"Growing in Grace for the Deaf"

 

Amazing things were happening!

 

We were sharing the Gospel of Christ in the streets of Milwaukee, and folks were getting saved! It was such a thrill to see people actually coming to know Christ as Savior before our very eyes through our Evangelism program at New Tribes Bible Institute in Waukesha, WI! 

 

Suddenly, we had a need for sound “discipleship” or "follow-up" materials to help these new believers “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18).  As Director of Evangelism, it was up to me to find the very best materials available.

 

BTW, what does the Bible mean by "Grow in Grace?"

 

Man's RELIGIOUS nature is forever focusing on what we must DO to make ourselves acceptable to God. 

 

GRACE places the emphasis, not on what we must DO, but on what GOD has DONE for us. See this for yourself in the order in which the Holy Spirit lays out Truth in the book of Ephesians, for instance (as well as Romans and other NT epistles!). Under Grace, before God asks us to DO one thing (Ephesians 4:1), He first feeds us full with chapter after chapter of all He has DONE for us IN CHRIST (read Ephesians chapters 1-3)!

 

This order is highly significant, and it is crucial that we honor it. It is God's order of GRACE. As John wrote, "we love Him, BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US" (1 John 4:19). 

 

As most popular discipleship materials seemed to major on what the believer must “DO,” the Lord led me to write my own, firmly based on His “DONE” (John 6:29;19:30; Romans 3:24-26; 4:4-5; 5:1-2,6-10; 11:6).   

 

Not long ago, a former student had these materials published in the book, "Growing in Grace" (to learn more, or to order a copy, go to ehrichards.com). We thank God that He has graciously seen fit to use this little book in a dramatic way in the lives of both new and longtime believers in Christ.

 

We have no doubt these same truths will resonate powerfully with the Deaf, if presented in Sign Language, through visual media. It is a tragedy of our times that with all the wealth of Christian growth materials available to the hearing, there is precious little truly accessible to the Deaf.

 

In July, 2019, and are now looking to God to get these truths out to the Deaf community.June, 2018, we began a partnership with the Digital Media Department of Liberty University to produce an ASL video version of Growing in Grace. We completed this project in

 

To see our latest work on this project, check out our new website!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"King of Glory" Chronological Curriculum

 

At 98% unreached, the Deaf are the largest unreached people group in North America, and one of the largest in the world. How will the 98% be reached most effectively with the Gospel of Christ?  

 

One HUGE problem is many hearing people don't really "get" Deaf culture.

 

The Deaf are a very close-knit community. In fact, for many Deaf folks, this community is the only "family" they have ever known! Because they share the same profound life experience, the Deaf find understanding, acceptance and a sense of belonging they have often not found anywhere else.

 

In this community, the hearing may often be regarded as outsiders. For this reason, we strongly believe the most effective way to reach them will be through God raising up a corps of Spirit-filled DEAF evangelists (Matthew 9:37-38). If we act in love, it may be our privilege to help CHALLENGE, EQUIP and ENCOURAGE our fellow believers within the Deaf community to reach other Deaf individuals for Christ.

 

Our vision is for a short ASL adaptation of the “King of Glory” (by ROCK International) curriculum that could be used effectively by Deaf believers in a group setting, to reach their Deaf friends with the Gospel of Christ in a powerful but concise format. 

 

• As the Deaf often lack opportunities to get a full education, this tool would not require Bible school or special ability to teach, but would be self-guided and user-friendly.

• As the Deaf are highly social and communal, such a setting would appeal to their love for group events with other members of the Deaf "family."

• As they are visually oriented, this curriculum would rely on strategic use of visual aids to the Gospel, plus short video clips featuring Deaf American Sign Language “speakers” signing scripted portions. 

• As the Deaf tend to be highly participative and interactive learners, the participants would also have the opportunity to sign certain portions themselves in the group setting. This provides a unique opportunity to engage and process as they interact with the Biblical material in a “hands on” way, determining how to sign it themselves.

• Although others have developed chronological videos for the Deaf to watch, they remain mere passive viewers. As far as I know, no one else has developed or is working on this type of interactive approach, with its express appeal to Deaf culture, and its emphasis on equipping Deaf believers to reach other Deaf for Christ.

 

 

Concise Presentation of the Gospel in ASL

 

 

We hope to produce a concise presentation of the Gospel in a very condensed chronological fashion in ASL. This would be based on the short booklet, Your Story, by Paul Bramsen, founder of ROCK International. Our plan is for a video featuring one “Native speaker of ASL” (in other words, a Deaf signer), ideally lasting no more than 15-20 minutes.

 

The advantage of such a short presentation is it could be put on Facebook, YouTube, and other social media and receive a lot of free and wide distribution.