Reaching the Nations

At various places and various times God has been pleased to bring about awakenings and in all of those movements in history. At the very center was an awakening to the power and truthfulness of the Scripture itself will give you a special edition of Renewing Your Mind. I'm really well been that we just hurried there with Dr. RC Sproul back in 2015 as nuclear ministries release the latest edition of the Reformation study Bible was excited about the project because it underscored what this ministry is all about and before we let you know about a significant new ministry outreach. The gun is provided. Let's hear more of what RC had to say when Jesus prayed in the upper room for his disciples, he prayed for their sanctification. Father sanctified them by thy truth, thy word is truth worth the Scripture is studied deeply and ingested into the bloodstream of people. That's the power that God uses to awaken the church and move beyond revival to Reformation.

We call this book, the Reformation study Bible, but we want to see happen is a Bible study Reformation I please be joined by the president and CEO of regular ministries Chris Larson along with our colleague Matt McGee, who oversees our Spanish and Portuguese outreach here and that Chris let me begin by asking you what did you hear RC saying there. Well, I heard him saying that we have a mission. We have a mission to make God's word, the priority and everything that we do because he understood that the desire for reformation is the desire for new forms and structures of society to be present, but only through the creative power of the word of God. It's our confidence that is centered in the word of God that animates everything that we do as a ministry and really all that Christians are called to believe is contained in the Scriptures and what we learn about who God is and how he is related to us in the person of Jesus Christ and then how he wants us to live in this world is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

As it went forth from preachers from fathers and mothers to their children generation to generation that has built the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and Jesus is building his church today and he does it through the word of God and RC just fixed our focus like a laser beam on making sure that the only thing we have to say must be based on the word of God and helping people to understand God's word and with that in mind, would you tell your listeners know what that is in front of you. Your inner studio for Renewing Your Mind listeners. This is a milestone broadcast because I am holding a milestone resource right here. This is the Spanish edition of the Reformation study Bible Reformation study Bible has been really get Keystone resource for us and looking here for several decades. Dr. scroll desire to see the Reformation study Bible translated into many different languages and Spanish is so important in its place in the world. It's one of the most popular languages spoken and the vision for this particular dish in the Spanish edition I have to go back about a dozen years now. Dr. Burk Parsons had been in Columbia speaking to some pastors down there and he came back and had a meeting with Dr. scroll myself and he was explaining that he saw some pastors passing around one copy of the study Bible. It wasn't the Reformation study Bible is another addition and what he observed was for pastors shared one copy and they would share it for a week and they had to then prepare a months worth of their sermons because they did not have a theological library and so they relied on the study Bible is almost their entire commentary set and said they would rely on this and then share it and pass it around and it is worn and torn, and Dr. Parsons came back and explain this to RC into me and at that point, we knew that first of all we needed to embark upon an update for the Reformation study Bible, which we did and that launched in 2015 and then that allowed us to take those new notes and then commit them to a massive translation effort in many different languages and to get to this moment right now. This is a milestone ministry moment that I would hope that our listeners would just praise God for you and I'm so thankful for Matt and his team. Matt has really helped us to understand the need in the Latin American church and I was so thankful for his stewardship. You met you are fluent in Spanish and labored for a number of years in the Dominican Republic and would you expand on that on that need throughout the Spanish speaking world. Sure, I think it's interesting that Dr. Parsons experience was in 2008 because it seems like that timeframe. 2008 at 2010 is when this Dawn of the Reformation began to occur. The sun was just peeking over the horizon and we can start to see even see it even more so now, but at that time we saw this desire in the church for good, solid, biblical doctrine and teaching a friend of our ministry here at Lincoln ear has indicated that the church in Latin American terms of its theological depth is about a mile wide and an inch deep and looks healthy on the surface, but it's not what we see the Reformation truths being proliferated throughout the region. Whether it's from the north of Mexico all the way down to the Southern Cone of South America. We see this awakening occurring and I think it's interesting that Dr. scroll says this evening. The intro to our program where I can remember when I first heard him say that back in 2015. He said where the Scripture is studied deeply and ingested into the bloodstream of people. That's the power that God uses to awaken the truth and move beyond revival to Reformation element you have told us that in your observance. In talking with other church leaders throughout the Spanish speaking world, that the Reformation never arrive there tell us a little bit about that. Well, it never really did on the Inquisition in the Spanish Inquisition was a very powerful movement that The Catholic Church.

