International (MNN)–Reports of persecution and Great Commission fervor are feeding a serious case of ‘carpe diem’ for one evangelist.
Global Advance Ministries’ David Shibley. “We need to, as Paul said, ‘redeem the time.’ That’s why Global Advance is involved in a record number of conferences around the world.”
What exactly does he mean by ‘Redeem the time’? “We are in nine different nations this month. We are committed to ever increasing the numbers that we train, equipping the equippers.” Why? To provide training and resources for one million pastors and church leaders in needy areas of the world.
Shibley is trying to share his urgency as ministry doors begin closing in places like Central Asia and Russia. You can feel the energy building, but the next ingredient is need.
Shibley uses American youth as a good example. He says, according to a missiological definition of ‘unreached’, two percent or less of a population that claims to be evangelical.
The statistics indicate American youth at four percent claiming a personal faith in Christ–and the numbers show they are well on their way to becoming one of the largest unreached people groups in the United States.
Need created opportunity. “We are endeavoring to place an evangelistic urgency in the hearts of every pastor and every church leader that we train.”
Looking at the church leaders and pastors of every nation, developed and undeveloped, their goal is the same. “The emphasis is threefold: church growth, church planting and turning that national church, themselves, into a missionary-sending church.”
Please pray for the frontline shepherds and business leaders in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Philippines, Columbia, Liberia and Russia. They are hungry and thirsty for God’s Word and meaningful training.
