As I read through the Word today, I was reminded of the way that Paul addressed his letters to his

readers by referring to them and himself as slaves to Christ. Again, slaves to Christ. It is as a slave to Christ and in reference to fellow slaves of Christ, that I pen these words. Are you a slave to Christ? Im not asking if you are a Christian or not, Im asking if you are a slave to Christ as were the Apostles James, Jon, Peter, Paul, Andrew, and Steven. If you are not, why arent you? We have the blessing of revelation and godly examples to digest and mimic throughout the whole Bible and many great testimonies of faith that the disciples and apostles of the first church didnt have the luxury from which to hear and learn. They went out and did it first on only the power of God. So why havent you tapped into the same power plus all the examples of Christians on fire for God since. God has equipped and supplies us with everything and more that we may need to surpass the God-led feats of such apostles as before listed. You may say that we live in a different culture so things are different and being a slave to Christ looks differently than it used to. Yes, culture has changed but have you allowed its subtle implantations of societal norms and expectations to cause your failure in being a completely devoted slave to Him? Are you allowing the excessive time-intense demands of your dream job to come between you and your calling to care for the widows and orphans, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to visit the incarcerated, to truly love your brother as yourself? I like to think in absolutes whenever they are available because they make my life and my Christian walk much simpler. For example, an absolute is that if Jesus truly is who he says he is then everything concerning him must be true. If he says he loves me then I find no hardship in believing he truly does love me because it came from Him. So come along with me and lets apply a simple absolute that the vast majority of the world doesnt understand and yet is stated quite clearly, visibly, and in the open as purposed to not be missed and that all can locate, apply, and learn from it. I love absolutes. They are as satisfying as life can ever be. Im almost to the simple absolute that God has for you but Im going to build the suspense. Patience is a virtue so practice as I continue. God has created man with a desire for one thing that only He can supply. This one desire, that kings and emperors would sacrifice their whole kingdom to possess, is peace. This is something every Christian has tasted but is only fully possessed by those that are slaves to peace. History shows how mans ambitions are limitless and how his search for peace and contentment has never ended in material gain, wealth, or power. Alexander the Great wasnt satisfied with his conquest of 2/3rd of the known world so he died without returning to Macedonia or relishing in his conquests as a satisfied god on earth. Had Napoleon and Hitler been content with their domination, they wouldnt have spread their forces so thin and have been crushed (Im not a history buff so if these facts arent true, just play my game). AT LAST, we arrive at the absolute so long awaited for by you and the general public to understand. Absolute: The chase of contentment merely reveals more possible destinations to search rather than reveal THE destination where peace can be found, arrived at, and therein dwelt (Holy Sprit written through Jon). To further drive this absolute into the blood-stained, peace giving cross of Christ, the story of Solomon is the clearly stated, visible, and openly posted example of possessions not yielding peace, EVEN when they are given by God. As I was reading through the Kings saga of the Old Testament, I was struck anew by the description of the richest king ever to rule on this earth. I encourage you to check these facts for yourself. We are told that

