establishing PeoPle in god s Word PrecePt ministries international september 2012 About Plumbline The International Side of Precept

Transcription

1 Establishing People in God s Word Precept ministries international 4 september 2012 Plumbline About Plumbline The plumb line is pictured in Scripture as the standard of Truth. Behold I am about to put a plumb line in the midst of My people... (Amos 7:8b). Our goal with Plumbline is to help Precept supporters like you measure all of life by God s Word. May it bless you! The International Side of Precept page 2 Answering the Call page 4 A Giver s Heart for Eurasia page 8 Precept Ministries Eurasia: A Model of Disciple-Making T Precept Trainer, Zebo Dosova, carries the Russian flag during the graduation ceremony for students completing 3 years of study at the Precept Ministries Eurasia Training Center in Romania. Zebo lives and teaches in Moscow. his summer marked 13 years of operation for the Precept Ministries International Eurasia Training Center in Romania. Since opening in 1999, the training center has hosted tens of thousands of men, women, pastors, and students eager to learn how to discover God s Truth for themselves. (continued on page 3)

2 The International Side of Precept Ministries Jack and Kay Arthur Co-Founders of Precept Ministries David Arthur CEO of Precept Ministries The Vision of Precept Ministries International To establish people in God s Word to live as exemplary followers of Jesus Christ, studying the Bible inductively, viewing the world biblically, making disciples intentionally, and serving the Church faithfully in the power of the Holy Spirit. God continues to provide through people like you to further expand the work of Precept. Beloved, How many times have you heard the phrase, What s in a name? That famous line spoken by Shakespeare s Juliet seems appropriate for this issue of Plumbline. In this edition, we focus on the last word of our name, Precept Ministries INTERNATIONAL. Incredibly, we are now working in nearly 184 countries and 70 languages. Today, I will be able to share just the tip of the iceberg of what God is doing in just one international area of ministry through Precept. When I first met Mia and Costel Oglice, they were seminary students in California. They had escaped the iron-fisted communist rule of Romania and planned to follow God s calling on their lives. That was 30 years ago. Now they lead one of the most effective and fastest-growing disciple-making ministries anywhere in the world as our Precept Eurasia Directors. In the beginning, Precept worked covertly in Romania and other Soviet countries. But praise be to God that the Iron Curtain eventually came down and we are now able to openly equip and disciple hundreds of thousands of people who are hungry to study God s Word for themselves. Beloved, the results are nothing short of miraculous! We hold hundreds of Training Institutes, camps, and conferences each year to equip and encourage leaders and trainers. And that doesn t even include the thousands of individual Precept Bible study classes meeting in homes, churches, and schools across the region. By God s hand, this has come to pass (Psalm 118:23). In this special Eurasia Ministry edition of Plumbline, you will be able to see some of the answers to your prayers and results of your support. We are reaching even more people across Eurasia, North Africa, and the Middle East than ever before. You will read about a seminary in Poland that has made Inductive Bible Study the core of its curriculum. And don t forget to check out the Answering the Call update. God continues to provide through people like you to further expand the work of Precept. On a personal note, Jack and I were able to get away for some vacation time this summer. We are doing well! And, Beloved, we are so thankful for your many prayers and warm, thoughtful notes of encouragement. They keep us going as we see even greater opportunities for ministry ahead. We need your prayers now more than ever, Blessed Warrior. Together we can accomplish all God has for us to do in the days ahead. Awed by God s faithfulness, 2 Plumbline

3 Precept s National Director for Syria accepts his diploma for completing 3 years of intensive training. The main classroom is packed with students overflowing into the dining room for the Institute held this summer at the Precept Training Center in Romania. The Precept Eurasia Training Center was dedicated in 1999 in Surduc, Romania. Precept Ministries Eurasia: A Model of Disciple-Making (continued from page 1) Far more than just a building, the Eurasia Training Center is the hub of a ministry that now flows beyond the former Soviet Bloc countries into North Africa and the Middle East. Precept Ministries Eurasia covers more than 40 languages, including Arabic, and ministers to a population approaching one billion people. The Kingdom work happening at the Eurasia Training Center in Romania is being duplicated at numerous other locations. On average, there are 24 Training Institutes (intensive, two-week leadership training workshops) happening somewhere in the region every month. The commitment level is far greater than anything we see in the United States! Each leader agrees to attend three twoweek sessions per year for three years. As they return for each session, they are required to bring someone else along. Bob Vereen, Precept s Senior Vice President for International Ministry, says that what is happening in Eurasia is incredible, explaining, We continue to see exponential growth in that area, and it s because they follow a true model of disciple-making. Each person trained becomes part of a team. He or she is mentored and discipled until ready to raise up his or her own team of disciple-makers. The future of Precept Ministries in Eurasia is bright! Led by directors and Romanian natives Mia and Costel Oglice, the future of Precept Ministries in Eurasia is bright! Nearly 300,000 students are meeting in 39,000 classes, and more leaders are being trained every day to meet the ongoing demand for Inductive Bible Study in a part of the world that desperately needs to know God in a personal and lifetransforming way. n Establishing People in God s Word Plumbline 3

