And instead of honor we suffer humiliation with names contemptible.”[1]

Second, Rev. Chilembwe strongly opposed the recruitment of Malawian men to fight in the First World War in Tanganyika (present day Tanzania). As the Allied Forces (Britain, Russia, Italy, Japan and the USA) fought against the Central Powers (Germany, Austria, Hungry, and Turkey), they took the war to their colonies in Africa. Among other places in East and Southern Africa, the war was fought in Tanzania which was a colony of Germany. The colonial British government recruited Malawian men to fight against German forces in Tanzania and other places in East Africa. Rev. Chilembwe was not amused because he believed that this was not an African war but a European war. In his strongly worded letter to Nyasaland Times in 1914, he wrote:

On the commencement of the war, we understood that it was said indirectly that Africa had nothing to do with the civilized war. But now we find that the poor African has already been plunged into the great war. A number of our people have already shed their blood, while some are crippled for life…The masses of our people are ready to put on uniforms ignorant of what they have to face or why they have to face it… Let the rich men, bankers, titled men, storekeepers, farmers and landlords go to war and get shot. Instead, the poor Africans who have nothing to own in this present world, who in death, leave only a long line of widows and orphans in utter want and dire distress are invited to die for a cause which is not theirs.[2] 

After writing many letters of protest to the colonial government, having preached a number of sermons denouncing the racial discrimination and inhumane treatment of Malawians by the colonial rule and white settlers, and having seen no change to the status quo, Rev. John Chilembwe orchestrated an uprising that started on the evening of January 23 and ended on January 26, 1915. Under the orders of Rev. Chilembwe, his men attacked A.L. Bruce Estates and beheaded its manager, William Jarvis Livinstone, in the presence of his wife, Katherine, and his young daughter, Nyasa.[3] Livingstone’s head was brought to Rev. Chilembwe who on the following day, January 24, 1915 which also happened to be a Sunday, put it on display during the worship service at PIM.[4]  Rev. Chilembwe’s men  also killed other two white settlers and three  Malawians who were working on the estates. It should be highlighted here that Rev. Chilembwe insisted that wives and children of the white settlers should be spared at all cost. Another group of Rev. Chilembwe’s men went to break into African Lakes Company’s armory in Blantyre to steal guns and ammunition to assist them in the uprising.  This mission was partially successful and they managed to get away with a few guns and boxes of ammunition after the break-in was thwarted by the guards at the armory.

The colonial government’s response was swift and brutal. They arrested, tried, and either imprisoned or executed many of Rev. John Chilembwe’s men. Those who resisted arrests or fled were shot by the police or the army which was also Rev. Chilembwe’s fate on February 3, 1915. He was shot dead by the police as he attempted to escape to Mozambique. The government also demolished the church building that Rev. Chilembwe built and banned Providence Industrial Mission for slightly over a decade. It was later allowed to reopen in 1926 under new leadership of Rev. Dr. Daniel Sharpe Malikebu the first known Malawian qualified medical doctor who was also an ordained Baptist minister.

Two main motives have been suggested for Rev. Chilembwe’s uprising. Some have claimed that he wanted to eliminate all Europeans in Nyasaland and to make himself the ruler of the nation. Others have argued that Rev. Chilembwe wanted to die as a martyr, “making a symbolic gesture of protest to demonstrate that the conditions then prevailing in Nyasaland were intolerable to the African community.”[5] A renowned Malawian historian, Desmond Dudwa Phiri, writes that on the day before the uprising, Rev. Chilembwe addressed his followers and said, “I am not saying that we are going to win the war [against the colonial rule] …some of us will die on the battlefield and leave behind widows and orphans, but they will be free people. Our blood will mean something at last.”[6] Whether it was to gain self-rule or to die as martyr, the majority of Malawians regard Rev. John Chilembwe as a national hero. His face appears on Malawi banknotes.  Places and roads are named after him in addition to having a special day every year to remember and celebrate his life and uprising.

