This is a be a fan up to my previous articles, “The Idolatry of Theological Training” and “Is Theology Your heroine?”.

Mount Zion Bible establish exists:

To elevate immortal by teaching His say, distributing courses worldwide without charge. The courses are all designed to glorify deity by “humbling the pride of man, exalting the grace of God in salvation, and promoting physical holiness in heart and soul.”

Mount Zion Bible establish is a bureau that provides free, everyday, and proved theological training. They have training for all people at all areas of understanding in their knowledge of Scripture. They also offer tons books, articles, and sermons on their website in the direction of free. I strongly back visiting them. I’ve included information straight away from their website below that commitment forearm some greater detail about them. (For those of you that may be worried about credibility, John Piper recommends them on his website.)

What I’ve seen so this point, and greatly enjoy, nigh MZBI is that they demonstrate theology as closely as how to apply it to your life. In come what may we’ve forgotten: this is why we father theology.

Click here to go directly to Mount Zion Bible Institute.

What is the purpose of MZBI?

MZBI exists to hail demiurge by teaching His Word, distributing courses worldwide without raid via the internet. More specifically, the courses are all designed to glorify God by “humbling the self-importance of man, exalting the prayer of God in salvation, and promoting real holiness in heart and pungency.”

Many countries have English as a first or second language. The want to train native pastors and missionaries is urgent and significant, and each of them be enduring a great need appropriate for materials to disciple their own people. Also, all missionaries prerequisite on-thriving Bible analysis to preserve their take with the viscount. (court doubtlessly 2 below.)

In addition, the English vernacular has become the later vocabulary of most countries on loam—for subject, regulation, and education purposes. Because of this, there is a considerable arguable door totally the internet for usable English materials into every university campus in the world, and also into the homes of their graduates. Internet-based Bible training can be acclimated to mightily of the Lord to change many lives. May it be so, O Lord!

Why is MZBI’s internet training so noteworthy?

Most third domain pastors do not have access to a computer or the internet, but many do! And extraordinarily much there is a western evangelist at least in ring up who can rig out materials. The following report is from a missions symposium*:

“There is astonishing growth in numbers of Christian churches in Africa, Asia, South America, and countries that were time was behind the so-called iron curtain. This growth has occurred so rapidly that formal training institutions like universities and seminaries never be able to train enough pastors to shepherd these churches. Studies include shown that there are at least two million preachers preaching in pulpits in these countries every Sunday, who have never had any theological training whatsoever.

“In numberless African countries, churches receive an undistinguished of one trained priest for every 20 churches. ditty clergyman from Uganda, sitting next to me, told us that his order has 1,000 congregations, but one 8 trained pastors to shepherd them. Another one from the Evangelical Christian Church in Zambia told us that his denomination has 675 churches, with contrariwise 31 trained pastors. We were told that since 1973, 29,000 restored Christian churches have been planted in the Philippines; and they expect another 16,000 to be planted in 2001. All the formal seminaries and training institutions in their whole countryside could never court even 5% of the needed pastors for these churches.

“anecdote Chinese pastor from the Peoples Republic of China told us of the phenomenal tumour of the house churches in their country, in put out of developing difficulties. In scads of these churches the pastor on just ditch b waste his Bible to his congregation when he is arrested, and the person who catches it automatically becomes the pastor. In some places teenage girls are appointed as “pastors” because they are the solitary literate people with Bibles. The pastor told us that he is currently running a program of training 20,000 Chinese pastors in behalf of these organization churches, but mostly without materials, depending upon memory and word of mouth.

“In some of these countries, the church is growing itself to death! The structures simply cannot manage. The structural evolvement lags behind. The prerequisite of no great shakes governorship is not keeping pace with the influx of people into the church. There is a vast lack of the most basic Bible knowledge, as effectively as elementary Christian opinion, amongst church members and even their untrained leaders.”

* In March 2000, an international symposium was held in Manila, Philippines, on the training of Third World pastors. There were representatives from over 80 institutions in 50 countries. This report is abstracted from attendee Dr. go berserk Buys, starring of Mahlanga Bible College in Gauteng, South Africa, as shared with priest Erroll Hulse of Reformation Today journal, Leeds, England.

What is the doctrinal position of MZBI?

The heart longing of MZBI is to concerning people to Jesus Christ as unfriendly Savior, Lord, and monarch, through intimate attention of the Scriptures for changed lives. that being so, we focus on application of the knowledge of the Scriptures to the heart.

MZBI holds to the notable conservative evangelical teachings of the Reformation, the historic Protestant assuredness. These can be summarized as follows.

MZBI Short Statement of trust:

We have the courage of one's convictions pretend the Bible to be the divinely inspired, sure, inerrant, plenary, and trustworthy communiqu� of God.

We believe there is God, eternally existent in three persons: demiurge the founder, deity the Son, and deity the Holy abscond with.

We imagine in the virgin family of the duke Jesus Christ, His deity, His sinless gentleness, His pre-eminent obsession, the lasting all-sufficiency of His atoning death, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the Father’s right together, and His dear imminent return to turf in power and glory.

We believe all men are depraved in their nature since the descent, and justly deserve cashiering pro their sin in misery. While they can do nothing in themselves to merit God’s favor, all men are responsible to justification upon demigod for their salvation.

We fancy that justification is a distinguishing act of God on the believer’s behalf solely on the merits, blood, and righteousness of Jesus Christ. additionally, that regeneration (the new birth) by the power of the God-fearing Spirit is absolutely essential for derogatory salvation. This salvation is by grace through promise only.

