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“Don’t bother,” said the church
leader. “We’ve tried to reach the Samburu tribe
for years, but to no avail. They won’t have anything
to do with us, or with Christianity. So we’re closing
our churches in this area.”
“Thanks for the warning,” said Johan, a Bible
League-trained church planter, “but I’m going to
try anyway. I’m going to reach the Samburu with Christ.”
Those were pretty confident words, considering the obstacles
this 65-year-old Kenyan father of 10 would face…
Reaching the unreached
The Samburu, a subset of the Maasai in northern Kenya, are
still living much like their ancestors did centuries ago.
The young men of this tribe still hunt lions as a right of
passage into manhood. A closed people, these traditional
animists are resistant to the Truth.
Yet, a little more than a year after the church leader’s
sincere warning, Johan baptized 111 new Samburu believers at
one time! And at least 50 more were preparing to be baptized,
but had to wait for the rains to come and replenish the baptismal
water.
How was this possible? Through God’s grace, the church
planter’s dedication, and his Bible League training.
Heeding God’s call
The Bible League trains indigenous Christians like Johan, selected
by their local church fellowships, to establish churches
in unchurched areas of their country. These diligent workers
use the Scriptures to bring people into fellowship with Christ
and His church.
It’s not easy. Church planters must be truly called
by God to face the hardships involved in reaching unreached
people like the Samburu. Most African churches don’t
have money to support these workers, so they have to fend for
themselves. Workers must travel to remote areas, risk hostile
rejection, and be persistent in their efforts to touch one
person at a time, until they finally form Bible study groups,
and eventually, a worshipping body of believers.
Pressing forward
That’s what Johan did. He walked over 12-1/2 miles to
reach his target area among the Samburu tribe. He kindly approached
individuals tending their cattle, harvesting grain, or drawing
water—day after day, week after week. The Holy Spirit
had prepared the hearts of some to listen—and to look
for answers to their questions in the Bible.
“The training and Scriptures I received from the Bible
League have equipped me more to reach my community,” says
Johan.
Fifteen months after he first approached the Samburu tribe,
Johan completed his Bible League training. And over 200
Samburu witnessed the graduation ceremony—some walking two to
three miles to attend.
Bringing a continent to Christ
These new Samburu church fellowships will be added to the count
of churches established throughout Africa by Bible League-trained
church planters like Johan.
But they desperately need Bibles to continue this important
work. More than 200 million existing African Christians are
still waiting for their own copy of the Bible—and thousands
more are coming to Christ each day. You can help. Click
here to send God’s Word to Africa.
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To send Scriptures to Bible-less Africans, click
here.
As the physically and spiritually deprived pour in, church
planters are sharing the hope of the Gospel with them...
Read more
To learn about persecution of Christians in Africa, click
here.
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