The Bible College Movement in East Africa
by Dr Jeffrey Khoo
The Bible College of East Africa (BCEA) was founded in 1965 by the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions (IBPFM), USA. The IBPFM was the missionary arm of the 20th Century Reformation Movement spearheaded by the late Rev Dr Carl McIntire and the International Council of Christian Churches (ICCC). BCEA has a precious heritage and a rich history indeed.
It was Rev Victor Hall, an IBPFM missionary, who first saw the need for a Bible College in Kenya to serve as a bulwark against the rising tide of apostasy in Africa. There was a dire need to raise up a faithful generation of theologically trained African pastors to preach the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, and defend the forever settled faith (2 Tim 2:2, Jude 3). Nairobi was strategically located for such a mission in Kenya. Kenya itself was centrally located for outreaches to its neighbouring countries, namely, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
In 1964, a 10-acre piece of land was purchased just outside the city of Nairobi to build a Bible College. Classes began in early 1965. Dr William Hawks was the first principal with 5 students. Other IBPFM missionaries who served at BCEA were Dr Charles Jackson, Rev Raymond Carlson, Dr Edward Gross, and Dr Okman Ki.
BCEA had a humble beginning. It began as a mustard seed, but has now become a tree through the faithful and devoted ministry of Rev Dr Mark Kim Kyung Soo.
In 1989, after graduating from the Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC), the Rev Mark Kim was called upon to head the college. He and his family stepped foot on Kenyan soil on March 30, 1990. At that time, the 10-acre campus was rather undeveloped. It only had a couple of buildings for classes and accommodation. It could not take in too many students. By the grace of God, through much prayer, planning and labour, BCEA is now a very well-equipped campus with no less than a dozen buildings, the largest of which is the library named “Reformation Hall.” Rev Dr Kim who has an agricultural degree, and his wife Hannah, a skilled gardener herself, played no small part in the transformation of the college premises into a beautiful garden campus.
A Bible College, first and foremost, needs teachers. To build up his faculty, Rev Dr Kim had sent a good number of BCEA graduates to FEBC for further studies. Rev Stephen Masila one of BCEA’s early graduates, who earned his BTh and MDiv from FEBC, now serves as BCEA’s academic dean. Other alumni in the faculty are Eben Yoon (MDiv), Francis Onyango (BTh), Violet Malongo (BRE), Christine Kendagor (BTh), and Patrick Matheka (BMin). Ephrem Chiracho (MDiv) who taught for a couple of years has since returned to Ethiopia his home country to plant a church, and God willing, a Bible College. Ejigayehu Alemu, also from Ethiopia, now studying at FEBC, is another candidate for Ethiopian missions. Peter Elibariki, who hails from Tanzania is currently working towards his MDiv at FEBC, will return to serve in BCEA (Tanzania) once he completes his studies in May 2006. FEBC has 114 students from 16 countries, but BCEA surpasses FEBC with 130 students from 8 African nations besides Kenya. Both FEBC and BCEA are at the forefront of the Bible College Movement in the 21st century.
In the year 2001, BCEA invited FEBC to offer a Bachelor of Ministry (BMin) programme to her alumni who had already earned their 4-year diploma in theology. With approval from the faculty, FEBC embarked on this joint effort with BCEA to promote the Bible College movement in Africa. Indeed, “the trend is toward the trained.” The BMin programme comprises a total of 16 courses (8 residential and 8 external), culminating in a thesis project. The residential courses are offered twice a year, in June and December. Since December 2001, FEBC has been sending visiting lecturers to conduct intensive BMin courses on campus at BCEA. The pioneer class of 8 students graduated with their degree on May 29, 2004. Another 7 graduated on July 9, 2005. My trip to BCEA this time will see me teaching the Westminster Standards to a class of about 70 comprising mostly BCEA alumni who are now serving as pastors, and senior students of the college.
How did BCEA and FEBC come into such a partnership in theological education? It is all by the grace of God that the Holy Spirit should work in the hearts of like-minded brethren who love the Lord Jesus Christ and who love His forever infallible and inerrant Word. We have the same Reformation and Reformed Spirit and Doctrine, and that is why we have come together to promote the Bible College movement. There is a vital need in these last days of unbelief and compromise to train pastors and teachers who are faithful to the 100% inspired and 100% preserved Word of God, our only and final authority of faith and practice.
