“To know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:19 NKJV
“that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height” Ephesians 3:17-18 NKJV
God’s love is multi-directional, spanning north, south, east, and west.
As I was completing my two-year commitment with Word Records, we launched Word Books at the Christian Booksellers Convention in Philadelphia. Word president Jarrell McCracken asked me to travel to the bookstores in Illinois, Wisconsin, and the St. Louis area to inform bookstore proprietors that Word Records was now also publishing books.
As I was wrapping up my six-month commitment representing Word, I was offered the position of editor of Christian Bookseller Magazine; I was also asked to direct Tri-State Youth for Christ.
My former pastor, Charles Pedersen, was now directing the Christian League for the Handicapped in Walworth, Wisconsin, including a bookstore.
Traveling to Walworth to seek Pastor Pedersen’s counsel, I stopped at Milwaukee to inform the Youth for Christ director there about Word Books, since their ministry had a bookstore. Vic Eliason graciously welcomed me, but said that his interest was now in radio, and that they had arranged to have several hours to broadcast on WBON. Asking Vic to pray about my dilemma, he said, “If you choose to direct Youth for Christ in Evansville, I would like to offer you 30 minutes weekly on WBON Milwaukee.”
Next, I met with my former pastor, prayed much, and made the decision to endeavor to direct the Tri-state Youth for Christ ministry.
We recorded a 30-minute weekly broadcast for WBON Milwaukee, and arranged for it to also be broadcast weekly on an Evansville station, but as the ministry was beginning, we did not have the funds to continue broadcasting locally.
This week, the TTT Christian Youth Ministries food booth at the Evansville West Side Nut Club Fall Festival has been providing some unique open doors for proclaiming the Gospel: the “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” message displayed on banners, custom imprinted napkins, and bottles of water; TTT “Jesus Christ Changin’ the World” t-shirts worn by team members; God’s ABCs of salvation, TTT info, and conversations. It’s been a continuing blessing to connect and reconnect with many TTT alumni and others, and the outreach effort is raising much-needed funds for the ongoing ministries of TTT, toward the vision: Every youth, before turning 20, to hear the Gospel with an invitation to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The next Leading Youth evangelism training Saturday at TTT is to be November 14 (3 pm through TTT Saturday night), God willing. We’re praying for connections with concerned believers, so that many more teenagers, preteens, and adult youth workers can receive evangelism training through TTT, being equipped and challenged to share the Gospel with others.
Do you know the love of Christ? “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 NKJV
If you have responded to the love of Christ by faith, believing on Him, will you share the Gospel with others, so that they too can personally know the love of Christ?