Making Disciples in Cameroon

What's New In January, we decided to transition to a new church in Louisville. The Lord has been at work at Bashford Manor Baptist, bringing in several families and two new pastors to help strengthen and revitalize this declining church. Things are still very new, but we are excited about the opportunities this will bring for us to be sharpened for ministry, and to be used by God to see this church nursed back to health. We're hoping to get involved by teaching/discipling, showing hospitality, and helping the church grow in its love for the nations and the Bakoum people. Jesus loves his church, and he will continue to build and protect it through all eternity. What's Next As we look forward to bringing our daughter home in April, we're continuing to network with churches and individuals to finish the support raising phase of our journey; please pray for God's provision and prayerfully consider supporting us personally as well as connecting us with others wh...

While I (Tabitha) was in Cameroon, I had the true privilege of meeting the team of Oroko translators. Along with World Team missionaries, they recently completed the translation of the New Testament and the book of Genesis. One of them, Pastor Elias Bea, has agreed to answer a few questions for our blog. Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Pastor Bea. Please tell us a little bit about yourself -- how you came to know Christ and how you became a pastor. My name is Elias Bea. I am an Oroko, from Big Bekondo in the Mbonge subdivision of the southwest region of Cameroon. I am married to Emilia and we have 5 children. I am a pastor with the Apostolic Church Cameroon (TACC), pastoring in Kumba. I was a rascal, smoking Indian hemp as young boy in primary school without the knowledge of my parents. I was a member of a very young group of thieves, and I was involved in skirmishes. I took the First School Leaving Certificate Exams two times and failed. After that, I decided to go b...

The wrath of God is an unpopular subject. A lot people, including many Christians, prefer to think only of God's grace. Some say that God was angry and vengeful in the Old Testament, but he changed his ways when he sent Jesus, whom they think was only meek and mild. But this false dichotomy undermines the gospel by which we are saved. The Old Testament is full of God's mercy, and the New Testament is full of God's wrath. Together, they paint  one coherent picture of the God with whom there is no shadow due to change (Jas 1:17). And that's good news for you, me, and the people of Cameroon. Merciful From the Beginning A careful reading of the Old Testament shows that God was merciful from the start. In the garden of Eden, after sin entered the world and in the midst of God pronouncing judgment on Adam, Eve, and Satan, we read the promise that the seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15). In this grievous moment, God was already promising t...

We've all heard it, and many of us, including me, have said it. God has called me into ministry.   I've often said that I'm called to make disciples in Cameroon. It's easy to talk about the tasks and ministry we feel led to be involved in as a  calling, and sometimes we mean that God has told us directly (whether audibly or within our own spirits) the specifics of how we are to serve him. But does the Bible speak of the ministry God gives us as a calling? God Hasn't "Called" You, But He Has Called You The New Testament rarely describes someone receiving a call directly from God to engage in a particular ministry. Paul and Barnabas were set apart by the Holy Spirit for ministry, but that was in the context of the local church and not on their own (Acts 13:2). Later, when on his second missionary journey, Paul saw a vision of a man urging him to go to Macedonia, which he did (Acts 16:9). But this was hardly a call to ministry; Paul was already engaged i...

As we meditate on the incarnation of Jesus Christ this Christmas, it is good to remember all that he came to accomplish in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension 2,000 years ago. For many, remembering Jesus' humble birth in a barn is awkward because they haven't done so since last Christmas. For others, it's a joyful time of refreshing reflection as we remember that the immortal God put on mortal flesh so that by his death he could save all who would believe in him from the penalty and power of sin. And that's a glorious, worship-inspiring, God-glorifying thing to do. More Than Just Justified But it doesn't come as natural for us to remember that Jesus came not only to secure our justification, but also our sanctification. Do we remember that the effects of the incarnation had a worldwide scope, not to mention a cosmological one? You may know that the gospel will reach every tribe and tongue, but have you ever considered the fact that the baby born ...

As I look forward to serving Jesus by investing in the men leading his church in Cameroon, I feel a deep sense of humility and excitement. Who is sufficient for such work? Who am I to take part in the King's expansion of his sovereign rule over the hearts of men? God is immeasurably kind and gracious. And as if this wasn't enough, he's provided an incredible team of godly co-workers. But we will be small in number.  Now, God does amazing and impossible things, and he needs no outside resources. He spoke creation into existence and authored the salvation of mankind before anything or anyone existed. He killed the warrior Goliath through the sling and stone of David the shepherd boy. He defeated 120,000 Midianite soldiers with 300 Israelites. He defeated death when Christ rose from the dead.He will finally and decisively destroy sin and Satan when Christ returns. And in the meantime, the Lord Jesus Christ can and will build his church among all nations of the earth. He do...

This video from Mission Aviation Fellowship features the presentation of the complete Bible to the Hupla people of Papua, Indonesia, translated into their heart language. God's Word is for every tribe and tongue! This is glorious! A few things to note: 1. One of the men of the Hupla tribe was eager to read the Bible in his heart language to understand it on a deeper level. Learning a local language, codifying it, and teaching literacy to the indigenous people are often necessary components of Bible translation. Why would someone go through so much trouble, especially when producing a new translation can take over 20 years? Why not just teach them to read English? This is why, and it's worth it! Translating the Bible into the heart language communicates God's love for every tongue (compare this with Islam, which teaches you must know Arabic to read the Qu'ran), and it allows his people to understand him on a deeper level.  2. The translator hoped that local theolog...