Missions in the Modern Day

What can God do with a few people who are completely devoted to replicating themselves over and over again? Today, we get the opportunity to hear from Bjorn Lutke. Currently serving in France as a missionary, Bjorn has built his life ministry on the concept of church multiplication.  Be encouraged as you hear of the power and impact one can make by simply being devoted to replicating yourself in others.

Today we talk about a people in a land that are very near to the heart of God. Michael Onifer is the founder of The Bethlehem Project, the Director of Vital Seed Ministries International and the author of God, Israel & You: The Scandalous Story of a Faithful God. 

Four years ago, Jessica & Braxton Wynns opened their home to disciple young college students at Campbell University. What started with just 3 students around their dining room table has grown into a community of over 75 students who are being transformed by power of the Gospel. Be encouraged as you hear how God is using the Wynns to take ground in the battle for universities. 

Most of us look at missions as a call to sacrifice, and it is! Each day, missionaries lay down their lives so they can share the Gospel around the world. However, there are times when in laying down their lives, God blesses them with a gift that answers the deep cries of their hearts. This week we learn about a family who longed to be near family and discovered that the way the Lord had that planned for them, meant moving half way around the world to Zambia.

Imagine for a second that you're on the mission field, you've been there for years raising your family and now you're sending one of your children back to the United States to start their college studies. Whose face do you want them to see as soon as they get off the plane? That is the privilege that Brian & Christine Matchell have as missionaries in residence at John Brown University. Fresh off the mission field themselves, they help missions kids acclimate back to the United States, get into their studies & feel more at home. 

People discover a lot about themselves when serving on the mission field. They find out what they're made out of, what's important to them and sometimes they even find love. In this episode we talk with, Milan and Misty Mihai, and hear how two cultures from different continents came together to love one another & to love Jesus by serving families in Romania! 

A few weeks ago we spoke with Jacob Ebersole, who works with Christ For All Nations in leading large evangelism crusades around the world. Today, we are going to speak with one of his colleagues, Rachel Smith, about how she received her training, her appreciation for the Word alongside a move of the Spirit & what she has faith for in regards to these mass evangelism events, even here in the United States. You will appreciate how Rachel can articulate the call of God on her life and what it means to go after all that God has promised her.  

This week we circle back to Modern Day Missions and speak with their Director, Marvin Slaton. This is an exciting season for Modern Day Missions as they have officially partnered with over 1000 missionaries since 2008. Be encouraged as you hear how God is paving the way for more missionaries to reach the world.

Have you ever been around a person whom things just happen? These unique individuals inspire people and move them to do great things for the Lord. Today's guest, Benjamin Atkinson, is often described as a catalytic individual because movements happen around him. Throughout the years, Benjamin has been inspiring people towards prayer and discipleship. His efforts have produced wonderful fruit that have changed the lives of many forever. 

Jacob Ebersole is a missionary evangelist who travels to the darkest places of the world to share Jesus. Sit back and listen to this powerful interview with Jacob and learn about his evangelism efforts in Africa, the Middle East & beyond.  

In this episode, we talk with Tammie Southerland. Tammie is a prayer missionary, published author of ‘Permission to Burn' & the host of ‘The Voice of the Burning Ones', a podcast show on the Charisma Podcast Network. Tammie sounds a call for a generation of people who won't be content to live on the edges of Christianity but want to throw themselves into the radical lifestyle of prayer, fasting and proclamation of Jesus Christ. 

Each week we talk with missionaries all over the world about the unique work they are doing in serving others, but many have asked the question… Who serves the missionaries? And more specifically, who serves the missionary's families? Today, we are going to be speaking with Jeff Schapansky. Jeff is the principal of a unique school in Tyler, TX that reaches out and ministers to the children connected to YWAM & other missions agencies. Be encouraged as you enjoy this fascinating discussion about a new take on Christian education!

Today Marvin Slaton, the Director for Modern Day Missions, shares with us the idea of being called into ministry. In this episode, Marvin details what the calling means and how extensive the call actually is.  

Danny Gutierrez and his wife, Stephanie, serve as missionary pastors at a large church in Lima, Peru. Today, we spend time talking with Danny about the longterm effects of COVID within Peru as well as the nation’s upcoming election and what it means for the Peruvian church. 

Over the past several months, many of our discussions have circled around the idea of how people are doing ministry in the context of a global pandemic. Most of the people we have spoken with have found ways to continue doing what they were doing before. Today’s guest, Brian Barcelona, has reached into an entirely new way of reaching teenagers across America. In fact, in the context of a pandemic, Brian is reaching numerically many times more than he ever was before.   

The outbreak of terror and violence in Israel is gripping the world right now. Although news headlines are everywhere, it can be very difficult to understand what is really going on. In this special episode, we speak to Nic Lesmeister, the Director for the Gateway Center for Israel in Dallas, TX. Nic shares how Christians can understand what is happening and how we can pray.

