Study Bibles for Africa: A Great Need

Today on Renewing Your Mind to provide a Bible study for is like providing a seminary course for these pastors and fits like a treasure when you give her to.

And this is one of the greatest returns on investment from a financial perspective, you can have in Christian outreach.

Pastors will tell you that the study resources they have in their libraries are some of their most precious possessions but on the cognitive Africa most pastors have little access to commentaries and other study material and we want you to know how you can come alongside us in the missions program to help these pastors person likely to hear a conversation between Dr. RC Sproul and Rosemary Jensen, Mrs. Jensen and her late husband spent many years as missionaries in Africa and through foundation she started she continues to have a passion for that, Dr. Spruill shared her passion to get the Bible into as many hands as possible.

This was the last Bible campaign that Dr. scroll initiated before he went home to be with the Lord in 2017. As our conversation got underway that I asked Darcy to explain how the partnership between leader ministries and Rosemary Jensen came about while it came about through the history of our relationship initially and I don't know exactly how many years, none Rosemary, but it's a lot of them more than 30 yell absolutely more than 30 I call her my mother even though she was only 10 years old when I was born, but we've known each other a long time. I'm not in fact the day. Soon she was ahead of Bible study Fellowship and then of course the Rafiki foundation and she's a woman of extraordinary vision and indefatigable in her ability to serve the Lord and I've always been in awe of her stamina, her ability to just travel the world over, and she has always had this burden for Africa and she knows of the most powerful tools that you can hand pastors people in Africa is a study by so she said the vision of working with Ligon Eric to provide Reformation study Bible's for the African church and were delighted to be able to tell her listeners about this effort to distribute literally thousands of Bibles in Africa. But before we do that Rosemary would you give us a little background of your work in Africa it's it's been over a number of decades of the Lord, bringing about how my husband and I went out to Africa. We left the US in 1967 and have been working there ever since I was talking about 60 years of working and being living or working for African people and selling. I love them and so that's how it all began laying my husband and I were missionaries there for number of years. Besides that, I just continued to work with them.

Visit them and get to know the people and that's fly, unable by the grace of God to do what I can do now because I have many, many wonderful relationships, particularly with the churches in Africa and what is the greatest need of Christians in Africa well ambiguously I see in Africa right now. As for the truth of the word of God and their reasons why these Bibles are so needed in Africa and one of the reasons is the fact that they don't have bylaws.

I'm talking about, and seminaries are teachers, our goal is to get to Bible teachers and pastors are at least seminary students who will become pastors in Africa but they don't have steady Bibles out.

They used their not available and the seminaries don't actually they don't provide Bibles for their seminary students because they can't afford to do that and so that was students have to get their own that's hard for us to conceive up here in the states most of his more Bibles in our homes than we can count telling us that that's not the case in Africa this thing missing in sadness is the fact that the faculty they want these Reformation study battles and when I show them to them.

They are just route with this kind of how they had nothing like this affect faculty of the seminary. Rosemary, what about the Reformation study Bible excites them, what why they want that particular one they recognize, and this Bible that it is a whole course in theology. If you would read the whole thing. It would be like you have been to seminary and so they love all the nodes a lamb all the explanations of the doctrines I love those kinds of things in there just totally thrilled with them like a like you said you might have farsighted Bibles lying around your house, but to provide a Bible study five notes of the theology lessons in all of this, like providing a seminary course release past and it spits like a treasure when you give her to. And this is one of the greatest returns on investment from a financial perspective that you could have in Christian outreach to provide Bibles like this writing for folks in Africa but were going to let her listeners know how they can partner with us in the strategic government to distribute to literally thousands of Bibles in Africa Rosemary you hold that Reformation study Bible.

And as you look at it would just sort of describe for our listeners. The kind of person that would be using that Bible on a regular basis, appreciating it for what it is. Well, that person is going to be this again with mostly going to be a student who is an a seminary seminaries we work with 25 different seminaries and countries and seminaries.

Now some of them are three years. Some of them are four years which is very good that they have some limited resources and to be able to give them this in mind, though I am an Italian is very different from here as you have already recognized not only do we have loads of Bibles and so forth. We had everything here and when you get a Bible is given to you even like this one. It's not appreciated as much. It's not recognized as the great treasure that it is in Africa they see this is the greatest thing that they can possibly and they are going to make covers for that are waterproof, so that if I have to take it back and forth in the rain it doesn't ruling the Bible. They see it as a huge, huge treasure and so these people are the ones who are going to be the pastors because right now the pastors have very limited resources as essay saliva, not even Bibles, can you preach without the word of God to preach and is not that they don't want it but they just don't. Can you imagine what it is like to be a preacher with almost no resources. None. So you get nothing except what kinda comes to their heads and yes they may have been to seminary, but they don't have the ongoing stating that they can stay one of the heads of the denomination and actually was St. Uganda and he was visiting here recently and you met him he saw him, they have now about six and half million members of the Anglican church in Uganda 11 that's huge.

