What It Looks Like When the Holy Spirit Moves
January 31, 2025
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A ministry update on Home Groups in Ethiopia
By Gregg Harris, THRU the BIBLE President
One of the most foundational commitments of THRU the BIBLE is that this is God’s ministry, not ours. He owns it, He directs it, and He provides for it. In Psalm 32:8, God says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.” We take these biblical truths very seriously.
About a decade ago, the Lord directed us to begin the concept of Radio Home Groups in South Asia. Over the following years, we watched this movement grow to more than 20,000 groups throughout the region. These home Bible studies produced incredible fruit. So, as we watched God growing the impact of this ministry, we began to pray that in His time He would use this ministry model in other parts of the world.
A few years ago, a partner in Scandinavia encouraged a leader he knew in Ethiopia to visit India to learn about THRU the BIBLE Radio Home Groups there. That Ethiopian leader was Rev. Wakshuma Terefe, who was saved in the 1980’s and listened to Dr. McGee via shortwave broadcasts from Guam. In the early 2000’s he became the Oromo speaker of TTB. In short, he loves THRU the BIBLE and is a passionate advocate for how the systematic study of the whole Word can change people’s lives.
Early in 2024, Wakshuma invited several THRU the BIBLE leaders to come and train about 65 pastors and church leaders in Ethiopia on how to develop a Radio Home Group ministry. At the conclusion of the training, they committed to start 2,300 groups within one year! We loved their enthusiasm, but—truthfully—thought their goal was a tad unrealistic.
But within months, we saw God move in ways we never dreamed. While it took years to develop thousands of groups in India, the team in Ethiopia surpassed 2,000 groups in only six months! Because we always want to understand what God is doing in our ministry, I scheduled a trip to Ethiopia to witness this movement of the Holy Spirit.
Recently I spent a week traveling all over the country and meeting hundreds of leaders. Everywhere we went, we saw an incredible hunger for the systematic study of the Word. Every day, we attended gatherings of Radio Home Group leaders. After a time of worship, I brought a message of encouragement. George Phillip, the man God used to develop the ministry model in India, then provided further training.
They soaked up what we shared with them and then many provided exciting testimonies of life transformation. Everywhere we went, these leaders lined up to take the microphone and share their stories.
We met a restaurant owner who formed listening groups with his employees. Two police stations formed 100 groups in one prison that gather to listen every day. A blind pastor has 17 groups with 71 blind members. He gave a radio to a wheelchair-bound blind girl who cried and said, “I have a new friend to teach me the Bible!”
These are typical of the dozens of stories we heard. As always, we know these testimonies represent the tip of the iceberg. God is always working in ways we may never see. But we know that when we fling the seed of His Word, it never returns void.
Thank you for your faithful prayer and financial support. Without it, we could not generously lavish the Word of God to the whole world. Our commitment is to continue to faithfully give out God’s Word wherever He leads and directs.
Wakshuma and George, the two men God is using to shepherd this amazing Home Group movement in Africa and South Asia
This blind pastor hosts 17 Home Groups with a combined 71 blind members. He said, “This is so helpful because the blind community cannot read.”
There’s even more to share from this momentous trip—don’t miss our March newsletter issue for additional stories and updates on what God is doing in Africa.