Examining the Current and Future State of the Global Church

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Sharon Dickens
That, to me is what church is about proclaiming Christ growing disciples, and seeing a light, healthy Gospel Church just make an impact where you are That for me is just it’s been so encouraging really good for your soul to remember as well. God’s faithfulness to the past to help you keep going for the next like, whatever years he wants us to do stuff.

Blair Linne
Well, ladies, here we are, again, able to have a conversation, which is just so wonderful to be able to share with one another and to be able to listen, hear the stories about what the Lord is doing in different parts of the world. This is Glo, our podcast, a podcast from the gospel coalition. And we’re for women from different parts of the world, who talk about God His work in our lives and ministries and around the globe. And today, we’re gonna be talking about the state of the church around the world. My name is Blair Lynn, I’m here with Aisha de Lopez, Sharon Dickens, and Sujin Park. You know, sometimes we hear stories in our local church or our region, maybe a pastor who’s fallen into sin, or a church member who has apostatized, or maybe even just start political divides that have split a church, maybe infighting, and or canceling. Now we see this on social media. And it can be really discouraging for all of us. And so while these stories carry a valid weight, and we should be lifting them up in prayer, all the situations that we come across in our local context, I think we so often have this tunnel vision, and we forget the way God is moving. He’s working in other parts of the world. And you know, it’s honestly, the reason why this podcast exists is the reason why I wanted to bring us together. Because it was very discouraging at times looking out and seeing like, man, you know, someone who I know very well, who left the faith. It’s easy to forget, wait, there’s revival happening in other parts of the world, you know, in South America and China, like the Lord is moving. Or maybe I don’t know if in your local context, you don’t see many baptisms, for example, and you question, are people coming to the Lord? Well, certainly they are. And we’re going to talk more about that a little bit later. I think it’s important for us to remember that the church, especially as an American, or as Americans, it’s not just the American church, right. It’s not just the African church, right? It’s all the churches that exist on all the continents that make up the global church, and God is building it. He’s building his church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against his church. God is continuing to display his faithfulness, even in the midst of our brokenness. And even in what we experience at the local level, Christ came to rescue his bride, and he will not stop perfecting her until he comes back. And one of the ways that he uses to sanctify us is the beautiful diversity in the global church. And so we help remind one another is we hear stories, what’s happening in Guatemala, what’s happening in Scotland, right? We, we remind one another right that we have this common goal, we’re living under the authority of a reigning king. And we long for, you know, all things to be placed under his feet right? To be delivered, or liberated from the bondage of decay. And so let’s talk more about what is the Lord doing, like what encourages you and your local church right now?

Aixa De Lopez
Wow. I am so uplifted by listening to just the truth of the promises of God and the fact that he is alive and raining. And he sovereign over everything, even the messes and the heartbreak and the abuse that is rampant and is real. It is a beautiful thing to belong to the body, and to actively participate in what he’s doing in in the people that he saved. And so what encourages me about the local church that I belong to, is just seeing a group of young pastors grapple with the you know, just the challenges that being a leader, a leader in our context has brought. We talked about prosperity gospel, and we very much are in the I think aftermath of a lot of hurt from that. A lot of people waking up from that in the Lord by Grace providing spaces where now healthy churches are being planted. And it’s not easy for Are these pastors to welcome us who have been hurt in any way. And they are just godly men who are before God humbly, learning and praying over us welcoming us. That to me is just a miracle in itself. Watching restoration in people’s faith, I think the faith that the Lord gives us is a miracle in itself. And preserving the faith of those who have been wounded is a miracle in itself. So I am encouraged to see that even though my country has been greatly afflicted with false gospels, the Lord prevails, and there is a remnant there are godly men doing the hard work. And so I encourage you also to pray for your pastors. They have a job that is like none other.

Blair Linne
It’s true. Any thoughts, Jen?

