And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days (Rev. 11:3)
When you hear a foreign language that you don’t speak, you hear sounds that don’t mean anything to you. But what is meaningless noise to you conveys a concrete, intelligent message to a someone who understands that language.
The Gospel message of salvation by grace alone has the power to free enslaved hearts. The Gospel transforms irascible scoundrels into servants of God. And yet to a skeptic, this message of free forgiveness is utter foolishness. Only God’s Spirit can raise the spiritually dead to belief through the “foolishness of what is preached” (1 Cor 1:21).
There are many barriers to belief today. Satan’s “fake news” permeates the thinking of people everywhere. His lies throw their eternal fate into doubt and create fear of impending doom and destruction. Only the Gospel of Jesus can clear away the lies and pave the road for living life in the Spirit.
The Bible exists in over 1,300 languages today. But even when someone hears the Gospel in his mother tongue, the multiplicity of Satan’s deceptions obscure its meaning. Two new books have been recently published in the Chichewa language. These two “witnesses” will further clarify the Gospel message.
Chilangizo
The Chichewa word “chilangizo” means “advice.” This book’s purpose is to offer a Christian response to customs about puberty. People engage in these traditional practices because they don’t understand they contradict the teachings of the Bible.
The author of this book is Pastor Patrick Magombo. He is currently serving at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Salima which is located in the Central Region of Malawi. Pastor Magombo grew up in the Southern Region. There he observed customs that are similar to those in the Central Region. He spent about a decade researching and writing this book. It contains both Biblical admonitions and basic health information about the way that young people should treat their bodies.
This book gives local church leaders Bible-based teaching for adolescents about their future family responsibilities. It offers an alternative to the non-Biblical initiation of the tribal secret society Gule Wamkulu. The book contains talking points to discuss sensitive topics like sexual purity and relationships with members of the opposite sex. There is also guidance for local leaders to help young married couples deal with issues like infertility and in-laws.
Rates of STD’s, broken marriages and teen pregnancies in Malawi have increased since the introduction of multi-party government in 1993. Secular health organizations only address the physiological aspect of these issues. They pass over what the Bible says about the body being the “temple of the Lord” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). Pastor Magombo encourages LCCA congregations to appoint mature “advisors” who will offer Christian guidance to local teens and young adults.
Basic Doctrines of the Bible
WELS Pastor Armin Schuetze wrote the book Basic Doctrines of the Bible in 1969. He also authored the Pastoral Theology textbook Shepherd Under Christ and the official statement of WELS doctrine This We Believe. Translations of Basic Doctrines of the Bible are available in Spanish, Portuguese, Ukrainian, and now Chichewa.
This book is an invaluable tool for pastors. It allows them to offer further instruction to their adult members in the teachings of Lutheranism. It follows the outline of doctrinal textbooks used to teach Seminarians but presents the material at layperson’s level of understanding. Each of the 16 chapters contains further questions for discussion.
Rev. Mitengo discovered the book in the library of the congregation he is currently serving. He translated it for members of his adult Bible class orally. The printed edition will give people direct access to this valuable resource. WELS Multi-Language Productions financed this publication. To learn more about this ministry visit https://wels.net/serving-others/multilanguageproductions/
May God use these “two witnesses” to bring Gospel light and joy to the people of Malawi.
Missionary John Roebke lives in Malawi and serves as the Communications Director of One Africa Team
Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa
