The Great Commission and Revived Hearts

Leslie Basham: Jesus commanded us, “As you go, make disciples of all nations” (see Matt. 28:19). Ed Cannon reminds us, that doesn’t necessarily mean all of us need to get passports right now.

Ed Cannon: We must be obedient to God’s command to take His Word to everyone . . . and we think “international ministries,” sometimes. But the Great Commission is about the person next door.

It’s about that woman whose life is broken with a divorce or troubled children or loss of a job, and your program does revive people’s hearts!

Leslie: This is Revive Our Hearts, with Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, author of Choosing Gratitude, for May 27, 2019.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth: We have something special and unexpected in store for you today! In a few moments I’ll be joined by a longtime friend of Revive Our Hearts, Ed Cannon. First I want to share with you a letter that we received from a listener.

By the way, I love hearing from our listeners, so if God has used this program in your life, what a blessing it would be to me and to our team if you would write and let us know about that! Here’s a listener named Norma who wrote to us and said,

I started listening to Revive Our Hearts in my thirties, and I’m now fifty-one . . . so, on to another season!

Now, just think how God’s Word has affected Norma—hearing it again and again for nearly twenty years! In this season of her life, Norma has some important roles to fill. She said,

My mother, who has dementia and Alzheimer’s, is now living with us. This is my new season. However, this has not kept me from also spending time with an eleven-year-old from across the street who loves to paint and sew and has just enjoyed hanging out in my house since she was three. I’m sharing all of this with you because I’m a reflection of all that Revive Our Hearts has poured into my life and home.

This season of caring for her mom isn’t the first struggle that Norma has had. She says,

Your program has helped me through many, many seasons: thyroid cancer, depression, anxiety, my marriage—just to name a few. Because of Revive Our Hearts, I’ve been able to speak openly about all of these things without shame.

And this has also opened the door for other younger women to open up to me about these issues. All my love and blessings to all who make this program possible.

If you have donated to Revive Our Hearts in the past, she’s talking to you! You have helped make this program possible.

There are so many other women like Norma who are facing different seasons of life and various storms in those seasons. At Revive Our Hearts, we want to be there for those women, offering hope in Christ, but we need your help.

As we remind you from time to time, Revive Our Hearts is a listener-supported ministry, so your prayers and your gifts really do matter to us. Thank you so much for your support and your encouragement of this ministry!

Now, it just so happened that earlier today, I was sitting here in the studio recording some opens and closes for programs like the one you’ve been listening to. I looked through the glass to the engineer’s room and lo and behold, who should walk in but our longtime friend and Advisory Board member, Ed Cannon.

So we paused what we were doing and I went over to greet Ed, to thank him for coming by. Then I said, “Ed, could you come into the studio for a few moments? I’d love to have a conversation with you and have you share with our listeners some of your heart for this ministry.” He graciously agreed to do that.

We recorded the conversation, and we went into an Advisory Board meeting that we were having for the next several hours. But now I’d like to share with you a bit of the conversation that Ed and I had together earlier today.

Now, I’ll say, this is a little bit unusual, because we don’t often spend this much time on a program talking about Revive Our Hearts! But I thought it was a unique opportunity for you to hear from the heart of this dear friend of our ministry. Here’s the conversation we had.

Nancy: Ed, thank you for walking in! I just pulled you into the studio; we set up an extra mic, and I’m just thrilled to have a few moments to have a conversation with you!

Ed: It’s always an honor to be here with you, Nancy. I have such respect for the impact of Revive Our Hearts around America . . . and now around the world! How encouraging!

Nancy: We are thrilled about that, and we’ve experienced some of that in recent months as we’ve seen what God’s doing in South Africa, continuing to do in Latin America . . . I’m glad for our listeners to get to hear your voice and get introduced to you.

You and your sweet wife Mary Jean have been, not only longtime friends of mine, but also dear encouragers of this ministry for a very long time. You’ve supported this ministry and you serve on our Advisory Board, which in fact is why you’re here today.

But first, for those who may not be aware, you’re the President and CEO of FEBC: The Far East Broadcasting Company. Tell us just a “nutshell” of what that ministry does.

Ed: Nancy, in a nutshell, Far East Broadcasting Company has been around seventy-five years and we use indigenous voices in-country, speaking in the local language, to broadcast in 125 languages—in fifty countries. We broadcast only one message and that is: there is only hope in salvation through Jesus Christ . . . and Christ alone!

We’ve been doing the same thing for seventy-five years. It’s such an encouraging ministry because when you get international and see places where there is no gospel, there are no churches, people are so hungry for God’s Word! And when they hear, they so rapidly come to faith in Christ!

