Beloved friend of AEFI,
One generation shall commend your works to another and shall declare your mighty acts Ps.145:4. I have been thinking lately of how we can all prepare to leave a spiritual legacy. A spiritual legacy is a record of your life of faith. It is what you leave behind that lives on in the hearts, memories and actions of others.
I learned very early in my life of the centrality of Christ in my father’s life. He spoke to God as a friend in his personal devotions. I learned about his faith in the living God, especially in the tough times. It has been said that trials not only work our faith, they can also prove our faith works. My dad went through many trials, but he stood firm and sought the Lord in every situation.
However, the most important legacy my dad left for his family and friends is the legacy of the Gospel. He was unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as God’s power to deliver and change the hearts of men and women, boys and girls from all walks of life. He treasured this Gospel so much that he gave his whole life tirelessly proclaiming it and training others in the work. When he founded AEF in 1960, he gave the Asian Church a priceless treasure and laid the foundation for the Gospel –– so that national evangelists and Christian workers could go out to the ends of Asia.
Having served AEFI for nearly 30 years I am now looking to the Lord for another exciting chapter in my life – mentoring and encouraging younger leaders to do the work of evangelism in Asia.
I am conscious of the fact that for AEFI to continue –-we need to tell and retell the story of AEFI to the next generation. We need to gather a band of dedicated prayer partners and supporters who will treasure the Gospel so dearly that they will pray fervently give generously and go willingly.
Just in the last 18 months, the scope of AEFI’s ministries has been growing exponentially. And with new leaders coming into the fellowship we are looking to God to meet the additional financial needs for Gospel expansion. There are several practical ways you can ensure that you leave a legacy of the Gospel for future generations:
- Give a one time or ongoing gift to the AEFI Futures Fund (the Futures Fund currently has close to $400,000 and it is our prayerful desire to increase the principal amount to $1.5 million). We use only the interest of this fund to support the AEFI leaders and workers.
- Support our new leaders with a monthly gift. (We are looking to the Lord for a monthly amount of $ 5000).
- Give to the ongoing ministries of AEFI
- Remember AEFI in your Will (please contact the AEFI office for more information).
Above all, we covet your prayers that the Lord of the harvest will continue to bless the leadership, all the workers and that there will be a great harvest of souls on a scale we have not seen before.
So, I encourage you to leave a legacy that counts for eternity – in your personal walk with the Lord, in your life of faith and in your generosity unto Him.
With every blessing in the Gospel,
Jonathan James