Our Future Is Here - Greetings from Ethiopia

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Benjamin Kreps:

Hey everyone and welcome to the Mark Prater Podcast -- where our aim is to connect our global family of Sovereign Grace churches with our Executive Director. Mark, speaking of our global family of churches — you are not in the States. Where on the globe are you at this moment, and who is that collection of guys with you?

Mark Prater:

Yeah, I was driving home the other day, took a wrong turn, and landed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — that's where I'm at. And what you're seeing before you is the 2025–26 Trinity Fellowship Pastors College class — a Sovereign Grace Pastors College here in Addis Ababa. Nine men from three different nations.

This is Sirak right here — Sirak is from Ethiopia. This is Kevin from Pakistan. Next to him is Amanuel from Ethiopia. This is Geoffrey from Kenya. Behind him is Josh from Ethiopia. Yuran from Ethiopia. This is another Kevin — the Kenya Kevin — he's from Kenya. This is Samson from Ethiopia. And this is Mark — Mark from Kenya as well.

Benjamin Kreps:

Well, your memory is functioning!

Mark Prater:

Yeah, I remember his name at least. And I probably didn't pronounce "Sirak" right, but you know, that's the way it goes.

Benjamin Kreps:

All right, what are you doing in Ethiopia, Mark?

Mark Prater:

Oh yeah, great question. I'm here this week teaching Pneumatology — that's what I'm doing. On the way here, I stopped in Kenya, where I was with Sovereign Grace Church, in Nairobi, and preached this past Sunday. And now here I am teaching Pneumatology. I asked these guys if I could introduce them to all of Sovereign Grace, and because I'm teaching Pneumatology, I'm going to have some questions and I'll just call on whoever I want to answer — and they're going to be Spirit-led.

Benjamin Kreps:

They'd better be.

Mark Prater:

Yeah, they’d better be. So this is what I wanted to do — introduce these men to Sovereign Grace — for a couple of reasons. We are becoming a global family of churches, as you mentioned, and these men represent that: three different nations on the continent of Africa. These men have a real heart for the gospel — that's very clear being with them — and for the church. I also want to introduce them because you might notice they are much younger than me. Of course, most people are these days. But they're much younger than me. And what they represent to our family of churches is this: this is our future right here.

This is the third generation of guys on this continent who will help us build Sovereign Grace churches in Africa as they pastor and possibly plant churches here. They've been a great delight for me to be with this week. They are a visible embodiment of hope for our future — given to us, these men, given to us from the risen Christ — and they are gifts to our family of churches.

Benjamin Kreps:

Excellent. All right — if you want Spirit-led answers, you'd better be asking Spirit-led questions. That's all I'm saying.

Mark Prater:

Yeah, that's true. Oh — throwing it back on the teacher. That's really good. All right.

Mark Prater:

So here's the first question. I'll just ask probably three of you to answer it. The question is: give me one highlight from this year so far. You've been here six months — I want one highlight. All right. Josh, I want you to start.

Josh (Ethiopia):

One of the biggest highlights of the Pastors College in the past six months for me is the love and the care that I have received from our Pastors' Dean, Josh, and from the Pastors College staff — and at the same time from my fellow brothers who are living here with me. As we all know, we're from three different nations, and still we are here together in love.

Mark Prater:

That's great, Josh. That was a Spirit-led answer. I just want to affirm that. All right, Amanuel — one highlight from this year.

Amanuel (Ethiopia):

Well, I'll be bold. I got married two weeks before my first Pastors College class. But one of the biggest highlights of this PC year is the classes — and how the classes together give this picture that the goal of salvation is that we get to have fellowship with the Triune God in union with Christ. That has been a highlight of every lesson: I keep seeing this personal and relational God, and that has affected my walk with Christ — and at the same time, my family. That was a good one.

Mark Prater:

Yeah, that was a really good one. And highly theological — that was really good. All right, one more to answer this question. Samson.

Samson (Ethiopia):

One of the highlights from this year at the Pastors College — I would say the worship night that we prepared with Joseph Stigora. It was beautiful, because it magnified Jesus. We felt God's presence with us. Yeah, it magnified Jesus. And I was so happy to be involved in that worship night.

Mark Prater:

That's great. Yeah, that is great. All right, next question: what is one thing that you've learned this week so far in Pneumatology? Geoffrey, you're going first.

Geoffrey (Kenya):

Yeah, thank you. This has been a great week, especially thinking about the topic of Pneumatology. Throughout the lessons we have been drawn back to biblical Pneumatology, getting a robust understanding of what the Spirit does — what the Bible presents to us about the Holy Spirit. That has been narrowed down to my assurance of salvation. In the book of Romans, it says that the Spirit bears witness in my heart that yes, I am right with God, and yes, God has already brought me into His family. So as I'm thinking about this week, I am very sure that the Holy Spirit is bearing witness in me that I am a child of God and will remain that. Thank you.

