In the last two years Darlene and I have attended the funerals of some of our closest friends who were in great health and yet suddenly died. We were shocked and grieved along with their families. None of us expected they would be gone so quickly. Such events remind us life is short.
Many of us refuse to recognize or consider the shortness of life, yet Psalm 90:12 shares, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Scripture challenges us to consider the end of our life (to believe in Jesus who promises us eternal life) as well as to consider how we live our lives (knowing God is watching and promises to reward us for living for Him).
My friend Dr. Erwin Lutzer is one of the best people I know when it comes to discussing the eternal matters of life. As a theologian, author, and pastor of Moody Church in Chicago for 35 years, Dr. Lutzer holds a wealth of information from a lifetime of study and ministry. In one of our interviews together, he states:
“At the end of the day…we need a reliable guide who can help us know what is on the other side. And only Jesus Christ qualifies. And that’s why we have to hang onto every word that He said in the New Testament because He alone is able to tell us what happens one minute after we die.”
This month, I want to share our series together called “What Will Happen to You One Minute After You Die?” This two-part series (each with four programs) is based on Dr. Lutzer’s bestselling book with more than 400,000 copies in print. Our topics in this series include:
Program 1—Attempting to Peek Behind the Curtain of Death
Program 2—How to Overcome the Fear of Death
Program 3—What Actually Happens When You Make the Transition from Life, to Death, to Heaven?
Program 4—What Does the Bible Teach About the Death of Infants?
Program 5—Your First Hour in Glory: What Will Heaven Be Like?
Program 6—The Descent into Gloom: What Is Hell Like?
Program 7—Is God in Control of How and When You Die?
Program 8—Suicide and the Christian, and How to Have Complete Assurance You Are Going to Heaven
I encourage you to watch these programs for yourself and share them with loved ones. These are critical topics for those facing death, those who have experienced a tragedy, or for those who do not know the Lord.
Our Resources This Month
As part of our new package this month, I am also including two other series with Dr. Lutzer entitled “Where Do We Go from Here?” and “Faith at the Breaking Point.” In these two series, he presents five disturbing cultural trends that may be irreversible unless God steps in; and five unshakeable biblical truths Christians can hang on to in a world of chaos and decline.
We have put all four of these series together and are making them available to you for a gift of $100 to our ministry. It includes a total of 14 programs. You may also order these series individually if you wish. Please see the enclosed card for details.
Jesus Among the Unreached
Across the Middle East and other places where sharing Jesus is restricted, God is revealing Himself to people in unique and powerful ways.
In some cases, Jesus is appearing to Muslims in dreams night after night, telling them that He loves them, He died on the cross to pay for their sin, and He wants them to follow Him. Many of these Muslims know no Christians, have no Bible, and wonder what to do. Then Jesus directs them to a Christian they have never met to hear the gospel.
I recently invited Tom and JoAnn Doyle to our studio so you can hear how God is working in the Middle East and other restricted areas to bring people to faith in Christ. In our four programs, I wanted you to hear the riveting accounts of revival taking place in Syria, Iran, the Sudan, refugee camps across various nations, as well as new accounts of their work with people fleeing North Korea.
Many of these stories have never been heard in America. I am thrilled to share these life-changing testimonies with you in our series “Jesus at Work Among the Unreached.”
Making a Difference for Eternity
While Tom and JoAnn were with us, God led me to support their ministry to Muslims in many nations. They were thrilled at the news. Tom pastored for 20 years in Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico before launching into missions in the volatile Middle East. While visiting Jerusalem, he talked with Palestinian Muslims who told him how Jesus has appeared to them in their dreams, told them He loved them and had died for their sins on the cross. Then He told them to follow Him.
After that. Tom started interviewing Muslims he met from Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, and many other Muslim countries. I believe God has called Tom to document what God is doing in these restricted countries. God has also led Tom and JoAnn into ministering to persecuted Christians who have fled from their countries, or who have friends still trapped in them.
Tom and JoAnn are also working among the millions of Muslims who have fled to Italy, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. They conduct open Bible studies with those who are seeking the Lord. One of their great needs is audio Bibles. Why? Because many of the people they are working with cannot read their own language.
I told them we will try to help them by providing audio Bibles—some on Micro SD cards, some BibleSticks, and some Audio Proclaimers for those who have larger groups that meet in homes or other locations.
So please, first listen to our programs with them. They are going to tell stories that they have never shared before in America or Canada. Their accounts include shocking stories of Muslims who have come to know Jesus and then continue to live for Him, despite constantly living with the threat that if they are found out they will be killed. Their boldness in witnessing puts many of us here in America and Canada to shame. Please tune in just to hear Tom tell some of these stories.
Then, I would like to ask you to please consider giving a gift of $30 to provide a micro-SD card for a Christian in one of the nations where they serve. Because these Micro SD cards are small, they can be carried back into restricted areas unnoticed. When these micro-SD cards are inserted into mobile phones, people can hear the Word of God for the first time in their own language.
Second, if you will give a gift of $100, you can provide two things: first a micro-SD card containing the Bible for the mobile phone, and second, you can provide a BibleStick for one of 65.3 million people living in refugee camps worldwide today. Tom and JoAnn are working in many countries with groups caring for people in these refugee camps. They travel 270 days a year!
Third, for a gift of $500, you can provide an Audio Proclaimer for a Christian leader in their own language. Over 1,000 people at a time can clearly hear this special audio device. Right now, over 2 million pastors overseas have requested one of these audio Proclaimers.
Fourth, for a gift of $1,000, 3 micro-SD cards, 3 BibleSticks, and 1 Proclaimer will be donated on your behalf to those requesting God’s Word in these locations. You can be a crucial part in reaching and training many Muslim people to live for Christ.
And finally, if you will give a gift of $100 or more to provide any of these audio Bibles, I will be glad to send you a copyof our new four-program television series “Jesus at Work Among the Unreached.”
I look forward to how the Lord leads you to join with us this month as we continue to change lives for Christ. Thank you for helping spread the good news of God’s Word to those who still need the gospel.
For those who have yet to hear,
Dr. John Ankerberg