Urgent Prayer Request: Global Crises and the Christian Response

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Major take aways

• The church must declare an "emergency" and be driven by an urgency to see souls saved and lives transformed by the gospel.
• South Korea's alarmingly low birth rate signals a need for spiritual revival and the transformative power of the gospel.
• The speaker emphasizes the urgency of praying for people in various parts of the world who have not heard the gospel.
• The speaker calls for prayer for the conflict in Russia and Ukraine and emphasizes the need for missionaries to spread the gospel in these countries.

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The sudden passing of the Iranian president in a tragic helicopter crash is a stark reminder of life's fragility and the urgent need for hope amidst despair. As Austin Gardner shares from the heart in this poignant World Evangelism Podcast, a sobering reality hits home: nearly 90 million Iranian souls, predominantly Muslim, are living without the light of the gospel. This episode is a heartfelt plea, a summoning of the global church to awaken to the dire need for prayer and action in Iran, a land where Christians endure relentless persecution. Austin implores us to consider our role in bringing the message of Christ to those who have yet to hear it, highlighting the urgency of our mission with every word.

Moving beyond Iran, Austin navigates through the smoldering battlefield of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, urging listeners to look past political affiliations and toward the countless lives caught in the crossfire, lives thirsting for the gospel's peace. He then transports us to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sharing personal experiences with missionaries who labor in hope among seemingly insurmountable strife. Lastly, he draws our attention to South Korea's national emergency, not of declining birth rates, but of a spiritual rebirth that is needed across the globe. Join in as Austin Gardner calls on us to kneel in prayer for these nations and rise to action, carrying the transformative gospel of Jesus Christ to every corner of the world.

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Episode Transcript

W. Austin Gardner (00:28):
Hello, this is Austin Gardner with the World
Evangelism Podcast.
I'm coming to you with a kindof like a news break, special
things I want to ask you to bepraying about.
I know this is not a regularlyscheduled podcast and I'm not
sure I'm going to even listen,but I would like to call on you
to pray with me.

(00:48):
We pray for the world, andthese are just the headlines
that I've seen today that callfor our prayer.
The Iranian president has beenkilled.
They're almost positive thathe's been killed in a helicopter
crash in the mountains due tosome foggy weather and all of

(01:09):
that, and so he was traveling.
They're looking for him.
Most presume him to be dead,and it just brings to my mind
our need to be concerned aboutpeople from different parts of
the world that don't get thegospel, and Iran is one of those
places that is in desperateneed of the gospel.

(01:31):
And it's not the country of theday and I'm not doing a regular
podcast, but it is the home ofalmost 90 million people, and
they're 98.6% Muslim.
That means they have not heardthe gospel of Jesus Christ.
It's like the eighth mostpersecuting country of

(01:52):
Christians in the world out ofthe top 50.
It's number eight and they needyour prayer and the president
getting killed.
Maybe it could be a way just towake us up and make us consider
that we should pray for Iranand pray for what's happening
there and pray for souls thatmight hear the gospel.
I'm praying for him right now.

(02:13):
The fact is, before I closetoday, I'm going to do exactly
that with you and I'd like tobring to you Russia and Ukraine
If you follow the emails that Isend out and the different
things we support, a pastor inthe Ukraine right now and that
conflict is still causing majorproblems there.
You know I'm not here to makeany political statements, but I

(02:36):
am here to say that God isconcerned about the souls of
people in Russia and Ukraine andevery day the people are dying
and going to hell without maybehaving ever heard the gospel.
It is possible that God iscalling you to go and take the
gospel message to one of thesecountries.
You probably can't get intoIran, but Ukraine and Russia.

(02:57):
There might be something thatwe could do.
That takes me to theIsraeli-Palestinian conflict and
you know those people are dyingwithout the gospel.
I was in Israel.
I got to meet a couple ofmissionaries.
There are people trying to do awork there, but the need is far
greater than we could everimagine or ever dream.

(03:18):
It has to be our heart's desirethat they would get the gospel
and that they could be saved.
The Palestinians many are beingkilled, they're dying and going
to hell without Jesus Christ astheir Savior, probably never
having heard the truth, probablynever having heard how they
could be saved if they were justtold about Jesus, and so I just
wish that I could somehow drivehome to you the importance of

(03:42):
taking the gospel message ofJesus Christ to these people.
And I bring the last one beforeyou.
I was just looking at news andthinking about things.
I bring the last one before you.
I was just looking at news andthinking about things.
I bring the last one before you, and that is South Korea.
You know, south Korea hasdeclared a national emergency
because of the lack of peoplebeing born.

(04:02):
They're down to less than onebaby per family being born, and
they're calling it a nationalcrisis, a national emergency due
to the country's low birth rate.
I want to ask you to pray forSouth Korea.
They need the gospel, though.
It has been a major missionaryascending area, and God has used
South Korea in a great way forHis honor and glory.

(04:24):
But I think probably the reasonI'm doing this podcast and the
reason I'm just rapidly takingfive minutes of your time is
that South Korea would declare anational emergency because
enough people aren't being born,and I wonder how many churches
would declare a church emergencybecause enough souls aren't

(04:46):
being born.
Again, I wonder how much itwould weigh on our hearts that
people all over the world arenot hearing the gospel and no
one's telling them about Jesus,and I wonder how much that might
drive into our hearts a need tocarry the gospel message of
Jesus Christ.
My heart breaks for so manypeople that don't have the
gospel and no one's talking tothem about Jesus.

(05:07):
So I'd just like to ask you topray.
I want you to pray with meabout all these countries and
pray with me about all theseneeds.
Fact is, before I close, I amgoing to have a word of prayer
with you and I just ask you topray with me.
Father, I come to you in thename of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and I ask you for the souls inRussia and Ukraine.

(05:27):
I pray you would send somebodyto carry the gospel to them.
I pray you would send somebodyto carry the gospel to them.
I pray you'd raise up youngpeople and put a burden in their
hearts.
God, I come before you and Iask you for Israel and the
Palestinians.
I know that there's fightingand people are dying in all four
of these countries that arebeing mentioned, but they all
need missionaries.
They need somebody to get thegospel to them, and I pray, god,

(05:47):
that you'd raise up people andsend forth laborers into your
harvest.
I pray for Iran, god, a countrythat is so harsh against the
gospel and those people aredying without any chance of
hearing the gospel message, andI pray you'd do a work there.
And then I pray for South Korea.
I pray, god, that you wouldcontinue to use them to carry
the gospel, but I pray that theywould also be able to see more

(06:10):
babies born and lives changed sothey can raise them up to carry
the gospel.
And then I pray for the peoplethat aren't saved.
And, god, I pray for the churchall around the world.
Right now that doesn't seem tobe burdened about what's going
on.
So I come to you in prayer,begging you, dear God, to hear
me and to answer me and to raiseup people that would be
concerned about lost souls,people dying and going to hell.

(06:32):
God, would you please do a workthat would bring about
salvation to so many peoplearound the world.
God, please do a work.
We love you and thank you Inthe name of Jesus.
I beg you all this, as those ofyou listening it ought to be on
your heart to pray.
It ought to be on your heart tocarry the gospel.
It ought to eat us alive.