PAUL'S LETTER TO THE CHURCH IN KENYA

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, write to you, the beloved saints in Kenya, who are called to be holy and faithful in Christ Jesus. I give thanks to God always for you, remembering your faith, your labour of love, and your steadfastness in the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, as I have heard of your struggles and the challenges you face, I am compelled by the Spirit to exhort you, to encourage you, and to warn you with all sincerity and love.

The Folly of a Disintegrated Church

I beseech you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me that there are quarrels among you, each of you saying, "I follow this denomination," or "I follow that leader," or "We are more biblical than they." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of any man? By no means! For we are all one body in Christ, and members of one another. Let there be no schism in the body, but let the members have the same care for one another.

The Sin of Interdenominational Rivalry

What then shall we say? Are we not all servants of the same Lord? Yet I hear of rivalry and competition among you, as though the gospel were a marketplace and the church a business. Some boast of their numbers, others of their wealth, and still others of their influence. But let no one boast except in the Lord. For what do you have that you did not receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as though you did not? Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power, and it is not a matter of competition but of love.

The Lies of the Prosperity Gospel

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Some are preaching a gospel of prosperity, claiming that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Resistance to Government Oversight

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. I urge you, therefore, to live as law-abiding citizens, not as those who seek to hide wrongdoing or resist accountability. For the church must be above reproach, a light to the world and a city on a hill.

The Silence of Seasoned Churches and Leaders

To the elders and leaders among you, I say this: Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. Do not remain silent in the face of error, but speak the truth in love, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

Conformity to the World's Agenda

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good character. Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. The world is passing away, and its desires with it, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Leniency Toward Perversion

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: a man sleeping with his father’s wife, women exchanging natural relations for unnatural ones, and men likewise giving up natural relations with women and being consumed with passion for one another. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and put out of your fellowship the one who did this? Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

The Manufacture of Miracles

I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. But I am not surprised, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. It is no great thing, then, if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.

A Call to Repentance and Renewal

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Written from the heart, by the Spirit’s leading, for the edification of the Church in Kenya.