Daniel Smenes is from Norway and his wife is from Germany. They are two of the amazing European evangelists that God is raising up. Today he talks about what God did during a Christ for All Nations crusade in Morogoro, Tanzania.
About Daniel Smenes: Jesus to all Nations was founded by Daniel Smenes in 2018. Since his conversion in 2004 he has been involved in evangelistic missions work in 40 nations. The Lord has stirred Daniel´s heart with a burning passion to reach the lost. He has a passion to reach unchurched and unreached people groups with the Gospel. He started out his ministry journey with Jesus Revolution and Go Out Mission. He also served as an elder in Nordvestkirka in Norway, for five years. Together with his wife Katrin they are currently serving local churches, teaching at Bible schools, hold seminars, conferences and gospel campaigns internationally.
Website: https://jtans.com/
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Transcript:
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (00:01):
Daniel Smenes is from Norway and his wife is from Germany. They are two of the amazing European evangelists that God is raising up. Today he talks about what God did during a Christ for All Nations crusade in Morogoro, Tanzania.
Evangelism Podcast Host (00:18):
Jesus said go into all the world and preach the gospel. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be welcome to the evangelism podcast with Dr. Daniel King we’re Daniel interviews, full-time evangelists, pastors, missionaries, and normal everyday Christians to discover how they share their faith, their powerful testimonies and amazing stories that will inspire you to reach people with the good news. And now here’s your host missionary and evangelists Daniel King.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (00:55):
Welcome to the evangelism podcast. I’m Daniel King and I am excited about telling people about Jesus. And today I am with Another great evangelist named Daniel Smenes from, from Norway. Did I say that right? All you are close. Can you say it
Daniel Smenes (01:12):
To proper? Yeah. Daniel [inaudible]
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (01:14):
Wonderful. And so you are from Norway and your wife is from Germany. And we have originally met at a ACE conference, which is the association of crusade. Evangelists led by Jonas Anderson and originally started by Richard gunning and they have raised up many Scandinavian evangelists and also from great Britain and other parts of Europe. And so we originally met at that conference, right? And then now we have met again at the Christ for all nations evangelism bootcamp, which you have just finished. And right now we are in Tanzania and tell us some of what God has done while you’ve been here in Tanzania with Christ For all Nations.
Daniel Smenes (02:07):
We have been, you know, trained for, for three months plus, and then the became down here. And then first of all, we had our initiation, like three weeks where we were trained very practically in preaching the gospel. So we have been into streets into squares and just, yeah, learning how to preach a gospel message that really works. And it’s been amazing to see in every place we are communal people have to come to Jesus that turned to Christ and people getting healed. We have seen people, you know there at the street, in even the Messiah market, getting their, their hearing back their sight back, people have been paralyzed starting to walk. I mean, the gospel works. So those are some of the takeaways that we have really seen throughout the bootcamp as well, that we have been boiling it down to the very basic elements and learning really to stick to that because the gospel in itself that simple gospel really, really, really works. So
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (03:02):
Christ for all nations is doing operation to capitalists doing multiple crusades and multiple cities at the same time. Which city were you in?
Daniel Smenes (03:11):
Yeah, so we went to Morogoro, a city about just about 300,000 people. And yeah, there was a lot of things that needed to be done in the city. Also when it comes to the unity of the different churches, I mean, as Christ for our nation works, they work with multiple denominations. They are not specifically towards the Pentecostal or the Mennonites or the Baptist. So gathering them has been one of the most beautiful things that I’ve seen that Christ formation is bringing to the church. As we came into motto, GoTo the unity across the Don, the nominations and the love that has been forged out of that also in the aftermath while working together to put up a successful gospel crusade.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (03:52):
And so how was the crusade in Morogoro? What did you see there?
