Spreading the Word

There is a dramatic need for the teachings of God's Word in our culture today, and God desires to use each of us in order to bring a greater awareness of Him. In 2nd Timothy 4, Paul writes to Timothy:
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Spiritual readiness comes through our careful consideration of the principles of Scripture. We can study God's Word with the intent of learning from Him, hearing from Him, and we can submit ourselves to the teaching of our pastors, as well as other Bible teachers, such as those heard on Faith Radio. The presence of God's Word in our minds and our hearts can help us to reject the philosophies of this world and to accept and apply what God teaches us.

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In 2nd Corinthians 2, Paul demonstrated the leadership of the Holy Spirit in his life in order that the Word of God might be spread. We can read in that chapter:
12 Furthermore, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, and a door was opened to me by the Lord,
13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia.
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

Over three years ago, a Virginia elementary school teacher named Hannah Salisbury had an idea - she was devoted to prayer walking in her school, and God spoke to her through one of her students.  ChristianHeadlines.com states: "...one of Sailsbury's second-grade students approached her with a Bible from the school library, expressing interest in learning more about it."

Hannah says, according to the article:

"And God really opened my eyes to realize if we have this old Bible in our school, how come we don't have a more engaging Bible that's fun, that has pictures in it?" she asks in a promotional video on her YouTube channel.

The article says, "That day would lead Sailsbury...to launch Bibles in Schools in 2019, which has provided over 1,500 Bibles to school libraries in 43 states. The organization would also reach six countries across the globe. The organization's website states, quoting Salisbury:

After rallying a team of friends, family, and people from my church, we donated the Action Storybook Bible in all of the 38 public elementary schools in our county.

It started a movement and people began to get excited that we have every right to donate Christian literature in our schools. People began joining the mission and the movement is spreading to other counties and states! I never thought that my prayers would become a movement to make Jesus known in schools all across the nation.

The Christian Headlines article says:

In light of the great need for God's Word, Sailsbury told CBN News that she resigned from teaching to devote herself to Bibles in Schools full-time.

"I never pictured going full-time with this. I was doing this because I saw God moving; I saw Him working," she noted. "And I knew I had to be obedient to what He had called on my life, and this is what He wanted me to do. And I could see the need!"

Bibles in Schools went international when she was contacted by a Kenyan mother who had learned about the program and contacted Hannah - this mom needed Bibles for an afterschool program, but with limited resources, could not afford them.  Bibles in Schools partnered with another organization and the Bibles were sent to her.

The organization's website notes: "Students are yearning for truth and hope in our world today. What better way than to give them the best selling book of all time, the Bible! The Bible is full of adventure stories and a love that lasts for eternity."

Christian Headlines notes that: "Bibles featured on the Bibles in Schools' website are The Action Storybook Bible for elementary school students, The Action Bible for middle school students and The NIV Study Action Bible for high schoolers."

The launch of this amazing ministry all started with prayer - in response to her prayers for her school,  God used a child to ask a question, which generated a response from Hannah. We don't have to see the entire picture when following the will of God - we are called to be faithful in the small things, and then God will bring growth according to his plan.  From one library to an entire county to now countries around the world, God has acted to bring His Word to children through school libraries.

God wants us to develop a sense of trust and willingness in our hearts - Hannah's faithfulness to the Lord resulted in a change in her life: to give up teaching and devote herself to this new endeavor.  We can trust Him with the course of our lives, knowing that He is fully reliable and that He has a good plan for us.