Ministry Update: The Word of God is Not Bound
Susan ministering to women in a remote village in Benin, West Africa.
By Tom Shanklin
We continue to see God’s Word going forth and producing fruit in spite of the current trauma in the world. There are many hindrances to ministry at this time, but as Paul told Timothy when he was in prison, “the Word of God is not bound.” (2Timothy 2:9) We see that ministries all around the world are finding ways to continue to preach the Gospel.
Last weekend I ministered at Prairie Faith Church in Glenfield, North Dakota, where I spoke on “Your Mission is the Great Commission.” I was emphasizing the fact that every one of us has been called to fulfill Jesus’ command to “go into all the world and preach the Gospel.”
In my message, I was talking about Barnabas in the book of Acts. We are all amazed by the things which were accomplished through the Apostle Paul, but we need to realize that without Barnabas, Paul may have never been able to fulfill his ministry.
Barnabas was the one who gave Paul his start when he brought him to teach at the church at Antioch. Later, the church at Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas out as missionaries. It was through Barnabus’ help, encouragement, and support that Paul was able to go on and reach much of the known world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
As I think back, there have been many Barnabases in my life. I think of the people from the first church, which we started back in 1983. They encouraged Susan and me and tolerated my long sermons. They helped us get our start, and they will always be a part of everything that is accomplished through this ministry.
While I was in North Dakota in July, I also spoke at a community dinner sponsored by The Shop Church, an interdenominational gathering of farmers in Lamoure. I preached on “You Must be Born Again.”
In late June, we had a great time at Living Word Church in Redwood Falls where Susan encouraged our friends and I shared a message on “Finding Your Place in the End Time Harvest.”
The episode of Susan’s Garden. (Click above to view.)
Word of God is Not Bound on the Internet
Susan and I are seeing a good response from our videos on YouTube. People are turning to the Internet to fulfill their need for the Word of God, and we are endeavoring to meet that need with relevant messages. Last week Susan began a video series called “Susan’s Garden,” where she shared lessons of life. She shared about how “People Are Like Potatoes” because there is more value in them that can be seen by the eye. You can watch our videos and subscribe to our channel here.
We are also using the Internet to minister in other ways, including video chats to encourage missionaries we are working with. We are also preaching the Gospel with Zoom (an online conferencing app). We are also reaching many nations with our website, which has Google Translate on in, a feature that translates our written messages into many languages.
Word of God is Not Bound Through Our Missionaries
We see the Gospel flourishing through the relationships with the missionaries we support, such as Stan and Sarah Strunc of In His Love Ministries, missionaries to Europe. Stan and Sarah are based in the United Kingdom, which has been under strict lockdown, but they too have been using YouTube to get the Word out. Stan has been producing many discipleship videos in the Czech language, his native tongue. Through these videos, he is seeing a good response from many people in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Roma people all over Europe, and others who are conversant in Czech.
Workers making cement block for Benin Bible School.
Word of God Not Bound in Benin, West Africa
With the help of our partners, the work continues on the Benin Bible School Project. Please continue to pray for this project, which has a goal of raising up pastors and evangelists to minister in rural areas in west Africa. Training is ongoing now through the Bible School, which is a part of Vision University. The need now is to complete the facility to properly house the students and to provide classroom space. The walls are up on the facility, and the next major goal is for a roof, which will cost approximately $5,000 to complete. If you would like to invest in the Benin Bible School Project, you can click here to make an online donation or donate by mail.
We have also started a new initiative in Benin called The Tabitha Sewing Project. This project is based on the account of the woman named Tabitha in Acts 9:36-42, who was raised from the dead through Peter’s ministry. Tabitha was a well-respected woman in the early church, who was a seamstress. The vision of The Tabitha Project is to raise undervalued women up from poverty by providing training in garment making and a sewing center. Many women in Benin have absolutely no means of support and are forced into early marriage to survive.
We have already sent funds for the purchase of one sewing machine for a sewing center in Cotonou and the money has come in for salary from three months for a dressmaker/teacher to begin the work of producing dresses to be sold, and at the same time to train women in sewing skills. If you would like to invest in The Tabitha Project, you can click here to make an online donation or donate by mail.
Finally, I want to thank you for being a Barnabas to this ministry. With your help, we are continuing to see much fruit. We count it a great privilege to work with you in serving the Lord Jesus. Let’s keep praying for one another! And remember, the Word of God is not bound!