Sharon Dickens
Um, yeah, too many. In reality, the this year has been different for us, our local church. So it’s probably been, like most people, the hardest 18 to two years worth of Ike time ever. And we came into this year, and it’s been difficult for us, just struggling with life, like most churches do, until the beginning of the year felt like that. And then this is not the strangest thing. But this year, Sam 20 schemes is 10 year anniversary. And so we are a local church of seven plus members. So we’re not massive. And we have a ministry has been running for 10 years, but the vision had been there before. And we’ve spent the last six months because of our anniversary, looking back on all the amazing things that God’s done. And it was so good. Not just to see people who you’ve not seen for a long time. But actually, it was so good to set that in thank 10 years ago, these people weren’t saved. 10 years ago, this church wasn’t planted 10 years ago. And so this monster of ministry that God has created out of this tiny, little, insignificant, nothing special church. And we were praising God for the way that he had used eyes. But actually that recognition of it’s been such a privilege to be like along for the ride. Like God, let us participate in this. And then after we had this massive, we’ve had a gala dinner, and then a Thanksgiving dinner, and we’d hang out with people who hung out with people and spoke about it. There was this moment on a Sunday morning where we were baptized in some new believers, babies generation and it was beautiful. So there was a daughter who got saved, watching her mum Be baptized because the witness that she had. And then there was a mum, who was who was watching her daughter as she got baptized. And I’m sitting there looking at this thinking. This, this ministry that God has created is amazing. But actually, I’m so glad that we haven’t taken our eyes off who it’s all about, which is Jesus. And that’s through all these next 10 years, the next 10 churches are be full of these women watching other women or guys watching their kids. I think there’s a beautiful moment when our parent gets to see their child get baptized. But that proclamation that they belong to Jesus, because he saved them. That to me is what church is about proclaiming Christ growing disciples and see in a light, healthy Gospel Church, just make an impact where you are. And so yeah, I said that, for me is just it’s been so encouraging. So encouraging, really good for your soul to remember as well. God’s faithfulness to the past, to help you keep going for the next like whatever years he wants us to do stuff. Yeah, I

Soojin Park
think for me, like when we think about the American church, the last couple years have been a little rough. I think there’s been a lot of polarization. There’s been a lot of infighting, honestly, a lot of critique from the outside society as well. But I actually think there’s a good side to all of that. And I see, especially with younger believers in my community, because of everything that’s happened. They’re questioning more things in a good way. So instead of just kind of listening to what’s being told, believing it not really thinking through the implications of what the gospel means in their everyday lives, they’re actually asking the right Question. So when I think all of the the racial justice things happen, there are a lot of younger believers that came and asked like, does the gospel actually speak into this and how, and I just think that’s such a good thing, because it makes me hopeful for the future that there’s going to be more prepared believers who can be nuanced in the public space to defend the faith in a winsome way. And I think that’s something that we’ve been missing, honestly, in America for a long time. Another thing I think about when I think of something encouraging coming out of something terrible is, I think just all the stories of spiritual abuse that have come out in the American churches. It is terrible. And it’s been hard to swallow some of those stories. But I think because of that, there’s so much more awareness. And pastors and staff around the country, I think, are having a lot more conversations about what it means to have a healthy culture in your church, what it means for pastors and leaders to have accountability. And I think that’s a good thing. I think, ultimately, the Lord is purifying His Church in a much needed way. And so even though those are all hard things, I think there’s a lot of good that God is bringing out of those things. And so I’m encouraged in that way.

Blair Linne
That’s great. Yeah, one of the things that I thought was, I relate to even as it relates to all the social injustice that was happening, and all the infighting even on social media, so there’s a lot of name calling, and, you know, trying to figure out what camp are you in? And, you know, what do you believe? Where are you? Where do you stand, and it really has been in having meals together, you know, and having tea with one another in the local church, where I’ve been able to just yeah, just share my heart here, other people’s hearts. And it’s not the polarizing perspectives, you know, that you get so much on social media. And I think if all we were to do was to look at, oh, social media, this is the state of the church, it would be very discouraging. But actually, at the local level, there’s a lot to be encouraged about, like the Lord is doing so much. Another thought that I have that’s kind of shifted in the last few years, is biblical literacy. So, you know, specifically related to women in particular, being theologically trained, you know, and, and not being overlooked, as you know, those who can’t handle understanding the Bible and how to interpret it correctly, and being able to, you know, teach, you know, whether teaching other women, you know, being able to teach the Bible. So, I’ve been encouraged by that as well. I know that’s your heart.

Soojin Park
Also seminaries for women to please consider it.