Today we travel to Colombia by way of Southern California, as we talk to Jonathan & Amanda Vining. They are home on furlough right now, but they spend most of their time in Colombia serving the local church and those who have been deeply affected across the nation by the Covid shutdown. Be encouraged as you learn what God is doing through the Vining’s and their ministry.

Today we look to the southern border of the United States where we have an ongoing immigration crisis.  We talk to staff members from the YWAM  base in Tyler, TX who are going down regularly to the border. They discuss the crisis , what they are seeing and most importantly the incredible things God is doing amongst people who have seen so much pain & difficulty.

Have you ever had a dream from the Lord and wondered if it was ever going to come to pass? A couple years out of Bible College, Tom Gustafson was yearning for the time he could be on the mission field and finally decided that if he didn’t do it now, he didn’t think he ever would. In a relatively short order, Tom moved overseas and the Lord has used him in mighty ways. Listen in particularly to what God is doing in public school systems in the Philippines.

Stephanie Gutierrez and her husband Danny never expected to be living as missionaries in Peru. As a missionaries kid, Danny, lived in Peru during the height of terrorism, which negatively shaped his view of living in the country. In this episode, Stephanie shares with us what it’s like to marry a missionary kid who says, “I’m never going back to Peru” and then find themselves living there as full-time missionaries, serving as executive staff of a mega-church & falling in love with a nation! 

This week we speak with a young woman who does not use her full name. She doesn’t even give us the full specifics of the country she serves in because of the sensitive nature of what she does. She was born in a Buddhist family, came to Jesus as a teenager on her own and had to sit her parents down to say, “now I believe in Jesus.” You will be moved and inspired by her story & devotion to Jesus. 

Have you settled for less than unspeakable joy in your life’s journey? Georgian Banov knew nothing of this supernatural joy. Born and raised under the oppression of Communist Bulgaria, he escaped miraculously to the United States, where he was embraced by the warmth and love of the “Jesus people.” Encountering God, along with the truth of His Word and the ongoing work of the Spirit, has led Georgian to a life of freedom and holy joy. 

There are a couple things you can’t do. You can’t take back something that’s already been said and you can’t go back in time, but what if you could? What are the things that you would tell yourself 20 years ago that would have been really helpful in life and especially in ministry? In this episode, we reconvene our panel from last week and those are the kinds of questions we ask. What ministry would look like if we knew then what we know now?

One of the beautiful things about the body of Christ is perspective. On this episode, we host a panel discussion to communicate issues from the perspective of a foreign missionary, campus missionary & leader of a missions organization. Be encouraged as you learn how missionaries are pivoting to continue doing ministry in the face of a global pandemic.

Missions has many faces. It is often perceived as isolated tasks of teaching or preaching, but that’s an incomplete picture. In most cases, missions is simply using the skills that the Lord has given us, to in turn, reach the world. This week is no exception, as Rebecca McCaigue joins us from Europe, where she and her husband, Matthew, work in the area of media arts. The McCaigue’s utilize their skills not only to help free people from human trafficking, but also to help other missionaries all around the world.

From vessels sixty to six hundred feet long, Matthew has used his mariner training and expertise to serve the nations of the world. Spending your working hours on boats and ships is foreign to many of us. Listen and learn about how God is using maritime ministry to bring relief, aid and the Gospel to the nations. 

For 15 years, Justin Rizzo was a senior worship leader at the International House of Prayer. Justin is still plugged in at IHOPKC but these days he is also training up other worship leaders around the world as well as investing into the arts with a Kingdom perspective. Be encouraged as you hear all that God is doing through Justin’s life and ministry.

Have you ever thought of pastors as a mission field? Lewis Hogan was a pastor in the Dallas, Texas area when God spoke to him through a heart convicting dream. As a result, Lewis founded United Cry in 2014, which is a national movement of pastors and Christian leaders dedicated to reclaiming America’s future.

When we hear the term “mission field”, it’s common for us to only associate it with nonprofit work in developing nations. Today, we take a unique perspective as we talk with a gentleman who is working in business and using his workforce as his mission field. Matt Turvey works for Chick-fil-A, taking care of the 2000 owner/operators of Chick-fil-A franchises around the world and their marriages. Matt has some fascinating things to share about the value of a healthy marriage that goes far beyond the home.

An entrepreneur with a heart for missions. Elias Reyes’s missions calling has been anything but conventional. Instead of moving straight to the mission field, the Lord called Elias to Harvard to get his MBA and upon graduating sent Elias to live in Guatemala for one year. Upon his return to the states, Elias was exposed to various missions’ structures that would one day inspire the birth of Modern Day Missions.

