A Library Can Help Spread the Gospel?

   "Go, stand in the temple courts," he said "and tell the people about this new life." (Acts 5:20)

Peter and several of the other apostles were put in prison for speaking about the gospel and as an angel let them free in the night, he told them to go to the temple courts. Where was the best place to reach those of the Jewish faith? The temple of course. And Peter had been entrusted to take the gospel to the Jews (Gal. 2:7). What does that mean to us today? We need to position ourselves in locations where we can be the most effective. Or maybe we need to create such places.

 You know, I've had people say " a library?" like "That's cool and all, but we want to support a work that will convert souls, not keep kids in school." And I can understand why they might think that, after all libraries are not viewed as places that can aid in the spread of the gospel. Tanzanians view education as one of the only ways they can better themselves. A good education means a good job. A good job means they can provide for their families. Because of their desire for a good education, the Parker Memorial Library has the opportunity to reach untold numbers with the gospel. It will show that the Church is interested in both the physical and the spiritual man.
   

We want to provide not only books, but many other things.With hired tutors, struggling students can be aided in learning to read (because truly, if one can't read the bible it just becomes a hunk of paper). It will be a "hub" of biblical resources for the Christian in the pew, to strengthen and encourage. It reminds me of the verse that says  "...always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you..." (1 Peter 3:15). There will be classes offered, classes ranging from pre-natal care to geography, all from a biblical worldview. Interestingly, the schools in the Kisongo area teach evolution, but only so far as to say that man came from monkeys. There is no mention of the big bang, or the fish-to-man theory.  We hope to also have a large section of books that are translated into Kiswahili, but we know that that will take time. As many of you already know, we have started on our first, "The Christian Graces" by Adam Cozort.

I dawned on me the other day that the Andrew Connally School of Preaching (which is one of the greatest assets of TZ2000 mission) like any other college, requires a 12th grade education to attend. I would hate to think that an aspiring preacher would be held back by a lack of formal education.

Those educated will have the ability to influence those in higher educated circles. Because of Paul's thorough knowledge of the law, he was able to address the scholars and understand their way of thinking in Athens (Acts 17).

I am most certain that if we leave Tanzanian Christians uneducated, the congregations that have been established will take longer to become self sufficient. We all know that more education means more opportunities, which means more income. That is not to say that giving cannot be done while one is poor as is demonstrated by 2 Corinthians 8:1-4. Out of their deep poverty the church at Macedonia gave money to help those dealing with the famine in Jerusalem. But, the more income that Tanzanians have, the more able they will be to give. To become self sufficient is the main goal of TZ 2000. 2 Timothy 2:2 says "and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." Teaching Tanzanians to teach their own, establishing congregations that can carry on the work and fund their own missionaries.

All in all, we want to help people learn, live a high quality life, acquire a well-paying job that allows them to more generous in their giving and to help the church become self-sufficient so that they can fund THEIR own missionaries.