Blair Linne
Yes, anything else that you think of, in your local context,

Aixa De Lopez
I’m going to pick up on the issue of spiritual abuse, and just abuse in the, in the rooms of the church. Even though Latin America is well behind on reporting the cases or or on statistics I did a year ago, I did an Instagram Live actually with a professional Bible counselor. And we just talked about what it was and how the Bible reflects the God that defends the the week, and we just actually just laid it out like that. And I don’t think there’s been one week since that day, that I have not received a story. It was just a flood of stories. And like you say, we can be discouraged or encouraged, and I and I pick encouraged because the for the healing, there has to be light. And so I am encouraged about seeing this very, very clear movement of God to purify his church. Like I’ve, I’ve come to understand that all the movements that God makes are through the lens of His people, His church, we are the Collect the clock for everything that happens in the world. And so the pandemic is not something that just all it happened. It has a purpose in God’s eyes and God’s heart, basically for the church to be purified, I think. And so a lot of people are waking up to realities that are painful, but necessary to be brought up. And so I am encouraged about being seeing God giving tools to the to the church giving giving a voice to the voiceless and being able to connect you know, we talked about it in in past episodes about it. Social media and influencers and stuff like that, in how the local church is a healing agent. The Hurt came through church maybe, and mostly in a lot of the cases that I’ve encountered. But the local church is also the way that God heals the wound. So it’s a beautiful reminder of how God just is redeeming everything.

Blair Linne
It’s great. And it’s amazing to just think about, like, the local church, you know, there’s no perfect church, but that there’s growth, you know, we’re we’re observing growth or seeing the Lord be at work, the Holy Spirit is guiding and maturing his church, I wanted to actually share a few statistics about God’s work in the church around the world. And this is important for all of us. But I especially think of, you know, the fact that I’m an American. And we often think we know so much. And we have so much right, that I think we can have an error about ourselves. And the reality is the majority of the Christians are not in the United States, the largest group of Christians are in Africa and Latin America, Christians there, they actually tend to pray and attend church at higher rates than Christians in most of the rest of the world, despite stiff opposition from Islamic insurgents. I want to give a big thank you to TGC, Senior Writer Sarah Zijlstra for helping us source some of these statistics. So Russia, has about 1.2 million evangelicals, which is less than 1% of its population. But there are healthy growing churches and ministries there. And arguably, the place where Christianity is growing the fastest is actually an Iran. So about 20 years ago, there were between 5010 1000 converts from a Muslim background. But today, there are between 800,000 and a million converts. But we know there is ample persecution there. So they meet very, very discreetly in little house churches, but praise God for the work that he’s doing there. And so I want us to just think more about the global church. You know, what have you heard in that’s happening in other parts of the world that encourages you?

Aixa De Lopez
Our local church, actually, two of our pastors traveled to Senegal recently, to just come and partner with community they’re in. So we’re eager to learn about what has been going on and how God joined a little congregation from Guatemala, to a congregation in Senegal, to see what it is it that God has for all of us in this. So I think I’m still learning about having a more missional mind. For so many years, the focus was inward. First of all, inward in me, my eyes were on me. And then the style of, you know, the focus was inside of our church, our building, everything was about us. So it’s I’m starting to be refreshed by these expansion of my vision and seeing what what God has in other places. So it’ll be interesting. I think, as a congregation, we’re starting a new journey in walking alongside this other congregation on the other side of the world. And I’m, I’m really praying that my kids be the generation that enjoys way more than I have ever.

Blair Linne
That’s beautiful. There’s a small

Sharon Dickens
church that we partner with in South Africa, Belleville, south, South Africa. And we’ve been, we’ve been a lot. I mean, I go look, because that’s where my brother lives, and I go travel. And one of the first times we went into travel, so they had no church, they were meeting in a school. They were spending time and preaching on the streets to the games. We went to this took us to visit people. And I mean, it was just a desperate place to be. But in the midst of it, this was this really small congregation who loved the Lord, and wanted to share the gospel with everyone. And so we didn’t meet over for obvious reasons, three years because the pandemic and trying to get there several times, and our flights got canceled. And so it’s been four years in between go and coming back. And one of the things they shared with us was this dream to have this this building that the government had built and never used this in the middle of their scheme, as a church. And we when we got there. What was so encouraging was like this built in his tears, and we were worshiping in this building, and I’m praising the Lord and Sunday morning. And the women’s worker that’s there Charlene, she’s doing amazing work. And the first trip we’d go on, she shared this vision for having this, I’d love to have this this Beldon. And instead of people having to sell their children, we could teach them how to make stuff. So they could sell that instead. And then we got there, and they’ve been running. And she’s she’s got this little group of women, and they’re in the congregation that she’s training to do women’s work. And she’s got her first gospel worker who’s working in the community. And she’s got this little group of older saints, who feel like, they’ve got nothing else to give, who are making things to give to, to people that are more deprived the name. And I’m sitting there thinking, and for years, God did transform this little church, and to since not much bigger, but it’s making such an impact in a community where they’re so desperate. And so for us, it was just such a good partnership. Base, also such a good partnership, because it’s, it’s an equal one, we get to share in there, and rejoice in their stuff, and the same back. And so when we went it was such, it was such an encouragement, just to see how God had, oh, he’d been transforming and protecting and using this local congregation and growing them in the faith, am to keep serving them in their heart place.

