Fruit that Remains

“I’m not afraid of failure; I’m afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.”

—William Carey, the father of modern missions

 

The heartbeat of Alpha Ministries is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with every unreached man, woman and child. As Scripture asks, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:14 NKJV).

Our primary focus is the “10/40 Window,” an area stretching from North Africa to China that extends from latitudes 10° to 40° north of the equator. More than 3.2 billion people live in that region and 95% of them do not know Jesus. With the help of caring people like you, Alpha Ministries goes to these unreached areas, sharing the Good News, training and equipping ministers, and planting churches where no church exists.

I am amazed when I talk to the people attending crowded conferences in foreign lands. I meet hundreds of them who have come to know Jesus Christ because of the labor of a native frontline messenger. The work of these dedicated men and their families is yielding much fruit…fruit that remains! I am overwhelmed with joy and thanksgiving whenever I encounter a young missionary in such meetings who tells me, “I follow God because you helped my father follow God.”

If you know me, you know that I rejoice whenever I see a young man or young woman who has come to follow Jesus into freedom—out of the bondage of sin. But when I hear that the fruit of sharing the Good News and training one man to reach villages in his region has led to his household coming to Christ, as well as hundreds of people around him, I am overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. The men and women we train mature and pass on that knowledge to younger generations and see lifelong effects. The power of God’s Word continues to open doors for our frontline messengers to share the hope of the gospel in a vast array of strategic settings.

Our recent Lanji leadership training conference was a tremendous success with over 1200 people in attendance—twice the number they were prepared to host. More than 100 people were prepared to be baptized as a result of this conference. Many made commitments to become a VM1000 member to help us reach our goal to minister to 100,000 new villages. Over 60 people engaged in leadership development.

Friend, God moves in mysterious ways and His ways are always perfect. God does not send everyone to the mission field, but everyone can partner in the work of missions in one way or another. Thank you for faithfully supporting missions by praying, sending and perhaps even going. May God continue to make His calling strong and sure in your life and sustain the great work that He has placed in our humble hands. We are grateful to be used in His harvest fields to reach the unreached of the world!

“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!”
― Abraham Kuyper