Maybe you’ve seen someone wearing a t-shirt that says, “If you can read this, thank a teacher.” That’s a helpful reminder that we don’t always appreciate the blessings we’ve been given.
A few weeks ago, Andy Diestelkamp and David Diestelkamp spoke at a monthly study for area Gospel preachers about their work in the West African nation of Sierra Leone. They were quick to point out that the work is not at all glamorous. They don’t ever have time for sight-seeing, as every day is filled with opportunities to preach the Gospel. But, perhaps the most moving part of the discussion was about the daunting challenges they face in that part of the world.
Sierra Leone is the seventh poorest nation in the world despite abundant natural resources. That’s primarily due to government corruption and the influence of foreign corporations. Subsistence living is the norm for the average people. Few have any regular income, so they barter and share just enough food to survive each day. Many religious groups have taken advantage of the situation by providing money and resources to anyone who will subscribe to their belief system. As a result, people are quick to “believe” if they think there might be some financial compensation in return. Of course, that is not God’s pattern. It is the truth of the Gospel, not money, that is “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16 esv). Andy and David find themselves constantly battling that mindset and looking for those who have genuine hearts of faith.
Perhaps an even greater, but less obvious challenge they face is the fact that very few people in Sierra Leone know how to read. How do you preach the Gospel, which is found in a book, to people who have not even once read a book? Think about it. It is simply not possible for many of those Christians to do what the Bereans did in Acts 17:11, “they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (esv). When someone teaches you something about God or what he expects of you, how would you really know whether or not it’s true? For that reason, it is very difficult for many of the Christians in Sierra Leone to gain a solid understanding of the Scriptures. Even those who have some ability to read are usually so focused on pronunciation that they have a very difficult time understanding what they’ve read.
What’s interesting is that the literacy rate in Sierra Leone today is comparable to the literacy rate of the people we read about in the Bible. We see that, for example, in passages like 2 Kings 22:8–11 where Hilkiah finds the book of the Law of God in the temple, where it had been lost for years. He sends it to king Josiah, where Shaphan the secretary reads it to him from beginning to end. Then in 2 Kings 23:2, Josiah gathers “all the people, both small and great” and has the book of the Law “read in their hearing” (esv). In the New Testament, as Jesus taught among the poor in Judea, and as his disciples taught all over the Roman empire, history tells us that the vast majority of those people could not read. And yet they were able to grow strong in their faith and knowledge of God’s will (Acts 4:13). They did so by regularly meeting with God’s people and listening to the Word of God being read (Acts 15:21). That is why Paul commands Timothy to “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13 esv). And that is why Romans 10:17 says, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (esv).
So, it is definitely possible to learn and believe the Gospel without the ability to read. But how incredibly blessed are we, that we can simply pick up one of several copies of the Bible that we own, and read it any time we want?
As David was riding on the back of a small motorcycle, the driver turned to him and asked why he was in Sierra Leone. He told him about the Gospel and the work they had been doing there. The driver replied, “Here, we are 30,000 miles from heaven. But in America, you are just 30 miles from heaven.” We might scoff at such an optimistic view of America, but let’s never forget how truly blessed we are.
So, if you can read this, thank God for how richly he has blessed you. Then put his rich blessings to good use. Spend some quality time today, tomorrow, and every day reading your Bible “with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things are so.”
Rusty Taylor