Soojin Park
Yeah, for me, I think I think of the churches in China house churches, similar to Iran, in the face of government repression and limitation, they’re growing at a crazy rate. And not only are they growing like you hear all these stories of these house churches, thriving people so deep in their faith, so joyful in their faith in the midst of persecution. And sometimes when I think of that, I think, you know, I think as the American church, we can often look at persecuted churches and think like, oh, like, we need to almost pity, you know, we need to feel bad for them. And we need to pray for them. But I almost think they should pray for us. And if anything, like we need to learn from them. And I think sometimes we just get so caught up in the little things, you know, we get caught up, and we don’t have the perfect Sunday school curriculum, or we don’t have this, you know, the space doesn’t look exactly the way we want. But what a joy to have a building we can freely enter and worship and the fact that I almost think, you know, we need to stop sending mission teams to China and mission teams, the US to teach us like how to have resilient faith and how to be joyful and grateful in the in the face of persecution, you know. So to me, just hearing about the Chinese house churches, it’s such an encouragement to me, and it reminds me that just like an axe, it’s not in spite of persecution, but really through persecution, that the Church will prevail and grow and there will be revival.

Blair Linne
That’s good. I remember hearing someone who was in the Middle East, and they will also mention in China, that like when you become a Christian, you basically sign up for prison ministry, you know what I mean? Like, you know, you counting the cost right away. And I think so often in the United States, in particular, it’s like, oh, yeah, let’s be a Christian, you know, almost like we’re coming to live our best life now. And, yeah, it’s just different circumstances. But so grateful for their faith and their perseverance, what a testament to us, we need that we really need that. I was thinking about an opportunity that I had the only kind of short term missions trip that I’ve done, which actually is here in America, but it’s a completely different culture. So I went to a Christian college, and we would do something called outreach week. So we would take a week, and we would go off of like, not have to go to any classes. And we will be able to go and serve a church somewhere. Some people went internationally, some people went nationally, and actually had the opportunity to serve at a deaf and blind church. In college, my language of choice was American Sign Language. And so but I had never really been inundated in that culture. And it really is a different culture. Oftentimes, you know, if you are deaf, and sometimes you have a hearing, hearing parents, sometimes it’s even hard for them to grapple with the fact that you’re deaf or even just like believe that it’s actually true. So sometimes they can’t even communicate with their own family members. They refuse to learn the language. And so to be able to go and on a Sunday to translate the services through sign language, and if you’re deaf and blind, so you would sign in their hand. And it was just it was life changing to be able to experience Yeah, just the level of trust, but then also there’s such an independence that they have. So when someone rings the bell doorbell, there’s a fan that goes off in the room. So they can feel that someone you know that there’s air there to let them know that someone’s at the door. So it was just, it was an interesting experience. But I think we can easily forget those who are deaf and blind. And so I want to bring attention to them that there are believers out there serving the Lord. And I think any opportunity we can to try to communicate with them to try to learn a bit of the language, I think can be an encouragement to them. Another thought that I had another place is actually in Albania. So in 1991, there were 16 known Christians in Albania. Back then the country was completely locked. So if you think like a North Korea, but since then it’s opened its borders. And today, there’s an estimated 17,000, believers, praise the Lord. So you just see the Lord moving and working in so many places, places we might be tempted to forget, but the Lord doesn’t forget, or doesn’t forget at all. Any other things that come to mind, man,

