“It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me, and I’m feeling good.”
These are the lyrics to Nina Simone’s classic, “Feeling Good,” which, over the years, has become synonymous with the James Bond franchise, even though it is not an official James Bond theme song. The song has a catchy jazz tune and a heavy bass line that captivate the listener, building anticipation. It’s no wonder fans have associated it with the Bond franchise, famed for its action and climactic buildup.
And just like the song, New Years’ have tended to have a captivating sense of new beginnings, drawing almost everyone into renewed hope for a better future, perhaps better than the one of the previous years. Change the lyrics slightly to “it’s a new dawn, it’s a new year, it’s a new life for me, and I’m feeling good,” and you have what most people hope for in the New Year.
New Years’ are synonymous with resolutions: bad habits are discarded, good ones picked up, life-altering decisions made, Bible plans started, and gym memberships renewed, all with so much enthusiasm and hope. This year is no different for many people.
As I reflected on the state of the church in Uganda, I could not help but come up with a list of 8 things I hope to see in the Ugandan church in 2026, that, no doubt, would significantly improve the spiritual state of the church and the nation. After all, we are a nation that prides itself on being 82% Christian.
1. Get Off the Screen
One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.” – John Piper.
The most distracting factor Christians face today is excessive screen time. We spend far too much time on our phones, tablets, laptops, and TVs, all to the detriment of our spiritual and mental health. TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Netflix, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., have consumed not only our time but also our minds.
Excessive screen time has been linked to various physical, mental, and developmental issues, including digital eye strain, neck and shoulder pain, disrupted sleep, poor physical health due to a sedentary lifestyle, and negative impacts on mental well-being and cognitive function, including increased levels of depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders.
On the spiritual side, excessive screen time takes up time that would otherwise be used for Bible study, prayer, and other spiritual disciplines. The biggest excuse people give for not reading their Bibles or spending much time in prayer is a lack of time, yet they spend countless hours on social media.
It also has a far-reaching influence on people’s lives. Social media is not just entertainment or trends; it’s trend-setting, culture-changing, life-altering algorithms designed to influence its users and alter their life choices and patterns.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world (Romans 12:1-2); therefore, reduce your screen time.
2. Pray
All my weak days have a common cause – I have neglected communion with God through my neglect of the Scriptures & prayer. When will I learn? – Paul Washer
An essential part of a Christian’s life, prayer, is perhaps one of the most neglected spiritual disciplines. It is one of the means that God uses to bring about the ends He ordains, yet hardly do we seek His help and purposes as commanded by Scripture.
It is also one of the means by which Christians are strengthened spiritually, especially against temptation; ‘Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ‘ Matthew 26:41
We all need to pray much more than we are doing. No one prays nearly as much as they ought. A practical step to help Christians grow in prayer is to set aside specific times for prayer, e.g., 5 times a day.
3. Read/Study the Bible
We fail in our duty to study God’s Word not so much because it is difficult to understand, not so much because it is dull and boring, but because it is work. Our problem is not a lack of intelligence or a lack of passion. Our problem is that we are lazy. – R.C. Sproul
False teachers are thriving in the church, causing tremendous harm to so many, because of the high levels of biblical illiteracy in the Ugandan church. The Bible remains a closed book for many people, who, interestingly, are seeking God’s revelation. Those who read it do so selectively, reading only the passages that are of interest to them, and usually out of context.
Scripture is the means by which we are sanctified (John 17:17), the lamp to our feet and light of our path (Psalm 119:105), the very revelation of God in the person of the Son (John 1:1), and the means through which God has given to us all that we require for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). It is God’s complete revelation to the Church; there is no more revelation to be received outside the Bible.
We have plenty of time to read the Bible, yet it remains a closed book, laziness being the biggest reason why. 4 chapters a day would take about 15-20 mins, but that would equate to reading the whole Bible in a year.
A practical way to help people with their Bible reading is to sign up for a Bible reading plan that covers the whole Bible and to set aside time for it. Like prayer, this could be at specific times during the day, e.g., in the morning, at lunchtime, or in the evening. Avoid putting it just before bedtime, as most people are usually tired and will postpone it until the initiative dies a natural death.
It would also be helpful to find resources to support studying the Bible, especially regarding context. These include Bible Hub, Studylight, Bible.org, and even good commentaries for those who can afford them. Ligonier has a list of excellent resources.
4. Worship God With All Your Mind
‘And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ‘ – Matthew 22:37
The greatest commandment calls us to worship the Lord with all that we are, including our minds. It is pretty disheartening to find that the mind is the most ignored aspect of this command in the Ugandan church. Looking at the shenanigans that take place in most churches, one might think that the requirement for church attendance is to leave one’s brain at the door.
The Bible is a book like any other, subject to rules of interpretation. God gave us His word so we may understand Him clearly. Thus, He intends that we use your brain to read, understand, and apply His revelation in our lives. Doing so will help avoid the errors that have permeated and persist in our churches.
Sound doctrine will lead to right living and will go a long way in ridding us of the false doctrines permeating many of the churches in Uganda.
