Religion

‘Depend on Holy Spirit for divine enablement’

Recently 43 students graduated at the Evangelical Bible College of Malawi (EBCoM) in all dimensions of biblical, historical, systematic and practical theology with a call not to trust on their ability or wisdom, but God’s. JAMES CHIMPWEYA talked to EBCoM principal Pastor MICHAEL PHIRI about the college and expectations from the graduates.

Phiri: Let us hold hands together and trust upon the Lord
Phiri: Let us hold hands together and trust upon the Lord

What was the underlining message in your call to the graduates?

We wanted to deal with the spirit of pride and arrogance. Most pastors, after going through such trainings, do not respect their seniors or some have the spirit of inferiority. So we wanted to deal with such spirits. You should depend on the Holy Spirit for divine enablement in your life and ministry. The word of the Lord to Zerubbabel on Zacharia 4: 6 says: “Not by might nor power, but my spirit.”

God assured Zerubbabel and the entire Jewish people that the temple will be completed. Remember it is not by might nor by power that you can prevail in the ministry, it is by the Holy Spirit. Please do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. The Spirit of the Lord would enable Zerubbabel and Joshua for the task. No obstacle would prevail against the two men. The same is coming to you. Don’t trust on your own ability or wisdom. Trust the Holy Spirit for enablement and wisdom.

 

What impact will the graduates have in their churches?

The training has prepared them for various ministries in God’s field. They will be suitable leaders for the Christian Church if they continue in what they have got in their training and also continue in the spiritual disciplines they have learnt. Our society needs men and women who can help enhance its moral and spiritual fibre. A certain commentator says it is almost impossible to build a vibrant society without placing premium on spirituality, morality, values and sense of humanity as the Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated during His life on earth. I am glad to say that these graduating students are up to the task by virtue of the training they have received.

What subjects do you offer as a college?

For the first time, we are going to witness graduation of two students in the Bachelor of Divinity course. They are pioneers in the course. We should thank God together for this development and we should pray for continuation of the course. This year we are going to graduate 43 students—33 from the regular programme and 10 from an extension programme. The training has prepared them for various ministries in God’s field.

Where do you get support for the running of this college?

We get it from partner churches, missions and organisations and I want to thank them for their support and encouragement. Thanks again to those ministers of God who hosted our students during the time of supervised training and fellow Christians who in one way or another contributed to teaching these students.

What are your future plans as a college?

We applied for registration with National Council for Higher Education and we are required to pay K3.5 million. Currently, we are striving to raise that money for registration. Benefits of registering cannot be over-emphasised. The college is facilitating the formation of an alumni association and we will be producing Spiritual Reflection on our Facebook page. This year, we have developed a 2015-2020 strategic plan. Thanks to all stakeholders for helping in the development of the plan. Their contributions are greatly valued. Let us hold hands together and trust upon the Lord to realise what God has in store for the college. May I take this opportunity to communicate that the next academic year begins on Monday, September 28 2015 and runs up to July 1 2016. Classes for the extension programme will begin on Saturday, October 10 2015 at 8am.

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