Aixa De Lopez
I think we need to pray that the Lord doesn’t let let us forget the lessons that he’s been teaching us through the pandemic. You’ve been referencing house churches and persecution and being you know, almost secretive about meeting and worshiping. And one of the things that we all had in common during that time was, we had to hunker down, we had to be at home and be with our children and read the Bible in our kitchen. And, and I think it made us realize a lot of us to go back to the most important things. And it’d be unwise of us to forget that, because what they have what what Sujin just, you know, praise and I agree, 100% it’s just a basic, beautiful, simple faith, that is relational, it’s little. And also, like what you have been sharing about this small church in the deep impact that it’s having. You know, we’re very mesmerized with numbers, numbers, you know, counting heads and counting, square feet of construction and stuff. But the Lord does not measure, you know, success in that way. And we need to remember that as as a global church, we need to remember that God is absolutely invested in the little things. And that is, success comes through the smallest of actions done for His glory. And in you know, in the end, that is what makes the kingdom of God what it is, right. And so, I think it’d be really unwise of us to be hard hearted, and forget that the simple actions inside our homes are so important.

Blair Linne
That’s good. And this idea, I think, of persevering to the end, you know, when I think of the global church, and you know, the mean those who are experiencing persecution, there’s a perseverance that I think sometimes we can lack. We go through a hard thing, and it’s like, we’re ready to throw everything out, you know, it’s like, and, you know, to see, those who have experienced great pain, lost all their family, to come to Christ means that you’re going to be denied by the people that you love. And you make the choice to follow Jesus knowing that, you know, bless it, are you right, who leave whether father or mother says, you know, to follow Christ, certainly you will have a great reward. But it’s not easy. But they make the choice because they love the Lord. So I just praise the Lord. Yeah, praise God. For believers in hard places. Please praise God, for believers everywhere, because it’s a miracle for all of us to know the Lord. But we have so much we can learn from one another. And I really would love it if maybe we can choose a place to pray for. If there’s a place, you know, that maybe the Lord has put upon your heart that we can just spend some time praying for believers in that place. You can do it. So Jen, you want to start?

Soojin Park
Yeah, sure. So I would love for us to pray for North Korea. So my grandfather on my dad’s side, he was actually one of the first to be trained as a pastor in Pyongyang before the war, so before it became North and South Korea, so what people a lot of people don’t know is before the war actually the church was thriving in the north. And during the war, when the war broke out, he ended up somehow escaping to the south he got separated from his first family. So my dad’s family is a second family. And it’s actually a pretty common story. There’s a lot of families who are still split, because of the divide. And so I think just to know that somewhere in my family tree, I have distant relatives still in the north, possibly, and the fact that there are believers there, and it’s one of the most persecuted nations in the world, I would love to just pray for the believers there. And the fact that I think it’s really symbolic that that’s kind of where the church and Korea first started. And I hope that, you know, God will continue to grow his church there, despite all the opposition.

Blair Linne
Amen. We’re gonna pray in just a little bit, but we’ll go around and share first. So you want to share.

Sharon Dickens
I mean, I love South Africa. And I’ve spent a lot of time there, because my family’s there. And it’s very beautiful. And but I do I mean, I really love the work that many of them are doing in the cape flats and more deprived in the schemes, they call them schemes over there as well. Where they’re small churches faithfully proclaiming the real gospel and delivering hoping what A’s for many very hopeless situation. And when we were there, when you’re there, we’re talking about them. They were telling us a story about this family, and she was selling her daughter who is like, five, maybe, to this to the drug lord, who paid like a tall to use her and my brain imploded about how horrific all this was. And then I started to think what would happen and they started telling us the story about how this, this happened to this mother. And she’d done the same to her daughter. And it was the same the same drug lord. And after, after the, that night, when I was reflecting and praying about the horrific story that retired, my brain was struck by how would she cope with coming to the Lord? Like, how could she wrestle with the decisions that her mom made? How would she see Christ and the, the trauma, the, in amongst the trauma that she suffered. And so when we were talking earlier about counting the costs of people come into Christ, the costs for me is simple. My family may not talk to me. And people may get mad at me, but they’re not going to shoot me or stab me or set my house on fire. And so in these hard places, where there’s faithful Christians, and putting their life on the line every day to tell gang members to tell drug lords the truth of the gospel, I think that that the live the embodiment of what the Bible says, And when you live out every day, living each day fully for Christ. And so yeah, I’d love to pray for South Africa, love to pray, particularly for and Belva safe because I’ve got family, they feel like family to me, so pray for them, and the work that they’re doing.

