In recounting the month of July, ITA has chosen simply to highlight what ministry looked like from June forward to date. We promised to do this, and could not do this, in our June update, due to the more pressing need to announce the publication of MacArthur & Mayhue’s Biblical Doctrine in Italian.
ITA continues to rejoice over this accomplishment and so do several of our students and partnering churches in Italy. Another foundational resource for the faith and godliness has been offered to the Italian church here.
That said, we can now bring you up to speed on some other works in the making as ITA continues to settle in Rome.
Roman Theater Ministry
Our theater/classroom in-person meetings met in the month of June, twice on two different Sunday evenings. We have been very blessed, and surprised to say the least, at the Lord’s providence in providing this work.
This type of ministry was not in the plans when our team envisioned the move from Sicily to Rome.
From March to June of this year, in the midst of a pandemic and repeated lockdowns, ITA regularly held two Sunday evening teaching nights a month, in-person. This along with meeting on several Wednesday nights throughout the period as well.
The theater experience (instructing both believers and unbelievers) has thus far revealed perhaps two realities that call for serious reflection and prayer:
Biblical doctrine and Bible exposition is very weak among local evangelical churches in Rome. The statement is general and not meant to offend the local bodies gathered in the city. The churches, moreover, are sincere and faithful to the Word and worship of the Lord. Still, the above call for reflection and prayer based on our admittedly brief experience in the city, is a plea for reformation in both theology and preaching. The plea, furthermore, is that we as a pastoral training ministry are by God’s grace allowed to reach more of the churches in Rome.
There is a harvest that is ripe! We want to be guarded in our enthusiasm because the soil is still very hard. Our experience, however, with a few of the unbelievers that attended the gatherings at the theater encouraged us to keep preaching the Word, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! We are situated in a city that by virtue of the overwhelming presence and position (vicinity) of the Vatican and Roman Catholic Church, God and Christ, the trinity’s redeeming work through Christ have been completely obfuscated. Italians, Romans (people in the city of Rome), do not know God in spite of their heavy religious upbringings, practices, and their strong catholic convictions, in some cases. Marco, for instance, the owner of the theater, who has generously given of his time and locale to be with us and host us, and even displays an openness to the Gospel, continues to hold onto his Catholic beliefs, in certain areas even very adamantly.
The ministry at the theater begins anew this coming fall, every 1st and 3rd Sunday evening of the month.
Another Church Responds to Our Training
Right before the summer break period for us in July and August, the local church of one our students this year, from the nearby city of Ostia, reached out and invited me, Johnny, to preach on a Sunday morning. The leadership expressed appreciation for our training. They have been observing us, as expressed by one of the leaders, throughout this year of ours in Rome and like what they see. More contact with them will be forthcoming.