WILSON Kumwenda is a minister of the Gospel and currently the presiding pastor of the Bible Gospel Church in Africa (BIGOCA) “New Life Worship Centre” in the Foxdale area of Lusaka.
Pastor Kumwenda holds a Bachelor Degree in Theology, which he obtained from the Morningstar Bible College (2004-2007).
On completing his degree, Pastor Kumwenda decided to plant a church in Chongwe rather than seek a posting to an already established church.
When the church in Chongwe was established, he decided to plant another church in Lusaka’s Foxdale residential area in 2011.
In the same year, he married his wife Egenia Sakala with whom God has blessed them with two boys, Prince and Praise.
Pastor Kumwenda hails from a family of eight, comprising four girls and four boys.
He was born in Katete on 14th October 1981. Pastor Kumwenda also holds a Master of Applied Theology following his enhanced studies with Logos Graduate School.
He did his first level education at Muchenja Primary School in Chipata and later at Kanele Primary School in Lundazi district, before attending basic school in Lundazi Township.
He completed his secondary education at Chizongwe Technical Secondary School in Chipata.
Between 2001 and 2002, Pastor Kumwenda had several stints with different companies and organisations in a bid to obtain some expertise and knowledge.
Pastor Kumwenda gave his life to Jesus in 2001, during the same year that BIGOCA was established.
He effectively gave-up on his initially desired career in law, after he developed the zeal to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and serve the Lord.
In 2003, Pastor Kumwenda did missionary work with the “Youth with a Mission” in Zambia and Malawi.
In 2008, he was ordained pastor by BIGOCA’s founding father Dr Peter R Ndhlovu.
From 2011-2013, Pastor Kumwenda worked with NGOs that supported churches and the education of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) from 2010 -2017.
HOW TO KILL YOUR PEOPLE AS A LEADER
PROVERBS 29: 18.
A hypothetical situation referring to someone being ‘dead’ while still living could arise in a situation of hopelessness, being deprived of information to make critical life choices or a failure to access meaningful assistance from anywhere.
The world’s most miserable people are those who do not know why they exist and what they are fighting for in life, they are as good as dead.
It is to such people that Proverbs 31:6-7: ‘let them drink alcohol, see confusing scenes, and forget how miserable they are,’ refers to.
THE BIBLICAL EXAMPLES OF LEADERSHIP AND THEIR IMPACT ON PEOPLE
Bible history attests to that each time God planned to save a people, he placed a person to lead them on a given mission. That person would become a leader. How leadership is related to the destiny of people is clear throughout history.
The actions of the very first human creation, Adam and Eve, still have a bearing on today’s male and female (Genesis 3).
Moses’ impartation of what God revealed to him on Israel had effects on their decision to leave Egypt and pursue the vision of God (Exodus 12: 21-28).
Up until Moses’ mission was over, God took him out of the face of the earth and raised another leader, Joshua, to continue leading the Israelites to the promised land of Canaan.
The teachings and lifestyle of our Lord Jesus Christ continue to impact on the lives of those who heed his word as much as it did on the disciples (Acts 4: 19, 20).
By faith, miracles continue to happen to those who believe in the power of the word and contemporary believers have a hope of everlasting life, just like the patriarchs of Christianity and prophets of the old times.
So the life of the people is so connected to its leadership. If leadership falls, the people also fall (Matthew 26: 31).
HOW A LEADER CAN KILL HIS PEOPLE
Can a leader kill his own people?
The sermon title may surprise you, but that is how Proverbs 29:18 and Hosea 4:6 explicitly explain this fact. The writer of this counsel from God is pointing at the truth that where revelation or divine information pertaining to the welfare of the people is not given, people perish.
It is amazing that God attaches life and death to divine revelation or word. Examples abound in:
i) Deuteronomy 8:3 – Life
ii) Joshua 1:8 – Success and prosperity
iii) Luke 11:28 – The blessings.
So where there is absence of or denial of the Word from God, people will perish. It may not be today or tomorrow, but they will in the end be destroyed.
Jesus preached “repent or perish.” In other words, the Savior was revealing to his hearer that he had information that could save them but if they chose otherwise, death was inevitable.
Proverbs 29:8 is pointing at leadership that denies its people information that could save them.
They gave no revelation or divine information and people could not make wise decisions. Paul declared “woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.”
People need to know the truth if they are to live. Imagine the President is informed of the impending attack on our country and he fails to tell his people.
Or that there will be hunger for 7 years and he does not pass on that information to his people to enable them to stock enough food for the times of food shortages caused by the drought or hunger, he would have killed his own people.
In this sermon, I focus on three faculties of leadership that could prove fatal if there is no revelation. I call this ‘The 3Ps’
1. Parents
Parents are leaders whom God has entrusted the responsibility of raising children in reverence to divine principles and practices as espoused in Deuteronomy 6:7-25; Proverbs 22:6, children can be indoctrinated with the revelation from God and they can always remember their mum or dad’s instructions on various matters affecting them.
But when children are left to grow like snakes, the parents would have killed them (1 Samuel 2: 27-36).
2. Politicians
Politicians are the custodians of government and the nation’s social welfare.
God has given those in politics or government the instruments to carry out justice, provide an enabling environment for the people to prosper, and leadership even on moral matters.
But when the policies they make are unpredictable, they hide the truth on matters of Justice and equity and thrive on the ignorance of their people, they would have killed their people.
King Jeroboam tried to deceive his people and ended up leading them to destruction (2 Chronicles 11: 13-17; 13: 1-19)
3. Pastors
Pastors are entrusted with tending and caring for the flock. When the clergy stop providing the true message from the Lord, they kill the people who follow their lead (2 Chronicles 18: 3-27) – the case of false prophets.
Pastors, school teachers and lecturers all play a critical role in one’s formation of principles and belief systems (Acts 22: 3).
In the final analysis, all leaders should ensure that they provide the necessary guide and safeguards that enable people to live rather than be led into destruction.
Remember that life is sacrosanct and anyone who takes it away invites burning coals on their heads. Take heed and save those under your care.
