Every Sunday, your church worship team presents a service that glorifies the Lord. The music team spends weeks selecting and rehearsing the music. The office staff or volunteers prepare worship guides and video elements. Someone makes sure the worship space is set up, the AC or heat is on, the lights work, and everything is as comfortable as possible. Your pastor spends hours preparing a message that he prays will inspire and encourage you as you live out your faith during the week.
Each of these people needs your encouragement and prayers. Can you take a moment to thank someone who works hard serving God at your church? Will you commit to pray faithfully for the servants of God?
“Encourage one another and build each other up.” 1 Thess. 5:11
The Gospel Is For Everyone
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”- Romans 10:14-15
Today, all over the world, 50,000 people were baptized.
That is 9 Million new believers in just 6 months. It’s like adding the entire city of New York to the body of believers every 6 months.
How will they grow in their faith? Who is shepherding them? Who is teaching them about the Christian life? To bring 50,000 people along in their faith would require about 1,000 pastors to answer the call to ministry Every Day.
The good news is that God is raising up new pastors to minister to these new believers.
Your pastor probably attended seminary and has a library full of materials and resources. They might even have a staff to help them with administration, music, youth and children ministry, missions, and even sermon preparation. These pastors are able to spend as much 15-30 hours a week preparing their weekly, Sunday message.
But pastors with libraries, staffs, and seminary degrees are not as common as you might think. Most pastors around the world begin their ministry with less than 1 hour of bible training. That means, it is likely YOU have more training they do. Many live in remote areas, and probably got their Bible from a visiting missionary. Most have a full-time job working in fields and factories and only have nights and weekends to see their families, visit the sick, and prepare sermons. Many will never go to seminary. The truth is, without the proper training and resources, native beliefs and old traditions quickly creep into their theology and teaching.
These pastors serve God with what little they have – but their need is great.
In 1992 LMW began publishing The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible® to equip leaders for a Gospel-centered ministry worldwide by presenting the Bible in a clear & understandable way. Pastors using these books gain the insight and understanding of God’s Word they need to minister effectively. As the books got into the hands of Christian leaders, pastors from every corner of the world began asking LMW for books and training.
In Africa, Timothy Olonade has worked with LMW since 2002 – training pastors in Africa and around the globe.
Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi of Jos, Nigeria requires that every pastor under his leadership study “What the Bible Says to the Minister” – and participate in training for sermon preparation using the Preacher’s outline & Sermon Bible.
Reverend Patras Nazir of Pakistan has translated some of our resources into Urdu. In a country that is 95% Muslim, he is sharing these resources, baptizing new believers, founding new churches, teaching and encouraging pastors, and leading children and adults to understand the gospel of grace through Jesus Christ. He tells us that resources like ours are unique in Pakistan, and that churches continually call him for more books.
In Romania, most pastors shepherd 2-3 churches while working other jobs, making as little as $250 a month. They are desperate for training and good biblical resources. On a mission trip to Romania, Rev. Bob Patty of Chattanooga felt God calling him to help them. He began working with the Romanian churches and seminaries to translate The Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible®. Today, the Romanian translation and printing of The Minister’s Handbook and the majority of the New Testament is complete.
A few years ago, a business man and his wife felt God leading them to help the Chinese people. They funded the translation of some of The Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible® into Chinese. Now, through our partnership with WE-Devote, the most popular Chinese language Bible app, our books have been viewed over 150,000 times by Chinese believers!
People like you have been the catalyst for translating these resources into 19 different languages – and deploying them to 175 countries from India to Russia to South America. 1.5 million pastors and leaders from all over the globe are using these resources today, preaching, teaching, and encouraging people as they hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Like Tim Keller says, “…the gospel advances the common good, it brings mercy to discourse, hope to art, integrity to workplaces. The gospel seeks the marginalized and protects the vulnerable, and renews lives with grace. The gospel changes everything.”
The Conquering Christ in Pakistan
The Conquering Christ in Pakistan
There was once a young lawyer who dreamed of living in a country free from its imperial conquerors. Free from religious persecution.
There was once a young boy who dreamed of serving God; who lived to bring His word to the people of his nation.
There was once a young girl who wanted nothing more than to be a light for God in the world. To lead her fellow sisters, mothers, and daughters in Christ closer to Him.
The lawyer, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, led the fight against British India and its Hindu majority, carving out the nation of Pakistan with blood and ardor.
Jinnah had a vision for the fledgling Pakistani nation-state: a safe haven for all Muslims to worship freely and without fear. And so, in the name of justice and retribution, the formerly oppressed Muslims lashed out at their Hindu neighbors, sparking several years of bloodshed that would claim the lives of between 200,000-2,000,000 people, not including those who were kidnapped and held hostage. This became part of a history of violence and fear as both India and Pakistan brutalized their respective Muslim and Hindu minority populations.
