As a homiletics professor I have the privilege of teaching men and women from the U.S. and around the world. I’d like you to see two sides of their stories. First, many have sacrificed almost everything to be in the Master of Divinity program. Because they are unsponsored by a conference, they must study and work at menial jobs while their spouses also work, sometimes two jobs, and raise the children. Because of their financial hardships, their children have often attended public schools. However, when they graduate and are hired to serve churches, they are required to promote Christian education although their children have attended public schools. To address this disparity, a small group of us have started an initiative called “First the Blade.” Once a month these children are invited to a program featuring Adventist heritage lessons.  Tax-deductible funds are also solicited to assist families who put their children in our schools. To date, we’ve given $8,565 in scholarships. It’s our goal to sponsor all their children in public schools to receive a Christian education.

And there’s another side to my students. Some of their testimonies during preaching sessions are inspiring, such as that of Tjatur Purnomo, a pastor from central Java, Indonesia:

“In 2001 a young man, not a church member, asked me to visit his family because his parents were always fighting. My wife and I visited his family. In my first visitation we met his mom and brothers. I introduced myself, and this family was very happy with our visit. His mom is a Christian, but his dad is a strict Muslim. At that time her husband was not at home, and she told me that they had a big problem because they have different beliefs. This woman told us that one day when she was fighting with her husband, he took her Bible and said, ‘This Bible is the main source of our fighting.’ So he took it to the back of their house and threw it into the fire and went away.

“She didn’t know that her husband had thrown her Bible into the fire, and after a half hour of their fighting, she looked for her Bible. She wanted to read it to get peace and comfort, but she couldn’t find it. She looked everywhere until she found her Bible in the blazing fire. She was very shocked, so she reached in and grabbed the Bible out of the flames. It was amazing! The Bible wasn’t burnt after a half hour in the fire. She took the Bible and said, ‘God! You are amazing!’

“She gave me the Bible and said: ‘Pastor, this is the evidence that what I am saying is true.’ I held the Bible. I could smell the smoke on it. I examined it carefully, and it was clean—no singed pages or scorched cover. That day she asked me, ‘Can we study more about this Bible?’ I was still spellbound when I answered, ‘Yes! Absolutely!’ I immediately started Bible studies in her home, and the great thing is that we used the amazing Bible.  Eventually I met her husband, but he didn’t want to join us. He just saw what our activities were. I continued to visit and study with this woman, using the Bible that wouldn’t burn.

“For a couple of months I directed the Bible study for the family, and it was a miracle when suddenly the husband who had tried to burn the Bible came to me and said: ‘I threw the Bible into the fireplace. The Bible didn’t burn, but now it’s burning me. Can I study the Bible with you?’

“I was amazed again. ‘Oh, yes! Absolutely,’ I agreed without hesitation. ‘You can join with me and your family to study the Bible.’ One year after we studied the Bible together, this man was baptized on a Sabbath day, and that Sabbath he was baptized alone. He was the first Adventist in that area. One year after his baptism his wife, his children, and his neighbors were baptized too. Twenty-two people from his area attend our church every Sabbath because of his witness for Jesus. Now I am happy because one of his sons is a pastor of one of our churches.”

The power of God is incredible, and Jesus still saves!