“Christmas.” What springs to mind when you hear that word? Perhaps too often we think of festivities, gifts, decorations, holiday music, family gatherings, food, time off from work, rest, relaxation, Christmas movies, Santa Claus, Christmas trees, or even NFL/NBA games for the diehard sports fan.

Yet fundamentally as Christians, we think of Jesus’ birth. His humble descent to the earth in complete obedience to the will of the Father to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:5–11). Christmas marks the celebration of one of the most momentous events of all time as Jesus emptied Himself to take the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men.

Why? Why would Jesus willingly choose to leave His position of equality with God to condescend and be born as a man? Why would the divine Son live as a lowly servant on earth and suffer even unto death on a cross?

Put simply, to glorify the Father by accomplishing and preaching the good news of salvation. Jesus had to be born as a human to fulfill God’s promises to Adam and Eve, Abraham, and David to produce the Seed who would bring blessing upon all the earth and rule as the eternal king on David’s throne (Gen. 3:15; 12; 15; 19; 2 Sam. 7:12–16). Jesus had to live as a man on the earth to fulfill God’s righteous requirements and die on the cross as the substitutionary lamb, suffering God’s wrath and rising from the dead to provide a way of justification before a Holy God and take His rightful place as the exalted Mediator, King, and Judge (Phil. 2:5–11; Heb. 2:17–18; 4:14–16). 

He did all of this to accomplish the Father’s will and proclaim the good news of the way of salvation for man to be reconciled with God. It is this message that should pervade our church and relationships at Christmas time. We ought to follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and emulate His earthly ministry mission statement derived from Isaiah’s prophecy as seen in Luke 4:18–19:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 

Jesus intentionally left His followers behind on the earth to carry on His earthly ministry after He left. He meticulously prepared His disciples to carry out His great commission to make disciples of all nations even to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28:19–20; Acts 1:8).

It is this call that compels Anchorage Grace Church (AGC). AGC is dedicated to the faithful propagation of God’s Word through local churches via the ministries of expository preaching and Christian education. Consequently, this is the heartbeat of AGC’s missions ministry as well. One of the ministries which we support in this endeavor is The Master’s Academy International (TMAI). TMAI and AGC have a rich connection and history due to Pastor Jeff’s long-time relationship with TMAI’s President, Mark Tatlock. However, the even deeper connection between AGC and TMAI is the shared vision to see God’s Word handled faithfully in the training of disciples through expository preaching and Christian education. Our ministries share the vision that faithful churches are planted by faithful men who have been qualified and trained to preach and exposit God’s Word with accuracy. God has chosen to bring the good news of salvation accomplished by Jesus through His Word being carried and preached by those who have been sent as Paul described in Romans 10:14–17:

^“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”  But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

However, there is a severe deficit in the biblical training of pastors around the world (even in our own backyard of Alaska). TMAI seeks to fill that gap with a commitment to fulfill the Great Commission by training indigenous church leaders to be approved pastor-teachers and to be able to equip their churches among their own people to make biblically sound disciples. The end goal is a Bible expositor in every pulpit (sound familiar?).

The world is not usually welcoming to those carrying the Gospel. However, some animosity arises from cultural or political differences, which is where TMAI’s strategy shines. TMAI’s method is to train local indigenous men in their own local church so they can reach into areas culturally or politically closed to western missionaries. For anyone who has lived in a different culture or has experience in global travel, this approach makes too much sense to ignore.

So, what’s the point of this approach taken by TMAI? Does it really bring change to either plant or strengthen local churches? Is the training worth it?

There are many stories of how God has used TMAI around the world. The following story shares the testimony of a girl transformed through the message of Christmas who then witnessed the transformation of her pastor and then church through the ministry of expository preaching being taught by TMAI (this story is an excerpt from TMAI’s “Strengthening Christ’s Church” booklet – copies are available at AGC’s missionary board):

“What is it for? All the studying, the memorizing, the preaching workshops, the papers, the exams. . .what is it all for? To train the most knowledgeable preachers? The most articulate? The most persuasive? Even the most righteous? As one looks for the answer, all of these fall short. IT’S FOR HER.

Zarni* is a young woman living in the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar. Amid the current civil war, fear of violence, and threat of trafficking or persecution, she lives, works, studies, and goes to church.

As a little girl, Zarni and her family attended church, but this is not where she heard the gospel. She remembers that her church was nominal, at best. It was legalistic, holding Bible reciting challenges, but did very little teaching of Scripture. Rather than her church, it was a teacher she had at the age of six that would change her life.

A Christian, this teacher spoke often about Jesus to her students. She told the story of Jesus’s birth, the incredible circumstances, and the reason He came: to pay the penalty for our sins. Hearing the gospel for the first time that December, Zarni was saved through the message of Christmas.

Zarni remained faithful, attending a new church that was closer to her, and coming to know her pastor around 2012. But as the years went on, something was slowly changing about him.

Church life used to be nominal. Instead of teaching the gospel, it was far more concerned about external behavior. The pastor’s preaching was once topical and shallow—but since he started training at a school, his preaching was changing. He began teaching systemically through full books of the Bible, through each chapter and verse, exposing a level of depth and truth that Zarni had never seen before.

Many in the congregation did not embrace the new style. This is boring, they thought. This is a lecture, not a sermon. But as time went on, they started to respect, even look forward to, the preaching.

Slowly, church life also began to change. The young adults began to appreciate being in church, loving the environment of a church body. The congregation, being fed by the preaching, began to value and desire meat over milk. For Zarni, the Bible became clear and accessible for the first time.

The pastor’s expository preaching made Scripture plain to her, and it became her singular desire to know the Word, to live it out, and to teach it to others. Zarni’s hunger has even led her to seek training at the school where her pastor was attending, Expository Preaching & Training Academy (EPTA).

EPTA is the newest TMAI member school, accepted in November 2023. With its Biblical Studies Certificate geared towards lay people and its more advanced program equipping men to be pastors to shepherd churches, EPTA has already trained 48 church leaders in Myanmar and neighboring countries.

Zarni currently studies at EPTA pursuing her Biblical Studies Certificate, along with others from her church. “As a Sunday school teacher, I’m excited to know the Bible and use this knowledge in my teaching. I am grateful to God for being taught how to interpret and approach the word of God.”

Though TMAI trains church leaders for ministry around the globe, training alone is not the end goal. The mission is the salvation of lost sinners, the making of disciples, and the strengthening of the church.

As men are trained to teach the Word, it illuminates the minds of their local churches (Ps. 119:105) and transforms the hearts of those who hear (Phil. 1:6).  

Christ’s church—His bride—is the great purpose. All effort, study, and sacrifice are for her.”

Are there Zarni’s in your life who need to hear the Christmas message? Are you willing to have beautiful feet? May the faithful proclamation of God’s Word by AGC and its members along with our missionaries this Christmas season be used mightily by God to bring more like Zarni to salvation.