May FEBC and BCEA keep true to the Biblical mandate, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many itnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Tim 2:2). We also do not forget the Gospel mandate, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matt 28:19-20).
THE GOSPEL OF LIFE: ChapterXVI
John 16:5-8
God’s Economy, Our Prosperity
As our Lord makes plain the ordeal both Master and disciples must pass, and shows how He must return to His Father in heaven, a pall of silent sorrow falls over the Eleven. As the Chinese saying goes, what greater sorrow is there than to part with a loved one, in life or in death? Naturally the disciples do not want their Lord to leave as little children cannot endure to see their parents go from them for any length of time. Were you Philip or Thomas, how would you have felt?
In the Divine economy of working out the Salvation Plan, however, it is for our good that the Saviour leave this earth. Were He to remain on earth, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, would not be sent. But when our Lord goes up to Heaven according to the economical working out of God’s Salvation Plan, the Holy Spirit will descend and carry out what remains to be done. In this arrangement we, the church on earth, will be universally blessed. Whereas our Saviour’s work was confined to the land of the Jews, the work of the Holy Spirit will spread to all the world.
Perhaps an illustration at this point will help. How do you light up your house? By putting your lights as near to the ground as you can? If you do this little light is given to the house. No. You put them as high as you can, fixing them usually on the ceiling. Then light comes to every corner of your dwelling. As Christ is gone on high so will His Light the Holy Spirit be shed abroad in our hearts to the ends of the earth. God’s economy is our prosperity!
John 16:8-11
The Spirit’s Threefold Mission
1. He will reprove the world of sin. “Of sin because they believe not on Me” (v. 9). To reprove is to convince. It is the Holy Spirit’s work to convince, and He can do it effectually. Unless the Holy Spirit accompanies our preaching it will fall on deaf ears. Who are they whom the Holy Spirit will reprove? The world, both Jews and Gentiles. Matthew Henry adds “Some in every age, in every place, in order to their conversion to faith of Christ. Now this was encouragement to the disciples in reference to the difficulties they were to meet with. Even the malignant earth the Spirit shall work upon; and the conviction of sinners is the comfort of faithful ministers.” What sin? The sin of unbelief. To reject Christ is a terrible sin!
2. Of righteousness. He will convince the world that Jesus of Nazareth is Christ the righteous, though the Jews cannot accept this, and therefore they are in much trouble today. Christ is proved to be a Righteous Man and not a deceiver, yea even the Redeemer of mankind.
3. Of judgement. By the judgement of the prince of the world, the Devil, Christ is proved the stronger One. The Spirit will show that Christ’s errand into the world was to introduce times of reformation and regeneration. And further of the final day of judgement: all the obstinate enemies of Christ’s gospel and kingdom shall be reckoned with, for the Devil is judged. Thus sinners are convinced and brought to condemn themselves and plead guilty before God (Matthew Henry).
John 16:12-15
The Holy Spirit the Continuing Teacher of the Apostles
The teaching of Truth is progressively given. From the Law of Moses to the History of God’s People, to Prophecy, to the Poetical Books like Psalms and Wisdom Literature like Proverbs. Then comes the New Testament Books, the Gospels, Acts, Epistles and the Revelation. Paul says to the Corinthians, “I have fed you with milk and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able” (I Cor 3: 2).
Our Lord says to the disciples, “I have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now” (v. 12). For example, the truths of the resurrection and ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit in power at Pentecost, all these have not taken place yet. It is more logical, after these events have occurred, that lessons on them be given. The Holy Spirit is the continuing Teacher who “will guide you into all truth.” Matthew Henry says, “To guide the Apostles, He will take care they do not miss their way. The Spirit guided their tongues in speaking and their pens in writing, to secure them from mistakes. The Spirit is our guide; Romans 8:14, to go with us by continual aids and influences.”
Machen says the apostles derived their authority from Jesus’ commission who would send the Spirit to guide them into all truth (Jn 16:13). And by virtue of this authority the Apostles added to the Bible of their time the Books that are comprised in the New Testament. The verses of this section particularly give the Apostles the authority to write the N.T. Books because the Holy Spirit is their continuing Teacher. The Books of the N.T. are as inspired as the Books of the O.T., inerrant, infallible. Not only are the Apostles’ writings God’s Word, their preachings are as much! Machen refers us to I Thess 2:13 where Paul says, “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” If any one should criticise any apostle, on any word or deed, let him beware!