There’s little resistance. They just want the gospel. They hear it; they believe . . . and we’ve seen villages transformed! That’s why I’m so encouraged, Nancy, that your word is going out internationally. In most of these countries, the ministry is possibly flourishing, there are churches popping up, the gospel’s getting out . . . but there is nothing for women.

The message of biblical womanhood that Revive Our Hearts so effectively proclaims is so needed in countries like China, like Indonesia, like Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. Countries where, really, it is like going back in time in terms of the rights women have. They’re a second-class citizen in many of those countries, and there is just nothing for women.

So I’m very encouraged that your message is going around the world with the impact it could have—not only on the general Christian community, but as inspiration and an encouragement for women in places where they’re so oppressed!

Nancy: Every time I see you, it seems you’re getting off a plane from some far-flung country. You always have amazing and moving stories of what God is doing in the hearts of people in these other countries. You’re forever encouraging us to think big, to think “the world,” to not forget the women in the Philippines, in Indonesia, in China.

In fact, one of the conversations we’re going to have later today with you is about your interest in seeing some of our materials translated into Mandarin. I don’t even if you’ve heard yet about the woman who came up to us at a recent conference we did in California. She was translating the entire event into Mandarin while I was speaking!

She came up to us afterwards . . . You’re hearing this for the first time, clearly!

Ed: Wow, that’s great!

Nancy: She has been doing this kind of translation work for other ministries for years, and we had a conversation with her about her interest in helping us. We’re going to talk more about that with you today, to see, “Is the Lord up to something?” That’s not on our to-do list, but maybe it’s on God’s to-do list!

Ed: Maybe that’s why we’re going to talk about that today, Nancy. Our staff in China have looked at your message, and they are so encouraged because of the fact that it focuses particularly on women. In China, that’s just an absence in ministry . . . to think about, “What message do we have for the women of the world?”

They’re very encouraged by the message—they’re extremely encouraged. So maybe this is God sending us together today to think about taking your word to the “small” country of 1.5 billion people in China!—where the gospel actually is prohibited, where churches are being closed down, where house churches are being arrested, where our staff are being intimidated.

Nancy: Yes, a lot of persecution!

Ed: Exactly! But our staff say, “We praise God in times of no persecution, and we praise God in times of persecution. It is that fire of persecution that draws people to the gospel and causes the church to grow in its greatest times!”

So we’re encouraged seeing enormous increases in the number of people downloading content off of our cell phone apps, off of our Internet pages, and listening to our programs via AM and FM radio.

Nancy: Well, the Lord has used you so many times, Ed, to encourage me to think bigger, to exercise faith. I know when we’ve talked about the True Woman conferences in the past—whether in the United States or abroad—you’ve been the one sitting in the room when we’ve had those meetings saying, “Don’t limit God! God can do big things!” And you’ve helped me to trust Him for more!

Ed: Well, you do a great job. I remember, though, the first meeting we ever had where we talked about your True Woman conference. I believe it was in Chicago.

Nancy: It was.

Ed: We came in with no idea and no real plan, but a heart to take your message in person to the people of Chicago through that conference. We were amazed at what God did, weren’t we?!

Nancy: Yes, we sold out ten weeks in advance and what God did in that place with those 6,300 women was (over ten years ago now) the beginning of a movement that we’re seeing God expand now around the world. We could not have imagined back then how we would be seeing this in so many parts of the world!

This month, as you know Ed, as part of our Advisory Board, we’re trusting the Lord, asking the Lord, beseeching the Lord for the funds needed—$775,000. This to us is a huge amount, but we have listeners who have been blessed by this ministry.

They have a heart for this message. Their lives, their marriages, their relationships have been touched by it. It has encouraged them. It has helped them to flourish spiritually. We’re inviting them to partner with us in continuing our existing outreaches and then expanding into some of these other international opportunities.

I know you have a heart to see people invest in this ministry. Just give a sense to somebody who’s thinking, Wow! That’s a huge amount of money, and my little bit that I could do probably isn’t that significant. But we know that it really is!

Ed: Absolutely! And, Nancy, I have worked with Revive Our Hearts now for, I guess it’s over twenty years, through my time at Moody and now on the Advisory Board. I know the impact that this ministry has. I have spoken with many listeners who, through their tears, tell me what a difference Revive Our Hearts has made in their lives . . . listening to the radio, reading your books.

And those impacts are not insignificant; they’re huge, large numbers of people! But we’re following God’s instruction. We must be obedient to God’s command to take His Word to everyone. We think “international ministries,” and the Great Commission, but the Great Commission is about the person next door.

Nancy: Yes!

