Kefa Sempangi… had been pastor of the 14,000- member Redeemed Church in Uganda when Idi Amin (left picture) held control of this country as a ruthless dictator. On Easter morning 1973, more than seven thousand people gathered from miles around to celebrate. Kefa ministered most of the day; when the service and events were complete, he pushed his way through the crowd and arrived at the place where he was staying. He quickly noticed that several men had entered his room and had closed the door behind them. They were Amin’s assassins.
The tallest of the men pointed his rifle in Kefa’s face and told him that they were going to kill him. However, he was going to allow Kefa to share some final words.
Kefa could only stare at this man in shock and unbelief. Fear gripped his soul. But suddenly, he regained his composure and uttered words that could only have come from God’s supernatural guidance:
I do not need to plead my own cause. I’m a dead man already. My life is dead and hidden in Christ. It is your lives that are in danger. You are dead in your sins. I will pray to God that after you have killed me, He will spare you from eternal destruction.
Hearing these words, the hatred in these men’s faces changed to curiosity. The leader directed them to drop their rifles, and they asked Pastor Kefa if he’d pray for them- right then. Amazed and bewildered, Kefa began to pray for their eternal salvation.
When Kefa completed what was a very simple and direct prayer, Amin’s men turned to leave, assuring him of their protection. In fact, these men later became believers and eventually assisted Pastor Kefa and his family in their escape from Uganda.
