Evangelism

Friday concluded five days of prayer and discussion for more than 9,000 evangelical church leaders from over 60 countries who assembled in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, for the World Prayer Assembly (WPA), a grand Evangelical event that kicked off Monday after four years of preparations.

The WPA, believed to be the world's largest Christian intercessory prayer event, reportedly received permission from the government of the predominantly Muslim country, and home to the world's largest Muslim population, to invite Christians from countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Laos, Vietnam, Egypt, China, and even North Korea. The WPA events were held at the 11,000-seat Sentul International Convention Center in Jakarta and other venues.

Each day, participants were able to select from a dozen or more workshops and seminars addressing a variety of issues confronting the global church. All week, a 24-7 prayer room has been filled with people, sources said. more >>

In an article published in the May issue of Decision Magazine, evangelist Franklin Graham says there is no room for compromise in the upcoming presidential election, especially on the topics of abortion and same-sex marriage.

"I realize our nation needs constructive, wise policies for the economy, national defense, energy and a number of other key concerns. My lifetime spans 12 presidents, some liberal and some conservative. They have approached these topics with different policies. At least there is some room for sincere debate on these issues," Graham writes in the article dated May 1.

"However, there is no place for compromise on straightforward moral issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. God has given us clear, biblical direction that we must follow and obey." more >>

Grant Jeffrey, a Canadian Bible teacher known as an expert on Bible prophecies, an advocate of dispensationalism and host of TBN's "Bible Prophecy Revealed," passed away over the weekend after a cardiac arrest. He was 64.

"He is now without pain, he is healed and now with his Heavenly Father. He will be missed sorely," reads a statement published on the Grant Jeffrey Ministries website. The funeral will be held in Toronto, at a location to be announced soon, ministry officials said.

Jeffrey was hospitalized in Toronto, Canada, on May 7, in critical condition. The ministry said in a statement Saturday that Jeffrey died after suffering a cardiac arrest Friday night. He is survived by his wife Kaye, with whom he had been in full-time ministry since 1988. more >>

As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Adoniram and Ann Judson's sailing from Salem, Massachusetts to India and later Burma, we are not merely celebrating a critical early event in the North American Mission Movement. We celebrate the life of a devoted follower of Christ whose life and ministry personified the long-term impact of endurance, perseverance, and tenacity.

To begin, however, join me on a ministry trip to Burma (Myanmar) several years ago. Under the auspices of the World Evangelical Alliance and the Myanmar Evangelical Fellowship, my wife and I traveled to Yangon, Myanmar (Rangoon, Burma) to speak to youth and youth workers.

To connect our trip with missions history, we decided to re-read the biography of Adoniram Judson, pioneer to Burma, during our trip. Judson and his wife, Nancy (also called Ann) Hasseltine Judson, went out as one of the first North American missionaries, sailing in 1812 from Massachusetts. more >>

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is recruiting churches across Canada to train some of their members in evangelism as preparation for next year's launch of its "My Hope" telecast.

The Canada telecast of BGEA's "My Hope," which involves friends sharing Jesus with friends with the help of broadcasts and videos, is being planned for November 2013, Calgary Herald reported.

With the goal of saturating every country in the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ, this relationship-based ministry has reached 57 countries and about 10 million people have said they have established a personal relationship with Christ, according to the ministry website. more >>

Minister Franklin Graham appeared on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) this week, co-hosting its signature ministry program "Praise the Lord" with network co-founder, Jan Crouch, just as the network is facing scrutiny over allegations of financial dishonesty.

Graham, son of famous evangelist Billy Graham and president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and the humanitarian aid ministry Samaritan's Purse, hosted Crouch at BGEA's picturesque retreat and training center, The Cove, in Asheville, N.C.

Graham and Crouch, who created TBN with her husband, Paul, in 1973, discussed evangelism in foreign countries, in particular Asian countries like India and China, as well as conflict-torn African countries like Sudan and South Sudan, where Samaritan's Purse is particularly active. Graham acknowledged the challenges, but focused on the role Evangelical Christians have in spreading the Gospel, or as the co-hosts put it, "bringing the word of God to the end of the world." more >>