And he said well but that very few and theology schools, seminaries, and he said you think you think it needs Bibles for my clergy. I said well what you mean by that and he said well the pastors that are out there already trying to teach. I said well I don't know how I said I how many are you talking about and he said 4000. I said well yes you thinking about when you said you have to think about anything she did answer the question like that is always good to be yes. If I can give the Bible out to Africa want to give you no thousands and thousands that's last ago.

What can be better down the net remembering that every one of those pastors is going to have a church and they will have at least 500 at least some of them up to thousands and think of all of them and their government. Yet the gospel getting it right heard that somewhere really does underscore the need. You want to get this into as many hands as possible to Compare that was how things are in the West with the way churches have gone away from the Bible. These people have a hunger for Scripture and not only that our SADC and what you're talking they are evangelical churches. They doctrinally are right in line with us that all the denominations that we work with, and they are dealing with the cost to listen, which is a huge problem in Africa. They have so many churches are called winners. Chapels and as a whole group of churches and what they say is you just give us your money annually will make you winners. That's what it's all and they are dealing with that prosperity gospel is a prosperity gospel, and so that's a huge problem that they have there now.

The prosperity gospel is insidious in this approach is that it's based upon the whole principles for health and wealth and prosperity. You come to Christ. You'll be rich in all and never get sick and that's just us just not true.

But people are exploited in that kind of area, but you have a groundswell of conversions going on in Africa and yet we understand that our mission and evangelism in the great commission is not simply my converts to make disciples to make a disciple means a disciple is a learner student in the early church gathered together every show, every Lord's day to study the teachings of the apostles. See apostolic truths of shutdown in the Scriptures. That leaves to be distributed and taught so that people can grow in a sound way into the maturity of Christ as Paul had to do with the Galatians with almost every church you planted every topic preach the truth. Somebody else will come along to July and then mislead the people. That's what Satan does all time. He's a liar. And so what you need to have this is truth Jesus and you know I came into this world, to bear witness to the truth of those are of the truth hear my voice so when you get the Scriptures getting the cruise and we want to get the Scriptures so that these students are learning in these pastors who are teaching them are learning not to have theology, you have to have some theology. Everybody's a theologian that the question is not whether you're going to be a theologian questions whether missile theologian will tell the truth and so what we want to do is provide information and instruction based on the truths of Scripture. So there's a vacuum that needs to be filled with sound theology. What we should be so talking about something thousands of Bibles which we talking about tens of thousands of Bibles right right as I said about an investment right has long lasting impact the lives of people.

One of those pastors and let him really be grounded in the Scriptures that immediately goes to 500 more people that was going to ask you RC. Could you imagine as a young pastor preparing each Sunday, or each week for up to deliver a sermon on Sunday and not have the resources you need to prepare when we can. We just can't believe how blessed we are to be in the affluence that we live in which we live. No readily available books are just on the iPhone and stuff like that and books are within reach an inventor or not. I do believe that the next great awakening of this world is just waiting for us and our yes Africa is now the epicenter of Christianity. Everybody knows that people go to church there are wide open all the countries that were working in our English speaking countries and were talking about millions and millions of people there.

Of course, but I think we need to remember that not only do they not have Bibles they don't have other written resources and they don't have in many of the churches I have no electricity don't have access to the Internet. Is there a language barrier to overcome in distributing these Bibles to the study notes. For example, carryover will all the countries the 10 countries that I work with English is their official language and so we went teaching them as well.

Having those classes. Schools there is very cute. Can I go back to something you said earlier when you were speaking to the person in the labor wanting to know if you could get those thousands of Bibles into their hands and you said yes. Did you immediately think of a varsity and then said what I know somebody we can work with the get this done, whether they are dead are not God is going to see that it will go now and so I told him yes. I didn't know exactly how. Of course I thought well linking there.

They are going to do it because they want the Bible out to whatever she says to God. God says yes that's right I'm sure you anything, this is that all my life.

If you call me to do it.

He's going to give me the means to let trust as old as your entire ministry in faith well enough not enough. Of course, absolutely, definitely not enough. But God graciously is gracious and merciful little old ladies like for me little ladies like this when she read Jesus and the make would inherit the earth.

She took her mother's word God is giving me good friends.