However, Rev. Chilembwe’s uprising also poses a very serious Christian ethical dilemma, especially, when we consider the violent taking away of three lives of white settlers and the three lives of fellow Malawians in the confines of their own homes and in the presence of his spouse and daughter in the case of William Jarvis Livingstone. The beheading and later displaying of Livingstone’s head in a worship service also casts a Christian in a moral quagmire. The sixth commandment is very clear, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13; Deut. 5:17). The Westminster Larger Catechism expounding on this commandment notes “The sins forbidden in the sixth commandment are, all taking away the life of ourselves, or of others, except in case of public justice, lawful war, or necessary defense (Genesis 9:6; Numbers 35:31, 33; Romans 13:4; Exodus 22:2-3)” (Q. & A. 136).[7]

The catechism clarifies that murder is prohibited by God but also highlights that there are three exceptions.  First, as public justice, governments may take away human life in a form of capital punishment after the legitimate courts have sentenced one to death often in cases of murder. Second, taking of human life is not murder in the case of lawful war which is also called just war. The great medieval African theologian St. Augustine of Hippo helps us understand what a just war is in books 19 and 22 of his famous work, The City of God.[8]  St. Augustine observes that a just war is necessary to prevent a greater evil and should be carried out after exhausting diplomacy and other peaceful options. The cause of just war should be to respond to an enemy’s injustice or aggression (defensive rather than offensive) and the government and not private citizens should declare the war. Furthermore, just war should be carried with the right intention of securing lasting peace and justice and not out of revenge, greed, or mere desire for conquest. The third exception according to the larger catechism is “necessary defense.” When one person attacks another with the intention of killing him, the attacked person has the right to defend himself even if it means taking the life of the attacker (Exodus 22:2).

Considering Rev. Chilembwe’s killings, none of them fall in any of these three exceptions. The killings were not carried out by the state as “public justice.” The taking of the six human lives also does not fit the description of “lawful war” in that it was not in response to murder that had already occurred and Rev. Chilembwe was reacting to that injustice. Furthermore, the killings were not sanctioned by the state. Lastly, Rev. Chilembwe’s killings were also not a “necessary defense.” This is why some Christians who celebrate other aspects of Rev. Chilembwe’s life and work found themselves in the ethical dilemma when it comes to celebrating Rev. Chilembwe’s uprising because of the murders that took place on the evening of January 23, 1915 at A.L. Bruce Estates in Magomero, Chiladzulu.

It is also interesting to note that some of Rev. Chilembwe’s contemporaries opposed his violent approach to attaining independence. The first ordained Malawian Presbyterian minister, Rev. Harry Kambwiri Matecheta, who was also a friend of Rev. Chilembwe discouraged him from proceeding with the uprising. In his memoir, Rev. Matecheta writes that Rev. Chilembwe would visit him and other Malawian Christian leaders trying to persuade them to join the rebellion. He also recalls spending one sleepless night with Rev. Chilembwe and his elders at Rev. Chilembwe’s house plotting the uprising. Rev. Matecheta declined to be part of the revolt and told Rev. Chilembwe that “his way was that of love” and he was hopeful that one day there would be a peaceful handover of power from the colonizers to Malawians.[9]

I believe it is important to clarify here that this is in no away an attempt to diminish or discredit the good work and ministry of Rev. Chilembwe. This is also not even an effort to question his Christianity. But it is to admit as the 19th century Anglican Bishop J.C. Ryle once observed that the best of men are men at best. Even the most admirable Christians among us are still imperfect humans, prone to sin and constantly needing the saving grace of Christ. We see this truth constantly in the Bible. The great servant of the Lord, Moses, despite the glorious encounters with God and being entrusted with the huge responsibility of leading God’s people into the promised land failed to enter the land apparently because of sinful anger (Numbers 20:10-12).  King David the man after God’s own heart committed adultery with Bethsheba and orchestrated the murder of her husband, Uriah (2 Samuel 11:1-27). Apostle Peter despite being the rock on which Christ will build his church, out of sinful fear denied the Lord Jesus Christ three times (Matthew 16:16-19; Luke 22:54-62). Rev. Chilembwe was not an exception. His great work and ministry was stained by the murders of January 23, 1915.

