Paul’s exhortation to Timothy was to not only guard the good deposit, but to entrust it to faithful men who could teach others. Paul knew that his own life was drawing to a close and while Timothy may not have been quite as close to a face to face encounter with Christ as Paul, he needed to keep this exhortation at the forefront of his thinking as well. Who would be there to proclaim this message of grace and truth once Timothy departed Ephesus for another locale, or departed this earth altogether? His job was to entrust the good deposit entrusted to him to others who could also teach others.
Through our pastor training program here in Goroka we are seeking to do just that. We have spent two terms in the classroom, seven weeks and eight weeks respectively. We have spent no less than seven weeks together in the bush building relationships with lost communities, telling the story of the Bible, and preaching Christ crucified for the sins of those who believe in him and Christ resurrected and ascended to heaven defeating sin and death forever.
While my family was on a holiday between the kids’ school terms, the guys ran their own outreach in a nearby community. They broke up the stories from creation to the death and resurrection of Christ and told them over a week long camp. This week they are hosting the second outreach of their own in another community a little further down the road.
As they teach through the stories they are putting into practice our classroom training helping others see how all of the Bible, starting with “Moses and the prophets” points to the savior to come in Jesus Christ.
I don’t know how long God will allow my family to live and work in Papua New Guinea, but I’m hopeful that long after I am gone, these guys will be proclaiming a message of hope to those that live in darkness.
Join me in praying for these five men:
- Abel
- Watty
- Inna
- Danny
- Moses
Sanders Party of Five 