“My Richest Treasure”: How God’s Word Is Shaping Two Zambian Pastors

A Bible for Each Student

Imagine enrolling in a Bible school without having a Bible to bring with you. This is how Faustin Kaputa arrived on his first day of classes at Proclamation Institute Zambia (PIZ) almost two years ago. And while his classmate Emmanuel Matiza had a portion of an old, worn out Bible in his possession, he didn’t want to experience the embarrassment of showing up with only some of a Bible, so he too came empty-handed.

It was a special surprise in their very first class when the professor walked in carrying a box. It contained copies of the ESV Global Study Bible for each student. An additional blessing for the students was that the Bibles were provided free of charge. Emmanuel, Faustin, and all other first-year students could now read God’s Word for themselves as they began a two-year program focused on studying the Bible.

This was made possible through Crossway’s One Million Bibles Initiative: Global South. Through the support of thousands of donors, more than 720,000 Bibles are already in the process of being printed and distributed to places like Zambia, where pastors in training are in need of a personal copy of God’s Word.

We recently talked with Faustin and Emmanuel, where they shared how the Lord brought them to study at PIZ and what the Lord has done through having access to these Bibles and biblical training.

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Why do you want to become a pastor and receive theological training?

Emmanuel: When I came to PIZ, at first it was mostly about wanting to learn more about the Bible. It wasn’t really with the approach of thinking these things should be part of my future as a pastor, I just wanted to learn to share the gospel with others. But I went back home after the first year and I started thinking about what I’m learning there, [I realized] that it’s not just for the benefit of other people around me. The training I’m receiving is actually beneficial for myself because I’m being trained on how to understand the Bible in its context. I’m learning how to read Scripture the way it is to be understood from how it was written. I ought to look at it through how they understood it then and that should influence how it is being applied to us today. Before now, I was just reading it and sharing it with others without a proper understanding.

I used to preach here and there for small group Bible studies at the church where I belong. But I didn’t have the skill of handling the Bible. I wanted more because my perspective is that there is more to what God has given to us, but we need to be prepared for that. We can’t just sit down and say there is more and you’re not doing anything about it.

Faustin: I was motivated by one of the PIZ professors when he was explaining how to interpret the Bible [during a seminar I attended before coming to PIZ]. I was a preacher in my church before coming to PIZ . . . but I had one obstacle before me. Language was difficult because I knew only French and not English. But people, even this professor, encouraged me by saying, “Just come and you’ll learn.” Now a year later I’m speaking English.

What is something transformative you’ve learned during your time at PIZ?

Emmanuel: The aspect of servanthood. The professors have taught us that ministry is not about a title but about being a servant. I have been called by God to serve God and I belong in a kingdom of brothers and sisters. This has been an amazing thing because where I come from, titles are more prioritized than servanthood. When you ask someone who is in ministry about their work, they may say something like, “I’m a pastor,” “I’m a bishop,” or “I’m a reverend,” but here we’ve been taught humility and how to engage with people without making them feel less. So this training is not only centered on expository preaching, but we are also taught to be humble.

Faustin: Coming here has been a surprise for me, to tell you the truth. Every day in the beginning of my training I was confessing to God, “Forgive me for every mistake I made before in how I misled people through your Word.” Through studying here I have come to see how to read and understand the Bible. It’s not the way we are used to seeing it in our own strength. Now when I read it, I understand that I am seeing God in the Bible. And when they teach us, I can see that it’s only about Christ. Now I know you cannot preach any passage without Christ.

How has having access to a physical Bible changed the way you can know God?

Faustin: I can smile, I can laugh, I can shout because of this Bible. When you are using the Bible of someone else, it’s not yours. But when you get your own Bible, you carry it like a treasure. And with this Bible, I can understand this Bible very clearly and simply. When you are reading a passage of Scripture, just below there is an explanation to help you to understand the verses you’re reading. And at the end of the Bible there is even a dictionary for the big words. And it helps you to understand the words correctly.

Also, before any book of the Bible there is an introduction with a purpose stating why each book has been written and to whom. It helps you to understand how they were living at that time and how the original readers understood the passage in context. I understand now that this is very, very important for helping me also to bring the message of Christ to others. So I say that this is not just a Bible or a book, but it’s my richest treasure.

Emmanuel: This Bible has so much information—it helps us to even see how the Bible books are structured. It makes it easy for me to understand how the themes are moving in each book in the way it has been put together.

Another good part about having a Bible that is physical is that you are able to mark it up in whatever way you would like. You can scribble, you can underline, you can write whatever you want because it is yours. It’s amazing. And now in our studies at school, we are being taught how to look for important things like repeated words, and to find what is being said in the Bible.

And it’ll make the Word of God easier to access, because the difference between a digital Bible and physical Bible is that a phone is full of distractions, but when you get this physical copy, there are no distractions. Nobody’s going to send you a text in the Bible. It’s just different.

Emmanuel and Faustin can speak firsthand to the blessing of having a Bible for themselves. Now, when they graduate in November, they’ll be able to re-enter their churches better equipped with both theological training and a tool in the study Bibles to continue learning and growing in the knowledge of God’s Word.

Emmanuel even spoke of the dream he has of making Bibles available to many others who don’t have one: “This Bible is a gift, and it’s our prayer that these Bibles should be given to a lot of people, especially in my country, Zambia. It’s our prayer that the Lord will continue opening doors for you so that you may distribute even two million Bibles so that a lot of people can benefit.” He knows the need from experience, and he knows many others who also have a need.

The One Million Bibles Initiative: Global South is nearing its completion, and at Crossway we are trusting the Lord to help us close the gap in providing the final Bibles in this effort. Though the needs are great around the world, each Bible distributed means one man or woman will have access to read God’s Word for themselves—this is a “richest treasure” indeed.

Pray for strength from the Spirit for Emmanuel and Faustin to continue faithfully in their studies, and for the Lord’s guidance as they consider potential further theology studies after graduation in November.

Thank God for the many Bibles already distributed. Pray for the provision of the remaining funds needed so that the Kingdom would grow and flourish throughout the Global South.