God often calls us to take risks. But how do you respond when the very thing God is calling you to is unconventional and will impact your family, finances and ministry? In this week’s episode, we hear from IHOP worship leader, Brenton Dowdy. When Brenton was a young adult, he made a radical decision to shift his ministry from a conventional church setting to a missions setting. Be encouraged as you hear how God blessed Brenton’s step of faith and chartered the course for his life.

This week we go overseas to the Czech Republic where John & Kelsie Mullen pastor Prague Fellowship – an international church in an international city. The Mullen’s have found unique ways to reach others through storytelling, prayer & allowing people to find their own gifts and use them inside the context of a local church.

What does it mean that the prayer movement and the missions movement are one? Today, we’ve got a wide-ranging discussion with Jon Thurlow, whose had an on-stage seat behind a keyboard as that idea has evolved. After formal music training, John led at the International House of Prayer for 15 years and continues to write, minister and worship while mentoring other worship leaders around the world. Be encouraged, as John talks about the intersection of worship, missions, community & family.

Nic & Rachel Billman are missionaries in Brazil that are rescuing people from some of the darkest aspects of life and helping them find new life in Jesus. Since 2010, their ministry Shores of Grace, has been fighting against human trafficking & prostitution and helping children in at-risk situations. Be encouraged as you hear how God is using Shores of Grace to bring restoration to individuals and families through His revolutionary love. 

Did you know that youth between the age of fourteen and fifteen are amongst the largest unreached people groups in the world? That’s why Benjamin Atkinson has made it his mission to reach this age group through his ministry Holy Clubs. This unique discipleship track reaches people right where they are and puts them in charge of discipling others. Be encouraged, as you hear of how fourteen- and fifteen-year old’s are diving into Holy Clubs and finding their lives challenged and changed.   

What’s the connection between prayer and activity? As Christians, we can often draw a line between the two, acting as if the two groups will never meet. In episode eight, we talk with Billy Humphrey, the Founder and Director of the International House of Prayer in Atlanta. Be encouraged as Billy displays the connection between prayer and activity!

In episode seven, we talk with Marvin Slaton, the Director of Modern Day Missions. At 10 years old, Marvin witnessed his parents going through a difficult divorce, but in the midst of this hardship, Marvin’s mother & sister continued to champion him towards an authentic relationship with Jesus. Their efforts later produced a beautiful harvest when Marvin accepted Christ at the age of 19. After going on several mission trips, it was evident that God had given Marvin a special heart for missions. In fact, it was while Marvin was on a trip to China that God began speaking to him the words "Modern Day". Little did he know that a few years later, Marvin would assist his good friend Elias Reyes in developing Modern Day Missions.

What long-term effect does revival have on the lives of people? In episode six, we talk with Jessica Wynns, who has a unique family legacy of being one of the first Christian protestant families in Ecuador. After missionaries led her grandfather to Jesus in the 1900s, Jessica’s family became pioneers of the faith as they traveled throughout the country spreading the gospel.  Today, the fruit from this revival continues in the lives of Jessica and her husband, Braxton, as they are making a huge difference on a college campus. Be encouraged as you hear that you don’t have to wait for someone to give you permission to do what God has called you to do!

In episode five, we talk with a Keeton Storts, who straight out of college went to minister in Malawi, Africa. While in Africa, Keeton was tragically attacked, lost his sight for a season and in that season had some deep soul-searching conversations with God. This story will inspire you and build up your faith!

At what age can a young person see a need, hear the voice of the Lord and step out in faith to do great things? In episode four, we talk with Sophie McLachlan & Kristen Amos of Awaken Love for Africa. As very young women, they felt the call of God and didn’t let anything stop them until they were making a difference half way around the world.

How do you lead on the mission field when you’re told that you can’t leave your house? In episode three, we talk with Daniel Gutierrez, a Modern Day missionary in Lima, Peru. Daniel shares on how to lead during COVID and how the church he serves has turned disadvantage into opportunity. This includes an explosion of small groups and an online marriage seminar that grew so large that even Facebook wondered “what’s going on here?”. Be encouraged as you hear that the Kingdom is not limited by what we would call difficulty.

In episode two, we talk with Nick Lesmeister. Nic is the Director of the Gateway Center for Israel out of Gateway Church in Southlake, Texas. He shares some amazing insights on ministry to the Jewish people, God’s heart for Israel and what it means that the land is in such prominence today. Nic also shares about the early days of Modern Day Missions and provides a peek behind the scenes of how the organization came into existence. 

In episode one, we hear from Lou Engel, founder of TheCall. For the last 20 years, God has used TheCall to gather hundreds of thousands to fast and pray in preparation for a 3rd great awakening. Be encouraged as Lou talks about the value of a Godly heritage and later gives advice to young people on walking with God.

Missions in the Modern Day shares the stories of people across the globe who are engaging others with the message and power of Jesus. We will talk to people doing missions work in a whole new way, using technology to reach people who have previously been considered unreachable.