Zambia pastor Conrad Mbewe says ‘the world needs Christ,’ Christians must go to the nations

During Convocation on Friday, the final day of Global Focus Week, Liberty University welcomed Conrad Mbewe, pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church in Zambia and the founding Chancellor of the African Christian University, as the morning’s featured guest.

“I’ve waited for this moment for awhile and the Lord has finally opened the door for us,” he said about he and his wife’s excitement to be able to come all the way from the continent of Africa to preach Scripture to Liberty’s student body.

Mbewe shared a message with the students from the Old Testament in the book of Job, where, after losing everything, Job was approached by friends who were initially seeking to comfort him. But after seeing how extreme the desolation of Job’s earthly situation had become, they instead told him to curse God.

As these “friends” of Job lacked spiritual wisdom, Mbewe pointed out that so do many in the world today because they do not know the source of it.

“That is humanity’s greatest need: to come into a living relationship with a Holy God,” he said. “Coming to know Him, to fear Him, to respect Him, to love Him, to serve Him. And as you are doing so, you indeed become an individual that is wise in the spiritual sense of the word.”

“In other words, you come to a life that loves God, that loves others, and consequently finds fulfillment in life while God still lends you breath,” he added.

Mbewe told students that this is the mindset one is to have if they are to ponder giving their life to mission work.

Mbewe then brought the students to where Job makes his final defense to his friends on behalf of the Lord. It is with this final defense that Mbewe says readers can discover “nuggets of gold” produced by Job.

“(They) speak to us about humanity’s achievements, great achievements, but (the achievements are) absent of wisdom,” he said.

Mbewe said that although there have been incredible advancements in knowledge and in different industries throughout history, the world is still broken.

“The world is still searching,” he said. “The world is still seeking. It is still a world of misery and a world of war. It is still a world that is in desperate need of help. And that’s where Job goes to when he speaks to how elusive wisdom has remained.”

Mbewe elaborated on what Job meant by “wisdom.”

“It is the ability to understand life as God meant it to be,” he said. “It is the ability to make decisions that are in line with how life was meant to be.”

Mbewe encouraged students to not search for wisdom where it is not to be found (in the world), but rather in wisdom’s only true source, which is in God. He said that success outwardly does not always translate to a healthy spiritual state.

“Apparent success is only skin deep. Human beings are still searching,” he said.

Another truth that Mbewe shared from Job, however sad, is that many in the world are not actually seeking after wisdom and therefore will never find true joy until they turn to Christ.

“You cannot have joy without having the wisdom that God himself gives,” he said.

Mbewe reminded students who the fount of wisdom is.

“With New Testament spectacles we know there’s only one way to God,” he said. “Jesus said, ‘I am the Way the Truth, and the Life (and) no one comes to the Father except through me.’ That’s the reason why we must pack our bags and go and reach the nations with our message. Because the world needs Christ.”

Global Focus Week concludes tonight from 9-11 p.m. on the Academic Lawn with “Taste of Nations,” where traditional food from over 20 nations will be served with the assistance of Liberty’s international students and the International Student Center.