“God’s Word is the only thing we actually have that gives us hope.”
That’s Raynard Schovell, a Langham-trained pastor in South Africa. It’s a simple but life-changing statement.
Langham training helps preachers understand that powerful reality and equips them to share that good news more effectively with others. And the impact of Langham training extends beyond the pulpit, too.
Kgabo Ledwaba is one example.
Unlocking the richness of Scripture
Ledwaba began attending a church in South Africa where the preachers have been trained by Langham. The sermons, different from what she’d ever heard before, sparked a desire to go deeper into the Word. So she signed up for one of Langham’s seminars.
It opened up the Bible in a way Ledwaba hadn’t experienced before. “It has been so wonderful to have somebody explain to me: this is how you read the Bible. There is nothing that is standing on its own in the Bible. It’s part of this big plan of God.”
That knowledge has changed how she lives. “It’s no longer like, the Word is there, and I’m somewhere else, living my own life,” Ledwaba shares. “It becomes part and parcel of who I am.”
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Sharing the tools with others
Now she’s passing on the tools she learned as she leads small groups and serves in other areas of ministry. Her desire is to help more people learn how to read the Bible well. Many women she talks with don’t know where to start when they open the Bible. They often end up picking out a random verse or two before moving on with their day, missing out on the larger story and richness of Scripture.
“You go nearer to God when you read the Bible. It starts talking to you. I don’t know how to explain that, but you feel it in your heart,” Ledwaba says.
[Read more: How the Africa Bible Commentary changes lives]
Her story is a picture of the principle that underlies all of Langham Partnership’s work, especially our pastoral training: The Word of God changes lives. The more people who hear the Word taught faithfully, the more lives will change.
As Russel Abrahams, Langham’s preaching coordinator in South Africa, puts it, “When your eyes get opened to that, it changes everything about you. You see yourself in a totally different light. You’re not the man you used to be. Your priorities change. The way you work, the way you think – everything changes.”