Turkey: Tyrannus Bible School

Once shut down by persecution, the "Tyrannus Bible School of the Air" (Acts 19:9) now provides seminar training, operates a distance learning program with over four hundred Turkish students, and designs evangelistic programming broadcast via radio, television, and Internet. Opposition has only increased opportunity. Your gift equips them to respond.

Give now to support Tyrannus Bible School.

Ministry details:

Background
The Apostle Paul loved the Church in Ephesus. In that ancient city of Roman amphitheatres and vast colonnades, he “reasoned daily” at the school of Tyrannus for two years (Acts 19:9-10). To the Church in this ancient city, boasting a flourishing commercial seaport and one of the seven wonders of the ancient world—the Temple of Diana—the Lord Jesus sent His burning plea from Revelation 2: “I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

The world has changed since then. Centuries passed. Roman power shifted to Byzantium. Byzantium fell to the Saracens. The Church in Ephesus became a relic of the past as the Cross was struck down by the imposing Crescent. Christianity was repeatedly assaulted with fire and sword. The Ottoman empire held sway, then toppled and rose again as modern Turkey.

Today the impressive city of Ephesus lies in awe-inspiring ruins. Only a single column remains of the Temple of Diana. And now 99.6% of the Turkish people claim Islam as their religion and their national identity.

A Sign of Hope
But after centuries of deepening darkness, the smallest flicker of light emerged—a growing National Turkish Church. Numbering only an estimated ten people in 1960, the Turkish Church grew to 2,000 believers in 34 fellowships at the turn of the century.

And one of those fellowships was planted in Ephesus. The Church came back to the ancient ruins and continued in the tradition of the Apostle Paul. Across the street from Diana’s lone pillar, Turkish Christians established another “school of Tyrannus”—a centralized location to train Turkish Christians in the Word of God, to develop leaders strong in faith and equipped to disciple others and to plant churches. They had a dream to transform the infant Church of Turkey into a vibrant evangelical witness that would once again lift up the truth of the Cross.

A lawyer said that a Bible school in Turkey would be impossible. Police opposed it. Funds were low. And yet, despite official opposition and unofficial harassment, in 1996 the Tyrannus Bible School began to train Turkish Christians for full-time ministry. Opposition increased, and after a time the government shut down this fledgling ministry. But believers persisted in offering distance training—and they developed a new dream: a “Bible School of the Air.”

An Open Door
Media has always played a key role in Tyrannus’ work. One graduate went on to operate Bible Correspondence Courses. Tyrannus Bible School produced Christian videos and radio programming, at one point reaching a potential audience of half a million listeners.

And as radio use began to decline, the Lord showed them an open door through the new medium of satellite television. More than a year ago Tyrannus began broadcasting, and today there is a 24-hour channel on which they can transmit programming in Turkish. Production continues on evangelistic, educational, and documentary segments. Soon the Bible School, too, will be on satellite.

Here's the latest news about this project . . .
Ministering in Modern-day Ephesus
September 1, 2011

A lot has changed since we visited Kamil in Ephesus, though one thing hasn't – Kamil is still boldly proclaiming the true Gospel! 

When the authorities shut down his Bible school, this indomitable evangelist began broadcasting the course content by radio. When he realized that 85% of people in Turkey get all their news and information by watching TV, he prayed earnestly, and the Lord provided a 24 hour channel. As Kamil sees it, “This was a great miracle and the Lord has been using it greatly.” For the past four years, Kamil and his staff at Tyrannus Ministries in Ephesus have been producing Gospel-focused messages and broadcasting them into the homes of Turkish-speaking peoples throughout Central Asia and the Middle East.

“I am extremely encouraged by a letter I received recently from a lady living in the easternmost part of Turkey,”Kamil shared in an email to Smyrna. “She said in her letter that she came to know the Lord Jesus as her Savior through my messages on the radio. About thirty years ago she somehow tuned into our Christian Radio broadcasts on short wave. She was a young girl then and had to listen to the messages secretly because her father was against Christianity. Sometimes the signal on the radio would fade and she would do everything in her power not to miss the sermons. There was no church where she was, so the radio was like church for her. Later she married and had two children. She told her children about Jesus and they are both believers now. Her husband is still not a believer. Then she came across our TV broadcasts. She said whatever happens please keep the programs running. It is a lifeline to her and many others.”

What an encouragement from the Lord! Spurred on by testimonies like this one, Kamil is taking his radio Bible courses and reformatting them for TV and internet use—and as he can tell you, anything made to be televised requires a lot of work! His staff is also working on a feature film on the story of Ruth, and another film about Hosea.

Please lift up Kamil, his family, and his staff as they labor to share the Good News! And pray for their audience, that the Holy Spirit would convict hearts and change lives!

 

If you would like to help Kamil purchase an on-camera monitor, a new lens, and a Libec tripod (total cost: $2,500), please give to the Tyrannus Bible School.