“ . . . The truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)
Can you remember the first time you heard Bible teaching that changed your life? One of the most important moments in my life was when I was in college, anxious about my future and important decisions that loomed ahead. A friend took me to Genesis 15 and walked me through one of the most pivotal events in all of history: God’s sworn oath to Abraham. My friend had learned this teaching from none other than Dr. R.C. Sproul. In that moment, God changed the trajectory of my life, such that one day I would be privileged to serve at Ligonier Ministries.
As our thanks for your gift of any amount this month, we will send you a new resource featuring decades of clear and trusted Bible teaching from Dr. Sproul. But more on that below.
Later, I heard R.C. teach the message himself. R.C. drew out the inherent drama of the text, noting that God was saying to Abraham, “May I be cut in half if I fail to keep My Word.” We see that by walking between the animal pieces, the Lord pledged to suffer the curse Himself if He did not keep His promise to Abraham.
God, of course, can’t be cut in half. That’s the point of the text. Since the immutable, everlasting God can never be torn to pieces, He cannot receive the curse. And since He can’t suffer the curse, He cannot fail to keep the promise.
Such liberating truth. My understanding of God’s character, His faithfulness, and the certainty of the gospel was forever changed. R.C. was a blessed instrument God used to convey biblical truth to my friend, who conveyed it to me.
Dr. Sproul established Ligonier Ministries to faithfully and clearly proclaim God’s Word. For fifty years, by God’s sustaining grace, this teaching fellowship has worked to unfold the riches of Scripture with the power and passion it possesses and deserves. As R.C. said, “The power is in the Word of God, not in methods.” And friends such as you make it possible for God’s Word and His glory to be lifted high in every outreach of Ligonier.
With eternity on the line for nearly eight billion souls worldwide, the stakes could not be higher. This is why we’re redoubling our efforts at Ligonier to declare the compelling truth of God’s Word in as many places and to as many people as possible. Our sovereign Lord uses your support to bring the liberating truth of Scripture to more people.
Our pace of outreach is quickening. We’re expanding translation projects in the world’s most spoken languages so that we can strategically respond to the needs of Christian leaders on the ground. Of course, this includes Dr. Sproul’s classic video teaching series The Holiness of God. This series is already available in Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, and five other languages.
We’re also working hard to make Dr. Sproul’s teaching available in new ways for new audiences. This includes the launch of the new podcast Ultimately with R.C. Sproul, which also includes teaching never before released publicly.
You’ve heard that we’re preparing to launch a new version of Ligonier.org, which I hope will become a daily destination for your Bible study. This updated site will make the teaching you love easily available to more people, and it will help ensure that if people ever threaten to censor us for our faithfulness to God and to His Word, we can easily keep the website live and open.
In addition to all this, we continue to record new teaching with new teachers. In time for Easter, last month we released a new series on the resurrection, and we have just wrapped up filming a monumental 42-part series on Philippians.
The generosity of Ligonier’s supporters has been blessed by the Lord over the past year, and we’re receiving more requests for assistance than ever before. Military chaplains, inmates, missionaries, pastors are reaching out to us every week for trusted teaching. For instance, an international relief agency contacted us recently in search of 10,000 Reformation Study Bibles to distribute to South America. Your timely support enables us to say yes to new opportunities and then to get out of the way and watch the Lord work.
To thank you for your financial support this month, we have a special resource for you. As this is our fiftieth year of ministry, the Ligonier team has hand selected fifty of Dr. Sproul’s most beloved messages and put them on a new 50th Anniversary USB resource drive. On it, you’ll hear him teaching on the character of God, drawing you into the drama of church history, and engaging important questions that every Christian faces. You’ll even hear Dr. Sproul’s teaching on Genesis 15, as I first did almost three decades ago. This resource will not be available in our store; it was specially developed to thank you for your support this month.
Friends of the ministry such as you are vital co-laborers who send God’s truth around the world every day. In God’s kingdom economy, your giving and prayers are essential for this mission to succeed. Thank you, and may the Lord bless and keep you.