Meet Joseph Zulu

"Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good?" 1 Peter 3:13

If there is one thing that you need to know about Joseph Zulu, it is the fact that he is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ. Not only in his preaching, but also in his everyday conversation, Joseph exudes a contagious zeal for the word of God and a love for the unreached which challenge as well as inspire. Even in the midst of discouragement and difficulty it is easy to see that Joseph is truly zealous for what is good -- for a life of obedience, for the unreached, and for the unity of his church.

Joseph, his wife Docas, and their two year old son Joseph Jr. currently live in Garden Compound, which is a very poor suburb located to the Northeast of downtown Lusaka. Joseph takes a bus into the city five days each week to teach Religious Education and Geography at a private high school. Public schools in Zambia usually require that their teachers obtain a university degree before teaching, but to teach at a private school only a basic teacher's training is needed, which Joseph was able to complete at a young seminary in nearby Kanyama compound. He has been thankful for the past few years to have a job where he can regularly speak the about the gospel to his students in an educational setting.

Joseph became a Christian on November 17, 1991, at the age of 21. There is a reason he remembers the exact date: that morning one of his good school friends told him that he needed to be "born again." Having been raised as a Catholic with his older brother Peter, he didn't quite know what that meant, but he thought about it for much of the day until he received a letter from Peter in the afternoon. The only thing that Peter said in his letter to Joseph was that he needed to be born again! "I don't know how God planned for it," he says. "It was a miracle." That night he went to a Bible study at his school where the topic was, again, the new birth. Joseph became a believer that evening, surrendering his life to Christ.

Ministry has been a hard road since then, but Joseph feels compelled by the Lord to shepherd a flock of believers. In 1998 he became a pastor, but discouragement and trial have twice caused him to want to quit. Each time, however, his call to ministry has been confirmed, and today Joseph is the preaching pastor at Triumphant Bible Church in Kanyama. Joseph is a zealous preacher with a heart for God's truth, and he preaches passionately about the need to share the gospel with those in Kanyama who have yet to accept Christ.

Thank you for supporting Joseph as he has opportunity to learn God's word more deeply through his ABI classes. You can be praying that Joseph would have continued wisdom and strength as he works a full time job, pastors a church, and takes classes from ABI three times each week. Please also be praying for Joseph's family, that God would continue to provide encouragement for them as they travel across town to attend church every Sunday.

Here is a brief introduction from Joseph himself: if you are reading this post via email you may need to click here to see the video. Thanks!