Choosing Christ was one of the biggest challenges Augustine Kambale ever faced. Although he grew up surrounded by Christianity it was not a priority for him. Success in his studies and behaving in a ‘good’ moral way were the routes he had chosen for his life. However, the Lord had other plans and just a few short years later he finds himself not only committed to Christ, but choosing to serve him in Ministry full time.
Video Transcript: “I’m Augustine Kambale. I’m from DRC – I’m Congolese. I am from Bukavu and I was born in Bukavu. Concerning studies I have been to university and I spent 5 years studying Economics and Financial Management as the option. After my study I was involved in an internship at Le Phare church. Le Phare is a daughter church of Christ Church Midrand.
Worshiping my studies
Something that’s important in that is that I loved my studies very, very, very… I can say a lot. I couldn’t spend maybe a single time without thinking of my studies. So, in brief I can say that my study was an idol. But I couldn’t discover that at that moment.
I loved my studies… I couldn’t spend maybe a single time without thinking of my studies…. my study was an idol.
Yet, as I was committed to Christ, after understanding the Gospel, after understanding my salvation I have in Christ, I discovered no no no! I should love Christ more than my studies. And this is how I got the opportunity when the church invited me to do my internship and I started doing my internship.
It was not easy for me to do, to start doing my internship. Because when I was ending my studies at university my family was putting their hope in me. As they invested much money in me it was an opportunity for me to start now helping my young brothers and sisters. I mean to find a job. Then the church also was inviting me to do my internship full time. So, for me it wasn’t easy. The pressure of my family, looking for a job, and the call of God to start serving full time at the church.
The priority is not my studies. The priority is not a job. Even though those things have their place in our lives – they are not priorities.
Choosing Christ despite the Cost
But God helped because at that moment we’d been studying some series of… a series of teaching about the cost of following Christ. I found encouragement in those teachings. But also, as I started sharing the Gospel in my family, that helped also for them to understand that… to stop putting pressure on me. And to see that there is a priority. The priority is not my studies. The priority is not a job. Even though those things have their place in our lives – they are not priorities. At that moment I decided to start my internship at Le Phare, Bukavu.
Serving God. Serving the people of the DRC
The new vision that god has put now in my heart is to serve Him more in planting healthy churches in DRC. Or to be part of people who are planting churches, healthy churches, in DRC. And healthy churches implies somehow good theology. So, here is the plan – I need to join the college to study theology so that I can be more equipped in the knowledge of the Bible and I can be also able to spread the Gospel clearly and properly. And to be part of that community of planting healthy churches.
I hope that I will be used by God so that I can touch other people who don’t know Christ in DRC. To bring the change using the word of God.
So, I plan to join a theological college for three years and then I will be back in the DRC so that I can be more involved in the ministry. The choice God gave me now is that – to serve Him full time in the ministry and I hope that I will be used by God so that I can touch other people who don’t know Christ in DRC. To bring the change using the word of God. So, through the word of God we need to change the DRC. We need to help people who are lost – be it in church or out of church – to help them know Christ personally.”
