Dr. David Shibley is the founder of Global Advance, an innovative ministry that trains front-line leaders to reach people for Jesus. He is also the author of many books about missions and evangelism. In today’s podcast, he explains how his ministry is advancing the Gospel around the globe.
Questions:
How do you train marketplace leaders?
How did you develop a passion for reaching the world for Jesus?
What are some of the things that you think our generation should prepare for that God wants to do in the years to come?
Website: https://www.globaladvance.org/
Read David Shibley’s Many Books About Missions: https://amzn.to/3aT31OA
If you are excited about evangelism listen to the Evangelism Podcast, with Daniel King, the Evangelism Coach.
Transcription:
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (00:00):
Dr. David Shibley is the founder of Global Advance in innovative ministry that trains frontline leaders to reach people for Jesus. He’s also the author of many books about missions and evangelism and today’s podcast. He explains how his ministry is advancing the gospel
Evangelism Podcast Host (00:19):
Around the world. 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 evangelist Daniel King.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (00:57):
Welcome to the evangelism podcast. I’m excited about telling people about Jesus. And today I have a very special guest, Dr. David Shibley, who is the founder of global advance. Thank you for being with us today.
Dr. David Shibley (01:11):
Daniel it’s always a privilege to be with you, and it’s great to be with your audience as well. Thank you.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (01:16):
Global Advance is an extremely innovative ministry. Can you tell us some about what you do and what your vision is?
Dr. David Shibley (01:25):
Our vision is to equip national leaders on the ground for the advance of the gospel in their nation. We exist to ignite what we call Changemakers worldwide to help fulfill the great commission in each of their respective locations to help turn that national church, wherever we happen to be itself into a missionary sending church. So we equip pastoral leaders. We equip marketplace leaders women who many times, even in Christian contexts are subjugated in one way or another in in many nations. And then also the next gen next gen leaders. So we are an equipping ministry for the purpose of bringing people to Christ evangelism and of course discipling them in the context of that national church.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (02:23):
I think one of the things that you do, that’s very interesting is the marketplace ministry going in training national leaders who are involved in, in business or in the marketplace. How are you reaching Christians who are involved in the marketplace?
Dr. David Shibley (02:37):
That has been an amazing open door for us. Even in areas where the training of pastoral leaders has been somewhat limited because of political situations in different nations. Always we have an open door to train people in the marketplace. And so we simply bring biblical economics to bear best practices, outcomes expected outcomes. And we see tremendous openness. I think of a one West African nation where seven Muslim businessmen came simply to hear businessmen from America and their principles of effective business. And they all went away believers in Jesus. And so we’re particularly thankful for how the Lord is using this marketplace outreach. That was really the vision of our current president. Our son, Jonathan, who heads the ministry of global advance and is just doing a tremendous job along with a great team.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (03:49):
You’ve been doing ministry for quite a few years now, your whole life, I believe. Tell us some about how you got started in ministry and how you really caught a passion for reaching the world for Jesus.
Dr. David Shibley (04:04):
You know, I had a very evangelistic father an evangelistic pastor dad who pastored in Tulsa, Oklahoma, his heart was to see people come to Christ, 50% of every offering, every tea ever taken at that church where he pastored went straight to missions and a huge mission heart. And he went to be with the Lord when I was 15 years old. Of course I was a very traumatic experience for me and for our family. And yet the Lord sustained us in such a magnificent way. And out of the heartbreak of all of that, and I was 15 years old searching whereas as Michael w would say my place in this world and the Lord just met me in, in those days in a marvelous way. And when I was 16 years old, he called me to preach. And the pastor of our church at that time, after my dad had gone to be with the Lord, I shared that with our pastor and he said, well, why don’t you speak next Wednesday night at the prayer meeting?
Dr. David Shibley (05:17):
And after I do give a quote sermon at is what he called it. So I did, but there happened to be a Methodist pastor who was in the audience that night and he had compassion on me or whatever, and invited me to preach at his church the next Sunday. And it just began to snowball. And I began to speak at youth camps all over the the, the middle part of our country in Kansas and Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Daniel, it’s just never stopped. I’ve I’ve always had a vision to reach people for Christ. I’ve had the privilege of ministering as an evangelist, but also pastoring churches in Arkansas and Oklahoma. But I started preaching when I was 16 years old. That was 54 years ago now. And the Lord has sustained me. I’m deeply, deeply grateful. I’ve preached in the world’s largest church.
Dr. David Shibley (06:10):
I’ve also preached in little huts in the middle of central Africa as have you. And always just the joy of standing as a representative for the Lord. Jesus Christ has, has always been the same, no matter the context I’ve been privileged to preach to thousands of men and a promise keepers events and large stadiums. One night in Minneapolis at a promise keepers event, I was privileged to be the, the gospel presenter that first night. And we saw a thousand men that night make professions of faith in Christ, just deeply grateful for all that the Lord has done. And I, I just stand back and on and say, this is the Lord’s doing it’s marvelous in our eyes, never lacked for places to preach, but some of those are because I’ve made opportunities for preaching at rest homes. And Sunday school classes never saw any occasion for the ministry of the gospel to be smaller in consequential, all of them count and all of them are important.