Essentially, in this total power and it never really allowed that the theology that we would enjoy that worldview that we would enjoy here in the north and never really arrived to the global South. So we never really saw the worldview benefits and the ecclesiastical benefits that were seeing in the North but were starting to see that now in the South. So in terms of the need in terms of the hunger we have the resource here in the Reformation study Bible with all that study aids in all of its notes a seminary between two covers we have that available to aid the laity to aid the pastor to aid the professor to aid the academician in his or her study of the word of God. From a historical reformed perspective I've benefited in my own life from using the Reformation study Bible and I think as a layperson what I've enjoyed is the fact that gives me confidence to know that there's this team of scholars that Dr. scroll assembled to really give me confidence in what I'm reading and to be able to to go behind the text if I have a question I can look down into the notes I can use cross-references I could use that. The chapter outlines at the beginning of the books to really understand the flow of the thought in Scripture and to really handle God's word accurately helps Christian growth and it will help the church to flourish. One of the many people who has worked on this project is Pepe Mendoza. He is from Peru and if you've ever listened to the Spanish language version of this program. Renewing Your Mind work in a bond 02 men think you have heard his voice. Pepe would you tell us your role in the program. Well that I have the privilege of being RC disposable always in the Spanish you know, dubbing all the programs they working with Dr. inflation and contextualization of folder programs with that huge team of people that help me do do do when a lendable mandate in Spanish so you actually watch Dr. Sproles lectures and your translating it into Spanish yes and first we work with the transcription of the Renewing Your Mind in English. Then we tried to put it in Espaņa Schwartz and his Spanish sentences.

Then we wash Dr. Sproles let Geertz and we work on that since the DVD and that delivery of Dr. Sproles. Another words you want to deliver it just as he did ask as he's not only that awards but also the feeling is a long work but if it went really happy to okay that's for rent, a bond 02 Mente the Spanish language version of Renewing Your Mind. How are you utilizing Pepe's expertise as relates to the Reformation study Bible, I see it as a demonstration of God's providence and grace we had between 18 months and two years to really refine what we were doing with him on the demand fan in the teaching series.and then apply that to our philosophy of translation so we use Pepe and all that expertise that we gain by working as a team we used that in the translation of the notes to be able to communicate. Dr. Sproles ability as an editor of a great team of contributors and sound just like Dr. scroll does ending this and bring that experience to the reader in Spanish and those of you who are listening to the program. Whoever Reformation study Bible know that there are many notes that Dr. scroll has him in this Bible and I can echo that both Pepe and I have read every single word of every single note there are about 1.2 million words of content in the Reformation study Bible and it was an honor and privilege for both Pepe and me to be part of this project to translate each word into Spanish Pepe I think is interesting to note that long before you got involved with us your later ministries in this Spanish language outreach Dr. Sproles had had a profound influence on your life right yes he he had the upper found influence on me, but I thought that with. He was contemporary of the splurge on someone like that but then I discovered that he was really alive and not only alive see no bad ideas go over these wards in that Renewing Your Mind program and I discover a different kind of of Dr. scroll and is have a double impact on me. You know only that influence and impact of Dr. scroll is not just particular to Pepe.

I know it. Dr. scroll had a tremendous and profound impact on me and many of the other editors and translators and contributors to this entire project so it's it's it's an honor for us to be able to take this and produce this and make this available for our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters all around the world is Pepe would you tell is she your native of Peru, would you let us know why this outreach is so important. Let me give you a small example of that last year I was visiting and is most CD in the Andes Mountains. I was invited for a church to preach there and I discover a group of pastors junk Boston not even incident in their 30s that they know all about Dr. scroll every book in the Spanish waiting for the Reformation and that the Bible is speaking to me like they know no proof brawl in person and that team of team on them. What's marvelous.

