Having just returned from Cameroon, I'm reminded of a promise and a prayer.
The promise is found in Isaiah 55:10-11:
The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
The prayer is found in 2 Thessalonians 3:1:
Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you.
These two passages well summarize what I have the joy of witnessing each time I facilitate pastoral training in Africa with African Pastoral Training (APT) the Thompson Bible International Institute (TBII).
For two weeks (June 22-29), my Chadian colleague (Désiré Beadoum) and I had the privilege of teaching together two Thompson Bible seminars for pastors and church leaders in the Cameroonian cities of Yaoundé and Douala. Désiré will now continue north to the city of Bafoussam to teach the third seminar planned for July 11-13.
After the seminar in Yaoundé, one of the pastors wrote:
"Upon arriving, my expectations in attending this seminar were simply to discover how to better use the Thompson Bible and the many tools that it offers for personal edification. Far beyond my expectations, however, I learned . . .
(1) how to analyse a verse of Scripture by thorough observation;
(2) how to prepare a biblical message with the help of a clear outline and effective tools of communication (illustrations, questions, and visuals);
(3) how to develop various types of messages (topical, verse-by-verse, biographical, and historical).
In all, this training increased my love for the Word of God as well as my competence as a preacher of the Scriptures."
Such a testimony is God's Word producing fruit! As pastors and church leaders are better equipped to study and preach the Word of God, churches are strengthened. And as churches are strengthened, countries are reached with the gospel!
Here are a few pictorial highlights of our first two seminars:
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