5. Find a Biblically Sound Church and Become a Member
The Christian life is not just our own private affair. If we have been born again into God’s family, not only has he become our Father but every other Christian believer in the world, whatever his nation or denomination, has become our brother or sister in Christ. But it is no good supposing that membership of the universal Church of Christ is enough; we must belong to some local branch of it. Every Christian’s place is in a local church. sharing in its worship, its fellowship, and its witness. – John Scott
There are plenty of churches in Uganda, yet, unfortunately, most of them are not biblically sound. They are hotbeds of prosperity preaching, demon-casting, and feel-good motivational speeches. The result is professing Christians who are more aware of the presence and activity of demons than the sovereign, omnipresent God who is the creator and sustainer of all things, including Satan and his demons.
A biblically sound local church plays a vital role in shepherding God’s people, guiding them in worship, teaching them God’s word, holding them accountable through church discipline, and enabling them to carry out the Great Commission. A good church will be a great aid to understanding God’s word, even in one’s personal devotional study.
Also, joining a local church is not just about attendance. Most Christians are content with just attendance. However, regular attendance isn’t membership. Membership commits a Christian to a family, where members are deeply engaged in one another’s lives, serving, loving, caring for one another, to the glory of God.
Some characteristics of a biblically sound church are: holding to scripture as the final authority, weekly faithful preaching of the gospel rather than feel-good messages, leadership by qualified male elders (Titus 1, 1 Timothy 3, 1 Corinthians 14), and the practice of church discipline.
6. Read Christian Literature and Church History
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana
Reading is a culture that is lacking among Ugandan and African professing Christians. Our spiritual arrogance is so high that we suppose we have nothing to learn from those who have gone before us. It’s as if God did nothing that would be of benefit to us in generations before.
Yet, all the heresies and mistakes we see in the church today were already dealt with by the Church in its infancy (2nd -5th centuries). Indeed, there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9), and we would do well to read and learn from those who have gone before us.
There are also plenty of old and modern writers who have written books that are very helpful to the church today. The Puritans, Jonathan Edwards, John Owen, J.I. Parker, and many more. It would be of great benefit to the church if we all purpose to read at least 5 books this year on both Church History and doctrine.
You can check out this list from TGC and this list from Ligonier for excellent books as a starting point.
7. Serve
It has come to be a dreadfully common belief in the Christian Church that the only man who has a “call” is the man who devotes all his time to what is called “the ministry.” In contrast, all Christian service is ministry, and every Christian has a call to some kind of ministry or another. – Charles Spurgeon.
Most churchgoers have a consumerist mentality when they come to church. They are there to be served, supposing that only the pastor, ushers, and choir have been called to ministry. They are happy to give 2 hours to the church service and then rush off to their favourite restaurant serving all-day brunch.
Your local church is not there to serve you but to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). Every Christian ought to serve others, both within their local church and also in ministry outside. The Great Commission is for every Christian, not just the men who wear robes.
Therefore, after becoming a member of a local church, sign up to serve in the various ministries your church offers. It may be as simple as cleaning and setting up the chairs, printing the church program, cleaning the church before and after the service, welcoming guests, or holding babies/toddlers to give parents a break from the ‘joys’ of parenting. Don’t be content to sit and be attended to. Our Lord came to serve and calls us to serve others (Mark 10:42-45).
8. Give
You shall not turn away from him that is in need, but you shall share all things with your brother and shall not say that they are your own. For if you share what is immortal, how much more things which are temporary? – Didache, Chapter 4.
It is an unfortunate reality that biblically sound and gospel centred churches in Uganda are struggling for funding while false teachers/prophets are thriving, using their congregations’ gifts to buy fancy cars, build nice houses, construct mega structures, etc. Usually, those who escape these false churches are so turned off by their brazen and exorbitant use of church funds that they hardly give when in biblically sound churches.
There are many Christian causes outside the local church that require funding. In a country that claims to be 82% Christian, we still have unreached and least reached people, especially in the Northeast (Kotido) and Southwest corners. Unfortunately, our local missionary groups primarily depend on foreign funding.
Many parachurch organisations have partnered with local churches and Christians to preach the gospel, combat error and reveal God’s truth, equip Christians with various resources, and even train faithful pastors. These, too, need funding.
Hopefully, many will resolve to give more to their local churches and also support groups such as Community First (CoFi), a missionary organisation to the Somali community in Kisenyi; Global Link Africa, a missionary group to the unreached people in Northeast Uganda; Parachurch organisations like Living Word Uganda, Veracity Fount, Africa Centre for Apologetics (ACFA), and many more.
Conclusion
My hope is not only for the church in Uganda. The issues permeating the Ugandan church are prevalent in most churches across Africa. In fact, many of them originate elsewhere and find their way here through social media, visiting pastors, literature, etc.
God’s truth is the scarcest commodity in places that call themselves God’s house, mainly because of ignorance, self-indulgence, covetousness, entertainment, and a total disregard for our faithful brothers who have gone before us.
There is certainly a need for change, but that change can only come about when those who claim to be God’s children make the change required to live godly, upright, and self-controlled lives (Titus 2:11-14).