Mission

Michael H. Hart recently wrote a book titled ‘The One-Hundred: A Ranking of the Most Influential People in History’. While surfing the internet I came across an online article sharing his conclusions. As would be expected I scrolled down past the introduction to discover his findings. Next to the large number one, in large bold letters, almost mockingly was the name “Muhammad: Conqueror of Arabia and founder of Islam”. In shock I quickly scanned the rest of the list, and was confronted with the second most influential person in world History according to Hart… “Isaac Newton: Physicist who wrote the Law of Motion and the theory of Universal Gravitation”. Below this, next to a sickingly small three was the name I had been searching for… “Jesus Christ”, beside his name four words described him as simply “The Founder of Christianity”. Number three! Searching for some sort of explanation of how God incarnate who wrote the law of Universal Gravitation and fulfilled God’s Redemptive Plan at the expense of his own life in so doing reconciling all things to God had been found lacking in favor of a Physicist and a Political leader, I followed the link and was met with this sobering statement.

“It is not uncommon for people to wonder why Jesus is not ranked first on this list. Hart said that he himself would have ranked Jesus first, if all the people who today identify themselves as Christians actually followed Jesus’s teachings more substantially. He considers contemporary Muslims more influenced by Muhammad than contemporary Christians are by Jesus.”

According to Hart the reason the world views Jesus Christ as less influential than a Physicist and a Political Leader is the Church…

Following the end of the Cold War, and its long awaited independence from communism and the tyrannies of the Soviet Union, Ukraine was met with a surge of missionary effort from within and out. In one particular place, thousands of people heard and received the Gospel in a very short period of time. Two-hundred churches were planted immediately as a result. Within five years the number of churches had shrunk to around twenty because of a lack of Bible training and continued discipleship among the believers.

In both of these examples the issue is the same. A lack of knowledge of Jesus’s teachings and the understanding of a succinct, holistic, biblical worldview as is laid down in the scriptures is crippling the Church. We are so pre-occupied with trying not to trip over our own crutches that we are unable to proclaim the glory of God in our lives or our words. We seem to have utterly neglected the parable of the House built on the rock. Houses built on sand are crashing all around us, and the world stands on watching. A recent statistic states that approximately nine out of ten Christians have never even read through the bible once. What is more most don’t even know how to start.

Out of this need for Bible training and church discipleship Titus Project was born. Titus was born out of a vision to bring Bible training to areas of the world where there is great need, great hunger, and limited opportunity to receive Bible training otherwise. They aim to provide training for pastors, church leaders, and church planters passing along tools for Inductive Bible Study so that they can more effectively study God’s Truth for themselves and then in turn pass that along to their congregations.

The task of providing the global church with effective, relevant teaching and Bible Study tools is huge. For example in Vietnam a group of pastors beg for Bible training but currently have to be turned down because there are not enough trained Bible teachers to go. The Church in China is growing exponentially and the underground church is spreading so rapidly that the need for solid Bible teachers is overwhelming. 100, 000 Bhutanese refugees are stuck without electricity, have minimal food rations, and live in bamboo huts wallpapered with newspaper to keep the dust out. Without any way to leave their situation, one pastor prayed and fasted for five years for God to send Bible teachers to them. Finally an informal survey was conducted asking believers in Indonesia what their greatest need is. Without hesitation, the reply was, “Bible teachers!”

The University of the Nations with Youth With a Mission currently runs a intensive bible program which graduates around five hundred young, passionate, bible students with a passion and commitment to missions every year. Titus Project seeks to train and equip School of Biblical Studies graduates with skills and tools for effectively communicating the Gospel and the truths of scripture and mobilizes them to the most difficult and needy parts of the world.

Learn more about Titus Project at www.TitusEurope.com