Solomon received, as yearly tribute, in the realm of 660 talents of gold. Not astounded yet? This amounts to nearly 20 tons or 40,000 POUNDS of pure gold. Let us do some math. Today, gold is valued at $1457.95 per ounce. Multiplying this figure by 16 to arrive at the price of gold per pound, we arrive at $23,327.20 per pound. Again, multiplying this figure by 40,000 we find that Solomon received, as valued by our standards today, gold to the tune of $933,088,000. Though the value of gold could be less than today. This amount doesnt reflect the value of Solomons tax upon his people, the wealth inherited to him by his father, the gifts of the many kings and rulers who visited to hear and behold his glory and wisdom, nor his received tribute of precious stones, exotic and practically used animals, rare and valuable spices, silver and other minerals, and costly woods such as Cedar from Lebanon. I hope your astonishment has begun. And yet by receiving in excess of well over a billion dollars per year, Solomons description of emptiness and lack of peace evidenced by his anguish as written in Ecclesiastes demonstrates how possessions, how vast or miniscule, are unable to impart peace when you have turned your back upon God. Not in many lifetimes, much less one, could we attain the wealth, the beautiful and pleasurable company, wisdom, nor fame or respect attributed to Solomon. In this historical example, we visibly, clearly, and openly see that wealth, women/men, power, respect and fame are searches for peace devoid of a destination of the one, easily attainable thing for which we are all searching. Peace is available for the asking. God stands ready to impart peace to the devoted follower who remains a slave to Him. The moment we go our own way, peace will go its own way and only upon returning to Gods welcoming, palatial slave quarters do we once again find peace. Yet since Solomon, mankind has yet to be convinced that peace is not attainable by sheer will and conquest. Again, I refer to the absolute in a simple way you wont find peace unless you lay down your life and receive it in return as a gift bestowed as peace by God. I would like to ask again, do you know peace? Are you a slave to God? If you are then you know that which men would sacrifice everything to possess just a taste. If you arent a slave to Christ and dont know the freedom and peace afforded to a slave by Christ, my heart cries for you and implores you to wholly lay down your life, believer or non-believer, in total surrender that you may receive that which is worth everything. Peace. I wasnt planning to write the above letter. But before I began, a group of men and myself prayed that the Holy Spirit would speak through my fingers that I may be able to adequately explain what God is doing in my life and in Sierra Leone beginning in just the few days recent past. Three days ago, a friend and I began a conversation that would change our lives. This friend was explaining his frustrations at sacrificing to work at the hospital whereas his colleagues he graduated with are buying cars and houses while my friend is working for only 100$ a month and doesnt have much money to fill his dirt bike tank, which he shares as transportation with a few other men, let alone buy a car. Prodded by the Holy Spirit, I simply said, I understand your struggle but there is more to life. This launched me into my personal testimony of my journey on becoming a complete slave to the will of God. I would love to share this in a more comprehensive manner in the future, but it is sufficient to say that at the point of 18 years old, I succeeded in establishing a significantly meaningless and destructive lifestyle guided by own decisions and desire to lead my own life. In the throes of a drug-addicted, food-deprived brain screaming for more drugs, I simply said, God I

know you can do a better job of leading my life then I, it is your turn, use me. It has been a short time period yet a long journey since that August evening four years ago and God has led me further and more completely than I ever thought possible. As I explained this to my friend, I further explained that I could be making a very comfortable living with my education thus far, and most certainly with the soon to be acquired additions to my resume when I finish the last phase of post graduate work, but Im not interested in the things I can buy or what that life affords. I told my friend that Im sacrificing all of those things to follow the will of God because I made a choice to be a slave to him and do all that he commands. So here I am volunteering my time, my skills, and abilities to absolute strangers simply at the calling of my master. As I finished, my friend stared at me and whispered, Jon, God has called you to Sierra Leone to tell that testimony. My friend admitted that he was a struggling Christian attracted to what the world offers but stuck between his desires and his conscience to follow God. He described his stubbornness to the gospel of slavery but was instantly convinced of its importance upon my sharing of my testimony. At this point, thank you for your prayers that the Holy Spirit would guide my steps, inhabit my speech, and pave the wave before me. Further more, God gave me great discernment into this mans life and for the plan that God has for him if he will only give in to Gods call to slavery. Upon my description of, unknown by me but visible to the Holy Spirit leading my words, things hidden in his heart, my friend confessed his hold on his life and committed his will of slavery to the will of Christ. At the close of his surrendering prayer. My friend explained that God has told him that we must take my testimony to the ghetto of the capital city of Freetown. This brother in Christ grew up in a very rough fashion and is well acquainted with the area, the people, and the ghetto churches that we will be visiting. Though exited and ready to hit the road for Freetown, the Holy Spirit reminded us of the need to enter a time of fasting, prayer, Bible reading, and devotion to God to seek His full discernment in this matter. To this purpose, we met early the next morning for a time of devotion and prayer that God would pave the way and empower us to preach His gospel. At the conclusion of the morning devotion, we decided to meet every morning and every evening for prayer and Bible study until the time that we feel ready to go to Freetown. Gods hand has been evident in rapidly giving growth and wisdom to our group. By the 1st evening, God had increased our number to 3 slaves. The following morning, 4 slaves had gathered to worship God to begin the day. Our numbers are continuing to grow. As part of the discernment into the calling of my friend, God told me how this man is going to be used by God as a powerful mouthpiece of the gospel and part of my purpose in being here was to shake him out of his pursuit of worldly things and introduce him to slavery in Christ. With the help of God, I have established goals and structure to our growing morning devotion and evening Bible study time. So that the group may continue after I have gone, Ive established my future evangelist friend as the head of this brand new church. In my understanding of the importance of small and corporate group worship, God has led me and has directed accordingly. As God adds to our church, groups of 7 members maximum will be created for the purpose of small group discussion about the Bible study lesson that was given. After we have reached 21 members, enough for 3 groups of 7, we will split our time together from just 1 session into 1 main session, led by my friend, then subsequent small group discussion led by within-group appointed leaders concerning the main session message. After only two days of meeting, we are close to 7 and are nearing our first goal of 21 members. Presently, my friend is the leader of our group