Ed: It’s about that woman whose life is broken with a divorce or troubled children or loss of a job. Your program does revive people’s hearts! It revives people’s hearts with only one message, and that is that it’s Christ—Christ’s love, Christ’s promise for repairing our lives in such a way as to give us joy, peace, hope, confidence.

I know the impact that Revive Our Hearts has had. I’ve seen it for decades! And for those of you who don’t know me, just trust me on this subject: there is no program—in my opinion—that encourages women in their faith more than Revive Our Hearts. If you think your five- or ten-dollar gift would be insignificant in its help, it wouldn’t be!

It’s thousands of people pulling together, sending a small gift to Nancy and Revive Our Hearts for the purpose of bringing glory to God through this ministry. I think that would be a very appropriate way for you to honor God today.

Nancy: Aw, those are sweet, encouraging words from my dear friend, and a friend of our ministry, Ed Cannon. I’m so thankful for all the people who, already this month, have given to help that need. You can track how we’re doing on that by going to ReviveOurHearts.com. You’ll see where we are in relation to the whole need.

I’m thankful for the many who are giving those small gifts and then for others who are saying, “God has blessed us and we’re able to do more than that.” Some who are giving hundreds or

thousands of dollars. The Lord knows. He measures not the amount, but the desire of our heart, the willingness to seek the Lord and say, “What do You want me to give?” And then to be obedient to that.

I know Ed and I would both say that every dollar invested is an investment in lives, it’s an investment in hearts, an investment in marriages. It’s an investment in your own spiritual growth and flourishing because it enables us day after day to continue this outreach into your heart, your home, your neighborhood, your church community—in addition to those who are listening around the world!

And, Ed, let me just add one more thing that I don’t even know if you’re aware of. This week we learned of a friend of the ministry who, as part of this fiscal year-end need, has committed $75,000 as a match for anyone who has never before given to Revive Our Hearts.

Ed: Oh, praise God!

Nancy: So for someone who has never made a gift before, if they give ten dollars or thirty dollars, that will be doubled. That will become twenty dollars or sixty dollars. If they give one-hundred dollars that will become two-hundred dollars . . . up to this challenge match amount of $75,000.

So that was a sweet new gift, and we’re excited to see how the Lord is going to bring some new givers to be a part of the Revive Our Hearts family.

Ed: You know, Nancy, as I see encouraging things, like what you just explained, happen in Christian ministry, it turns me back to His Word. I’m absolutely confident that those things happen only as a result of obedience to God’s command for you and your ministry, following through with God’s challenge for you to take the gospel to women here in America . . . now across the world.

He’s honoring that through people coming forward and saying, “We’ll give you $75,000 to bring new visitors on!” So those of you who are out there and listening and thinking, Wow, this might be a great ministry for me to contribute to and become part of!

This is an opportunity where I think we’re hearing God’s assurance that, yes, Revive Our Hearts is a ministry that is following God’s plan; they’re obedient to His challenge to Nancy and the rest of the staff here who work tirelessly! I know; I see it from the inside—to get God’s Word out. So, thank you for even considering the partnership. I’ll thank you in advance for your gift and becoming part of the Revive Our Hearts family, where you’re helping take God’s Word to the women of the world!

Nancy: Thank you so much, Ed, for that encouragement. I know that one of the reasons you have a heart for Christian radio—whether it’s Revive Our Hearts or the outreaches of FEBC, which has a lot of radio ministry worldwide—is because your life and your wife’s life were deeply impacted through Christian radio.

Ed: Yeah, that’s right. Actually, Nancy, when I first became a believer, I started listening to Christian radio, which is where I was filled with so much knowledge of God’s Word through listening to phenomenal pastors preaching on Moody Radio, teaching God’s Word through Christian radio.

I realized, shortly after I was married, that my wife wasn’t actually a believer. She was a very religious person, attended church faithfully, but truly didn’t know Christ. And it wasn’t until she heard a message on Christian radio that her heart softened. She became a believer and that completely changed our lives for Christ.

Now, she and I both spend a great deal of time listening and serving the Lord. We know the power of Christian radio because it worked in our lives! And when I see people in countries where FEBC serves, that have never heard, that have no pastor, that have no Bible; I know the power and the impact that God’s Word through Christian radio can have on their life!

That’s why, Nancy, you and I both serve in the ministry of using radio to take God’s Word through the microphone into people’s minds and—hopefully—into their hearts!

Nancy: And of course, radio is one delivery mechanism—it’s a delivery vehicle. But how much that’s able to be multiplied through the Internet. Which can reach places in this country and around the world that may not have the advantage at all of Christian radio!

Ed: That’s right! You know, when I say the word “radio,” I’ve kind of evolved in my own mind to mean any content which is broadcast over any platform. “Radio” in my mind now means radio, Internet, cell phones, satellite, social media.