This is one of course he will excite you most about this project well is one of the most exciting things I've ever done in my whole life was Bible study project to prepare to being the general editor for the first jujube was study Bible and the Reformation study Bible. The I knew from the time I was in seminary Hall impactful study Bibles can be in the world. And so to be able to been involved in the project like that. It wasn't my idea. Some publishers came to set up a project. We got scholars from all over the world the best we could find to produce the study's for the Bible is been a labor of love for me and to see the worldwide rural really global distribution of the resources are so radically fulfilling to make and knowing how Rosemary works in her focus on those 10 countries – you have to have people who really care about this kind of omission who will follow up and make sure that it happens and even though yes it's obviously the problems of God. We know about that but God uses people who care for people who have a vision for this kind of thing. Rose perishes the beating heart for this so to be able to partner with her in any way that we can do to help from molecular's perspective Reformation trust. I want to do anything we can do everything we can to help make this a reality.

How important is it is our listeners on Renewing Your Mind. For example, worker listening. This strategic effort that were engaged how important is their involvement in why and how it works. You talk about resources and ministry. There is a link you can't do anymore ministry than the resources allow it to put it simply, if you have $100 worth of resources. You can waste the new could do five dollars worth of ministry and spend the rest was fully even for good stewards of you have $100 worth of resources you cancel hundred five dollars worth of so I've seen all my life that these are the biggest restraints on the worldwide outreach for the things of Christ are the limits of resources that we have from the kingdom of God's perspective God's people provide the leverage necessary. You know what Archimedes say give me a love a lever long enough place to put it so I can move the world and that's what were looking for people who give us the leverage to deliver on these products to make money for us, but to be able to make the resource available and is applying ministry just keeps multiplying and multiplying course the goal of this is to distribute as many Bibles as possible. And that's where you are. Listeners come in will be getting a new campaign to raise funds for these Bibles. That's because the need is still there in a particular for Bible like this one. The Reformation study Bible is RC was fond of saying, it's almost deep seminary education in one book. And when you provide a Bible to a seminary student or a pastor you help not only the pastor but also an entire congregation. When you provide a financial donation today. We will send the Reformation study Bible through the Rosemary Jensen Bible foundation to Africa. The number to call to donate is 800-435-4343 or if you prefer you can give online@renewingyourmind.org I joined L by the president of legionnaire ministries Chris Larson in the Chris in that interview, you could really since the passion that RCM and Rosemary have four. This initiative believe we are drawn by their passion to be able to see the church of Jesus Christ grow not just numerically but also in their depths and their understanding of historic Christian faith and to be able to offer resource like the Reformation study Bible. It's something that we know will pay dividends for decades and decades to come.

We talk a lot about fostering a new Reformation to the outreach of leader ministries what Dr. scroll has set for us as an objective is to be able to take the word of God to his many people as possible and then to have someone like Rosemary Jensen. This person who has developed relationships throughout all of Africa were able to take the resource of the Reformation study Bible and to put it into her hands and we know it is going to get to the right people at the right time. And here's the beautiful thing. Being able to put this in front of the listeners of Renewing Your Mind is something that we can all do together we are in this kingdom work together we cannot do what God has called us to. As a ministry without the listeners coming alongside of us as well. To be able to get the study Bibles going in to Africa. You heard Dr. stroll talk about how he's not looking about getting thousands of Bibles to Africa he wants to get tens of thousands of study Bibles to Africa and then you hear Mrs. Jensen talk about how if God calls his people to a task he will give the resources to accomplish that task. Jesus Christ said that he will build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. We know that the greatest ammunition that we can give to God's people is God's word, and so asking listeners to come alongside of us and equip us to be able to put this Bible into the hands of thousands and Lord willing, tens of thousands of church leaders and Bible students throughout Africa over the next 10 years. This is an ambitious project, but we believe that we serve a great and sovereign God who is going to equip his people to accomplish this task, we ask you to pray for this task. We also ask you to give to this task we are in this together.

We cannot do what we need to do is a ministry without your help welded the number and quality of scholars who have contributed to this Reformation study Bible makes it literally theological library in one volume before we go. Today I'd like for you to hear a final thought from Dr. scroll. I'm really excited about this project from Lincoln's perspective, and I wish everybody that's out there listening to this would get the vision and contribute and make a significant contribution for this project of reaching the people of Africa was the on adulterated pure version of the word of God.

If you would like to join us today in this effort to send the Reformation study Bible to Africa. Call us at 800-435-4343 to make your generous donation and on behalf of all of my colleagues here at leader ministries. Thank you, thank you for joining us today. We hope you make plans to be with us again tomorrow for Renewing Your Mind