In all of the Ending Scripture Poverty (ESP) training courses we have run (all 62 languages), we’ve never thought of using them as a means of evangelizing to the participants who are present for just 3 to 5 days.
The following story tells the tale of an ESP narrator who today aspires to Christian leadership, this is the story of Abeba.*
The Pygmy people, still known as the forest people, often express a great closeness to nature, which is why all their growth and divinity are no exception to the rule. They worship gods of the forest, of water, and so on. They are a people with strong animist beliefs. It was against this backdrop that Abeba, a simple member of the Pygmy community, was chosen as narrator among the others of his language, given his mastery of it. He was called upon to put his voice to the Discovery Bible Studies.
During the ESP300 training sessions, we had the ritual of starting the workshop with Bible study, through an audio device. The story of the day was about Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night and asking Him questions. Jesus’ answers to Nicodemus affirm that you must be born a second time to enter the kingdom of God. This turned Abeba’s thinking upside down.
Most often, the power of an audio Discovery Bible Study lies in the questions, which call on participants to internalize the questions in order to give sincere answers. To our surprise, one participant seemed far more involved and concerned than the others. This was Abeba. He asked many questions to find out more about Jesus’ answers. After much discussion with other participants, he decided to give his life to Jesus and enter the water of Baptism.
Surprised by this outcome, we didn’t keep him waiting long. In the space of a single contextual exposure to the Word of God, Abeba became a born-again follower of Jesus and was given the responsibility of leading a Discovery Bible Study (DBS) group. Above all, he had the opportunity to learn more about the Lord through the interactive sharing of the Word of God.
Due to the follow-up of the Disciple Making Movement (DMM) teams near the forest, we have great hope of having more local leaders within the forest itself.
This is how it’s possible to know the Lord and become a DMM leader in just 4 days.
*Names have been changed for security purposes.