The number of people I see in remote places around the world who have very little money, who sometimes have no power in their homes, but who are regular users of social media and cell phone apps—it is amazing! I believe God has gifted us with this incredible technology for this very time, to explode His gospel in places in the world that have never heard before.

Nancy: Yes, and it’s being used, conversely, for such evil purposes. But how to capture that and utilize it to get the gospel out into the hearts of people around the world. It’s an unprecedented opportunity we have today!

Ed: It is. What man intends for evil, God uses for good! I see that in countries all around the world, and I know that that’s the way Revive Our Hearts is expanding across America, and now all across the world, Nancy, with your message.

Nancy: Wow, I’ve been so encouraged by Ed’s words! I’ll be the first to say that I can’t take any credit for what God is doing. This is all His power, His work, His ministry . . . and the Holy Spirit—empowering the message of the gospel and sending it forth and applying it to the lives of people everywhere!

I invited Ed to close our conversation by praying for this ministry, and we’re going to share that prayer with you in just a moment. But, Leslie, first could you just let our listeners know one more time how they can get hold of us if they’d like to be a part of helping to meet this particular need we’ve been sharing during the month of May?

Leslie: Sure, Nancy. So picture this. Your package comes in the mail. You pull out a beautiful folder decorated with spring flowers. You pull out a booklet with devotional writings from Nancy and other friends. You pull out a set of cards then each day for thirty days and you read one thought-provoking question on the card to help you reflect on your heart.

They cover topics like: holiness, repentance, purity, and honesty. You use the booklet to journal the things the Lord is showing you for those thirty days. We’d love to invite you on this journey of personal revival. So when you support Revive Our Hearts with a gift of any size, we’ll send the Refresh Kit. You can give at ReviveOurHearts.com, or call 1–800–569–5959.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about God’s faithfulness in times of trouble. I hope you’ll join us! Nancy?

Nancy: Well, we’re so grateful for our listeners who partner with us to make that possible—many of our monthly partners, those who are giving gifts during this fiscal year-end time to help us with this significant need, but also our staff, that you’ve referred to, Ed, and then the members of our Advisory Board, who provide leadership and counsel and encouragement, and who support this ministry in so many ways. You and your sweet wife have been such a faithful part of our Revive Our Hearts family. I want to say a huge “thank you!” And I’d be so grateful if you would just pray for this ministry, Ed.

And then also that the Lord would meet this significant need we’re facing here in the month of May in His way and through whatever means He would choose to do that.

Ed: Sure, it’s a privilege, Nancy!

Lord, we come before You today with joyous hearts of having seen growth in the ministry of Revive Our Hearts—not only through here in the United States, but across the world, Lord!—and through multiple platforms. What used to just be radio, or radio and books, is now Internet and streaming and social media, Lord. We thank You for those gifts of technology that You’ve provided for us!

We thank You for hearts in this ministry who know that obedience to Your command is the only way that we’re going to bring glory and honor to You through those small tools that we have in our hands, to use to proclaim Your mighty gospel and the power of Your Word. So encourage the staff here, Lord. I know that they work so hard! Bless them and give them guidance through wisdom and knowledge and expertise.

And, Lord, I thank You for the many donors and supporters who have propped this ministry up over the years with their prayers and with their financial gifts. We know that You’ve placed an enormous burden on us here to continue growth in the financial area. We just ask, Lord, that You work in the hearts of those people who have yet to give, so that they might say, “We do have confidence in this ministry, and we’ll come alongside, and we’ll support them.”

And then, show them Lord, through that gift, the wonderful joy and blessing that we get by partnering in Your great commission work and following through with the proclamation of Your gospel. There is no greater joy, Lord, than the joy that we get by sharing Your Word with those who have never heard or never understood.

Lord, I’m so grateful for Nancy and her heart for this ministry, her passion, her hard work, and all of her staff here who truly do put their lives into this ministry! We ask that You continue to guide them, guide the ministry. Protect us from the evils of the outside world who would love, Lord, for this ministry to no longer be here—for any one of a dozen reasons, not the least of which might be that we don’t have the proper funds to expand as we should.

So we turn to you, Lord, humbly, to give You the credit, the honor, the praise, and the glory for what has already happened. .But we trust by faith that You will provide what we need to do Your work the way You have it as we go forth in the future of Revive Our Hearts. At this time are so grateful, and we give you praise and honor and glory! Thank You in advance for what You will do to accomplish Your will. We pray this all in the name of Your Son, our Lord and Savior, amen!

Revive Our Hearts with Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth is helping women everywhere thrive in Christ. It’s an outreach of Life Action Ministries.