Daniel Smenes (03:56):
Yeah, so we had a five day crusade planning up to the crusade was around altogether three months. And I joined in for the last five weeks. It was really, really amazing to see just how many parts and nuts and bolts need to be in place to really see it come to pass. And so we had a a beautiful field there with the mountains surrounding us and also when all the promotion and all the work has been done, you know, the multitude started to stream into this field. And they, you know, the gospel was preached and God was starting to move in a very significant way. We saw, I think, around the 11,000 people during those five days, turning to Christ and mighty miracles taking place as well. People coming in old couldn’t walk, they started to walk people who came deaf, starting to hear. And it was just beautiful. So let’s go to
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (04:53):
The beginning of your story. How did you first become passionate about evangelism? Yeah,
Daniel Smenes (05:00):
I, for me, it really, really landed in my heart as a 17 year old when I received Jesus. Just, you know, my eyes, when I, when I met Jesus, I didn’t really know that this is a relationship that Jesus is really a person that you can get to know. And from that moment, I had a burning desire to tell others about Jesus. You know, I was, you know, growing up with religion in a sense. And so that discovery just placed the passion and the burning desire in me, for my classmates to meet Jesus. I started to go out in the streets with one of the local churches every week, you know, in the night we would have outreach to reach a city in Norway called Bergen. And from there it’s just been an evolving and evolving year after year. And God started to speak very early to me about the nations, even though I didn’t really understand how that wouldn’t fall, it was just placed inside of me and going through different Bible and training.
Daniel Smenes (05:58):
I was led into a ministry called Jesus revolution, which is based in in Norway, in Oslo, but it’s very international who focus mostly on the young people in the youth, in Europe. So that was one of my first stepping stones into really traveling around to the different nations we had. Yeah, we reached out through different means, but it was mainly through music and through dramas and doing different things as a, like a tool in the hand of the local church to reach out to their community. So we traveled around there and preaching also like a gospel message, praying for the sick and basically doing the work of an evangelist over a four year period when I was there in, in Jesus, a revolution. And also their God started to speak to me about other countries outside of Europe. I never, even as I grew up, I never traveled a lot.
Daniel Smenes (06:47):
You know, I always had this heart that I want to travel. And I think the Lord also has put that in me since that time. And since then I’ve seen, you know, like how the Lord has been opening doors, you know, to, to India and Mongolia and Vietnam and different parts of Africa, Kenya, and Ethiopia and west African countries as well. And so we founded a ministry after, you know, I came back from Jesus’ revolution, came back to my local church. I was at a Christian at that time. But I started, you know, to help there, to build up the youth work in that church at the same time, starting to travel and to do crusade ministry towards Asia, especially, and some places also in, in Africa. And then I joined, as you mentioned earlier, join us Anderson and go out mission in Sweden. So I was there together with that beautiful family for about four, four and a half years until we eventually started our own ministry that is called Jesus to all nations in 2018. So that’s shortly some part of our journey. Yeah. So let’s
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (07:49):
Talk about the future. You’ve started this ministry, Jesus to all nations, which I say amen to that. Jesus needs to go to every nation and we must take him. So what do you see God doing through the ministry in the future? What, what dreams has got? Yeah.
Daniel Smenes (08:07):
So what I really sense, you know, when COVID really hits, you know into, in, into 2020, I really felt that this decade is going to be very significant. And so, and then COVID hit, we had to pack out, we were supposed to have a crusade in Burkina Faso, but we had to shut that down due to both a terrorist attack, but also COVID hit really strong. So we had to actually get out of the country really fast and coming home, I was sitting in my lean chair and I was just contemplating on what’s happening. And I felt several things, but two things that I really felt in my heart was a grief. How casually I’ve been taking the yeah, the, the privilege to preach the gospel to the nations, with the freedom that we have had up to that point. And then the second thing in my heart, it was like a resolution up, I think also just force and coming in the holy spirit that over the next decade, I want to see 10 million people coming into the kingdom of God.
Daniel Smenes (09:03):
So that is kind of what we are moving towards. And then the Lord led Catherine and I, Catherine is my wife to, to link up also with Christ for all nations through the bootcamp. And through that also we will do probably together with with Christ, for nations, we will do some initiatives through the Decapolis check that it’s ongoing. So that is one of the things. And also with the kids crusades, we will be linked together with Christ for all nations there somehow. And then of course, we will continue to do our own crusades and training evangelist for this time as well to really, to be able to see our mighty harvest coming, especially in now over the next decade. I believe it’s going to be when things are starting to open up, I think ministries that has been casual about being able to go out and really put in, you know, their full strength. And even during this season, I think that things that the dress has been taken off, so that you’re actually being sharp and to be able to do exactly what the Lord wants you to do for the next season. So I feel for us it’s we were going to give it all, especially now this decade up to 2030 for the 10 million for our sake. And so we, we, we need to mobilize and we need to go. Yeah.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (10:15):
Amen. What are some of the big takeaways from the evangelism bootcamp? What have you learned there? Yeah.
