In 1978 Jim Jones led over 900 people to commit suicide

In 1978, Jim Jones led over 900 people to commit suicide in South America. He lured them to an isolated area promising better social and economic benefits. When he could not deliver on his promise, he led them to commit suicide. God freed his people from Egyptian slavery and was about to take them into the Promised Land. But they refused to trust God to help them get in–despite the many ways He had shown His love and power in the past. God told them that because of their lack of faith He would destroy them in the desert. We read Moses’ plea to God that He spare them in Numbers CH 14. He argued, “If you slaughter all these people with a single blow, the nations that have heard of your fame will say, ‘The LORD was not able to bring them into the land he swore to give them, so he killed them in the wilderness.’ Please, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed.” God spared them, but they forfeited God’s best blessing because of their lack of faith. It pays to trust and obey God.

Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr.

Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More