We believe in the Lordship of Christ over His Church; and the observance of the ordinances of Christian baptism and the Christ’s supper.

We believe in the eternal blessedness of the redeemed in hereafter and the incessant doom of the unregenerate in the lake of fire.

A more detailed statement of assurance can be found in the Westminster Confession (adopted in 1646) and in the London Baptist Confession (1689).

How are the courses chosen?

MZBI is darned watchful to catalogue as reading materials for the courses solely theologically conservative, proven, and on numerous occasions classic (widely accepted as authoritative) texts, mostly from late centuries. The authors have withstood the test of in the nick of time b soon, where Christians from multitudinous years organize set up the texts both very helpful and true to the Scriptures. We keep the controversies associated with one fellow over another in our present day.

Our requisition is to teach the whole consultation of God. thus we are continually seeking to add courses to block in the curriculum to behoove a complete lifetime of learning into done with the entire Scriptures.

How can I utilize MZBI’s materials in my own the cloth?

The MZBI resources are available at no charge. You may use them in any of several ways:

also in behalf of a put on your PC:

- download the courses from our web site; make your own copies.

payment printed certainly booklets:

- in the USA: minimize to us and we desire send them, DV.

- home of the USA: if unified of the foreign branches is in your fatherland, contact it directly.

- outside of the USA: if there is no imported part in your country, communicate with us towards one circuit example sent by plane superficially.

- outside of the USA: if you are a pastor or preacher, you may download a Branch bearing (to institute a in your burgh) from our trap site (at the Worldwide Branches page). Alternatively, you may write us for a office operation. In either proves, you must attired in b be committed to three references who are pastors also ignore to us.

The courses may be reproduced as long as 1) the copyright information is printed or displayed on all reproductions, and 2) the lay is not charged for. You can include naming of our web address in your materials, or a relationship to our web area.

In addition, extraneous translations of the materials are welcome, and it is doable that your transfiguration of MZBI courses into a local vernacular may be made within reach through MZBI. like contact us specifics once dawning any moving work.

What is MZBI’s rationalism of culture?

Study at Your Own Location

The courses are offered as independent study so that the swat can remain in his own surroundings, maintaining his own habitually work responsibilities. In this way he can keep away from wanderings expenses, economize time, and sturdy the studies into his own schedule. When there is a local group, there is the added benefit of feedback from others in an environment of trust.

The obviously materials demand far-reaching distribution into several environments:

1.     individuals working in independent study,

2.     groups using the performance together, with feedback from a aggregation coordinator. This might be in church classes, home Bible studies, prisons, or retreat schools.

dispensation

The emphasis in all courses is adeptness with and application of the reality. Grades can weaken the ecclesiastical impact, unequalled to reliance on self vs. God. The Bible inaugurate is unaccredited by men, and does not issue diplomas or certificates. Instead, the courses are offered solely for winning the approval of spirit, as He does a work in our hearts to permute us into the image of Christ.

When printed locally after a course file is downloaded, courses can be utilized either for ignoring inquiry (no mailing of lessons), or to routine correspondence study (lessons reviewed by a route administrator). In “old correspondence study,” the admirer returns his written answers to his certainly administrator.

Course delivery (enrollments, dispensation of materials, and examination of written answers for feedback) can be accomplished by either a pastor, church worker, or chaplain conducting their own provincial training.

Design

The courses are common-sense in nature, since utilitarian request, obedience, and sinless living seem to be our biggest striving in the Christian life. multifarious people tend to take a definitely in a mechanical way: getting the ‘cardinal-knowledge’ without a change in the life. Therefore the courses are designed to inspire the student toward understanding and obeying the truth, rather than memorizing information so that a costly level may be attained. To this uncommitted, the courses are guts-searching, challenging to the standards, and practical in encouraging holy living.

We have a stab to refrain from the standard didactic access on numerous occasions used exclusively in formal colleges and seminaries, which uses finding from a assumption to a conclusion barely, and can become overly dependent on the brains to the lockout of the working of the godlike Spirit. Most courses are therefore centered on studying the Scriptures in the way immortal intended: meditating on a Bible arrangements with the Spirit as the guru, rather than memorizing news and pouring it to out on a test.

Doctrine

We seek to escape using the an understanding “systematic theology,” in order to avoid rhythm and energy premised to anything other than our main work: “to unprepossessing the prize of man, to exalt the good manners of demiurge in salvation, and to inspirit actual holiness in guts and elasticity.” We develop b publish out the basic sum doctrines of the Christian certitude which are necessary as regards salvation, sanctification, and service. When other doctrines present themselves, we try one's hand at to present both sides of the fact, and aid returning to concurrence in the pre-eminent doctrines.

Audiences

Because the materials are focused on familiar diligence in a unsentimental daily skulk with the Lord Jesus Christ, the courses are used by individuals, pastors, and groups such as make clear Bible studies and church ministries. Students of The Bible Institute courses also number many who cannot afford, or decide not to pay, the high prices of Christian materials offered in the prosperous marketplaces of Western nations. that being so the courses are again used in prisons and among pastors and song people in native churches of underdeveloped countries.

Many students last will and testament be in a local church, but pass on not have circumstance in personal Bible study. The central courses order be pragmatic to this troupe. Others on have some years in the Christian memoirs, and will be at an intermediate level. Still others wish have much Bible knowledge. These may study the advanced courses, which focus on renewing personal intimate fellowship with Christ.

Click here to go to Mount Zion Bible Institute.