Aixa De Lopez
So many places that I think about, but I’d like for us to pray for Cuba. Cuba is a place that is been stricken by so many hard, hard realities, and oppressed, oppressed. Thankfully, the Spirit of God is moving there. And I know that there are many faithful pastors that are thriving as pastors because they only depend on God. But I can’t even begin to imagine the hurdles that they go through in order to persevere with their congregations in very depraved situations, you know, physical needs are hardly met and, and still you hear stories of so much joy, I haven’t been there. But I pay attention to the stories and are moved by just the believers that are joyfully doing the work that God had sent them to do and I admire and I want to, you know, just think for a moment about asking God to be present and consoled their hearts and meet every every need and move us to know how can we come alongside and, and provide in any way

Blair Linne
and I would like to pray. It was really hard to narrow down like one but this year I met a sister Marine, who is Kenyan but she He is serving on the mission field and Mozambique, and probably has not been on the mission field for a year. So new, you know, filled with zeal filled with love for Jesus and Mozambique has 61 people groups, but 11 of them are unreached. And so I would just love to just lift her up. I’m so encouraged by Yeah, just her willingness to go as a young woman, to trust the Lord and give her life for the gospel. So why don’t we go around Sujin if you start just praying, and we’ll just pray for our request for our own for your own.

Soojin Park
Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you so much for the global church, we thank you that your work in the world is so much bigger than what we can see. And it is such an encouragement to know Lord that despite the various opposition’s and persecution, Lord, that your church is still growing, Lord, that your plan will not be thwarted. And Father, we specifically pray for the church in North Korea. Father, we probably have no idea or understanding of the kind of oppression and persecution that they endure daily. Lord, I just pray for the believers that you would not only give them physical protection in the right times and situations, Lord, but I pray that you would guard their hearts Lord, I pray that you would give them a boldness and bravery that can only come from knowing Lord that this life is not their own. This life is temporary Lord, and that there is something much greater ahead of them, Lord, Father, I pray that you would give them the right resources you would give them access to the right people, Lord, I pray that Bibles will be made accessible Lord, to more people in North Korea, Lord, that many would come to have access to your word to Living Word and come to know the gospel and come to see that your son is the only way to live only way to salvation, Lord, we pray for Lord, for the global church to come together and to not only provide resources, but prayer and support through prayer, Lord, that the brothers and sisters of North Korea would not be forgotten, but will be lifted up and covered Lord in the prayers of the global church. We left all of this in Your Son’s name, amen. Amen.

Sharon Dickens
Father, God we are so I’m thankful. Just that we can come into your very presence, and pray and you hear and you answer. And so Lord, I’m so grateful for that. You are such a gracious and merciful Father to us, Lord, when we think about the just the global church and the pain that’s out there, and the harm that we do to each other, and the heart and the trauma that many experience, Lord, there’s times where we just don’t know how to pray. And so far, we think of those that are in South Africa who are living out what seems to be a very Christian moral bubble at times where the foundations at once once must have come from a from your people at some point. But these are just moralistic truths that for many just slide over the top of their head, but find that I pray for those that that hear your words, they wouldn’t fall on a day fears, a pray that the foundations that have been there won’t just be a legalistic form of morality that they keep to in schools and churches, but that, Lord that once again, it would be a country of faith that you would grow up your people and and that your church would be preaching a true gospel. Find that I think the deprived in a poorer areas like the townships and the schemes, and farther god, I’m so grateful for the many faithful servants who go in and proclaim your worth. And Lord, we do pray, knowing the dangers that they put themselves in that you would have your hand of protection upon them. But Father, we are so thankful for the courageous example that they show of holding their life loosely, for the for the sake of the gospel. And so for those that proclaim Your Word, we pray that we go boldly. We pray that it will be clear We pray that it would not fall on deaf ears. We pray for the many men and women that are coming out of gangs and families that have been devastated by hardship and the drugs and the gangs that go over them. We pray, Lord, that You would heal and restore. We pray more than anything for those that are escaping their past that are I’m continuing to trust you that you would help them to remain faithful to you, Lord, and their new life as Christians that you would keep them on that path, that they are all life, that old self would not be drawing them back. And so far that I’m praying more than anything that what you will be doing is building your your church, there will be a faithfully proclaiming the gospel, that it would not sway from the truth that comes from your word. And so we pray that that there will be Bible believing gospel centered churches, proclaim and faithfully your truth and words and deeds. And through the Holy South Africa, we pray this in Jesus name, amen.

