OMS Outreach OMS Online May-August 2019 | Page 17

Missio Nexus recently reported an alarming trend. In 2005, 70 percent of North American-based mission organizations focused on evangelism and disciple-making as a main priority. By 2016, only 45 percent of these organizations had evangelism and disciple-making as their main focus, shifting more toward compassion ministries. Compassion ministries, although helpful and well- intended, respond to temporal needs, not eternal ones. Only the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ creates eternal life in those who believe. Billion.Global seeks to catalyze the return to evangelism and disciple-making in the hearts of our partners. we can do so little; together we can do so much.” To date, more than 125 partners have joined the Billion.Global coalition. One partner recently created short videos to demonstrate how easy it is to turn an everyday conversation into a conversation in which the Gospel can be shared. After viewing these, one pastor said he planned to share the videos with his staff and be- yond as they can help otherwise timid Christ followers to share their faith with others. Reaching people with the Gospel in dark places is also a deep desire of Billion .Global. Often, Western missionaries do not have access to these places, but thank- fully, B.G has partners who do have access to them. For example, we partner with an indigenous missionary movement that works in one of the most densely populated parts of the world, with less than two per- cent of its people naming Christ as Savior. There, workers are trained, disciples are equipped, the poor are fed, and local communities are helped by this ministry. These brothers and sisters are intentional about sharing Jesus, often in the face of hostility. In one instance, someone issued a complaint to the local police about their having evangelistic open-air meetings. A senior officer attended several of the meetings in which the message of Jesus was shared. Thankfully, he gave a good re- port to his superiors, noting no laws were broken. While the of- ficer did not make a faith commitment then, God was glorified by the sharing of the Good News. Through the efforts of Billion .Global partners, we are taking light into the dark places. These are just a few examples of how Billion.Global part- ners help transform the lives of people through the power of the Gospel message. From its inception to its completion, all glory belongs to God. We praise him alone for the growing king- dom impact of Billion.Global. To learn more or to get involved in Billion.Global, visit www.billion.global. 17 17