January 15 in Malawi will always pose an ethical dilemma for some Christians on whether to celebrate or not celebrate Rev. John Chilembwe’s uprising of 1915. Yet not commemorating the revolt because it involved unlawful taking away of human lives should never be equated with total rejection of the good that Rev. Chilembwe accomplished for his fellow Malawians. Rather it should be a stark reminder that even our Christian heroes have feet of clay. The only hero who does all things well is Jesus Christ.

[1] History for the 21st Century, https://www.history21.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/World-War-I-3.2-Primary-Source-Chilembwe.pdf, accessed on December 30, 2025 at 2:34pm.

[2] History for the 21st Century, https://www.history21.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/World-War-I-3.2-Primary-Source-Chilembwe.pdf, accessed on December 30, 2025 at 2:34pm.

[3] Landeg White, Magomero: Potrait of an African Village, Cambridge University Press, 1989, pp. 137-138

[4] Power, Joey (2010). Political Culture and Nationalism in Malawi: Building Kwacha. Rochester Studies in African History and the Diaspora. New York: University of Rochester Press, 19.

[5] Kenneth R. Ross and Klaus Fiedler, A Malawi Church History 1860-2020, Mzuni Press, Mzuzu © 2020, p.138-139.

[6] John Chilembwe, cit. D.D. Phiri, Let us Die for Africa: An African Perspective on the Life and Death of John Chilembwe of Nyasaland/Malawi, Blantyre: Central Africana, 1999, 64.

[7] The Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms, Christian Education and Publications, 2007, p. 276-277

[8] St. Augustine of Hippo trans. by Marcus Dods, The City of God, Hendrickson Publishers, 2009 pp. 605-639, 731-782.

[9] Harry Kambwiri Matecheta, Blantyre Mission: Stories of its Beginning, Luviri Press, Mzuzu, 2020, p. 86.

A Prayer for the New Year

Happy New Year!

We praise the Lord for the gift of another year. Thankful for his mercies for the past year and praying for more of his grace in the coming days.

On the new year’s eve, a friend shared with me this diary entry from Matthew Henry which I have turned it into my prayer for this year. I am sharing it here perhaps you would like to make it your prayer too.

Matthew Henry (1662-1714) was a Presbyterian Minister in England. He is well known for his commentary of the whole Bible which he began to work in 1704 completing it from Genesis to Acts by his death ten years later. Several of his fellow ministers compiled the remainder of the commentary  (Romans to Revelation) primarily from Henry’s own notes and writings. Matthew Henry also journaled and in his journal entry of January 1, 1713 he wrote:

Firmly believing that my times are in God’s hand, I here submit myself and all my affairs for the ensuing year, to the wise and gracious disposal of God’s divine providence. Whether God appoints for me health or sickness, peace or trouble, comforts or crosses, life or death — may His holy will be done! 

All my time, strength, and service, I devote to the honor of the Lord Jesus–and even my common actions. It is my earnest expectation, hope, and desire, my constant aim and endeavor–that Jesus Christ may be magnified in me. In everything I have to do – my entire dependence is upon Jesus Christ for strength. And whatever I do in word or deed, I desire to do all in His name, to make Him my Alpha and Omega. 

I have all from Him – and I would use all for Him. 

If this should prove a year of affliction, a sorrowful year to me – I will fetch all my supports and comforts from the Lord Jesus and stay myself upon Him, His everlasting consolations, and the good hope I have in Him through grace. 

And if it should be my dying year–then my times are in the hand of the Lord Jesus. And with a humble reliance upon His mediation, I would venture into the eternal world looking for the blessed hope. Dying as well as living – Jesus Christ will, I trust, be gain and advantage to me. 

Oh, that the grace of God may be sufficient for me, to keep me always a humble sense of my own unworthiness, weakness, folly, and infirmity – together with a humble dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ for both righteousness and strength.

The Eschatological Hope in “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood”

William Cowper (1731-1800) wrote the hymn, “There is a Fountain Filled with Blood” in 1772 based on Zechariah 13:1, “On that day there shall be a fountain opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and uncleanness.” The last verse of the hymn contains the eschatological hope that was also personal to Cowper:

When this poor lisping, stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I’ll sing Thy power to save:
I’ll sing Thy power to save,
I’ll sing Thy power to save;
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I’ll sing Thy power to save.