Aixa De Lopez
Thank you, because you are your I see, you are with us. You are the God that sees that understands every groaning every lament, every tear, thank you because we don’t have to translate any of it to you. You are the All Knowing, and all powerful God. I come before you today, Lord, to ask for grace and provision in every way for the church in Cuba. Lord, you have seen everything, every abuse of power, every deprivation, every act of corruption that has inundated that island, you’ve seen the pain of separation, the trauma of loss, and through at all, you’ve been faithful, and your spirit has flooded that area. Thank you because you have picked men and women, to proclaim Your word faithfully. Thank you because you cannot be stopped. Lord, there is a great need. And you are the first one, you are the one who sacrifice himself for so you have promised to give everything that we need in you. And that’s what I’m asking for my brothers and sisters in Cuba. Lord made the faithful pastors be encouraged in their hearts today. May you use the body of your son, your church, to encourage their pastors or BIA, prayers or embrace or a word of encouragement or a meal, an act of service to their families. A phone call from abroad and offering. You know, Lord how to provide an ask you to be gracious like you are to the men and women who are serving you with a humble heart. I pray for the pastors, I pray for their wives and their children, that you keep them in your hands or that you strengthen their faith. And that you keep their bodies healthy and strong. If that is what your Will says will make their church better and stronger. Lord, to anybody that is serving in a weak state that use sustain them for the day see the miracle of your presence as enough. Thank you because you see, because you will provide according to the riches in your son. And may you mobilize all of us that are outside with so many comfort and so much comfort, so many resources to come alongside and to be their family, as you have said in your word, Lord, that we are their family, that we embody the love of your son, for them. Thank you because we are connected by the blood of the lamb that died in our place.

Blair Linne
Amen. And Lord, I thank you, you alone are God. This is your church. We thank you, Laura, that you and your faithfulness are building your church, your sovereign over it. We thank You, Lord, that your arm is not too short to save you and your mercy you have saved us through your Son Jesus. And there are more that you will save. We pray for the people of Mozambique Lord, we ask that you would be merciful to them. I pray for them specifically for those 11 people groups that are unreached there. I pray, Father that You would open their hearts that you would take heart hearts and give them hearts of flesh that they will be receptive to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray for those missionaries who are there specifically Maureen and those on her team. Lord, I pray that you would fill them with the fullness of God that you would fill them with your spirit that you would equip them with everything they need to proclaim Your truth. I pray for strength, I pray, Lord, for you to please supply all of their needs. Help them to trust you when it’s difficult in the days where they want to give up, help them Lord to cling closely to you, and I pray that you would be their strength. And we pray that there would be much fruit, many would be able to testify to the work that you’ve done in their lives through the ministry of this team. Lord, we thank you for the global church all around the world. Lord, thank you for all that you’re doing weather in our local context. And beyond Lord, I pray that you would keep us encouraged. Help us to persevere in the faith and May your name be glorified. In Jesus name, Amen. And amen. Praise the Lord. But we’re going to close this episode today by shining a light on our differences. And my question is, what is one part of the world that you always wanted to visit?

Aixa De Lopez
I want to visit so many places, it’s really hard to answer this, but I think I want to go to Turkey. I want to I want to visit Istanbul. It seems like such a beautiful, interesting place. And I just feel like it’s so different. So I’m feel attracted to it. I think it would be very cool.

Sharon Dickens
A main means is no surprise, if you spent any time with me, we all know that I have a little secret obsession with anything that’s Korean, like Drama Music. So I would absolutely love to go around. particularly so in Korea,

Soojin Park
I said, Let’s do Season Two in Korea. Let’s do it.

Sharon Dickens
I will be totally streetfood I’d be up there. Let’s go with a tray of

Soojin Park
exactly. I picked Australia. Earlier, we were talking about wombats and koalas. I just really want to go and see all the wild life there.

Blair Linne
He’s, I’m afraid of like they have some of the like largest animals in the world, like the biggest fighter and all that stuff. But it is liners. Yes. It’s beautiful there though. One of the things that I’ve gotten into is like, my family history. And I did like, of course, the ancestry test and found out that my heritage comes from West Africa. And so I would love to be able to visit Nigeria, which is what I’m full well, more of the percentage of what I made of my people from Nigeria, so I’d love to go there. Well, thank you guys so much. It’s been great being able to talk about the global church and thank you all for listening to this episode of glow. Want you to remember that you are the light of the world. A city set upon a hill shall not be hidden. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a basket, but on a light stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. In the same way. Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Thank you for joining us for the first season of Glo. Yeah. We’ve survived. We made it.