Category: Updates

For decades, It Is Written has been sharing the everlasting gospel with the world. Lives continue to be changed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In early 2017, It Is Written Associate Speaker Eric Flickinger presented a series of meetings in Dickinson, North Dakota. This account he shared reminds me why It Is Written shares Jesus in the United States and around the world.

As a young man, Ron was ‘rough around the edges.’ His friends referred to him as “Party Boy,” and although he had no time for God in his life, he went on to own a number of successful businesses. When Ron lost much of his wealth during an economic downturn he found faith in Jesus. He decided he would run what remained of his businesses in a way that represented his Christian principles.

Ron began to support a number of worthy causes in his community and sponsored the monthly “friendship dinners” held at the very church where Eric held his evangelistic series. He and his wife Bette began to attend the church, and when Eric’s “Which Way, America?” series began they didn’t miss a night.

At the conclusion of the meetings, they wrestled with the question of baptism and church membership. After much prayer and discussion, Pastor Flickinger said to them both, “This decision is up to you. But if you’d like to be baptized, be here tomorrow with a towel and a change of clothes.” That night, Eric prayed for Ron and Bette, and the next morning he was thrilled to see them arrive at the church, prepared for baptism.

After their baptism, Ron and Bette invested their time and resources in helping others study the Bible and grow in their faith in God. The disciple had become the disciple maker. They continued to sponsor the monthly friendship dinners and did all they could to help others know the Savior. They loved God, and they loved His people and His church.

Just a few weeks ago, I received a phone call. Ron was dead.

As sad as I was, and although my heart ached for Bette, I couldn’t help but praise God for the way He had worked in Ron’s life. Once a wild young man who lived apart from God, he was led to make a decision for Christ in an It Is Written evangelistic series—just months before he passed away.

The It Is Written series had taken place at precisely the right time for Ron and Bette. Which is why we do what we do. Our television and other media productions, our resources, our evangelistic outreach, evangelism training, and so much more… It’s all to reach the Rons of this world.

And there are more Rons waiting to be reached. They’re everywhere. Ron could have been your father, or spouse, or grandfather, or neighbor, or friend. You see a Ron or a Bette at work, or when you do your grocery shopping. And they need to be reached with the best news of all.

Imagine if that series had not been held. Imagine if Pastor Flickinger had not appealed to their hearts!

Our 2018 evangelism calendar is full. We have more requests to hold meetings than we can meet. This next year will be the busiest year for media production in It Is Written’s history. We’ll produce more effective soul-winning resources. And why? Because of Ron. And because of Bette.

There are more Rons to be reached. To help It Is Written reach more people, just in time, click here.

To commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, It Is Written returned to Europe. Two parallel series took place—one in Luther’s Germany where the Reformation began and the other in Rome, Italy, a place where much of the Reformation controversy centered.

ROME SERIES

In Rome, from October 25 to 31, Speaker/Director John Bradshaw preached an evangelistic series titled Solo Cinque. Solo Cinque focused on the five premises of the Reformation, known as the Five Solas. These are five Latin phrases that emerged during the Reformation to summarize the Reformers’ theological convictions about the essentials of Christianity. Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone); Sola Fide (faith alone); Sola Gratia (grace alone); Solus Christus (Christ alone); and Soli Deo Gloria (to the glory of God alone). “It’s really a special privilege to be able to share the message of the Bible in Rome. The city is so historic. So much has happened here that impacted Christianity and the world. God has worked through these meetings,” John said. Mariarosa Cavalieri, It Is Written’s evangelism coordinator in Rome, trained and organized over 100 members from five churches across Rome for the series. They spent more than one year preparing for the bridge-building series, Solo Cinque, which was held barely one mile from the Vatican. The series climaxed on October 31, the day when 500 years ago Martin Luther nailed his history-changing theses.

The short October series has paved the way for a longer series which will follow in May 2019. There have been powerful evidences of God at work in Rome. In the meantime, the devil was also at work trying to slow down the positive momentum. Only one month before the series, the largest participating church had a fire, possibly caused by arson, that caused considerable smoke damage. The members, however, were undeterred in their service to the Lord.

“The church was full on opening night and got more full every night. People were so thankful to hear that eternal salvation is graciously given by God to all who desire it: No penance or works required. Now we are getting ready for the full-message series in May 2019. It’s exciting to watch God at work,” It Is Written Evangelism Director Yves Monnier said.

GERMANY SERIES

In Stuttgart, Germany, Associate Speaker Eric Flickinger presented an evangelistic series titled Macht. Glaube. Hoffnung. Was würde Luther uns heute sagen? (Power. Faith. Hope. What would Luther say to us today?). The series ran for three weekends from October 13 to 29. Pastor Flickinger explored the origins of the Reformation and the similarities between Luther’s time and our world today.

The series was the culmination of months of much work, prayer, and diligent preparation. Under the faithful leadership of Hartmut Winschaft, It Is Written’s evangelism coordinator in Stuttgart, hundreds of people attended the series each night. A broad advertising campaign invited the entire city to Liederhalle, a convention center in the heart of the city, to hear God’s word resonate like it did 500 years ago.

“Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther kindled the fires of a reformation that has impacted nearly every area of life in the Western world,” Eric Flickinger said. “Now, we have had the privilege of carrying his torch forward in Germany, the very birthplace of the Reformation.”

Please pray for the people of Germany and Italy. To donate to this evangelistic outreach, visit itiswritten.com/give.