Ethiocross Blog

Faith Comes By Hearing: “Many people in our language group haven’t understood Christianity before,” said one Ethiopian Reverend. “It seems to them like whole, unground grain, as yet indigestible.”

This was the common viewpoint toward Christianity among the Bench people in southwest Ethiopia. That is, until God’s Word in audio began sweeping through village after village.

Every week, more than 32,000 Bench people gather in common areas, under trees and in churches to listen to the Word of God in their own language as part of an Audio Bible outreach project of Faith Comes By Hearing.

Now, the people give different responses.

As I hear the Proclaimer playing the Word in my heart language, it convinced me that God is speaking directly to me,”
-- Yenee, a lady attending a weekly Bible listening group

Faith Comes By Hearing, the world’s foremost Audio Bible ministry, has a goal of implementing two million Bible listening groups and recording the New Testament in 2,000 languages by 2016. This international Audio Bible ministry is teaming up with like-minded organizations across the globe to reach and disciple the world’s poor and illiterate people with the pure Word of God.

Among the Bench people, there are more than 580 groups regularly gathering for a time of Bible listening, followed by discussion. Local leaders say God’s Word has been a difference maker, bringing understanding, instruction, hope, value, boldness, access, conviction, and transformation.

“I have seen a real change in our spiritual life as we started to hear the Audio New Testament in our heart language,” said Negasi, a Bench evangelist. “Nobody was seen asking question in times of teaching before, but now, many questions are raised during the Bible listening sessions.”

“The Proclaimer is teaching us the Word of God,” said a local pastor. “For this is real, our life is without doubt transformed.”

“It is at this time of the Bible listening program that I began to learn the Bible,” said a local priest. “God is doing miracles in my life. This gave me hope that He will do more miraculous works.”

A Christian ministry director added, “Faith Comes By Hearing is salt to our Christianity. It endows our faith with a pleasant taste.”

There are more than 85 known indigenous languages in Ethiopia. The Bench people are a relatively minor group of about 173,000 people. Historically, this people group and their language were not recognized among the greater Ethiopian society.

“The language was severely abhorrent,” said Yonas, a Bench man. “It was said to us even the computer itself does not accept the Bench language, but repulses it. It is miraculous to hear the Word of God in our own language. It is for us like waking up from sleeping.”

Not all of the Bench people were happy to hear some of the Bible’s teachings.

“When I heard preaching at church, I was against preachers thinking that they were insulting me because they knew about my drunkenness,” said a middle-aged man. “But now, while I hear the New Testament in my heart language, I am obtaining truth about the issue and am changing my life direction.”

Remi Peythieu, a Faith Comes By Hearing coordinator for Africa, said the Bench people have been very responsive to God’s Word.

“These listening groups rapidly expanded among this people group,” Peythieu said. “Because when they get to the Book of Acts and hear how the disciples spread the message of Christ through the modern world, they say, ‘We can do that!’”

“With only 300 Proclaimers, the Bench people started more than 580 listening groups,” said Peythieu. “Typically, people think one Proclaimer equals one Bible listening group. There is a viralness and multiplication aspect that took hold here.”

The Bench people seem to do the most with the resources they are given. Out of the vast need there for the Word of God, the workers continued to establish more and more listening groups.

With little infrastructure in southwest Ethiopia, gaining access to this area can be difficult. There are neither roads nor electricity. But the audio format of the Bible is giving the Bench people access to the Word of God like never before.

“Faith Comes By Hearing invites every listener into discussion,” said Hagos. “We think over, for ourselves, what the Bible says. And, we never had such an approach to God’s Word before.”

“The Faith Comes By Hearing program taught me that God is a God of justice. It motivated me to examine myself rather than counting other people’s sin,” said a female Bible listening group member.

A local worker who helps establish these listening groups said, “The preparation of the Audio New Testament in the Bench language created a new chapter of life and a born-again spirit in the life of the Bench people.”

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3)

Source:- Faith Comes By Hearing

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