SEPTEMBER 2009

Would you like to know what kind of questions African listeners of the Reformed Faith and Life broadcast ask me to answer when they write to me?  Here are some of them:

• If chance does not exist, why does the Bible use that word?

• Was the garden of Eden the paradise?  If so, why did it disappear?

• A former cabinet minister became converted to the Christian faith.  While in office, he stole large amounts of money from his country. What must he now do?  Give himself over to the judicial system of his country, pay back what he has stolen, give the stolen goods to the church, or keep them for himself?

• A young man, who is the son of a prostitute, becomes a convert.  His mother is paying his studies and supports him with her activities.  What must he do? Must he renounce to be funded by his mother, who cares a lot for him?

• A young couple of teachers, both Christians, live in a village where yam cannot be eaten before a certain ritual (intended to appease the spirits of the deceased ancestors) has been performed by the inhabitants of the village.  What must this young couple do?  Must they wait until the ceremony has taken place before they eat of it?

If you want to know what kind of answers are provided during the Reformed Faith and Life broadcast, it is quite easy: first learn French and then go and visit our website: www.foi-vie.org.za where the texts of all our programmes are posted.  These texts can be downloaded by any internet user worldwide and should you come in contact with French speaking people in need of hearing the Gospel, do not hesitate to use our material, which is not copyrighted.  You can become an instrument in the hands of the Lord to reach towards people who otherwise will remain unreached by the saving Word.

Bassar is a small town situated somewhere in the center of Togo , a tiny West African country. A few years ago the founder and director of a local Christian radio station in Bassar contacted me to organize the broadcasts of Reformed Faith and Life.  Last week I received a letter from a listener who regularly follows these programmes.  Here follows what he writes: May God bless you richly.  I can assure you that you deliver a great service to the world, at least to those who listen to your broadcasts.  May be you think that you tell the Bible to children [this listener is referring to a series of messages addressed to children where I specifically tell them the historical narratives of the Old Testament] but in reality adults greatly benefit from the passages you read.  To be quite honest I myself - and I am but one example of many such people – rarely read these historical passages about the life of the people of Israel; whence my great interest in listening to you.  The goal of my letter, however, is to ask you, if at all possible,  to send me the whole series obout Christian freedom by Martin Luther: I find it rich in insights about the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross.

A few years ago I made an adaptation of this wonderful writing by the German Reformer, which every believer ought to have read.  There are certainly people (also in the Church, alas) who would contend that a Reformer of the 16^th century like Luther has nothing to offer to a contemporary African.  Well, this letter will most definitely prove them wrong…

Please keep the ministry of Reformed Faith and Life in your prayers. Without your continued support, it would be impossible to answer the questions of my listeners or correspondents and produce, record and broadcast new programmes for French speaking Africa and elsewhere.

In the name of the Lord of the mission

Rev. Eric Kayayan