Dr. David Shibley (07:22):
And now I just love more than anything else passing on to the next generation and peripherally some of that evangelistic fire that is on you and that by the grace of God, I have received a portion of that as well. Over the years of imparting that to the next generation, to get the gospel out. That’s got to be our great, great passion, the overarching passion of the church to get the gospel to every person. I love the watch word of of different mission movements the gospel for every person and a church for every people group on earth. That’s my heart as well.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (08:04):
Well, I remember when I was just starting out in ministry, I was very young. You had something that you call days with David and you invited me and a group of other young evangelists, young preachers here to Rockwell, Texas to, to spend some time with you. And some of those principles that you shared with me have really helped me in, in building the ministry and in helping me to, to do what God has called me to do. And I, I just so appreciate your, your leadership and your wisdom and how you, you have a passion for passing on the principles you’ve learned to the next generation. What are some of the, the, the leadership principles that you think are really important to pass on?
Dr. David Shibley (08:52):
I think this generation in particular is a very committed to authenticity. And even though they may violate that principle themselves they certainly want to see it in their leaders, particularly spiritual leaders. And so everything that we do Daniel has to come out of this overflow of personal intimacy with Jesus. And so foundational to everything is I try to impart to younger spiritual leaders. Christian leaders is that daily time of intimacy with the Lord getting into his word, letting God speak to you through his word letting the Holy spirit minister to you, and then intercession and prayer and praise and worship all of that together. The reading of classic Christian books. I love many of the, the wonderful authors today, and I read several of them, but this generation also needs to be familiar with Oswald chambers and men and women Elizabeth Elliott and her writings, and those that have really shaped a Bible, believing Christians, evangelical Christians over these last 50 to 100 years.
Dr. David Shibley (10:10):
So I, I’m just very grateful. I I’d say, just keep walking with Jesus. I love what Dr. Bill bright taught. He, he said it was a transferrable concept of keeping short accounts with God, what he calls spiritual, breathing that any time the Holy spirit in any way shows you anything in your life, any thought, any action, any words that dishonor the Lord in any way that you immediately confess and forsake that acknowledging with the Lord that this has no place in my life as a believer. That’s what that word literally means in first, John one nine, if we confess to the Greek word homologeo, if we say the same thing about this sin that God says about it. In other words, if we don’t try to excuse it, but we fully own up to it. We say that’s not to have a part in my life as a believer. If we confess our sin, then God is faithful. And just to cleanse us from all sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, Dr. Bright said that by the confession of sin and repentance he called that spiritual exhaling and then inhaling by receiving the forgiveness of God and a fresh fullness of the spirit of God to do our assignment, not in our own capacity, but beyond our best efforts in supernatural capacity, the power of God’s spirit within us,
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (11:38):
You are really a visionary looking into the future at, at what God wants to do in the world. What are some of the things that you think our generation should prepare for that God wants to do in the years to come? I do believe that
Dr. David Shibley (11:54):
The Western world in the United States in particular, the church in America will no longer escape persecution. We have experienced harassment but certainly not. Frontal persecution as have so many of our brothers and sisters around the world. I think there’s going to be a stronger affinity of the global body of Christ. The one for the other scripture is clear if one member suffers, we all suffer. And I think that now the Western church, the American church in particular is going to have a stronger sense of identity with our brothers and sisters who have suffered for the cause of Christ around the world. I’m grateful that during this very challenging season that the whole world has gone through with the COVID virus, that there has been a degree of, of a repentance and cleansing in the church.
Dr. David Shibley (12:54):
I don’t know to what degree the Holy Spirit himself measures that, but I do believe it’s preparatory for a greater work that the spirit of God will do in our nation, as well as many nations of the earth. Again, a great sweep of the spirit of God. And, you know, it’s interesting, I, as a teenager, myself, and as a college student, I lived through the Jesus movement and the amazing release of creativity in the church and systemic change in the church, which wasn’t a rebellion. It was just all of this freshness and newness of new born young believers coming into the church and asking the legitimate questions. Well, why do you do it this way? And could we do it another way? And that I, God used that for amazing transformation in the last rate, a national sweep of the spirit, which was the Jesus movement.
Dr. David Shibley (13:55):
Now I believe that God’s going to do it again. And I believe he has young people postured right now. And that’s why I want to get with a young people. I started in history, Daniel in youth ministry. I’d like to go full circle and finish in youth ministry as well, just pouring a want. The Lord has given to me into the lives of young men and women who are themselves passionate for Jesus Christ. I think martyrdom is going to go up. And I, I don’t want to say that in any particularly morbid way, Paul gave us a full assessment of all of that, that to depart and be with Christ is far better. That’s not any kind of death wish we want to fully fulfill all that God has for us in our day, but we need not fear death we’re to be bold and winsome at the same time loving the loss to caring about a broken world and ministering the grace of God by the power of his spirit.
