You and I have been entrusted with a mission of eternal consequence: to see people around the world awakened to God’s holiness and the reality of their sinfulness, so that they trust the Lord Jesus Christ alone, thereby glorifying and enjoying God forever. Now, you and I have an opportunity to see more people awakened to the Lord through a special grant dedicated to international outreach.
Striving for an awakening to the character of God has been at the forefront of Ligonier Ministries’ mission from the beginning. When our founder, Dr. R.C. Sproul, began to gather students at a small study center in the Ligonier Valley east of Pittsburgh, he knew that their greatest need was to know who God is. Only when we come to know who God is can we come to truly know who we are, why we’re here, and how we are called to live in this world.
The Lord provided for this ministry at the beginning, and through you, He continues to provide fifty years later. Following the mission mapped out by Dr. Sproul, we do not seek to provide teaching that will remain relevant to the church for only a few years. Our message does not change because the character of God does not change.
That is why I’m so pleased to tell you about a new opportunity the Lord has set before us. Recognizing the enduring relevance of Ligonier’s Bible teaching and the soaring global demand for our discipleship resources, the Love in Action Foundation has now awarded Ligonier a special grant to accelerate our global outreach over the next five years. We are grateful and humbled by this, the largest grant so far in Ligonier’s history. It means that your ministry reach can be significantly extended.
Your gift of any amount this month will receive an increase through this grant, allowing you to multiply your impact so that even more people may be awakened to the glory of God and the gospel of His grace.
The need for trusted teaching is ever on the rise. Billions of people around the world are living and dying without the hope of the gospel. Poor training for pastors and church leaders predominates. False teaching and cults oppose the truth of God’s Word at every turn. Yes, the Lord is building His church, but He uses you and me to reach millions of Christians who languish without biblical preaching or accessible discipleship teaching in their region or language.
If we do not step in to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ, who will (Rom. 10:14–15)? What alternatives will the nations embrace if we do not strive now to reach them with the liberating truths of the historic Christian faith?
By God’s grace, Ligonier is increasingly focused on getting the discipleship resources you trust to millions more people in regions around the globe. We have added skilled team members and developed new capabilities that enable us to translate more teaching and get it to those who need it most. Our aim is not to lift Ligonier’s name up but rather to promote the glory of God above all else.
In the past six months alone, friends such as you have enabled the launch of our new Chinese and Hindi dedicated-language websites. This means that Ligonier resources can now be accessed by half of the world’s population. Give thanks to God with us. Even so, a vast amount of work lies ahead of us.
The opportunity presented by this grant has moved us to enlarge our already bold international outreach plan for the next five years. With long-range funding support from donors, God has made it possible to establish committed, multiyear international partnerships to bring trusted Bible teaching to people around the world. Here is a glimpse into our strategic plan to reach billions of souls with uncompromising teaching that exalts the character of God:
- Translate the Reformation Study Bible into Arabic and French, unlocking its unparalleled study notes to more than one billion new readers. These new printed and digital editions will enable people throughout Africa, the Middle East, Canada, France, and beyond to become anchored in the true knowledge of God.
- Distribute a rich theological library in Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic. Your gift will help put tens of thousands of copies of the Reformation Study Bible in Spanish and Portuguese in the hands of pastors, missionaries, and other growing Christians throughout Latin America. You will also enable the Arabic translation of books from Dr. Sproul to provide a firm theological foundation for persecuted Middle Eastern and North African Christians.
- Develop the Spanish and Arabic editions of Ligonier Connect. This will greatly expand Ligonier’s worldwide discipleship community by making biblical teaching accessible to every Spanish and Arabic speaker with an internet connection. Providing our library of interactive video courses in these major languages will also bring needed reinforcements to Christians living in regions that are hostile to the gospel.
- Provide digital teaching libraries to serve the persecuted church through ten new Ligonier digital library resource centers in strategic regions where the Christian faith is strenuously opposed. These centers will distribute microchips filled with thousands of discipleship resources in six major languages. These resources can be accessed without an internet connection. In 2021 alone, we expect more than 250,000 of these digital libraries to be distributed, which also play a key role in our multi-front effort to reach more than a billion Chinese speakers with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Your support will make a deep and accessible theological library available in English, Arabic, French, Portuguese, and Spanish, helping to provide resources that can serve nearly everyone living on the entire continent of Africa!
If the Lord should bless these plans for global gospel outreach, you and I could find ourselves in the middle of a surging renewal of biblical Christianity the likes of which we have never seen. Now is the hour for prayer and strenuous labor—but to move forward, we need your help this month.
If friends such as you help Ligonier raise $3 million by the summer of 2022, this multiplying grant will contribute an additional $1.5 million. To keep you informed on the fruit of your thoughtful generosity, my commitment to you is to keep you apprised of the unfolding progress of this global outreach plan. Expect updates from me in the future.
Dr. Sproul often told me of his desire to see a worldwide awakening to the holiness of God, with Ligonier serving faithfully in the middle of it all. With God’s blessing, your donation this month will help foster awakening in countries, cities, and households around the globe.
Jesus said, “This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). This is the longing of every Christian. It sustains our zeal for God’s glory alone.
This urgent and unique opportunity will multiply your ministry impact so that our holy God may be known throughout the world. Thank you for your treasured partnership in the gospel.
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