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The Echo of the Lord’s Prayer

8/30/2017

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Your prayers for our ministry will travel across the planet to directly shape the lives and ministries of tomorrow’s leaders––today!
 
“The Lord will give you prosperity in the land He swore to your ancestors to give you, blessing you with many children, numerous livestock, and abundant crops,” Deuteronomy 28:11 (NLT).
 
“And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety,”
2 Corinthians 1:11 (NLT).


Two weeks ago, we were blessed to move into the new building God has provided for the ministry team here in Colorado Springs. Before our move, 20 Christian leaders prayed over the new space and discussed spirit-led strategies for the future. It was exciting to not only smell the dust, but to hear the echo of The Lord’s Prayer resound in unison through our future home! Glancing out the windows at the beautiful panoramic view of Pikes Peak, I could only hope that God would truly use it as a global center for His glory. And He truly has. Our new space is more proof of the Lord’s abundant kindness and we are grateful for the many ways in which He continues to grow the ministry.
 
God has also been faithful in future planning! At our conference this summer in Singapore, a unique blend of Christian leaders from different denominations underscored unity in the Body. The conference featured next-level training in Management and M28 discipleship outreach for both staff and returnees––47 of whom attended for a special time of fellowship, testimony and equipping. Friend, would you please pray in earnest dedication for these returnees. Because of all the missionary expulsions worldwide, the Church’s only viable option is to send back Christians in “ordinary” occupations.
 
Not too long ago, I learned more about the risks for returnees at the first-ever International Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians. More than 600 leaders from 136 countries witnessed high-ranking government officials and key Senators announce legislation supporting religious freedom for all people––most notably, persecuted Christians.
 
We also heard deeply-moving accounts from survivors of martyred brothers and sisters in Libya, Pakistan, Turkey and other countries, describing how richly God has sustained them through unspeakable suffering. Today, over 200,000 Christians live in some level of persecution somewhere in the world. This decade has been the worst in recorded history, creating over one million martyrs.
 
Why is this important? International Students, Inc. returnees go back to these very same countries. Our future outreach requires that we equip our students to deal with persecution––and we’re doing exactly that. We’re working hard to discern new spirit-led strategies for a suddenly and rapidly changing globe.
 
If you value this kind of strategic, global leadership for the Gospel, then please continue to faithfully pray for International Students, Inc. Your prayers will travel across the planet to directly shape the lives and ministries of tomorrow’s leaders––today! Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate you!
 
“And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety,” 2 Corinthians 1:11 (NLT).
 
For More Information
Do you want to learn about some of the many ways you and your church can get involved with ISI? Visit this link for access some of our MP3 audio files that will walk you through some of our exciting opportunities.



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Perpetuating the Cycle

8/22/2017

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We share the Gospel for His sake as well as our own!
 
 “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed,” Proverbs 11:25 (NLT).
 
“And then He told them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone,’“ Mark 16:15 (NLT).
 
Here at International Students, Inc., we are always striving to both share the Gospel and perpetuate the ministry cycle. This includes: loving and obeying God; loving our neighbors as ourselves; and making disciples of all nations. Carrying out that goal starts with great leaders––starting with the Master, Jesus Christ. Our Savior lived a life of great humility as He made Himself vulnerable to attack while here on this earth. And, yet, He conquered it all by rising from the grave. His legacy started small, with a following of only 12 men, yet Jesus won over the Roman Empire. Today more than one-third of the human race are followers of Christ. His influence is so incredible that over the last year it is estimated that 90,000 of our brothers and sisters were even martyred in His name.
 
In our current global condition, we hear world leaders often talk about all the different options that could solve our social and economic problems. They mention things like providing more jobs, better health care, improved security and a myriad of other “solutions.” While it’s important to identify and pray about global issues, it’s absolutely vital to uphold one key command above all else. As believers, we must constantly navigate our way through the world’s distractions, and steer straight ahead with our focus on the Good News of Jesus Christ.
 
It’s amazing how ministering to just one person can end up affecting the lives of so many people! We are blessed to witness this often through the work of our volunteers and staff members! One of our ministry friends shared a testimony that illustrates just how sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ can create such an incredible ripple effect of changed hearts. Our friend writes:
 
“What a blessing it is to see that new believers, Christian international students, are excitedly sharing their faith with other internationals who are seeking. Mark, a student in our fellowship, attended an International Students, Inc. conference where he learned how to share his faith, present a simplified gospel message and answer questions he might be asked. I am blessed that I was able to see Mark apply what he had learned! I remember one evening when Mark and Tanner, a fellow student from Turkey, engaged in a deep spiritual conversation. The following week, Tanner came back to our Bible discussion group for the second time. After the discussion ended, Tanner turned to Mark and began to ask all kinds of questions about God, about evil and about spiritual realities. The two young men sat talking for over an hour about Tanner’s questions. I look forward to seeing God work in Tanner’s life. I also look forward to watching Mark continue to grow as a vibrant Christian sharing his faith with even more students.”
 
As the testimony above illustrates, we find that growth occurs in our spiritual lives when we are actively involved in the ministry cycle. Once we become Christians, our goal is to reach out to others. We share Jesus for His sake as well as our own. When we perpetuate the ministry cycle, we are refreshed and our own faith flourishes!
 
“The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed,” Proverbs 11:25 (NLT).
 
For More Information
Please visit our website at www.ChurchesReachingNations.org to get started in a greater world missions impact right from your own community. You or someone in your church can help launch a powerful, local outreach to international students.