Dr. David Shibley (14:57):
And I see that coming on men and women, young men and women around the world now and in our own nation as well. And I’m very, very grateful for that. God always has people in the wings who are ready, and those of us who have maybe been on the road for a little longer can encourage and strengthen. I want to be the, the Baton runner that is still at full strength when I pass the Baton to the next runner. And then I want to be there to yell, encouragement, and, and to strengthen him and inspire him in his leg of the race. So I’m very thankful. I have no regrets. Boy, I’ve got a magnificent wife who has stood with me for 48 years. She came from a very mission hearted family herself grew up in something of what was then the Citadel of evangelicalism in Winona Lake Indiana, and heard many of those great old preachers like Harry iron and others who would come through proclaiming the gospel.
Dr. David Shibley (16:04):
So it’s a rich heritage, and I want to pass that heritage on if, if in the banking world, if with something as neutral as money. And I realized that there are demonic things that can attach to money, but money itself is a neutral. But if in the banking world, there is this Nayana miraculous thing called compound interest. Should we not see the same effect with our own sons and daughters over two and three and four generations, a compound interest of the impact of the gospel on individuals on nations, on families in particular. And I’m deeply, deeply grateful for the impact of the gospel on our own family, thankful for that preacher in in Bristow, Oklahoma, that whoever he was, and I’m looking forward to meeting him when I get to heaven that was the man who was preaching when my dad came to faith in Christ, thankful for that preacher in Oklahoma city who was preaching when my mom came to faith in Christ in the 1920s all of that has had amazing ramifications, thankful for a great praying grandmother there in Bristow who prayed for me as well as for her son, my father.
Dr. David Shibley (17:21):
So I, I, I’m just grateful Jesus Christ has literally changed everything. I, Daniel I couldn’t be more grateful to the Lord. I only wish that I would have been more fruitful that I would have been more sensitive to the promptings of the Holy spirit bolder in obedience to the Lord. But if the Lord gives me more time and I think he will, I want to ramp up the game and be more fruitful than I’ve ever been. I think we have even an illustration in nature, Daniel here in, in the fall of the year that we have just experienced leaves are at their most pungent and beautiful and brilliant right before they die. And I think it should be the same way with us. We shouldn’t get a weaker in faith or weaker in, in any way, other than a physical body that has a shelf life, that the Lord himself again, is going to resurrect in mighty glory and power. But that our most brilliant work, our most colorful, refreshing, beautiful work for Jesus ought to accelerate toward the end of our lives. And that’s what I’m praying for me and for others of my friends.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (18:42):
And I, I think your organization is so beautiful because now your son, Jonathan is leading a global advance and forging in new directions. And, and, but still continuing to take the love of Jesus to people around the world. And so you see in your father who is a pastor and in your life and in your son’s life, and then into the generations to come, that God is a, a generational God. He’s the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And he doesn’t just see one generation. He has a viewpoint that encompasses many generations and continues. And so I’m excited about what my generation gets to do for Jesus. Global advance is continuing to go to many nations around the world, raising up leaders, training leaders in many different spheres of influence. If someone wanted to go to your website and make a donation to global advance, w what’s your website,
Dr. David Shibley (19:40):
Thank you, Daniel, it’s simply globaladvance.org. And I would just thinking here at this very table, just a few minutes ago, we concluded a an online meeting with Christian leaders in, in Indonesia. And I’m very, very thankful that the Lord has allowed us to live in a day where there are tremendous communications possibilities. I feel that we can say, as Paul said, from a jail cell, he said, you know, I’m personally bound, I’m personally isolated, but the word of God is not bound. And we see that in the same way. It’s been a very strange and prayerfully untypical year. And yet, even though we ourselves have been limited in, in our own capacity to to go, and the word of God itself is never bound. And I’m so grateful for the gospel getting out on many platforms and new platforms that are even this very day being conceived and worked on, and they will be vehicles for the gospel.
Dr. David Shibley (20:51):
The gospel Daniel has always traveled as you know, on roads and the PAX Romana that allowed a a fairly safe passage of people throughout the Roman empire and believers who were going on those roads built by Rome or by that empire were carrying the gospel as they went. We have a pox technology GEA today where we have all of these opportunities to get the gospel out rapidly. I say to young men in ministry, you realize that starting today, you can have a worldwide ministry simply by the click of a few buttons. And so there’s all these opportunities. And I just want to appeal to your listeners because I know they’re listening because they’re interested in getting the gospel out. Let’s take every Avenue possible to get the gospel out. Billy Graham in one of his final addresses to the evangelists that he had convened at one of his great meetings in Amsterdam for itinerate evangelists said let’s use every legitimate means and every ounce of our strength to get the gospel out. That’s my appeal to us as well. Every legitimate means every ounce of our strength, animated and breathed on by the life-giving spirit of the living. God, let’s get the gospel into the minds, into the hearts, into the years of people around the world. And then the spirit of God himself will do what only he can do in taking that wonderful, good news and drawing people to a real relationship with God through faith in his son. Amen. Thank you for joining me on the evangelism podcast. I appreciate it. Thank you, Daniel migrate privilege
Evangelism Podcast Host (22:52):
For more information about how to share your faith or to financially support our worldwide evangelistic outreaches, visit King ministries.com. Again, that’s King ministries.com.