Mark Prater:

Thank you. I'd like to pass the mic down to Sirak. Would you answer that question, Sirak?

Sirak (Ethiopia):

Yeah. One of the highlights of this week's class for me would be an answer from my brothers. We often neglect the Holy Spirit when it comes to our pastoral ministry. We are assured and convicted that the Holy Spirit is completely and 100% involved in our salvation and sanctification, but when it comes to our pastoral ministry, we often try to take things into our own hands. Right? We want to be as intellectual as we possibly can. We want to be as scholarly as we possibly can. And we don't give the Holy Spirit the power and the space to guide us and to lead us.

So what stood out throughout this week is our complete and utter dependence on the Holy Spirit — not only for our salvation and sanctification, but for our pastoral ministry too. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no church to build. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no guidance, there is no truth, there is no one to convict us of our sins and to guide us to the truth that is Christ. So what I take from this week is our complete and utter dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit for our pastoral ministry and for our church.

Mark Prater:

Great answers. That's so good. These guys are paying attention, Ben.

Benjamin Kreps:

Yeah, you're getting it done, Mark.

Mark Prater:

All right, one more answer. Let's do Kenyan Kevin.

Kevin (Kenya):

From this week, I think I'm just reminded that to glorify God requires the Holy Spirit. And two things from that: one, the desire to want to glorify God is actually the work of the Spirit in my life, which is reassuring. And also, just that I can't glorify God apart from the Holy Spirit working within me. So that is it.

Mark Prater:

Amen. Well said, Kevin. All right, last question. Throughout this year, you've had different Sovereign Grace pastors come in and teach you — not exclusively Sovereign Grace pastors, but some, like last week, Jace Hudson was here teaching, and I'm here this week. So the question is: in your six months so far, seeing different Sovereign Grace pastors come through and teach in these classrooms, what has happened that has made you grateful to be a part of this family of churches, Sovereign Grace? Let's start with you.

Yuran (Ethiopia):

All right, thank you, sir. I've actually been two years in a Sovereign Grace church now — and this is my six months in Pastors College. One of the things I am so encouraged by is all the pastors who have come in from Sovereign Grace churches. They told us not only the theological concepts of the courses we're taking, but they showed us the pastoral heart. And that made me desire to bring such a pastor to my people — because it is rare to find shepherds for the people. Not impossible, but rare to find many. So it made me wish for more churches and more pastors, and they have modeled that for me. Certain specific people have modeled that for me.

Kevin (Pakistan):

I'm really grateful to be a part of Sovereign Grace churches and I'm super grateful to be here in Pastors College. Throughout these six months I have been learning a lot. I'm really grateful to have been taught by some amazing pastors and professors from the U.S. and other countries — serving us, pouring into us, showing us God's love and how He manages everything, and sharing knowledge that transcends the miles between us. That has been wonderful. I have been learning a lot and I'm growing spiritually.

Mark (Kenya):

Yes, thank you so much. For the last six months, I've observed that Sovereign Grace pastors come with a Gospel-centeredness and a Trinitarianism in them — every one of them that came with that Gospel-centeredness and Trinitarianism. There are some units where I thought maybe they would come to teach me how to do counseling, but all that they did — every one of them — was run back to the Word of God, pointing to key verses to minister to my heart. And I thought maybe when I came here I would get skills to go and serve the church. But what has actually happened in my life is that I have received skills to serve myself even before I go to serve the church. He who goes must be ready.

Mark Prater:

Oh, really well said, Mark. Really well said.

Let me just say one other thing, Ben, before you  close out. If you're listening to this podcast or reading the transcript and you have given financially to Sovereign Grace, or maybe given to our Africa Development Fund — this is the fruit of your generosity. I want you to meet these men and see a tangible expression of the fruit of your generosity. And I also want to personally thank you if you've given. We are so grateful, and it is having an impact in three nations on this continent.

Benjamin Kreps:

What great testimonies. I think it's safe to say for everyone checking out the podcast: we are so grateful for you, men. For how you're taking all of this time — these months — to grow in your love for Jesus and your love for the church. All of that is very evident. There is a whole lot of love and a whole lot of Jesus — that's what I'm hearing coming out of Pastors College in Ethiopia. And that resonates and reminds me of my experience in the States, in a whole other part of the world.

So Mark, thanks for introducing us to the PC class in Ethiopia. Guys, we are so grateful that we are in partnership with you. We really are a global family of churches, and your presence on the podcast is just another testimony to that. So thank you, Mark. Thank you everyone for checking out the podcast. We'll see you here next week, Lord willing. Bye for now.