Hello friends of Light Bearers!
There are so many exciting things going on here at the ministry, I can hardly keep up. But I’d rather be busy than bored. I’m sure you feel the same. I recently read in Ezekiel the mind-blowing fact that we’re not alone in our busyness:
“The living creatures ran back and forth…” (1:14).
“The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel” (1:16).
So, get this: there are angelic beings in heaven, and what are they doing? Running back and forth. They are so busy executing tasks that they move as fast as possible. And they must be highly organized, because their “workings” are pictured as intersecting wheels of activity.
That’s how the work of Light Bearers feels at times—actually all the time. And it is such a joy to be part of this team. Allow me to share with you a few of the things God has us doing presently.
Preaching the Gospel
As I write, I have just returned from holding a series of meetings in Norway. Young adults packed out the building to hear the preaching of God’s Word. Interestingly, Norway was recently voted the happiest country on earth, but that is largely measured by economic abundance. The fact is, Norway has some of the highest depression and suicide rates in the world. Apparently, material wealth is not enough for humanity. I wish you could’ve seen these young adults, one after another, tell how they were dramatically impacted by the good news of God’s unfailing love. But Norway is just one place God has opened up. We will also be preaching this year in Texas, Alabama, Nebraska, Colorado, Canada, Spain, Australia, California, and many other places. Please keep these ventures in your prayers.
A New Revelation
James Rafferty, together with Ivor Myers, just finished filming a new 73-part series of studies that goes through the entirety of Revelation. These brothers rolled up their sleeves and went to work, which resulted in amazing insights into John’s prophecies. Check out the program, Salvation in Symbols and Signs, on Saturdays at 4:30 PM (PDT) on 3ABN and on the Dare to Dream channel every day at 4:30 PM (PDT).
ARISE
As you know, twice a year we run a discipleship school called ARISE: once in Australia, around spring, and once in the United States, in the fall. (By the way, we are currently accepting applications for the 2017 USA course. Get more details.)
Students, consisting of mostly young adults, gather from all over the world to study through the entire story of Scripture and do ministry in the local community. I recently finished teaching for ARISE Australia 2017 and it was wonderful. Nine of the students in the class are completely new converts to Christianity.
Her whole life is being revolutionized by the knowledge of Christ’s love for her.
I wish I could tell you about each of them, but I’ll just mention Kaitlyn. At 19, she has experienced a lot of pain in life, but she was recently introduced to Jesus, and ARISE. Though she felt reluctant to attend, curiosity drove her forward. She sat in the front row, new Bible open, looking for guidance as she scrambled for Isaiah or Romans—it’s all new to her. She had two journals, one for taking notes and one to draw pictures of what she’s learning. Kaitlyn is so engaged, she was repeatedly jumping to my point before I’d get there. Her whole life is being revolutionized by the knowledge of Christ’s love for her.
Of course, there are many who can’t attend ARISE on-site. That’s why we are launching ARISE Online, which will offer our full curriculum for anybody who would like to take the course from home. Keep on the lookout because it’s coming soon.
Storyline and the Internship
As an ongoing evangelistic mission in Eugene, Oregon, we run Storyline Seventh-day Adventist Church. After students graduate from ARISE, some enroll in our internship program. For six to twelve months, we engage them in ongoing classroom studies and community ministry. This year, we have seven interns working full time with Storyline.
Convocation
Right now we’re gearing up for this year’s Light Bearers Convocation, set for July 4-8, which we’re calling, Majoring in the Minors. We’ll take an in-depth look at the minor prophets and discover their major gospel themes and relevance for today. It will literally be a spiritual feast that will leave you strengthened and refreshed.
So that’s what’s keeping us running back and forth like the angels. Thank you so much for your prayers and your support. We need both to keep doing what we’re doing. We greatly appreciate the fact that you share our passion for bringing the gospel of Christ to the world as fast and as far as possible.
Ty Gibson
Ty is a speaker/director of Light Bearers. A passionate communicator with a message that opens minds and moves hearts, Ty teaches on a variety of topics, emphasizing God’s unfailing love as the central theme of the Bible. Ty and his wife Sue have three adult children and two grandsons.