I need to happen. Not in the end, and mountains but in every place where I go and that people know that they work with rental under Clemente they talk to me a lot about about Dr. Sproles influence right now. In only when we look at the statistics they bear that out and onto Mente is listened to by over 100,000 downloads each month and that's on YouTube and Facebook and an iTunes and modify all the digital platforms but also the radio reach the terrestrial radio reaches well so it is encouraging to us to be able to look at a spreadsheet of data, but also hear testimonies like this because we know that by God's grace. The message of hope and Reformation is reaching into the Spanish-speaking world.

That's why you're anticipating that this Spanish language version of the Reformation study Bible will have such an impact both that and whenever I travel I wish I could count how many individuals approach me and say when is the Bible coming out. Can you tell me the anticipation is great and that were humbled by that. So the Reformation study Bible in Spanish, along with rental bond 02 Mente met. These are just two of the resources that legionnaires providing in Spanish is accurate, that is correct. One of the things that greatly excites me about being a part of the leg and your team is that we have a publishing wing here at Lincoln are called Reformation trusted over the last few years we've been able to publish more than 20 Reformation trust titles in the Spanish language.

Included among those titles are the crucial questions booklets.

For example, seven of which are currently in print.

The long line of godly men series, we adopt all of our teaching series into Spanish and make those available on DVD for our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters around the world. We have a thriving social media ministry, a thriving digital platform ministry we make teaching series available on YouTube. Teaching series I completely dubbing the Spanish is wonderful to actually see Dr. scroll teach the holiness of God in Spanish, along with our blog which is online@es.mcnair.org were we make available a number of different table talk articles for Spanish-speaking audience and this is where what the listeners to just know of our appreciation for their support for this ministry. I hope you hear the excitement that we have to see truth getting out to more people in more languages and that is only possible through your faithful support for this ministry. We are hearing from pastors. The difference that your support is making one of those pastors is Dr. Victor Cruz who has pastored for more than two decades in Mexico City and is likely to hear from him. The most powerful person like me grew up with all the tricky since the thermocouple way we come to understand the gospel concept of grace that is not what we do to please God.

That is not our good works that put us in the right position before God, but at that testing done for us through Jesus Christ, that he is like the that he died there for our skis and that he was recent from when explaining Catholics we hear that those are really good news is that I know you talking about the Roman Catholic Bible because this is not placed in the Roman Catholic Bible, so there is this talk for so many people like me that will be Patricia's religion and coming to find in the Scripture that the gospel is like not least cannot be the state religion is not placed in my soak*George the 100 examining planting churches, 1997 and my strategies when we nonbelievers or or or even Lead people to a Bible study. We could expect to bring their Bibles so that they can read their Bibles and the REMIC Bibles this thing foods that we have in the Protestant Bible and that was very powerful that was there was a shop because people would say. Like I said why I was never told the night me and my savings we attended Catholic schools question a lot of people at that I asked last why we were never told his message of the gospel. So he sees very powerful way the Holy Spirit reverse a person under a person's heart to receive the gospel.

But when when someone gets to understand the grace I suffered was in the gospel is just right out. There's a tremendous urgency to get the truth out to the nations is something that we talked about with RC before he went home to be with the Lord and it just excited him to no end. Lee to hear that looking at was no longer an English only ministry that we were prioritizing getting the word of God out to the nations to have faithful teaching from the word of God in your hearing. Hear from Pastor Cruz the reality that this kind of teaching has never been in their cultures before what we want to do it.

Looking at ministries is come alongside this young church that is growing throughout Latin America and provide the resources the discipleship tools that they need to help Christians know what they believe and why they believe it and how to live it as well as how to share it well just to give you some specifics about the Reformation study Bible in Spanish or like the English tradition that will have more than 1.1 million words of verse by verse commentary and topical explanations, award-winning maps and visual aids just like the English version of trusted contributions from 75 distinguished scholars theological summaries from Dr. scroll nearly 2000 years of creeds, confessions and catechisms. As RC said the light of the Reformation was the light of the Bible and the same is true today before we bring this to a close. Chris, this is just one portion of our international outreach.