William Cowper had a great fear of public speaking. After he successfully completed law studies in college, Cowper was supposed to undergo bar exams to practice law. However, the fear of being examined publicly to be admitted to the bar, as it was a practice then, forced him to decide not to practice as a lawyer.

Later In 1763, through his father, Cowper was about to secure a job as one of the clerks of the British Parliament. However, the requirement for public interview for the post led him to depression and attempted suicide. He later wrote in his memoir, “All the horrors of my fears and perplexities now returned. A thunderbolt would have been as welcome to me as this intelligence (interview) … Those whose spirits are formed like mine, to whom a public exhibition of themselves, on any occasion, is mortal poison, may have some idea of the horror of my situation; others can have none.”

It is also believed that Cowper might had a speech impediment that made him stammer. However, despite this impairment and glossophobia (fear of public speaking), Cowper with great eschatological hope looked forward to his glorification when his stammering tongue would be made perfect hence would be able to sing “a nobler, sweeter song.”  It is as if Cowper had Corinthians 15:42-43 in mind, “So also it is with resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.”  What a great eschatological hope!

Like Cowper, all of us have defects of some kind. Some of these defects are more noticeable than others. Some are spiritual while others are physical. However, we are assured that in glory all imperfections, defects, or weaknesses whether spiritual or physical will be no more. We will have perfect bodies and sinless souls. There in glory we will forever sing nobler and sweeter songs of Christ’s power to save.  Praise the Lord for such a great salvation!

The Eschatological Hope in “Amazing Grace”

John Newton wrote “Amazing Grace” around Christmas time of 1772 while pastoring an Anglican Church in Olney, England. I had a privilege of visiting the church building a few years ago. Initially, Newton wrote the hymn under the title, “Faith’s Review and Expectation” but was later changed to “Amazing Grace.” The original hymn had six verses with the last two containing a great eschatological hope.

In the fifth verse, John Newton highlighted the truth that many of us Christians will experience one day. Our life is mortal (subject to death). A day is coming when our flesh will fail and our heart will not beat again. However, that will not be the end of us, for we will pass through the veil and experience a life of joy and peace.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

“The veil” is a reference to the holy of holies (the earthly dwelling place of God’s presence) in the Old Covenant temple. The veil or the curtain concealed the holy of holies. Only the high priest was allowed to go through the curtain once a year to make atonement for the sins of God’s people (Exodus 30:10; Hebrews 9:7). However, when Christ died on the cross, the curtain was torn into two from top to bottom (Matt. 27:50-51) signifying that he had offered a perfect sacrifice once for all for all his people. All his people could now access the presence of God through him. So yes, on that day when our flesh and heart shall fail, we will enter into the presence of God to an everlasting joy and peace, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8).

The sixth verse was based on 2 Peter 3:12 and Revelation 21:

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.

On the final day, the current earth and heaven will be dissolved and made anew (2 Peter 3:12), and we will dwell with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth forever (Rev. 21:1). The new earth will not have the sun because the glory of God will be our light (Rev. 21:23), and God will be ours and we will be his forever (Rev. 21:3)

Years later, an American hymnwriter by the name of E.O. Excel added a verse to the hymn which goes:

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

The eschatological hope shines brighter in this verse also. After we have lived in the presence of God in the new heaven and new earth for ten thousand years it would not mean that our time with God is getting shorter. Actually, I believe it would feel just like a second because we will live with God eternally. Counting time in heaven will not count. What amazing grace! What amazing hope!

The Eschatological Hope in The Old Christian Hymns

One of the fascinating things I have observed when singing old Christian hymns be it in my personal devotion, family worship, or corporate worship is the eschatological hope in most of them. Eschatological hope is a theological term that refers to the fulfilment of God’s promise to make all things new in the new heaven and new earth which includes no more sin, no more death, no more sorrow, no more pain, and no more tears but a sweet dwelling in the presence of God forever. It is amazing to notice that most of the old Christian hymns, especially, in their last verse are filled with such hope.

