What do we do with people who haven’t yet heard the gospel of Christ in a remote region? Surely, we need to pray for them but as the apostle Paul penned in Romans 10 …
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” In response to the rhetoric questions in verse 14, we started three years ago to equip our pastors and church leaders in Mindanao, south of the Philippines, both in theology and ministry with the hope that they will have a deeper grasp and inspiration from the gospel truths. In God’s kindness and support of SGC, we were able to establish the PPI or Philippine Pastors Institute.
It was a well-attended gathering where the graduate’s immediate family and local church elders were present to witness and celebrate with them in their milestone achievement. In those 9 months of classes, we have witnessed how they improved a lot in their preaching- not only homiletically but also in the centrality of their sermon, which is Christ! Their preaching is no longer focus on morality (how to be a good person/ Christian) but on gospel fidelity- who Christ is and His finished work on the cross, along with His glorious resurrection and ascension to heaven. Moreover, in a culture where wives are neglected and debased, now they are cared well and treated as “co-heirs in the grace of life” (1 Peter 3:7), being a ‘secret-weapon’ of their pastor-husband.
May we all have a heart for the gospel, a mind for truth, a spirit of humility, a hand of generosity and a passion to reach the lost, for the glory of the mystery of godliness!
