By Tim Berrey

God Gave the Increase: BJMBC Today

I have taught for 20 years at Bob Jones Memorial Bible College. My first two years, 1999–2001, were as a single GFA short-term missionary. At that time, the school was called Bob Jones Memorial Bible Institute. We had one large classroom with dividers in the middle that made it into two classrooms. Chapel was held in the front classroom unless the size of the audience necessitated removing the dividers. Many times in that chapel room—with fans whirring, windows open, and bugs flying—I sensed God’s presence during the preaching of His Word. When I returned to the Philippines in 2005 with a young family in tow, the Bible Institute had become Bob Jones Memorial Bible College, and a newly added music program was in full swing. I even dared to imagine what other ways God might extend BJMBC’s reach.

First, God burdened us to provide Filipino pastors with ongoing training. Many of these men in scattered Philippine provinces felt their need for further education, but how would they acquire it? They could not leave their homes, families, and churches in order to study. So we decided to bring education to them in one-week modular formats called “Continuing Education for Pastors.” By attending four weeks of classes each year for four years, a pastor could earn the Master of Ministry degree. The impact on pastors and their churches was immense; the testimonies were profuse and constant. Men testified of learning to exposit God’s Word more accurately, reflect biblical holiness, and defend sound doctrine. One man even left charismatism as a result of the classes. In addition, pastors enjoyed the times of fellowship that their weeks of living together offered. Classes were held at churches in central locations.

A mutual burden began to grow among those of us at the college that God’s work through BJMBC should not be limited to the Philippines. In our immediate vicinity, we saw countries with billions of inhabitants. We began to pray for opportunities to minister to the people in those areas. In 2007, a young man from Bangladesh enrolled, and he was the first of a wave of foreign students. Sometime later, a man from the Chin tribe in Myanmar walked into our office in the Philippines asking if he could study the Bible at BJMBC. In the years since, students have matriculated from Singapore, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, China, Vietnam, Hungary, and the United States. Doors then opened for us to visit these students in their native countries. God eventually called one of our Filipino graduates to serve as a missionary in a restricted access nation in Asia. BJMBC was suddenly not just a Philippines “thing,” but a ministry impacting Asia at large.

Of course, with the addition of new students, new programs, and a growing seminary, we found ourselves in need of more space. We resisted the idea of constructing a building, but God used an unsolicited gift designated for a BJMBC building to push us forward. He provided funds to purchase a 600-square-meter lot in a prime area of Quezon City, the single most populous city in the Philippines. With the gifts of God’s people, a four-story building was erected on that lot, complete with classrooms, dormitory space, offices, an auditorium, and—important to the student body—a roof deck with a basketball court. Gifts varied in size from 50 cents to over 10,000 dollars.

When pooled together, the result was a debt-free building. However, we still needed pews, podiums, classroom tables, and a pulpit, and God provided in a creative way. One church gave a large gift that we used to purchase wood. Another church sent a work team to turn the wood into furniture. A widow cashed in some of her late husband’s airline miles to provide airfare discounts for the work team. Now, this building is the hub for teaching, training, and mentoring the 150 to 170 students that call BJMBC their Bible school. We offer classes onsite and also have the technological means to teach many classes online. A dedicated, talented faculty and staff oversee the daily operations and minister in the classrooms.

As we look back, all we can say is that God has given the increase. Yes, the initial missionaries planted. Others— along with me—watered. But in the end, we must credit God with the increase and, therefore, give Him all the glory. He has led each step of the way since 1985. He has used countless individuals with different gifts, backgrounds, and personalities. He sent out from our halls numerous pastors, church planters, missionaries, educators, musicians, deacons, and godly laypeople. Our graduates are now in multiple countries, taking what they learned at BJMBC and putting it to work in local churches. The God-given increase fans out in ever-expanding concentric circles. None of us at BJMBC is anything special. We are just servants carrying out our resurrected Lord’s departing instructions to teach His disciples to observe all that He has commanded. Our mighty Savior uses our efforts as He builds for His glory!