Back

September 4, 2018

Good News?

Dear Friends,

Good news? Sometimes it doesn’t sound like good news.

On a recent trip to Prague I stopped in to see a dear friend of mine. He trusted Christ in our Czech church as a teenager, and soon developed a deep passion for Jesus and love for his Word. Now however, he is far from God, living a gay lifestyle with a steady boyfriend. I told him that I love him, that God loves him more, and wants him to live in purity—in spite of his orientation. The downcast look on his face made it clear. He did not consider this good news.

Earlier that same week I had breakfast with a man in our town who I led to faith in Christ a few years ago. He has grown in his faith and love for Jesus, and fallen in love with a sweet lady whose husband left her. Since both are fearful of making a mistake and getting into a marriage that won’t work, they are “trying it out” by living together some of the time. I told him this was not God’s plan, and challenged him with the Bible’s perspective on marriage and the boundaries of sexual relationships. It didn’t sound like good news to him.

Our JV team shared the gospel message with over 6,000 young people this summer. But for many, the idea we are sinners who can’t fix the situation on our own sounds depressing and narrow. Even more, the conviction that Jesus is the only way, and that without him we are doomed to an eternity of punishment, comes across as downright judgmental and cruel. If the word “gospel” means good news, why does it sound like bad news?

Several years ago, a doctor friend of mine came to visit us. When I told him about irregular heartbeats I had been experiencing he pulled out his stethoscope for a quick listen. His jovial expression suddenly turned grim. “Dave, I’m afraid you have something wrong with one of your heart valves,” he said. “I’m almost sure you will need open heart surgery.”

“What will happen if I don’t do that?” I asked, trying to lighten the atmosphere. “My guess is that you will be dead in two years,” he somberly replied.

It didn’t sound like good news—but it actually was. One of the best surgeons in the country was able to operate on my heart and repair the valve. I am alive today because my friend was not afraid to tell me the truth.

This month the entire JV team will gather at our fall training conference to grow in truth telling; reflecting God’s perspective on gender, morality, and religion. The theme? “Good News.”

Pray that we will be always be faithful at clearly communicating God’s perspective—no matter how radical it sounds.

Dave Patty, President, Josiah Venture

Dave Patty President

Related Posts

Read Story

Evangelism, Internship

Full Circle

Dear Friends, Small decisions can change the course of your entire life. When Szabi was a junior in his high school in the center of Hungary, his best friend kept pestering him with the same question: “Why don’t you come visit our youth group?” Szabi was an expert at finding excuses. “My parents won’t let me” (not true). “I have a lot of homework” (partially true). Finally, he got tired of saying “no,” and one time just said “yes.” To his surprise, the youth group was interesting, especially when Rob, the leader, paid special attention to him in a way he had never experience before. He decided to go back, and then accepted the invitation to a JV summer English camp. After camp, Rob invited him to McDonald’s. “Do you believe the things we were talking about at camp?” he asked. Szabi nodded yes. Have you ever given your life to Jesus? “No.” “Would you like to?” “Yes.” Simple questions. Life-changing answers.     The next summer, Rob invited Szabi to do an internship with JV, and then to study the Bible in our three-year bachelor’s program. At one of the camps, he met a cute girl from Wisconsin named Maggie. They began a long-distance relationship, and, several years later, Szabi asked her a really big question: “Will you marry me?”. Gratefully, for both of them, the answer was “yes.” Just a few days ago, I sat with Szabi and Maggie in a room full of interns at our training center in Malenovice, Czech Republic. They both recently joined JV staff, and Maggie is now taking responsibility for summer interns in Hungary. Sitting at the table with us was Myla, from Louisville, Kentucky, who will be serving under Maggie’s leadership. She is studying Sports management at her university but is giving up her summer to be a light for Jesus in a faraway place. When I asked Maggie what she had learned in her first summer internship, she said, “God ignited a flame in my heart during those short months. He gave me a heart for the young people of Hungary and a passion for them to know Jesus.”     Szabi looked over at her and smiled. He has a life partner because of the decision that she made. But even more than that, he has eternal life because his best friend, Rob, and other college students made small decisions that changed the course of his life. This summer, over 40 interns will be serving with us for three months, sharing the gospel with thousands of young people across Central and Eastern Europe. I wonder what will happen because Myla and 39 others said “yes” to God’s call. Thank you for making this possible through your support and prayers.
Read Story

