20th March 2019
Dear brothers and sisters,
I am writing to you as a partner in prayer & evangelism who is seeking Jesus’ kingdom harvest & transformation in Australia. Please pray that the provision of God for evangelism will be unlocked and flow from the church into the harvest field.
Many advocate that tithes and offerings are to be gathered into the local church. I am appealing to you and to those who discern how kingdom finance is apportioned. Our local church budgets finance church staff – pastors & teachers, buildings and mission activities. But we face a bigger commission and an immediate challenge.
Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you..” (Luke 10:2-3)
We are in a time of a sovereign move of God. His anointed favour is being poured upon us all for evangelism and harvest. There is unprecedented receptivity to the gospel amongst people on our streets. In 2018 and 2019 we are seeing extraordinary floods of young (& old) harvesters pouring onto our streets – through Awakening Australia and YourAwakening, Australia for Jesus, Jesus Loves Australia and the Graham Tour. We can glimpse the global nature of this fresh harvest movement through The Send.
I have never seen so many emergent leaders sacrificially pouring out their lives to share the good news of Jesus! There has been massive investment in the stadium events. But church funding is not flowing to support evangelism in our local regions and cities – personal support for the evangelists who God has called to equip the saints for ministry. Many evangelists who carry recognised roles as revivalists across the body of Christ are living by faith with young families. And they are going into debt because we are not doing our part in praying for them, financially supporting them and going with them.
When the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) came to Australia in 2018, they employed many of these ‘called ones’ in each of the tour cities for seven months to do what God had been asking them to do! They met with pastors across their cities, rallied the churches in prayer and followup discipling – and they equipped 20,000 people in evangelism! Around 60,000 attended meetings and 30,000 participated on line and 4,386 responded to the preaching of the gospel during the meetings. I do not know how BGEA identified these called ones so accurately – but it was a grace of God for the body of Christ and these emergent evangelists – many of whom are young and are supporting families. We need to see a similar discernment in the Australian church so that they can continue in full time ministry in the months ahead.
Please pray as Jesus prompted and simple do what He has asked us to do. The Holy Spirit has convicted our ministry and us personally in recent months to switch our giving to the support of evangelists.
I would be happy to introduce you to some of these young leaders who need your prayers and encouragement and who are worthy of your financial support and in great need of it. Please pause and seek God’s leading on this very serious matter.
And as you are led, pray for these guys, encourage them and support them financially.
For example:
- Andrew Scarborough: Your Awakening Help Raise Up & Train the Next Generation of Evangelists
- Jahleel Shelling: Support Jahleel’s Month of Harvest: Facebook jahleels@billygraham.org.au
- Donny McGregor: Generation Fire
- Shane Degan: Jesus Loves Australia
- Carl Musch is supporting & partnering with Indigenous Evangelists through: Indigenous Ministry Links Australia
For Christ’s sake,
Sue Tinworth
PIPES: Partners in Prayer & Evangelism
