Helping followers of Jesus in the Middle East

This picture is an email message called Loving Life, written in Arabic. It was sent to 41,605 followers of Jesus in a Middle Eastern country today.

I traveled to this area a few weeks ago and participated in a conference about becoming more effective in communicating the gospel and helping believers grow. As part of the conference, each communication team was asked to identify two or three specific things they would return home to implement.

One of the teams indicated that they wanted to improve their electronic mailings to followers of Jesus. I contacted N_____ and offered to help him learn to use our sophisticated Lyris mailing list manager system. He wrote me back:

I don’t know what to say! This was our prayer request for more than 1 year. Glory to our Father, He never ignores our requests. When we have the opportunity to check Lyris system we almost thought it is impossible for us to get it. It was out of our dreams! (budget wize I mean).

I am humbled at the thought that I might be a part of the answer to someone’s prayer.

Then today, I received this Arabic message. I knew that N_____ had succeeded in accomplishing his prayer. 41,605 people received information about how to love life through their relationship with Jesus.

Much of my leadership now involves casting vision, speaking at events, holding conferences, and planning global strategies. But every now and then, I get to personally help people like N_____ implement his heart’s desire to help 41,605 people know how to grow in their love relationship with Jesus.

And now I’ve offered to help M_____ do the same thing in another country in the region!

Whether it’s sharing Christ with the person in the seat next to me on an airline flight, or teaching N_____ to use an email list to disciple 41,605, or recording a Jesus film in a language spoken by 10 million, it’s so satisfying to be available and engaged in helping people come to know Jesus, to grow in their faith, and to engage in reaching out to others.