Evangelism, Online Ministry

TikTok and the Gospel

Dear Friends, I wonder where Paul would be preaching the good news if he lived today. There are some places where believers feel particularly at home. We enjoy being around people who think like we do, in places that are known and comfortable, like our church buildings. Of course, it is best to be far away from sin and evil. So, when Paul visited Athens, why did he not just stay in the familiar synagogue? Why did he go to the marketplace, where all the sinners gathered, and then to Mars hill, which was full of pagan philosophers? He purposefully went where people gathered, despite the ungodly influences there, so that the good news of Jesus would be heard in the messy marketplace of ideas. Social media is today’s “Mars Hill.” Over 90% of young people in Central and Eastern Europe own smartphones, and they spend over two hours a day on a collection of social media platforms. And who are the most trusted public figures for young Europeans?  YouTubers and TikTok influencers. That is why, for the second year in a row, Josiah Venture gathered a group of young Christian influencers for a “Digital Missions Summit” at our training center in the Czech Republic. Last year, I wrote about a young 15-year-old Serbian boy named Alex who experienced a radical conversion to Christ and then began sharing about it on TikTok. He recorded his first video on a broken Android phone propped up with an orange on a table in his room. Soon, his raw honesty drew a following. One of our Josiah Venture Serbian staff began to disciple him and gathered resources to buy him a phone that really worked. Alex’s message became more pointed, unapologetically proclaiming Jesus as the only way and boldly sharing the truths of the Bible. Now, he is 17-years-old and has a following of 60,000 in a country with less than 9000 evangelical believers. Often his short videos draw over 300,000 views! At the Digital Missions Summit, we talked about how to share a clear gospel message on social media. We also taught on how to bridge from the digital to physical world, and the importance of connecting people to a local body of believers. When Alex began his TikTok preaching, there were only 15 older people attending his small Baptist church. Now, the church has doubled in size to 30. Often on weekends he travels to other towns and sets up a table to give out free Bibles and talk to anyone who wants to meet him in person. People stop him on the streets to ask him questions about God.   Alex is not even out of high school, yet he is being used by God to reach hundreds of thousands of Serbians with the good news.   Thank you for helping us equip a new generation of evangelists for today’s public square.
Read Story

Evangelism, Stories

When we say “Yes”

Dear Friends, What happens when we say “yes”? Ermal was obsessed with soccer as a child and headed to university in his home country of Albania with the dream to become a famous professional player. He never quite made the top level of performance required and was deeply discouraged. At the same time, he was growing in his relationship with God under the disciplemaking care of a local pastor. Hearing God’s call into ministry, he said “yes” to a major life change and returned to his small village to shepherd a local congregation of just 35 believers. But his passion for young people–⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and for soccer–⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠never left. So, when our JV Albania team approached him four years ago with the invitation to join JV and develop a sports ministry in his church and throughout his valley, he heard the call of God and said “yes.” In just a few years, Ermal had started Edge Soccer teams in six villages with no prior evangelical witness, reaching over 60 young people every week. A part of every practice was a short Bible study, and the young boys were relationally shepherded to faith in Christ. After a time of prayer in early November of 2024, Ermal came to his wife Nertila with an outlandish vision. “I believe God is calling us to share the gospel with 1000 young people before Christmas.” “Are you kidding me?” his wife replied. “I was thinking like a human,” she later shared. “How can we reach 1000 kids in such a short period of time?” “I don’t have any ideas,” Ermal said, “but I think God is calling us.” “I was very challenged,” Nertila reflected later, “and didn’t know how to handle that pressure. But then I said, ‘Here I am God, if you want to use us. Let your will be done.’” Then, out of the blue, a call came from Operation Mobilization, who wanted to send 6 people from Moldova to help with whatever they wanted. Ermal said “yes.” Next, Ermal had an idea to request 1000 Shoebox gift packages from Samaritan’s purse. It was an unusual request, but they said “yes.” He contacted six schools and asked if he could share the story of Jesus at Christmas.  Albania is historically Muslim, and the directors are not allowed to do anything religious in the school building. “Would you be willing to talk to our students outside?” they asked. He said “yes.” It was a simple program. Two songs, a 15-minute message about Jesus, and heartfelt testimonies from the Moldovans. And, of course, some shoebox gifts. But the students were very open, and many asked to hear more about Jesus. Others gave their addresses and wanted to join the youth activities. The director of the largest school is now meeting regularly with Ermal for Bible study.  When Christmas came, they counted the numbers and realized that over 1000 young people had heard a clear gospel message in just a few short weeks. A simple “yes” to the call of God brought miraculous fruit. This month, you also said “yes” through your gifts and prayers. Thank you.