But sadly, this eschatological hope is often missing in the lives of many Christians today. If you allow me to get a bit personal, when was the last time you had a lengthy discussion with a fellow Christian on heaven or your glorification? Could it be that we have bought into the lie that “Christians can be so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good.” However, the truth is that we are of no earthly good until we are heavenly minded. C.S. Lewis was right when he observed that history testifies that it is those Christians who thought most of the next life that did the most for the present life. When Christians cease to think of the other world, they often become so ineffective in this world.

Therefore, in the next months, Lord willing, I would like us to spur one another toward more reflection of the biblical truths of heaven as contained in the Christian hymns of the past. Obviously, I won’t be able to cover every hymn as there are many of them. My approach is to focus more on the well-known hymns. I pray that this will be a great encouragement for us to be more heavenly minded like those Christians gone before us as we also wait for our blessed hope the appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13). Apostle John writes about our Lord’s second coming in Revelation 22:20: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus Christ.” Christ’s coming is closer now than when these hymns were written.

What Should Christians Make of Death Penalty?

The debate on whether Malawi should abolish death penalty or capital punishment continues to gather momentum. The Evangelical Association of Malawi and other mainline denominations have already come out in the open to support the abolishment proposal. However, other Christians are in favor of keeping the penalty in our laws.  In God’s providence I recently preached from Genesis 8:20-9:17 which I think adequately addresses the place of capital punishment in the human society.

As we come to Genesis 9:20 we meet Noah, who has just come out of the ark after the flood, building an altar to God as an act of worship. The Lord is pleased with Noah’s worship and reinstates the creation mandate which he first gave to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28 “To be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Genesis 9:1, 7). Then the Lord also establishes death penalty for murder and decrees, “And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. ‘Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image’” (Genesis 9:5, 6)

If an animal attacks and kills a man, God orders that the animal should be killed. If one man kills another man, God requires that the life of the murderer should be taken away too. The reason for this commandment is that man was made in the image of God. John Calvin comments, “No one can be injurious to his brother without wounding God himself.” One undebatable truth in Genesis 9:5, 6 is that it is God himself who established death penalty.

Further, it is worth noting here that when the first murder in the history of mankind occurred in Genesis 4:8, God reserved the right to take the life of the murderer, Cain, to himself (Genesis 4:15). However, now God gives this right to man. “Man” in this passage should be understood as human government as we read in Romans 13:4 that human government is “the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” After Genesis 9:5, 6 we don’t read anywhere else in the Bible where God reverses death penalty for murder which means that the command still stands today.

Some Christians who are against death penalty appeal to Matthew 5:38-40 as a ground for abolishment of death penalty. In Matthew 5:38-40 Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say to you, ‘Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.’” Does Jesus here abolish death penalty for a murderer? Not at all!

“An eye for an eye” or lex talionis in Latin is a legal principle that punishment should fit the crime. Courts should not give a greater punishment to a smaller crime or a smaller punishment to a greater crime. This principle rightly applies to criminal justice. However, people in Jesus’ time were abusing and seizing it as pretext for taking personal revenge on those who wronged them. So, Jesus is teaching that outside of criminal matters, Christians should not pay evil with evil but instead should overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). The example of a slap on the cheek is not literal as that would mean Jesus forbids self-defense in the face of an attack.

Christians might differ on their view of death penalty for murder and we should respectfully agree to disagree. But I believe that it is hard to argue that death penalty for murder which was established by God himself in Genesis 9 is no longer required today. I just can’t find any biblical evidence in support of that argument.

What is the New Heaven and the New Earth?

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth has passed away, and the sea was no more” (Rev. 21:1)

Apostle John had a privilege to see the new heaven and the new earth in a vision. Now, what is this new heaven and the new earth that Apostle John is talking about here? This is the question that many Bible scholars and theologians have wrestled with, and there are are two main views. One says that this new heaven and new earth will be entirely new and different from the one we have now while the other one holds that the new heaven and the new earth will be a renewed or a transformed heaven and earth but not necessarily an entirely new heaven and new earth.

