Dear Friend,
Who would have thought about reaching the world through Cleveland, Ohio! Honestly, when the church approached me about coming to Cleveland, I needed an atlas to discover its location. In the early days, it was not uncommon for people to suggest that if we were to move to a “media centre” like New York, Los Angeles, or Atlanta, our impact for the Gospel would be exponentially greater. Resisting such temptations, we stayed put, believing that there is no ideal place to serve God except the place where He sets you down.
Now, more than three decades on, we are amazed and humbled to discover the international reach that God has entrusted to us at Truth For Life. Two days ago, while speaking at a church in Dallas, I met a Korean family, and the husband has been translating our sermons into Korean and sending them to people there via social media.
In the last month, I have been corresponding with a pastor in New Zealand who emailed me to let me know that he’s been listening to the program for some time—and often while cutting his grass! When he invited me to visit and preach at his church, I replied that I thought he was inviting me to cut his grass. Subsequently, he acknowledged that the thought had crossed his mind!
From Australia, the Philippines, India, and the UK, the shared notion is of “something stirring” in our world. I remember in the ’60s we would sing,
All over the world the Spirit is moving,
All over the world, as the prophets said it would be;
All over the world there’s a mighty revelation
Of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
Jesus told us that the fields are white for harvest and that we should pray that the Lord of the harvest would send out more laborers. Just this week I was reacquainted with a young man who had spent a year with us at Parkside. He, along with his wife and children, are heading to Cambodia in a few weeks to proclaim Jesus as resurrected Lord and Savior.
Zelda, a listener in South Africa, wrote to let us know that “many of us here are fed by the teaching daily.” She explained that she passes the messages on to a friend in Beirut, who is strengthened by them.
Isn’t it wonderful to see how the Word of God crosses all kinds of boundaries and barriers and accomplishes the purpose He intends? He is able to do far more abundantly than all we can ask or even imagine.
Last Sunday, a young man preparing for pastoral ministry asked me for my advice. I reminded him of 2 Timothy 2:15, which was a key verse in the life of Jim Elliot, who was martyred. The hymn that he and his friends sang before engaging with the native population of Ecuador contained the lines “Strong in Thy strength, safe in Thy keeping tender, we rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go.” As we play the part God has given each of us, it is vital that we understand the blessings that are ours on account of our union with Christ. And when we are weary and downcast, we are assured of Christ’s comfort. Our book offers this month underscore these thoughts.
As we press on in this remarkable adventure, the consistent monthly giving from Truthpartners makes the reach of our teaching described in this letter possible. May I warmly ask you to join us as a fellow laborer in the Lord’s harvest by coming alongside us in this upholding way? We will never know this side of eternity the lives that will be reached and changed by the power of the Gospel.
I continue to be humbled and blessed by meeting many of you as I travel. Let us venture on to know the Lord!
With my love in the Lord Jesus,
Alistair
