An Amazing Fact: On July 31, 1667,
the Dutch made a trade deal with England that seems ridiculous today. The Dutch
gained rights to the small Indonesian island of Run in exchange for a swampy
island off the coast of North America. The lucrative island of Run grew nutmeg,
a coveted spice. But its value eventually plummeted when nutmeg trees were
transplanted to other locations—whereas the swampy island of Manhattan was
drained, found to be resting on bedrock, and eventually became a major
financial, cultural, and political center of the world.
Thomas
was born in India but grew up in South Africa. As an adult, he began to explore
religion and eventually connected with Pentecostals. But when he was urged to
speak in “unknown tongues,” something seemed amiss to him.
Many
today are cautious about religion. In a world filled with fake news, false
advertising, and bizarre cults, nobody wants to get pulled in, ripped off, or
duped! Just as financial investors want to harvest a good return, spiritual
seekers want a genuine faith that leads to eternal life.
Well, you
helped Thomas make the best investment of his life when you provided answers to
his biggest questions! Your generous support of Amazing Facts evangelism led
him, step by step, to find truth that has resulted in rich rewards in his walk
with God.
And today
you have the chance to make one of the best investments ever with Prophecy
Odyssey, a 16-part evangelistic series that Amazing Facts is presenting
this fall in New York City, one of the most influential places on Earth. When
you invest in these meetings—to be broadcast across the globe—you will touch the
hearts of millions with God’s last-day message.
Now let
me tell you more about your part in helping Thomas find trustworthy answers …
A Wise Investment
Thomas
was feeling pressured to join a Pentecostal church, but he had real doubts. He
knew he needed solid Bible truth. So before investing his heart into a new
faith, he sought divine wisdom.
A friend
guided him to amazingfacts.org, where he discovered our free book Understanding
Tongues, which is about the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the true gift of
tongues. He read it and was convicted. He says today, “I was so glad to have
been saved from that pitfall!”
Next,
Thomas’ friend invited him to watch an Amazing Facts evangelistic series called
Millennium of Prophecy. This was 25 years ago. Thomas watched and was
baptized into God’s remnant church!
I
recently met Thomas and his wife, Evelina, during a visit to India. While I was
sharing with a group about our new meetings in NYC this fall, Thomas revealed
how, 25 years ago, he made his decision for Christ while watching Millennium
of Prophecy, which was also broadcast from New York.
It was
thrilling to hear this man, living on the other side of the globe, tell how God
changed him through our meetings in NYC!
His story
reminded me of this: “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it
after many days” (Ecclesiastes 11:1). When you invest in sharing the Bread
of Life, Jesus Christ, through preaching and teaching the Bible, you are
assured of a good return!
Investing in Difficult Places
When considering
where to invest our money, we naturally want to get the best bang for our buck.
Financial advisors encourage us to weigh risks when building a portfolio. So,
why invest in evangelistic meetings in NYC? Doesn’t it have lots of theft, violence,
congested streets, and a high cost of living? And isn’t this a secular city
full of people resistant to the gospel?
It’s
true. New York is a challenging place to do evangelism. But so was Nineveh. In
fact, when God called Jonah to preach there, he ran the other way! As it turns
out, Nineveh was primed for one of the most powerful revivals to ever hit a
great city.
I also
believe that God has called us to return to NYC at this time because it is the
most potent platform for a global event. This is why Paul was determined to go to Rome. He
knew Rome was the great communication crossroads for the ancient world. His
ministry there was not easy—after all, it’s where he was martyred—but it was powerfully
effective in reaching people and spreading the gospel of Christ.
New York
is today’s Rome. When we invest in God’s kingdom, we walk by faith in His
calling to go where He calls us. And we remember that the Lord loves all
people—secularists, atheists, agnostics, nominal Christians, lovers of self,
lovers of the world—and He has the power to transform any heart that opens to
heavenly influences.
Treasures in Heaven
Jesus
said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do
not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19, 20).
Friend, the
treasures we lay up in heaven are souls won for Christ! When we invest in
sharing the life-changing truths of the Bible and lead people to Jesus, we are
laying up treasures that will never fade.
New York
is the center of global culture, the ideal location for broadcasting an
evangelistic series to all nations, tongues, and peoples. As many as 800
languages are spoken there. The city hosts millions of lost people who have
deep connections to other parts of the world, including the highest
concentration of Jews outside of Israel.
So when you
help save NYC, you help save the world!
This is exactly
why Amazing Facts is now urgently preparing to present Prophecy Odyssey this
fall at the Manhattan Center. Careful plans are prayerfully being laid for outreach
training to reach the lost souls of New York. (Mark your calendar! This series
begins on September 20.)
Will you please
prayerfully ask God what He would have you give to help share His last-day
message? This is our biggest-ever evangelism effort—it’s budgeted at $3 million!
I praise God that $2.3 million has been raised already, but we still need you
to support this series and our other outreach efforts. Whether you can give $25,
$50, or $100—or even help lead this effort with a special investment of $10,000,
$25,000, or $50,000—you are investing in heavenly treasures that will last
forever.
Thomas is
a business consultant in Dubai who helps companies make wise decisions—but the
best investment he ever made was when he discovered Bible truth that you helped
bring to him. Will you now help many others find riches in heaven?
Investing
in heavenly treasures,
Pastor
Doug Batchelor
President,
Amazing Facts International