Daniel Smenes (10:25):
Before the bootcamp, you know, like as an evangelist, you, at some points you can find yourself very lonely. I think the evangelist and also the prophetic ministry is kind of a loner ministry. And even in my own mind, because of maybe what pastors and leaders also have told, or like sometimes I felt that people, they look down a little bit at the evangelists but what I really felt, one of the biggest takeaways is just the the dignity and the honor it is to be called as an evangelist, you know, and what’s Christ, well, nations really have put inside of me is just the reverence and the respect for the office of the evangelist. They have really been showing how that is, you know, and also showing us what an evangelistic ministry really looks like and what it can be done.
Daniel Smenes (11:15):
So that has been one of the biggest takeaways for me personally, but also to, to see how you can actually reach the multitudes with the gospel to learn the ins and the outs. And it takes a lot, you know, to put up what Christ full nations are doing, what you yourself are doing, you know, and I’ve been doing some of it, but not in the scale that you guys have been at this point, but just to be on the other end of it, to learn from the ground you know, when it comes to training the volunteers, meeting with pastors and bishops, you know, and seeing, you know, how everything comes up from the ground where are you going to have a crusade that has been the takeaway from me, and also just altering everything when it comes to how we can do this in the future, what to look for when things are not going well, and be able even to navigate that and to put on these crusades ourselves for the coming season,
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (12:07):
You’ve been to Quite a few different nations, like you mentioned Vietnam and, and west Africa. What are some of the areas that you would most like to be involved in and what are some of the things that you’ve seen God do in some of these different places? Mm. So God
Daniel Smenes (12:26):
Called me really to specifically the, the least fortunate, the least reach places when I was at attended a crusade in India in 2012. And so India is very much on my heart due to, you know, we have around 17,700 people groups now on the planet and 2,700 of those are located in India alone. And at least this is what Joshua project’s numbers are saying, you know, around 2,300 of those people who are still counted unreached meaning there’s less than 2% Christians, you know, evangelical Christians within each of those people groups though. So I feel I have a very strong pull towards those places where no one else go to. I don’t like when we are holding like the 50th crusade in the same city, even though we, I believe in preaching the gospel, I really want to go to those places where they haven’t even heard the gospel once.
Daniel Smenes (13:24):
But also to see, you know, cause the people, groups they are growing and we need to be able to see a massive harvest within the people groups because they are outnumbering the workload and the labor force that we are doing. And that’s partly why we also been connected with Christ for all nations. So, but yeah. So in India, for example, you know, we have been reaching out up to the foot of Himalaya place called us some, been there multiple times, and it’s just been really beautiful to see, you know, coming with the gospel into a place where you have both radical Islam and you have also a very strong seat of radical Hinduism there. And then you have also the tribal clashes going on between the different tribes. And I feel the darker, it gets, the more God loves just to both show up and to come in and to really free up and liberate a whole community.
Daniel Smenes (14:20):
What I love especially about India is they are taught, you know, to sacrifice to their gods, which in their brain or in their minds also are demonic entities. And when you come in there and you preach the gospel, you preach Jesus as the final sacrifice is very mind blowing to them to see. And when you preach that kind of a message, you just see that the penny is dropping in their hearts and also just saying to them, Hey Jesus, he also gives you the power over these demonic powers. When you receive, he gives you the authority and the power. You don’t have to be afraid. You don’t have to sacrifice to a peace them and all these things because they live under a tremendous pressure and fear. So that the gospel is really a really matchless. Yeah.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (15:05):
So you’re from Norway. Your wife is from Germany. And so you are in Europe and Europe has a wonderful Christian heritage. There have been many wonderful Christians in Europe, but now Europe is often called a post-Christian area where it used to be a Christian, but now there is not so much interest in Jesus. What do you think it will take to evangelize Europe once again? Yeah,
Daniel Smenes (15:36):
That’s a very good question. And I have the privilege of traveling most of the countries in Europe and preach the gospel and what I’ve found. And I think this is like a common thing when it comes to preaching the gospel at any place or to any culture, we need to come more than with just words. We need to have the power we need to bring, you know, as the Bible says, Heinz wonders, miracles shall follow us as we preach the word and me, I can speak for myself in before I was a Christian. I, I could not stand just empty words or just the motions or the religious acts or going to a church. And there is nothing in it. And I see that Europe is, it’s a, it’s a continent that is longing for the real Jesus, but he is seldomly presented the way that he really is.