Over the next several decades, as regime after regime fought for control over Pakistan, the Islamic state consolidated its power, basing its laws on a strict interpretation of the Quran. They enacted the Blasphemy Laws, making any word or action that could be construed as anti-Islamic punishable by a fine, jail time, or even death.
The young boy, Patras Nazir, and the young girl, Sumble Patras, fell in love and married. They began a ministry in Pakistan to serve and grow the Kingdom of God.
Patras and Sumble have watched their Christian neighbors and friends be falsely accused of blasphemy by those driven by jealousy and greed. Some were found innocent, but many paid dearly for their “crimes.”
They have seen whole Christian communities abandon their homes for fear of persecution.
They have seen the few Muslim judges that stood up for fairness and justice disappear in the middle of the night, leaving their families to poverty and starvation.
But still their ministry endures.
Patras and Sumble go throughout their community, unafraid to be known for who they are and the message they bring. Sumble leads weekly women’s classes, teaching what the Bible says about being a good wife, mother, and daughter. She creates a safe environment for honest discussion of spiritual and social issues.
Patras, now an ordained minister, travels on a small red scooter throughout the region, nurturing fledging Christian communities and training new pastors to lead them. He is currently working to translate pastoral books into the common language, Urdu, in order to make education easier. He brings the translated books by the dozens to these communities, stacking them precariously on the backseat of his tiny scooter, making himself an obvious and easy target under the Blasphemy Law.
But still their ministry endures.
Patras visits prisons, where he listens to inmates convicted of theft, murder, and blasphemy, and prays with them. He teaches them about Jesus, telling them that Jesus loves them, that He died for them, that He has already taken their sins to the cross. That if they repent, and accept His love, they will be washed clean. Over the course of several years, has received dozens of confessions, professions of repentance, and performed many baptisms. In fact, many of the inmates have since become a part of his ministry.
And in the decades since their marriage, their daughter, Shemaiah, has started a children’s ministry to bring the Word to the next generation.
Even though their lives are daily in danger—still their ministry endures. In fact, it is growing. When asked about his favorite part of being a pastor, Patras said, “I like to do everything in my ministry whole heartedly, and filled with love, because the Bible says whatever you do, do it whole heartedly, not for men but for God. Therefore everything related to ministry is my favorite. I do it with a passion and a burden.”
Their family has become the true face of Jesus, actively suffering and enduring the threat of persecution and death; bringing His joyful, compassionate presence to all those in need.
They have stood, unflinching, in the midst of other people’s pain and borne it with them. They have looked every person in the eye—regardless of their faith—and said, simply, “Jesus loves you.”
But they need our help. The Christian population in Pakistan needs our prayers for guidance and protection, and it needs educational materials to help new communities feed their theological needs.
As Patras has said, “The greatest rewards of my ministry are the salvation and winning of souls for Christ through our preaching and teaching. When people invite us to return to their churches again and again, it means that God’s Holy Spirit is touching and blessing them through us…Through our translation work, thousands of people come to know the methods and principles of teaching and preaching, and the profundity of the Biblical message. They have been equipped and trained and are working in different areas throughout Pakistan. We continue this work for the glory of the Lord as God makes it possible for us.”
Patras and Sumble pray every night for all of us—for peace and prosperity in our world. Now it is our turn to help them endure in theirs.
The Word of God is Alive and Active!
“For the word of God is alive and active. . .” Hebrews 4:12. |
At LMW we have the privilege of seeing God’s Word at work in the world. As the gospel message is shared, the Kingdom of God grows. Some estimates say that as many as 50,000 people are baptized every DAY. God is calling pastors to serve these believers. Please pray that God’s Word will come to life in the preaching and teaching of those called to serve, that they might serve Him faithfully, transforming lives and communities with His saving grace.
Pray That We Might be Faithful Stewards of God’s Word
“What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2
Richard Pratt helped launch Third Millennium Ministries 20 years ago when he saw the need to train pastors in areas where Christianity is growing the fastest. Believing that every Christian deserves a well-trained pastor, 3rd Millennium offers “Biblical Education, For the World, For Free.” We are thankful for faithful men like Richard who seek to pass on the faith to others. Please pray for Richard Pratt, Third Millennium Ministries, and LMW as we partner to offer training and resources.
Pray for the Gospel to Advance in Africa
“What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2.
Philip Hunt, President of Central Africa Baptist College & Seminary and Africa Director for IBMGlobal has a burden to see the gospel advance to every village, town and city in Africa. Philip will be visiting LMW next week to share more about his mission and ministry in Zambia. Pray for safety as he travels and that God will be glorified through his ministry and our partnership in training and equipping pastors for gospel-centered ministry.