The Four Ps That Change the World
By Shalini Patras
Insight for Living took its first tentative broadcasting steps beyond the shores of the United States in 1981. Since those first baby steps into foreign fields, we have made great strides across the globe. And we’re continuing to stretch our reach. When we consider where we were in 1981 and where we are 30 years later in 2011, a clear pattern emerges—a pattern we might call The Four Ps of Missions. Our international growth is a direct result of the provision of God supplied by the power of God administered by the people of God who preach the Word of God.
This approach to spreading the gospel is the same timeless method used by Jesus Himself. When Jesus began His ministry, His first task was recruiting disciples, people. When Jesus sent these first disciples out, their first mission was to preach. He instructed them not to take money along, but promised to provide for their needs (Luke 10:4–8). His disciples were “lambs in the midst of wolves” (10:3), yet they weren’t powerless lambs. They roared with the power of the Holy Spirit, and the sound of their roar is still heard today around the world (Acts 1:8).
As it was in the first century, so it is in the twenty-first century. Jesus is still in the business of recruiting disciples to preach the Word. Because of this call, at Insight for Living, around the world, we are committed to the exegetical exposition of God’s Word, through what we preach and also through training seminary students in preaching. Jesus is still in the business of providing for and empowering His people. This is the testimony and legacy of International Ministries of Insight for Living. But you don’t have to take our word for it. The testimonies of what God is doing in and through Insight for Living’s International Ministries proves that He still uses The Four Ps of Missions . . . with amazing results.
Dr. Malcolm Gill, IFLA Board Member, Australia (Power and Preaching)
After completing his Ph.D. at Dallas Theological Seminary, Malcolm and his wife, Tamara, went back to Australia with big dreams for their big country. But those dreams almost faded in the nightmare of what was discovered upon their arrival home: Malcolm was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer. This was Malcolm’s second bout with cancer but of a different kind. Yet, through God’s mercy and power, today, Malcolm assists the ministry of Insight for Living Australia, teaches at Sydney Missionary and Bible College, and travels the world speaking of Jesus’s grace.
Steve Johnson, Interim Executive Director, Canada (Provision and Preaching)
In the mid-1980s, Steve planted a church in rural Canada. Times were tough, even to the point of ministering without a salary. During one of these difficult times, a stranger called. He and his family were relocating to the area and needed a place to stay for the weekend. Steve took the stranger in but wondered how he would feed the man and his family. Steve hadn’t been paid that week. After they attended church on Sunday, Steve learned that the stranger had placed in the offering plate enough money to cover Steve’s salary for the week and pay the church’s bills.
Charles Costa, Pastor, Arabic Language (Provision and Preaching)
After many years of faithfully proclaiming God’s Word across the airwaves of the Middle East, the voice of Insight for Living Arabic suddenly went silent in 2006. Broadcast time was expensive, and funds ran dry. Then, out of the blue, the Lord sent a generous donor in 2008, reawakening the broadcast in the strong voice of Charlie Costa, our pastor to the Arabic-speaking world. Today, through Charlie, the message of Christ continues to reach out across the Middle East.
Dr. Terence Boyle, Pastor, United Kingdom (People and Preaching)
Terry is a Brit. But 2007 found him living “across the pond” in the United States, pastoring a church near Dallas, Texas. Unknown to Terry, God was planning on sending him home to fulfill the long-held dream of Insight for Living to start a regional ministry in the United Kingdom. All of this was realized when Scott Bean, a member of Terry’s church and an employee of Insight for Living, stepped in the scene. God used that connection in an amazing way. Today, Terry also serves as a visiting pastor to many churches, teaching them through the exegetical exposition of God’s Word.
Carlos A. Zazueta, Pastor, Spanish Language (Provision and Preaching)
Carlos moved from Mexico to Texas in 1997 to attend summer classes at Dallas Theological Seminary. He desired to continue his education but had no money to pay his tuition for the fall semester. A lack of funds is no problem for our God. Carlos was awarded a full scholarship and an on-campus job. He completed his education and now serves as the Hispanic pastor of Iglesia Stonebriar en Español and of Visión Para Vivir—the Spanish-language ministry of Insight for Living.
There you have it—a few examples of how God finds the right people, provides for their needs, and gives them power to fulfill His mission to preach the Word. These testimonies of God’s faithfulness encourage us to explore opportunities for the future: in China, Indonesia, and other nations as God opens the door. We believe the Lord will work through The Four Ps of Missions just as He has in the past. We also trust He will add a fifth P—partners who will join with us in prayer and with finances for the work ahead. Will that be you? If you’d like to be a fifth P, please contact Insight for Living today.
Copyright © 2011 by Insight for Living.
About the author
Shalini Patras
Shalini Patras earned a master’s degree in Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary and serves as director of Asian and Middle East Ministries at Insight for Living Ministries.
