Calvin Who?

I've just finished my third day of teaching 60 Honduran church leaders 2,000 years of church history. It was amazing to me that many of them had never heard the stories before. My last day of class I asked how many had heard of John Calvin and not a single person raised their hand. I asked again just to make sure they were hearing me right- but no, not a single person! I thought to myself, "It's (pre)destined to be a long class today! My translator tells me that for most of these students Christian history is a blank slate. For many of them the experience has been transformative.

One of the students told the class that after hearing about churhc history he can now see that his approach to ministry has been all wrong. One of the beneifis of learning about past mistakes is that you learn not to repeat them.

The lessons of our Christian heritage teach us that men and women have died for important belieffs and that many of the beliefs that we now take for granted came with an incridble price. They teach us that the truths we have and even the Bible we hold in our hands have been passed down to us because precious blood has been spilt and heavy costs have been paid. When we know our history we learn to better appreciate that truth.

I come away from this experience with a great impression of what Global Action is doing in their pastor training probram. The students I have taught this week are mostly lower class with very little education and from a wide array of backgrounds. And yet what they have in common is a passion for the gospel. Many of them have started churches and God is using those churches to reach the lost. THese classes are like gold to them. They come early eager to learn with a kind of joy that is infectuous. I have heard many inspiring stories.

Like the man who works in a Honduran prison for gang members. Because of his relationship with Jesus he now sees his work as a mission . He has started a church for these former gang members who have been convicted of drug dealing and murder and violent crimes and now has several hundred members. Or like the woman in the class who is a former prostitute and who once owned her own brothel. He life has been so radically transformed by the gospel that she is now a dynamic leader in her church. The woman has an amazing charisma and glow about her. She would often shout "hallelujah" when some story in hisoty inspired her throwing her arms in the air as if signalling a touchdown and shout "yes!!" (You don't get that often in history classes in the states!)

I am more convinced than ever that if we truly want to change the world and advance the Kingdom of God we must equip and truin the hundreds of thousands of house pastors that God i sraising up around the world. These are people who do not have the means or the backgournd to attend theological seminaries or Bible colleges. And yet they need the equipping and the accountability. Global Action has provided the means for this and is putting together the structure to accomplish this great task around the world in Africa, India, China and South America.