and is prayerfully approaching the time when he will step into his role as main leader over the groups of 7. We call this group Slaves for Christ. The point in the government of this group is so that when God calls my friend and I to travel to Freetown, a small group leader will be ready to step into a place of leadership over all the small groups so that Slaves for Christ will continue when its original founders are traveling elsewhere in Sierra Leone. The first person God added to our membership of 2 slaves is the person God has given to step into my friends place when God calls us to Freetown. Gods hand of leadership and covering all unforeseen bases is evident throughout this whole experience. As Ive been studying successful ministers and evangelists throughout church history, I see a common theme in many examples of fire for Christ. For every sermon he preached, Spurgeon had a group of 300 people, in a separate place, on their knees before God praying for divine presence, divine inspiration, and Gods blessing upon every word uttered by Spurgeon. In this fashion, God led my friend and I to establish this gathering of Slaves for Christ to not only spread the gospel and imperative need for freely devoted slavery, but to recruit our own prayer team that will be daily lifting us up as my friend and I travel and follow the leading of the Sprit of God. As each member has been added, the full intent and purpose of Slaves for Christ is explained and full submission to God is absolutely necessary by the members of this ministry team. My friends and family in Christ, exciting days await those sold out to accepting the cross of Christ and bearing it in peace and devotion. We are acutely aware of our need to cover this ministry in prayer before any rash and impetuous decisions are made out of passion in a timeframe other than stipulated by the Timekeeper. So I ask that you will bathe this operation in your prayers. We need patience to await the clear call of God to traveling action. We need the discernment of God in the recruitment of new members as well as patience for Him to bring them to us. We need hearts of one accord so that when one speaks of the will of God, that all understand it to be so that we may move forward with the smoothness and fluidity of a church body in motion for Christ. The devil has already begun his attack against this group. There are those who mock this gathering. They say that this group is only existing only because a white man is present and encouraging people but that it will die when I leave. God has providentially provided for a defense against this attack by my initial decision to establish my friend as the head of the organization. My intention was that the group may be preserved and grow in my absence but God has used it also as a means to fight against adversarial assailment by being able to explain to the mockers that the white man is simply a face in the crowd and isnt running the show but a national member of their own committee is the figurehead of Slaves for Christ. Though I lead the devotionals and part of the Bible study, this is only as a jump starter until nationals can move into these positions after my friend and I have demonstrated how we want the tasks of these positions to be executed so that seamless transition will be made when my friend and I travel to Freetown and pass the group onto the interim leaders. Above all, I ask that you remember and often pray for slaves of Christ. Furthermore, I request that you forward this letter to all whom you ascertain to understand the full power of prayer. Be they stranger or close brother, lips moving in prayer are heard in heaven and will be counted as favor upon this ministry in the eyes

of God. On a selfish note, I ask your prayers for my skin. Through painful discovery, Ive learned that mangoes come from the same plant family as poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak. So accordingly, there is oil present in the skin of the mango that can cause magnificent rashes associated with pain, itching and discomfort similar to the poisons listed. For some time, a rash has been spreading from my hands to random areas of my body in a fashion not indicative of a bacterial infection. Through some research, Ive ascertained that Im allergic to the skin of the mango. Being nearly 3 weeks into what I believed to be the tastiest 3 week period imaginable, it is safe to say that my mango consumption doesnt affect me internally but the majority of my skin surface is racked with rashes because of eating a mango and only rinsing, not thoroughly washing my hands because of the lack of geographic availability of soap and water, then proceeding to touch my arms, legs, back, and chest and effectively shipping this poison oil to the rest of my body to take up rashy residence. I ask your prayers for a speedy recovery as well as the strength to resist the mangoes. I have 3 massive mango trees less than 15 feet from my front door that continue to attack the ground with sweet, juicy, life giving, yet sadly torment inducing fruit from the depths. Although not intended and admittedly quite lengthy, please take time to ponder my sermon of slavery given me by the Holy Spirit. It is a powerful, life changing message and I desire each and every one of you to dwell in the peace God has given me as a slave and beyond. Finally, please remember Slaves for Peace and the subsequent ministry soon to be taking place by my friend Samuel and I as God leads. I would greatly appreciate you advertising our group to your own prayer partners and as objects of prayer to your various Bible studies and churches. As one heavenly soldier to another, It is a pleasure serving with you Jon