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First Love

8/16/2017

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Our life’s work is introducing the Giver of true Love to a troubled world!

“How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings,” Psalm 36:7, NLT.
 
“May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God,” Ephesians 3:9, NLT.
 
Poets and songwriters have been exploring the topic of love for centuries. From classic Shakespearian sonnets, to the popular song, “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” sung by Elvis Presley, artists through the years have poured their hearts and minds into pieces about gaining and losing true love. But, what is true love? There is nothing wrong with romantic love—in fact, God created it! What I am talking about here is something much bigger than romantic love; I am talking about the ultimate Love—your first and most precious Love!
 
Here at International Students, Inc., we serve that Ultimate Love! In fact, our life’s work is introducing that Giver of true Love to a troubled world. God is definitely spreading the Good News of His Love around the world. How do I know? 1 Thessalonians 5:24 promises, “God will make this happen, for He who calls you is faithful.” And God has been faithfully using our ministry to make it happen since 1953, when we began with 17 full time staff, 11 volunteers, and 33,000 international students from 128 countries. Today, we’ve been blessed with over 400 staff, 24,000 volunteers, and over one student per hour accepting Christ for three consecutive years!
 
We are blessed to be able to minister to students like Georgia, a former committed Buddhist whom the Lord has absolutely transformed. Georgia told us that as a Buddhist, she never experienced peace but was always in turmoil. When her friends in Asia heard that she is following Christ, they tried to remind her of her roots by sending her pictures of herself climbing a holy Buddhist mountain. This pilgrimage-of-sorts consists of a whole week spent taking three steps, followed by a pause to kneel, pressing head to the ground, followed by three more steps. Georgia had been so committed to Buddhism that she had climbed that mountain three different times!
 
However, since Georgia started attending our ministry Bible studies and trusting in Christ, she says she has experienced peace like she had never known. She spends two hours a day reading the Bible. She and her 14-year-old son hope to be baptized before returning to Asia. They are both filled with a desire to know the Word and be used by Him––despite incredible spiritual warfare raging around them. Georgia has discovered her ultimate Love, and nothing will stand in her way of getting to know Him!
 
The God who changed Georgia is Himself unchanging––and He has shown himself faithful in giving us a spirit of unity. While everything around us seems politically, ethnically, and economically divided––even many churches––the spirit of unity we enjoy at International Students, Inc. means even more because we know Jesus named it as a key sign to the world of His disciples.
 
I pray that your week is filled with reminders—big or small—that Christ Jesus is always ready to greet you with open arms and unconditional love. Your first Love will never leave you. I send you off with a word of encouragement from Scripture: “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:9, NLT. I pray that you walk in peace, knowing that you are fully loved and adored by your ultimate Love.
 
For More Information
Are you interested in making a greater world missions impact right from your own community? You or someone in your church can help launch a powerful, local outreach to internationals through ISI’s Churches Reaching Nations Initiative. Learn more here.




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Miraculous Works, Carefully Crafted Plans

8/7/2017

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'There is nothing and no one better than Him.’
 
“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do His work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve Him,” 1 Timothy 1:12 (NLT).
 
“Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock,” Isaiah 26:4 (NLT).

There are so many things to celebrate here at International Students, Inc., as God’s direction, guidance and provision have blessed us abundantly. It is because of His faithfulness and carefully crafted path for our ministry that we are able to continue our mission to reach every international student for Christ!
 
In the last nine months alone, we have experienced astonishing ministry growth! We’re already far ahead of last year’s pace of 75,000 students entering our ministry network! There have already been nearly 12,000 indicated decisions for Christ, and a huge response on our websites. In January, our web response for salvations alone soared to over 1,000 per month, with over 10,000 accessing our evangelism website!  
 
With this growth, we delight in all the exciting stories of changed lives. The Lord continues working miraculously in the hearts of minds of international students and scholars! I am reminded of the story of the Asian professor’s wife whose eyes filled with tears when one of our staffers introduced herself. Our colleague immediately sensed the woman’s spiritual state and asked, “You are a Christian, aren’t you? The wife nodded with a look of amazement. “I prayed to God this morning,” she replied, “and asked Him to lead me to someone who can teach me about God. He has answered my prayer!”
 
Or the student who wrote us:
 
“In my life, YOU have made a great impact by being with me and supporting me more than my parents itself. You have shown me Jesus. There is nothing and no one better than Him. I will be forever grateful for you and your contribution. I would have never got to know Him had I not come to the United States. It was God’s plan as I reflect back and connect the dots. Your contribution of interacting with students who come to the United States, introducing them to Christ and building a family relation with them, is something I have never seen. I couldn’t be any happier than by looking for God’s presence in you and your contribution with International Students, Inc. If I was asked what heaven looks like, I would say, ‘Wherever my International Students, Inc. family and friends are, that’s where heaven is.’ That’s my preview of heaven.”
 
I am overwhelmed with deep humility and gratitude for all that the Lord has done through our ministry. I am reminded of Paul’s thankfulness for God’s mercy when he said: “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do His work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve Him,” 1 Timothy 1:12 (NLT).
 
I am grateful for the Lord’s blessings! It is because of His provisions and guidance, that our volunteers and staff are able to bring a little glimpse of “heaven” to students from every corner of the earth. Thank you to all of you “trustworthy servants” who work with us to “be Jesus” to them. Your contributions are long-lasting and life saving!
 
For More Information
Learn more about how ISI changes lives by watching our “Who Knows?” video.

 
Looking for a new Bible study? View and download some of our ISI Bible studies for free!



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