I am persuaded of the later view because of three main reasons. First, other passages of Scripture show us that the new heaven and the new earth will be a renewed one. Consider Romans 8:20-21 in which Paul writes, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” Notice that Paul says that the current creation as we know it will be set free from the bondage and corruption of sin. God is not going to completely wipe away this creation and make a new one rather he will liberate and renew this current creation.  

Second, when we consider that in the new heaven and new earth believers will be the same believers, we know today but with renewed bodies and not necessary totally different people than the ones we know we should also conclude that the new heaven and the new earth will be a renewed universe rather than a totally new creation. The Dutch theologian, Anthony Hoekema put it well, “The difference between our present bodies and the resurrection bodies, wonderful though they are, do not take away the continuity: it is we who shall be raised, and it is we who shall always be with the Lord. Those raised with Christ will not be a totally new set of human beings but the people of God who have lived on this earth. By way of analogy, we would expect that the new earth will not be totally different from the present earth but will be the present earth wondrously renewed.”

Third, consider that sometimes the Bible uses the word “new” to mean “renewed” or “transformed” and not necessarily an entirely different thing.  For example, 2 Corinthians 5:17 declares, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” This verse does mean that when we get saved, we become an entirely different new person. We are the same person who has been renewed in Christ. Of course, our lives change; our thinking changes; our likes change but we are still the same person renewed in Christ. Or consider in Ezekiel 36:26 in which the God says “I will give you a new heart” meaning a changed or transformed heart. In the same way new heaven and new earth in Rev. 21:1 does not mean an entirely new heaven and new earth but a renewed or a transformed heaven and earth which is far more glorious than the current heaven and earth.

As believers we should always long for the new heaven and the new earth. It will surely come! However, it will not be entirely another one made from nothing as God did in the beginning (Genesis 1:1). The new heaven and the new earth will be the current heaven and the current earth renewed with much greater glory and goodness beyond human description (1 Cor. 2:7).

The Reformed Pastor Conference

May 29-30, 2024, pastors from different denominations met at Christ Presbyterian Church in Blantyre, Malawi for the 2024 Reformed Pastor Conference. The theme for this year’s conference was, The Sufficiency of Christ. Pastor David Woollin from Grace Immanuel Reformed Baptist Church and Heritage Reformed Books in Grand Rapids, Michigan spoke on the three offices of Christ: prophet, priest, and king. He also spoke on faithfulness in ministry.

The Reformed Pastor Conference was started by Christ Presbyterian Church (CPC) in partnership with the Malawi Reformation Network (MRN).  The name of the conference was inspired by an address taken from Acts 20:28 by a 17th Century Reformed and Puritan pastor, Richard Baxter, which was later turned into a book titled The Reformed Pastor.  The first Reformed Pastor Conference was held on October 27, 2019 at African Bible College campus in Lilongwe, Malawi.

The four major objectives of the Reformed Pastor Conference are:

  1. To encourage pastors to be ordinary means of grace pastors. The Westminster Shorter Catechism question and answer 88 reminds us: “The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption are, his ordinances, especially, the Word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.” The conference seeks to encourage ministers to continue believing in the power of God’s word and constantly preach it faithfully. We would like also to encourage pastors to continue cultivating a healthy prayer life as an indispensable part of their ministry.
  • To provide a platform where pastors can get a better understanding of the Reformed faith. The Reformed faith or being Reformed can sometimes be misunderstood or even caricatured. But through the conference we pray that pastors, especially, those that are not familiar with the Reformed faith or are considering to become Reformed in their faith and ministry (Reforming pastors) might get a good grasp of the faith.
  • To share Reformed literature and resources. One of the greatest challenges that the church in Malawi (and this can be said of Africa as a whole) faces is lack of sound biblical literature and resources. Reformed Pastor Conference seeks to bring pastors together once a year and share with them reformed literature and resources that are beneficial to their ministry.
  • To promote fellowship and networking among Reformed pastors in Malawi. Pastoral ministry can sometimes feel very lonely, more especially, when you do not have many like-minded pastors who can encourage you in your work. Since Reformed pastors are a minority in Malawi, the conference seeks to promote fellowship and networking among these ministers. 