4 ANSWERING THE CALL QUARTERLY MINISTRY UPDATE Using Technology to Teach God s Word C reativity has always been part of the approach to ministry in Eurasia. When you come from a background where Bible study was forbidden under communist rule, creativity was a must! Today, Precept trainers and leaders are using that creativity to reach more people with the Inductive Bible Study Method. A new project being funded through your support, Answering the Call is a mobile computer learning center that is projected to reach over 37,000 new people. This includes 600 leaders who will be trained to teach others basic computer skills, as well as the ability to study God s Word inductively. We have had a computer lab at the Eurasia Training Center for several years, but this will be the first mobile lab and will allow us to reach those who are unable to make the trip to the training center. Books at the Heart of the Eurasia Ministry Bible study workbooks are critical resources for equipping others to study God s Word inductively. In the United States, we assume one book reaches one person, but in Eurasia, we see books used over and over. One book may make it possible for an entire family to study God s Word for themselves. After one person completes a study (usually in pencil), their answers can be erased and the book passed on to another student. Or sometimes each student only uses part of the allotted space for their answers, leaving room for those who will come after them. This summer, we were able to print 30,000 books for areas of ministry that desperately need them. Camps, prisons, rehab centers, and churches across Eurasia were able to convene classes and provide the necessary resources. In our summer camps alone, more than 20,000 students were in attendance learning English and studying God s Word inductively. We expect 30,000 books to reach more than 95,000 people. The majority (80 percent) of these students will be brand-new to Precept and the Inductive Bible Study method. Adding Trainers Grows Ministry By the end of 2012, we plan to add 11 additional full-time trainers in Eurasia. These trainers have completed multiple years of training themselves and will be responsible for 4 Plumbline

5 Precept Eurasia Institute, Ukraine. Please pray for this effort as we follow God s direction to reach out to those who might not otherwise ever have the opportunity to be equipped with Inductive Bible Study skills. training new Precept Bible Study Leaders in various settings across the region. Some of the areas in which these trainers will be working include correspondence studies, sports ministry, church planting, public schools (students, teachers, and administration), and computer ministry. With so many continually asking for training, we expect to equip an additional 82,000 people who will then be able to reach out to others who are anxious to study God s Word for themselves. Thank you for Answering the Call and making it possible to extend the reach of our training across Eurasia. Please pray for safety and good health as our new Precept trainers travel to some difficult areas and put in long hours of teaching and disciple-making. n Establishing People in God s Word Plumbline 5

6 BOOK SPOTLIGHT The Power of Knowing God: 40-Minute Study Seminary Students Study God s Word Inductively Kinsman Redeemer to learn how to study an Old Testament book and Philippians for New Testament work. Our Gift of Thanks to You for Your Support You may know about God, but do you truly know what He says about Himself and what He wants from you? As you discover for yourself who He is, you ll be drawn into a deeper, more personal relationship with the God of the universe a relationship that will enable you to confidently display His strength in life s most challenging circumstances. Please request this eye-opening study on the enclosed response card when you send your gift of support to Precept Ministries International today. Precept.org/knowing A 6 Plumbline Dr. Andrzej Seweryn addresses Precept graduates and shares how God is using Inductive Bible Study in his life. t first glance, it seems like a typical beginning for any first-year seminary student. There are introductions to fellow students, orientations, and so on. But when it s time to settle down for the first class, the differences become clear. Rather than opening a textbook ABOUT the Bible or some great leader in the history of Christian theology, the students receive a copy of Lord, I Want to Know You (a Precept study on the names of God) and dive into an intensive study of who God is. That s how things work at Warsaw Baptist Theological Seminary in Poland. Seminary president Dr. Andrzej Seweryn introduced Inductive Bible Study into the curriculum three years ago. Lord, I Want to Know You is the best study I know of on basic theology, says Andrzej. It connects knowledge with application, and our students are so impressed to discover the names of God and His attributes. In later classes, students use Precept s Andrzej was introduced to Precept Ministries Eurasia when his wife, Ewa (a pharmacist), attended a Precept conference in St. Petersburg, Russia. When she came home, that was the first time I had heard about Inductive Bible Study, he says. Soon afterward he met Eurasia directors Mia and Costel Oglice at the International Conference on Revival in Budapest and was invited to Chattanooga to learn more about Precept and the Inductive Bible Study method. As a result, Andrzej and Ewa have led multiple Precept Training Institutes in Warsaw. When asked how Inductive Bible Study has personally impacted his life, Andrzej, who holds a doctorate in Historical Theology, says it makes him a better preacher: I am more effective in my ministry. And considering the fact that 95 percent of Poland is Roman Catholic, effective ministry is critical. Evangelicals have an opinion that we know the Bible, but it is not true, Andrzej explains. I discovered I did not know the Bible like I thought. People have the Bible on their computers, on their ipads or phones, but not in their hearts. Being part of a Precept Training Institute was a good lesson in humility. Because of your prayers and faithful support, pastors and church leaders in Poland are being equipped to study God s Word for themselves and to lead others in doing the same. On behalf of the countless lives that are and will be impacted through Andrzej and Ewa s faithfulness, we say thank you. n To register for these and other Precept events, visit

