Dear friends,  

Last week I wrote that I had begun reading a book entitled “The Disciplines of Life” by the late Dr. V. Raymond Edman, who became president of Wheaton College in 1941. I received an email from Jim Munn, a brother in Christ: “On September 22, 1967, while delivering a chapel message entitled, ‘In the Presence of the King,’ Edman suffered a fatal heart attack. He died on the chapel stage. It was quite dramatic, as you may imagine. He was saying that when people in Ethiopia would go to see Emperor Haile Selassie, they would have to bow, but more than that, prostrate themselves (if my memory serves me well). How much more honor and respect we should show the Lord when we enter his presence. And he was there, a few minutes later!”

There is an expression “We don’t know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future.” The students who entered the chapel at Wheaton College that day had no idea that Dr. Edman would be delivering his final message. One of those students was Lydia, who later married Jim. When I went to France with Operation Mobilization (O.M.) in 1977, Jim and Lydia led our team in sharing the gospel of Christ with people in Alsace. Many years later, I learned that many of the Bible courses that we send from our office were written by Jim’s father, Robert, who served at the European Bible Institute in Lamorlaye, France, where Karen’s parents, the late Clarence and Pearl Shelly, lived when Karen was young.

I thank the Lord for the Munns and the Shellys and for the many friends that He has brought into my life. I am very thankful for pastors and others who teach the Word of God. In the July 2023 edition of “Turning Points” magazine, Dr. David Jeremiah writes: “When I was born, the population of planet Earth was a little more than 2 billion people. During my lifetime, the numbers have quadrupled! Now there are 8 billion! It’s hard to wrap our mind around the explosion of humanity on our little globe. In America, there were approximately 133 million people when I entered the world. The nation’s population has almost tripled during my lifetime – to 332 million.

We’ve never had so many people crammed onto our planet, which means one thing – our Gospel ministry is needed now, more than ever.”

Dr. Jeremiah adds: “You may be surprised to learn, that according to Lifeway Research, there are fewer atheists in the world now than there were in 1970. On the other hand, the number of people who identify as Christians is growing. Currently about 2.56 billion people say they are Christians, but that number is expected to rise to 3.33 billion by 2050. The fastest growing group within Christendom is evangelical in theology. Those who trust the apostolic message of the Gospel are spreading the light!

Where is the church growing fastest? In the Global South – Africa, parts of Asia, and Latin America. Here’s another interesting fact. According to Lifeway, more non-Christians around the world know a Christian than ever before. In 1900, only 5.4 percent of lost people could say they knew a Christian believer. Now 18.3 percent have a Christian living nearby.”

After spending the summer of 1977 in France, I went to England, where I served with Send the Light Trust, part of O.M., near London. There was a warehouse with many books which were sent to stores and people around the world. Last week, Karen and I visited a Christian bookstore in Verdun. If you live in or near Montreal, I recommend that you go to Librairie CLC on Wellington Street. They have a large number of books and Bibles, as well as cards and other items.

May we be faithful in sharing the Good News of salvation in Christ with our neighbours and others!

Scripture for the weekend: “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 (NKJV)

By His grace,                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Steve