Daniel Smenes (16:22):
And also that he is a living, being that Reese really interested in them. So they need that aspect, but they also need to see that he actually is a God who is interested in all aspects of their lives and also where they can really experience him. So I think for this, for me and for us as evangelists, to bring to people an experience of who Jesus is, is very important alongside with the preaching of the word and sharing the gospel. Some of course there are apologetic side to it, but that only works to a certain extent. There needs to be a real, tangible evidence to the person, The presence of Jesus.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (16:57):
Let’s talk, talk about Your family. Your wife is going to have a baby very soon. Congratulations. you’re at about seven months. And so now you will be a father for the first time, and I’m a big believer that God does not just call individuals. He calls families. And so the calling that is upon your life is also upon your whole family. And in God, God’s a generational God, he will bless your child just as he’s, he’s blessed you. So what do you think will change as you start to have children and continue to be in ministry? What, what, what are you thinking about?
Daniel Smenes (17:39):
Oh, I’m thinking to ask you that question. Well w let me say like this, this is our first child, so I don’t really know exactly what to expect in every, and I think also every family is different. Every dynamic of family is different. So you kind of, you have to like in everything with a calling, you, you walk out your calling in relationship with God. And they also know when I’ve been married with my wife, we are kind of figuring out that walk with the Lord and now with the child, that will be an extension to that to find out how we’re going to do it. But I think that we have, we have spoken together and we have decided that our lives, they are not to be revolving. Cause I see that in many people’s lives when they have a child, the life revolves around the child or the children, which is understandable to a certain extent, but we just have decided that we want to take our child and bring that child into our life and give them, you know, give this child will be having now in August the upbringing and the childhood that he should have, but we want to bring the child along.
Daniel Smenes (18:41):
So already next year, we are planning already to bring the child with us onto the missions field. We don’t think that having children is a, it’s a burden to us, even though there is demands with having children. For sure. So, but I, I really believe that the grace of God will be extended to, as you said, God is into families. He’s a, he’s a God of family here. He loves family here. That’s what he made us for. And so I think we will, we will see in some months how it will turn out, but we decided that we don’t want to kind of just settle down and and stop up everything. Even mate, maybe things will go a little bit slower. Maybe. I don’t know, we will see, but definitely we want to bring the child into what we are doing. And we will see how the Lord will lead us in that. Yeah.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (19:26):
So my parents were missionaries in the country of Mexico. We moved there when I was 10 years old and I just grew up ministering right alongside them, which it was normal in our family to be part of the ministry. And that’s really wonderful because it gave me lots of experience ministering. And at first I was just helping to set up the chairs and set up the sound system. And, but then later my father would ask me to share a testimony for five minutes or to prepare a little message. And I would share that. And so before I was like 15 or 16, I already loved to preach the gospel and God put that in my heart. And so I think that’s just wonderful to include your children in what you do. And, and of course now I have two children. My son, Caleb is 11.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (20:15):
My daughter, Katie is nine and they’re in school most of the year, but we try to take them on at least one big missions trip a year so that they can participate. And I was praying for God to give me a camera man in my ministry. And so on the last trip, my son Caleb took the camera and he took it very seriously. He took lots of good pictures and my daughter was helping to lead worship and the women’s conference and everything. And so I think it’s just really wonderful. And, and as they grew up, we, we know that God’s calling as upon their life and they will, will serve God. And, and there’s no reason for children to just stay at home. Why not ask them to be a part of what God is doing? God, God has a great plan for the children. So you’re the name of your ministry? Is, is Jesus for all nations. Do you have a website if people would like to know more about
Daniel Smenes (21:09):
You? Yeah, it’s a www and it’s https://jtans.com/. You can go there. You’ll also find us on Instagram and Facebook and as well
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (21:20):
Wonderful. Well, thank you so much for being a guest on the evangelism Podcast.
Daniel Smenes (21:26):
Thank you for having me. It’s a pleasure for me. Thanks.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (21:29):
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Evangelism Podcast Host (22:31):
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