May you join us in praying for revival and reformation in our lives, churches, our nation of Malawi, and the whole world at large.

As Your Days, So Shall Your Strength Be

On Thursday, November 9, 2023 the Malawi Government through its central bank, the Reserve Bank of Malawi, devalued the value of the Malawi currency, the Kwacha, against the US Dollar with 44%. One major impact of this move was the immediate increase of the inflation rate of food items from 36.8 as recorded in September 2023 by National Statistical Office . There is fear and panic for many Malawians who most of them live from hand to mouth. Yesterday, November 10, 2023, I sent this brief note of encouragement to the members of my church family, Christ Presbyterian Church, Blantyre.

Dear my beloved church family,

I am sitting in my study after a long day which most part of it included hearing the fears of many for the future as the economic situation in our country continues not to inspire much hope. I thought of writing this quick note to you beloved people of God. It could be that you are also scared of what the future holds for you and your loved ones. Maybe you are despairing of life itself as Paul would say in 2 Corinthians 1:18.

One verse that is lingering in my mind as I finish my day is God’s own promise to us his people in Deuteronomy 33:25. Moses is about to enter the glory of his Lord, so he blesses all the twelve tribes of Israel. When he comes to the tribe of Asher, he blesses it and says, “Your bars shall be iron and bronze, and as your days, so shall your strength be.” My main focus is on the last part of the verse“as your days, so shall your strength be.”

The Lord promises to supply us with strength (grace) for each day he gives us. We can count on this promise for it is coming from the one who neither changes nor lies. The key thing to notice well is that this grace will be available as each day comes. In the midst of difficult economic times like these ones, if you are like me, you want to receive the grace for today and tomorrow and even next week today. But the Lord never supplies tomorrow’s grace today. His mercies are new every morning. He gives grace every day in a fresh way.

So beloved people of God may this promise be your encouragement and comfort if you are getting anxious about tomorrow in these hard economic times. Let us continue to draw close to Christ, work honestly with our hands, and trust our God through Christ to supply us with strength or grace to go through each day. As the great African theologian St. Augustine once observed, “Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence.” May we all do that. Also, to borrow the words of the hymn writer:

“Afflicted saint, to Christ draw near,
Your Savior’s gracious promise hear;
His faithful Word you can believe:
That as your days your strength shall be.

So, sing with joy, afflicted one;
The battle’s fierce, but the victory’s won!
God shall supply all that you need;
Yes, as your days your strength shall be.”

Good night, beloved saints! May the Lord bless and keep you and continue to make his face shine upon you in Christ.

Introducing All Things Reformed Podcast

Last Tuesday, October 31, 2023 as we commemorated the 506 years of the Protestant Reformation my friend, Zee Chunga, and I launched our podcast, All Things Reformed. As I have been pastoring in this beautiful country of Malawi, one question that I have often received is, “What is the Reformed Faith?” This podcast is an endeavor to answer this question. Zee and I believe that as you listen to the episodes of this podcast you will be able to have your question answered.

All Things Reformed Podcast is for those who are Reformed as well as those who are exploring the Reformed faith. For the former we seek to help them get more grounded in their faith and equip them to effectively answer any question about our faith (1 Peter 3:15) while for the later we seek to help them get a better explanation of the Reformed faith. We desire to see more minds renewed by God’s truth and sound Christianity, more especially, the Reformed Christianity grow more in Malawi to the glory of God and the good of Christ’s Church.

I have known my co-host, Zgololake (Zee) Chunga for almost twenty years now. Zee loves the Lord and His Church. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and Communications from African Bible College, Malawi. He is currently working as development communication specialist. He is also a member of the church I pastor, Christ Presbyterian Church. I am thankful for Zee’s willingness to use his skills and gifts to produce the podcast. Please pray for him as he works on the weekly episodes.

You may listen or subscribe to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Let me also ask that after you have listened to the podcast, feel free to email us feedback at here. Let us know how we are doing and how best we can serve you well through the podcast. You may also consider to sponsor the podcast, please let us know. Above all, join us in praying that All Things Reformed Podcast will be used to disciple both young and old with sound doctrine.

Soli Deo Gloria!