7 God s Miracles in Eurasia: I will continue to preach! by David Arthur O ne of my all-time favorite stories was told by a saint who served in Communist Romania. This pastor was charged and jailed several times for preaching the Gospel. Finally he was brought before a powerful council of government officials. They were fed up with his consistent breaking of their rules. They issued a final threat: If you preach about Jesus one more time in public, we will have you executed. Do you understand? The pastor s response was beautiful: You cannot kill me until my God gives you permission. Until then I will continue to preach about His Son, Jesus. Miraculously, he walked away a free man! This kind of brave testimony can literally be repeated a hundred times over. Even today, our Eurasian directors, Mia and Costel, share with us stories of men and women who are ready to die for the Lord. Paul, writing from prison literally the last one he would ever live in told Timothy, Join with me in suffering for the gospel (2 Tim. 1:8). His letter is filled with clues about the incredibly difficult circumstances that come with guarding the treasure, a phrase about teaching God s Word to faithful men and women. Paul mentioned enemies of the mission by name. He called out specific heresies. Yet even while chained up and in prison, Paul stated with great conviction, but the Word of God is not imprisoned. What was the source of Paul s courage? The answer can be found in his instruction to Timothy, his successor: Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15). Thousands of Bible Study Leaders in Precept s Eurasian work draw courage and inspiration from Paul s words. Men, women, and students are being trained to accurately use God s Word, so they too will not be ashamed of the Gospel... but instead be willing to be poured out as a drink offering as they guard the treasure. n Israel Study Tour with Kay Arthur & David Arthur Precept 2013 Israel Bible Study Tour: May 20-31, 2013 with optional Jordan extension, May 17 21, On-site teaching by Kay and David Includes international round-trip airfare from gateway cities Outstanding four- and five-star accommodations Personal whisper system sound for clear audio from guides and teachers. For Information, visit: Establishing People in God s Word Plumbline 7

8 A Giver s Heart for Eurasia B ack in the late 1970s, when the Ministry was little more than Kay Arthur teaching a weekly Bible study in Atlanta, Georgia, Verdie Brady was invited to a friend s Precept Bible study. We studied the book of John, Verdie recalls. We didn t have an official teacher. We just sat around the kitchen table and listened to Kay on cassette tape. Verdie was later trained as a Precept Leader in Columbus, Georgia, by Betsy Bird. For nearly 35 years, she has been studying God s Word inductively as well as teaching others in her own Precept classes. Verdie has been very involved in Precept s work in Eurasia. She says, I would go to Chattanooga for training or a conference and hear from Mia and Costel Oglice about their work in Romania. This was when Romania was still under communist rule. Kay would pass out names of pastors and other church leaders in Romania and ask us to send Easter and Christmas cards for encouragement, Verdie remembers. That was the beginning of what turned out to be a lifelong ministry. Verdie began traveling to Romania and Moldova in 1992 to work in Precept Training Institutes and youth camps. This past summer marked her 21st year of making the annual summer trek to Eastern Europe to help others learn to study God s Word for themselves. Not only does Verdie physically participate in Precept s work in Eurasia, but she also supports the work financially. I immediately had a love for the people of that part of the world and wanted them to know the Lord and study His Word, so I started giving right from the beginning, she says. I give to Precept because it equips you to study that which keeps you from error. Verdie also says that she sees the results of her giving in the phenomenal multiplication that is happening across the Eurasia ministry. I know Precept is careful in how they spend the money God provides, and to me that is important. I see it. The Bible teaches us to lay up treasures in heaven, and Precept is a great place to do that! We are thankful for Verdie and her faithful generosity in support of Precept s work across Eurasia, North Africa, and the Middle East. She, along with thousands of other partners, is enabling countless people to discover God s Word for themselves. n Verdie Brady with Eurasia Directors Mia and Costel Oglice. Precept Ministries Eurasia: 2011 Vital Statistics Regions Served: Number of Languages: Population Served: Precept Bible Studies Are Taught In: Active Trainers: Camps Held: Public School Teachers Trained: Churches Planted: Eurasia, North Africa, Middle East 40+ More than 1 billion 127 prisons, 73 substance abuse rehab centers, 281 primary and secondary schools, 54 colleges, seminaries, Bible colleges, and technical schools Plumbline