HIV (AIDS) CURTAILED BY CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP IN AFRICA.

Uganda demonstrated how a moral collapse paved the way for a frightening advance of the AIDS virus. Men, working outside of Uganda, contracted the virus from prostitutes, and infected their wives on their return. Heterosexual transmission of this deadly virus replaced the homosexual transfer of former years.

Family life crumbled as many husbands and wives died within a few years of contracting AIDS , leaving children to manage the household. God had planned for fathers and mothers to nurture their children in faith. Medical advance protected the newly-born when the mother had been infected with HIV +ve (AIDS ).

25-30% of the Ugandan population had been infected with the AIDS virus by 1992, the highest proportion of any nation in the world. Patrick Johnstone in Operation World wrote, ’Only a spiritual transformation can reverse the trends. Pray for this.’ Thanks be to God that revival reversed this devastating situation.

Johnstone continued, ‘The AIDS disease was of such magnitude that the breakdown of economic life and society was threatened. Some projected that by 1997, one third of Uganda’s population may die or have developed AIDS symptoms.. Much of the economically active population could be wiped out. It was also thought that AIDS would create many more than the 80,000 orphans resulting from the war.’ It did!

Uganda’s Christian President and his wife courageously challenged the nation to pre-marital chastity and faithfulness in marriage. The nation enthusiastically promoted sexual education for men and women. The Ugandan church has been revived with renewed spiritual life in the Pentecostal, Baptist and charismatic groups. Uganda has made an extraordinary recovery, leading the other African nations in countering the AIDS epidemic.’ The Lord Jesus Christ and His purity, answered the need: where many movements had prescribed protective latex.

The Ugandan Christian churches care for the child-parent families, providing for their essential needs, food, clothing, education - and the knowledge of the living Christ. This support contrasts considerably with other afflicted nations,

WHO, World Health Organisation, staggeringly reports that 8,000 die daily from Aids, or one person each 10 seconds. In SubSahara Africa, 25 million are infected with this virus. In South and South East Asia another 6.5 million have AIDS, including India with 5.1 million, Myanmar (formerly Burma ) 580,000, Thailand 570,000 ; while East Asia has 900, 000 AIDS sufferers; Latin America has 1.6 million afflicted. the Caribbean has 430,000; East Europe 1.3 million sufferers; Western Europe 580,000 are infected; while North America has 1 million. This totals 37.8 million, with possibility of soon reaching 42,3 million, afflicted with the AIDS virus.

The gruesome AIDS invasion caused the death of 25 million lives; while 14 million children have been deprived of one or both parents. Sexual promiscuity accounts for another 5 million infected annually. Suffering is intense in developing counties, where 6 million suffer with HIV +ve, requiring antiretroviral treatment ( ART ), while less than 300,000 receive ART from their employers or Health programmes.

Every country is fighting this insidious virus; the populous nations, USA, China and India,; Vietnam, Thailand, African states, Latin American countries, wherever prostitution or unfaithfulness flourishes, the presence of AIDS (HIV +ve ) has become a medical, spiritual and social problem. While no vaccine has been formulated, numerous anti-retroviral drugs, which slow the activity of the virus, and prolong the life of the sufferer, are available. Mercifully, ethical drug companies are producing these drugs at reasonable cost. Pray that peoples will accept them.

Apart from the contaminated blood transfusions of the late 70’s, and sharing self-injected needles, the risk of contracting this disastrous disease is limited to those working in medicine and laboratory; but predominately the virus is spread from heterosexual promiscuous relationships.

God had blessed the faithful, loving intimacy of man and woman in the holy bond of marriage, conceiving new life, and prolonging oneness of the partners. Praise our great God for His mercy that endures for ever. And pray compassionately for those nations and indiduals who combat this deadly situation.

When our Lord prophesied the signs of the times, HE said, ‘There will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places.’ ( Matthew 24:7) AIDS is a solemn demonstration of this prophecy. With His coming near, our compassionate Saviour extends His arms to the sufferers of AIDS, who are ill with this awful pestilence. Dan Wooding wrote of born-again AIDS sufferers who found victory in their Lord., despite their grievous physical ailment. HIV meant HE intends victory.

Jeremiah summed up this well, ’I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. (29:11)

In the Revelation, John described how ‘He John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride for her husband.’ And then the startling promise, ‘And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain ( spiritual, mental and physical ) , for the former things are passed away.’

(21:2,4 ) No more weakness, wasting, wanton despair. Made whole in HIM.

Oh, the glorious resurrection Christ reserves for those who love HIM.

Let’s preach the precious gospel of our gracious and loving Redeemer, especially to those afflicted with all such distresses, including those with HIV +VE (AIDS ).