This message concerns God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to this world to save people who were sinners. He died for the sins of the world; he died for my sins.
God’s Perfect Plan | Sermon
It seems tragic at first glance that twenty-five years of compassionate ministry for Christ should end in such a horrid manner.
How could the life of Jay Tucker be taken by a Congolese mob in the very city to which God had sent him? This true account may seem somewhat strange in a book about the ministry and church God blesses.
When laid next to the doctrinal perversions of the “name it and claim it” prosperity teachers, the life and times of Jay Tucker certainly seem meager and wasted. But now, as they say, let’s hear the rest of the story.
The Bomokandi River flowed through the Nganga region of Congo, where the Mangbetu tribe lived. The Mangbetus had remained totally resistant to any penetration of the gospel.
Even the famous missionary C. T. Studd was never able to win one Mangbetu convert. Another mission group followed up on his efforts, but not one Mangbetu turned to the Lord.
A unique Mangbetu traditional saying: “If the blood of any man flows in our river, the Bomokandi River, you must listen to his message.”
As the Congo rebellion subsided, the king of the Mangbetus persuaded the central government in Kinshasa to send a chief of police to bring stability to the region.
The government sent a man of strong stature who was known simply as “the Brigadier.” What no one knew was that the Brigadier had been won to Christ by Jay Tucker a few months earlier.
The spiritual environment the Brigadier encountered was one of total darkness, and the relatively new Christian found no response to his first attempt at sharing the gospel of Christ.
Then one day the Brigadier heard of a unique Mangbetu traditional saying: “If the blood of any man flows in our river, the Bomokandi River, you must listen to his message.”
This saying had been part of tribal culture from time immemorial. Suddenly a thought came to the Brigadier.
He summoned the king and village elders to meet him at a designated place for a special meeting. They respectfully gathered in full assembly to hear what he had to say:
I want to tell you something.
Sometime ago a man was killed, and his body was thrown into your river, the Bomokandi River. The crocodiles in this river ate him up. His blood flowed in your river. Now, before he died, he left me this message.
This message concerns God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to this world to save people who were sinners. He died for the sins of the world; he died for my sins.
I received this message, and it changed my life.
Now, if this man named Jay were here today, he would tell you this same message. He’s not here, but his message is the same.
And because this is the message of the man whose blood flowed in your river, you must listen to my message.*
As the Brigadier preached the simple message for which Jay Tucker gave his life, the Holy Spirit brought deep conviction.
The light of the gospel began to finally shine through to the Mangbetus, and many were converted.
Today in the Mangbetu region in northeastern Zaire (formerly the Belgian Congo), there are hundreds of believers and dozens of churches. They can all be traced back to the passionate missionary whose blood flowed in the Bomokandi River.
His love for people led to his death, but in dying he brought the message of eternal life in a way he never could have imagined.
And somewhere in heaven, it is very possible that Jay Tucker is experiencing the same joy that the apostle had when he wrote these words: “How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?” (1 Thessalonians 3:9).
God, please forgive us for selfish living that gives little thought to the needs of those around us. Melt our hearts, and break us in the deepest part of our being.
Flood us with your love so we can see and feel about others as you do. Save us from ourselves, and thrust us into the fields that are ripe for harvest. We ask this in the name of Jesus, who gave himself for us. Amen.