The Call for Bible Teaching in the Mainland
"And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others." (II Timothy 2:2). Teaching believers to know and apply Biblical truths is the most urgent need facing mainland churches now! As one sister said: "I don't know what guidance God has for me in regards to my job searching, how should I understand the teachings in the Bible?" A brother from the Northeast said: "There is not even a Bible teacher in here; brothers and sisters lack teaching about the truth. Some believers who loved the Lord had even committed crimes out of ignorance. It is a pity that they had thought they were acting because of a personal zeal for the Lord. May the Lord rise up prophets of the time to proclaim His Word." Numerous other examples are around reflecting the urgent call for Bible teaching!

The Present Situation and Needs for Bible Teaching
Chinese churches have always attached importance to the Bible. Although some workers know the Bible amazingly well, on the whole, Christian education in the mainland -- the nurturing of believers' understanding of God's Word -- remains to be developed. At present, the number of believers in mainland China is estimated to be more than 50 million, yet the churches there really lack "men who can be trusted to tell others"--Bible teachers. The consequence is that many believers, because of the lack of appropriate Bible teaching, have a very shallow understanding of the Bible. Even for the co-workers doing the teaching, they adopt a one-way and dogmatic approach that leaves believers with few space for reflection. Neither does it allow believers to apply what they have learned in their daily lives. In addition, some co-workers lack basic knowledge about Biblical interpretation and often interpret scriptures in the way they like. In some areas with an acute shortage of workers, the preaching is done by believers with minimal education and often their teaching is misleading, with the result of preventing fellow believers from living out a full life; neither can they build up the faith of young believers. This leaves room for various kinds of cults to infiltrate into the Christian community, limiting the growth of mainland churches in terms of both number and quality.

Living Word Bible Teaching Series
The most pressing task for mainland churches is to firm up believers' religious foundation through Bible teaching, and to train up Bible teachers. A "localized" Bible teaching curriculum that ties in with the situations in China is very important. We are acting upon a calling from God to build strong Chinese churches through Bible teaching, and in reaching this goal, we have created a teaching kit applicable to all parts of China - "Living Word Bible Teaching Series". This series combines three characteristics: proper interpretation of the Bible, teaching methods grounded in knowledge in teaching pedagogy and everyday life application. It can meet the pressing need for Bible teaching in the mainland, and quickly equip Bible teachers in various churches. The creation of the materials does serve a vital purpose!

At present, we have already written the parts on Genesis and Exodus of the Old Testament and are now writing on the Book of Leviticus. We are very concerned about the application value of the teaching materials, and therefore from December, 2004 to now, we have carried out 7 trial teachings in five provinces, mainly for church workers and core volunteers. We will make changes to the materials on the basis of their feedback. Their response has shown that our curriculum content is both inspiring and comprehensive, and the interactive teaching approach is a breakthrough from the traditional one-way teaching method and useful in helping learners grasp the content more easily. The responses have convinced us of the importance of the teaching kit. To be launched in January, 2006 following several amendments, the materials will be distributed to various churches in the mainland. The churches then will be able to carry out Bible teaching with sets of localized materials that are relevant to their needs.

Do you expect mainland churches to carry out systematic Bible teaching? That is the direction we are moving towards: first by preparing the appropriate curricula, then train up the Bible teachers. We firmly believe that under the guidance of our Heavenly Father, the vision of establishing strong Chinese churches through Bible teaching is appearing gradually before our eyes.

Thanksgiving and Prayer Items:

1. Thank the Lord for paying attention to the need for Bible teaching among mainland churches and moving His servants to write up appropriate Bible teaching curricula.
2. May the Lord put the vision for Bible teaching ministry in every church so that church leaders and workers can see the pressing need for it and begin the ministry. 
3. Pray for the large number of churches that still do not offer Bible teaching. May the Lord rise up the workers needed. Also pray for the churches that have already started the Bible teaching ministry, that their Bible teachers will be equipped and their believers can learn about Biblical truths in a systematic manner so God's Word can be the lamp to their feet and light for their paths.
4. Pray for the "Living Word Bible Teaching Series" that are now being written. May the Lord bless the whole writing process (from this year to 2011) and that the finished work can be a blessing to mainland churches.
5. Pray for the mainland churches that will use the curriculum. May the Lord rise up various co-workers to learn about the curriculum, pick up the vision and become dutiful Bible teachers.

OTHER PRAYER REQUESTS

The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict Saved a Soul

A brother in the central-southern region who is serving in a university fellowship won a prize - The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict, a book published by CCL, last year in an evangelical broadcast program. In around April and May this year, he came to Hong Kong to get ten copies of the book for his fellowship. A professor in his university took one copy and was converted after reading it. (Source: our co-worker)

Thank God for using The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict to explain to intellectuals the truth of Christianity. This book has been published for quite some time, and earlier it also led a university professor in Northern China to Christ. This book has been used by the Lord again and again, in both sowing seeds and reaping harvests among mainland intellectuals. Please pray for the people who have this book; may the Lord's spirit do great work in their hearts so they will put down their wisdom and subject to God's mighty power.