Lesotho Bible Study
Lesotho Bible study is spreading though trained leaders from Christian Leaders Institute. This ministry training is free and available for Christian Leaders. Lesotho Bible study is critical because Christian leaders and pastors in Lesotho have not had access to high-quality Bible study training. This testimony from Atisang Mokhele at Christian Leaders Institute illustrates the need for Lesotho Bible study training.
Greetings to you all. I live in a country called Lesotho in the town of Maseru. MY counry landlocked by Africa. It can be pretty tough sharing Christ here simply because most of the people believe that they are Christian even though that may not necessarily be the case. There are no laws in particular that impede sharing the Gospel or being a believer. The landscape is flooded with churches but very little transformation is taking place largely because of the lack of training within the clergy and the many strongholds that Basotho have bound themselves to.
How I came to the saving knowledge of Christ was pretty gradual. Christ pulled me out of darkness, He came to me and called me out. For years I would see Christians with their Bibles in school and I would wonder what awkwardness and total weirdness that was, not knowing that His work in my life had begun. when I was in university as a freshman, I raised my hand at a service held in campus when people were asked to raise their hand in order to receive Christ. My conversion wouldn’t be complete and genuine until I met a missionary, who is now a dear friend, with Africa Inland Mission, who lives and carries out her ministry in the town of Maseru. She is the one who fully explained the Gospel to me in a Lesotho Bible study and I made a decision for Christ following that and have never turned back. That was back in 2007/8.
Lesotho Bible Study Training at CLI
At present, I know for sure I need to be getting ministry training. I had been seeking a way to get training when incredibly at about the same time I came across Christian Leaders Institute which I believe was God’s plan for me. My personal ministry dream is not entirely clear at this point. I am however passionate about evangelism, teaching the Word and making lasting relationships with other believers. I believe these things God has put in my heart and in time it will become clearer what it is God has planned for me and my family. For now I just know I need to get training.
Evangelism as I have already mentioned is a very huge part of what my ministry ambitions are. I wish to see my countrymen come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. In the book of Romans it talks about people knowing only when others tell them about the Gospel. It is my hope that those who will come to know Christ will with the same excitement share the Good news of His Love.
Right now I’m not in active ministry, I am part of a local church and a bible study group. The desire to see people being taught the Word of God in Spirit and In Truth I believe is what launched my quest for ministry Training. It is The Holy Spirit I believe who put it in my heart to not just be a pew warmer but to go out, fulfill His mission and edify the Body through all that He has put in me. For the longest time in my faith walk, I was not getting solid bible teaching so when I met Jo Fernandez, my ministry mentor and my bible study facilitator (my missionary friend), I received solid biblical teaching and from then on I knew I wanted my countrymen to be at the receiving end of sound teaching from the Word of God.
The key challenge I believe the Church face here is the thick, tough wall of ancestral worship that veils our spiritual eyes as Basotho. Put that together with the many churches that colour the landscape, you have a strongly intertwined sycretism of a Biblical Worldview with an animistic African worldview that is hard to penetrate and untangle. It took many years for me to personally come out of it. The same applies for most Basotho. Very few see that its even something that exists. Its okay for a person to go to church on Sunday and slaughter a white chicken tomorrow to remove some bad omen or curse they were placed under for one reason or another. This gives many a pastor and missionary much headache.
After finding out about CLI, I immediately let my local church pastor know that I was considering taking up the scholarship. He was more than okay with the idea. I also talked with him about letting other church folk know so that if there are any who want to get the training they could. The church fully supports this move. At least I know that the pastor knows, I don’t know if the rest of the board knows.
What I know for sure is that my family fully supports me and the path that I have taken concerning ministry. By family I mean my wife. Her consent is all that matters. As long as I have time for the family, and they don’t feel neglected, I’m happy. Her support means the world to me. I’m grateful that she is behind me all the way. As for my 8 month old son, well, I’m sure he’ll understand. I do hope to minister together with my wife, in whatever way that may look like.
It really is a wonderful thing that God is doing through CLI. Thousands upon thousands will benefit from free ministry training saving many thousands in costs. I know for sure I could never afford to go seminary from my own pocket. I was always looking for a window of opportunity The Lord would open up for me. I believe CLI is that window. Quiet simply put, without CLI, i would probably never realize my ministry dream. So it [CLI] has helped me at least believe that I will live to see my ministry dreams and goals come to fruition.
My ministry calling is gradually unfolding. I don’t want to force The hand of God, that is both impossible, but I would like to see more clearly what it is He wants for me at this point in my life. It would be wonderful to get some prayer support here. Also for more and more Basotho to desire to get training ministry training as we continue spreading the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
The need for well-trained Lesotho Bible Study leaders is great. Christian Leaders Institute operates on an offering based model, click here for more details. The training is free. Click here to make an offering
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Hello my name is James Branton, I live in North Carolina USA. I have been married for 14 years to a very wonderful Godly lady. God has blessed us with two beautiful girls that He has placed in our care to raise up for Him and His glory. I was Ordained a Minister in November 2014 and now serving along side my pastors of 12 years at my local church.
I came to know the Lord in 1978 at the same church I am now serving in. As a child my parents took great care to raise me and my four sisters up in the love of Christ. I can’t ever remember a time in my early childhood life of never not being at church when the doors were open. That being said when I was in my teen years and young adult life I fell away from the Lord for a number of years but I could always feel God pulling me back to Him. The word of God tells us in Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. God in his mighty grace brought me back and I have dedicated my life to Him.
My ministry dream is to serve the Lord in His will for my Life. I ask God to guide me and lead me in the way he would have me to go. I want to see people set free from sin and come into a long lasting relationship with Christ. I identify with the name Minister for I know God has raised me up to be a minister of His word and to teach and preach His word.
I felt God pulling me into the ministry in 2003 during a very large church meeting at a local school. At that time I could not understand how God could make a way for me to become a minister at my age and being lost for such a long time. The peace of God passes all understanding and God has shown me things that I never thought possible. In 2003 the Lord placed in my heart to learn how to play the guitar and in 2005 God started using me in the worship ministry playing the guitar and leading the praise and worship on Sunday mornings. Leading worship is still part of my ministry today and through that worship I have come into a strong loving relationship with Lord my God.
My learning has been mainly from my mentors and the word of God which I hold dear to my heart. My mentors have helped me reach some very high goals that I could have not reached on my own. I am very shy by nature and I struggled for a very long time speaking in front of crowds. But with their help and the hand of God guiding me I have broken out of my shell and I long to see souls saved and people set free.
We never know what God has planned for us in the future and God has opened a door for training through your ministry that will help me grow in knowledge needed for a life of ministry. I feel the training you offer can help me reach my goals to take the message of the cross to a lost world. Please pray that God will show me His will for me and the ministry I know He has called me into.