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Local ministry helps deliver Bibles to overseas believers
by
Bill Dolack
GREENWOOD, VA--Bibles. You see them everywhere.
Walk into virtually any church in America and you’ll find Bibles sitting in every pew. Visit most bookstores and shelves will be stocked with Bibles of all sizes and colors.
And when you stop at your friend’s house for a cup of coffee, you guessed it, there will probably be a Bible there as well.
But despite the abundance of Bibles here in the United States, can you imagine four churches being forced to share one Bible?
That is the bleak reality today in countries like Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique.
“Bibles have always been in great demand [in sub-Saharan Africa] and there are even pastors who do not have a Bible of their own and churches where the pastor has to walk long distances to get access to a Bible at a friend’s house to prepare his sermon for the weekend,” says Johan Gous, a native South African living just over Afton Mountain in Greenwood.
Right now, there are more than 200 million Christians in Africa, including pastors, who do not have their own Bibles.
Gous works with Hope Builders International (HBI), a ministry whose “purpose is to help build up the body of Christ through local discipleship, national partnerships, and international support of indigenous mission activity,” according to Lance Thollander, president of HBI. The ministry, in turn, has partnered with Bibles for Believers, a South African based group that supplies Bibles and training to needy Christians in poor countries in Africa.
“Over the years we have delivered many thousands of Bibles to the churches we have been called to serve,” says Gous.
He notes that extreme poverty -- caused by drought, famine, disease -- has left many Christians in Africa with barely enough to feed their families. So when it comes to food for the He notes that extreme poverty -- caused by drought, famine, disease -- has left many Christians in Africa with barely enough to feed their families. So when it comes to food for the soul, Gous says, the demand is great but the means are scarce.
“But imagine the faces of those who are given Bibles … not one that must be shared with other believers, but one of their very own,” he says. “The smiles are brighter than any you’ve ever seen. The deep desire to have the Word of God to read and study brings such excitement when finally met.”
Bibles are provided by Christians around the world who supply the financial resources and prayer support to make the program a success. And, says Gous, as thousands of African believers gather for worship every Sunday morning, they are now able to read their very own Bible thanks to Bibles for Believers and its faithful supporters.
Born in rural South Africa in 1950, Gous has dedicated most of his adult life to serving Christians throughout Africa. After several years as director of operations with Open Doors, a worldwide ministry reaching Christians in countries where the gospel is outlawed -- and Christians persecuted and even martyred -- he founded the Timothy Training Institute (TTI), a program aiming to train church leaders throughout Africa so they, in turn, can disciple their church members. During his 17 years as head of TTI, more than 13,000 pastoral students were enrolled in the program in eight countries and 18 languages.
And now, partnered with Bibles for Believers, Gous continues the work he was called to do … provide Bibles to those in need and train leaders to disciple others.
In fact, Harvesters International Ministries (HIM), another partner group with Hope Builders and Bibles for Believers, has started more than 4,000 new churches in southern Africa so far this decade, with hundreds of thousands of people becoming Christians. Utilizing the “hub model,” a church is planted by a trained pastor supported by HIM. He enlists and trains 10 other key people from surrounding villages and each of these, in turn, pays for his three-year training by planting one church each year. Within several years, 40 churches have been planted in a particular area.
As the churches spread, the need for Bibles increases.
“One of the statements [I’ve often heard that] I found hard to believe was the idea that you could put your finger on a map of Africa in any ‘harvest’ nation, go there and share your faith, and that for as long as you’d be willing to preach, people would come out to hear and would respond to the good news,” shares Tian de Beer, a Bibles for Believers worker.
“This sounded a little far-fetched until I experienced it for myself. At every village, people came out of the bush for as long as we were there. They sat and listened to the
message and when we made the invitation to accept Christ, they were more than ready to do so. At one place, an old man -- steeped in the traditional faith of his forefathers -- came to Christ and confessed that he had now completely rejected his former religion. He claimed Christ as his Lord and Savior.”
“Africa is in harvest,” says Gous, “...and people are stepping into a life of faith in Christ as their personal Savior in great numbers … thus the great need for Bibles.”
Gous notes that it costs $14.50 on average to purchase and deliver a Bible. The prices vary due to fluctuating currencies, where the Bibles are printed (and how far they must be transported), and even which direction the political winds are blowing at any given time. It also includes the cost of training people in the discipleship program we call “the Gift and the Prize” which teaches people to read and understand the Bible for themselves.
“It is critical that we raise the needed funds to provide Bibles to believers throughout Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia,” Gous says. “Their spiritual growth rests in great part on what we do.”
For more information, contact Johan Gous, Hope Builders International, at 540.456.7300, email him at info@hope-builders.org, or visit their website at www.Hope-Builders.org.
Comments? Email us at letters@thevalleyamerican.com.
© 2008 The Valley American
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