The Reformation study Bible has been translated into other languages to correct its milestone resource now in Spanish, but we've already published it in Korean and German.

We have an addition in Portuguese that's underway, we have the outlines of the project to move forward in French as well as in Arabic and so just imagine a resource like this throughout the Arabic speaking world. We are moving this into more languages, along with all the other resources as well and the other thing about the Reformation study Bible in English is many of our listeners may not know that we are distributing thousands of these in Africa through distribution partners in churches there in English and so you're talking about a resource that really would be unattainable for most people in the developing world is to this vision for reaching the global South makes up a lot of what we spend our time thinking about and working on here at leader ministries the listeners to renew your mind.

Treasure truth. We know that you want to see that truth gets more people and it is part of our mission to reach as many people as possible. Their 7 billion souls on this planet. So we've got a lot of work to do, Chris. You also mentioned earlier, the urgency of this work and why we need the financial contributions of our listeners likely to hear what the doctor Cruz had to say about that urgency. I see that we are on the birds next year as the reformed faith keeps growing. I think that at this point we are of the birds of a revival that comes from a deep understanding of the gospel that we have never seen in America, so I think that there are things going on in our country's church planting being done by people that are very close to the eight I think the artist's role before leaders around throughout Latin America asked Fred that Lord of the reformed faith and many of the materials produced by Nick and Eric are making that information Bible.theology that respecting of the Christian faith Bible made many people we are seeing the beginning of the Bible, I've seen it with my own eyes.

And I've seen it throughout the entire regions and everything he says there's completely true. Man I so appreciate you and the team that you helped to oversee and working with Spanish pastors, church leaders throughout Latin America as well as helping us today to better understand the need and so I would just ask her listeners to pray for this project because getting it printed is one thing, we are now in the process of getting it distributed and we don't want to just get it out in the hundreds we want to get it out in the tens of thousands throughout the Spanish speaking world. So that's here in North America it's Latin America.

It's in Europe anywhere, the Spanish language is spoken and we want to do that as affordably as possible and so your prayerful support is what we desire that the Lord would take and use this resource to continue to build his church and we know he is building his church and he uses you uses me uses Matt and this is the body of Christ.

And it's beautiful to see this project come to fruition and I can only imagine how exuberant Dr. scroll would be to see this addition of the Spanish Reformation study Bible.

Well, you mentioned Chris. These are just a few of the many international outreach projects underway here at leader ministries and as we ask you, our listeners to join us in prayer. Would you also consider supporting our efforts financially. Your generosity helps us translate print and distribute trustworthy resources, providing countless opportunities to reach people with the truth of God's word.

My colleagues are standing by an elder take your call at 800-435-4343. You can also give your gift online when you go to Renewing Your Mind.work Lee I don't know if there's been a more exciting time to be a life as a Christian and right now really does count forever and so we are just I think on the cusp of a flourishing of the reformed faith throughout the world. This is been a dramatic year in the life of our nation and around the world because of the coronavirus pandemic but we have seen a great thirst for God's word and what better way to reach the Spanish-speaking world, then through this outreach.

So again, we invite you to come along prayerfully to offer your financial contributions to this outreach are number again is 800-435-4343 our web address is Renewing Your Mind.org that would let our listeners know where they can learn more information about the Spanish edition of the Reformation study Bible sure our English-speaking listeners can visit Reformation study Bible.com and our Spanish-speaking listeners can visit BB at the studio that I have Forma.com when they will be able to see an estimation of what the Bible has they were they able to see samples of the book of Ephesians. For example, and samples of all the study aids. Thank you. Matt did the my thanks to you Chris along with Pepe Mendoza and Victor Cruz and to all of you for joining us today.

Please make plans to be with us next week as we explore the simple phrase which encapsulates the glorious benefits and blessings of the Christian life. It's a phrase which the apostle Paul used quite often in Christ, Dr. Sinclair Ferguson will be our teacher will see you beginning Monday here on Renewing Your Mind