David Durance with TeachBeyond says the answer is yes to both. 

“Fundamentally, we want to be committed to this idea of our educational environments pointing people to Christ. So if we start with that premise, the question then doesn’t become whether AI is bad or good. But it’s saying ‘What part of this can be used to further reveal to our students the fullness of God’s creation, His redemptive work around us?’”

Durance says educators today are much more comfortable with the presence of AI than they would have been five years ago. 

“After going through a pandemic where we had to really rip up the playbook, start over and figure out how to deliver education, now when we see AI, I think our schools and our teachers are not shocked,” he says.

TeachBeyond has served in 64 countries around the world. (Photo courtesy of TeachBeyond via Facebook)

“It’s much more (like) ‘Okay, this is the next wave of change that we didn’t anticipate. It’s certainly a challenge. But we want to really press into that and figure out how we can “harness” this to deliver the objectives we’re trying to do in the classroom.’” 

Durance says the missional aspect about this situation isn’t actually about AI itself. It’s about teaching students how to evaluate what the world offers us, doing that from a Christian worldview.

How can you respond to the onset of AI? The first thing is simple: take a deep breath. 

“Let’s give ourselves time — time to understand this, time to work through the issues and figure out how we can best use this,” Durance says. 

Second, be informed. Durance tells us, “Especially if you’re a parent raising kids, you want to get ahead of this so you understand what your kids are experiencing and what they can do with this — and actually become even comfortable with it (yourself).”

Finally, pray for leaders who are already speaking into the flood of questions surrounding AI. 

“There is obviously going to be some sort of legislative work coming around AI and what it can and should not do. We see that battle already beginning,” Durance says. 

Interested in learning more about TeachBeyond? You can connect with them on social media or at teachbeyond.org.

Header photo courtesy of TeachBeyond.

But there is another long-term consequence that isn’t always so quickly seen, though it is just as devastating: loss of education.

David Durance with TeachBeyond says, “As they go through this initial crisis, what we have found is that education stops. Usually, it’s that three- to six-month period where the triage of essential needs — in other words, food and water, and shelter — are starting or trying to be met.

(Photo courtesy of TeachBeyond)

“Then the question is, ‘What do we do now that we’re in this situation?’ It’s that phase two where education becomes a major question.” 

TeachBeyond steps in as people reach out for insight and resources. 

“That (phase two) is where we start responding and start thinking about how we can start delivering education that is timely, relevant and able to actually deliver on what is needed in that context,” Durance says. 

Koshe/Korah, Ethiopia (Photo courtesy of TeachBeyond)

Education is a major intervention to prevent the cycle of purposelessness and violence across a generation and nation. 

“God redeems the world, often through education. This is one of the ways that he does (what) we call ‘big T transformation’ — in other words, becoming all that God intends,” Durance says. 

“You go to countries where the education system has been broken for a whole generation, and that next wave of youth — guess what? They’re following in their parents’ footsteps. The violence is perpetuated, the hatred is perpetuated and the jobs aren’t there. Here we are, many, many years later, still suffering in places like Syria and in countries in Central Africa. We’re praying against that in Haiti and Ukraine, but we’re seeing some of that happen, and we’re so concerned about this.”

You can be a part of this redemption with TeachBeyond by praying and taking action.

“We’re just one of many missions, but missions like TeachBeyond are actively prepared to deliver education in some of these contexts that we’ve been talking about,” Durance says. 

“God can redeem this (global situation) as people respond in prayer and then look for ways to be involved. That can be everything from using your skills — if you’re an administrator, an educator or whatever God’s put on your heart — or funding some of the people that go respond to these things. It’s not hopeless, that’s my point.”

Connect with TeachBeyond on social media or their website to be informed on how you can pray. Learn how you can GO with TeachBeyond here. 

Header photo is a representative stock image taken in a refugee camp in Iraq, courtesy of Jonathan Ramalho/Unsplash.

Everything started in the city of Goiânia, where the couple first began their ministry. How fitting that 100 convention meetings later, believers would meet in that same city to plan their next big project.

Pastors and leaders from all over the country came to Goiânia for a meeting to share ideas and build plans for their May 2020 event. Expecting limited attendance, the meeting’s orchestrators only reserved one convention center. But, as Sammy Tippit of Sammy Tippit Ministries reports, the convention center quickly overflowed, as did backup overflow areas.

Photo courtesy of Sammy Tippit Ministries

What impressed Tippit the most was the lack of showmanship it took for the meeting to drum up so much attention. After a few worship songs and a short sermon by Tippit, believers gathered in droves to worship God and consider their relationship with Him.

“It was absolutely amazing,” Tippit says. “People responded, people came to Christ. It was just a great move of God. And for me, I felt like it was a moment of affirming all that missionaries have done over 100 years in Brazil, and an affirmation that the Brazilians are moving forward and God is blessing and using them in a tremendous way.”

Since that first couple came to Brazil, the local church has grown to include millions of Brazillian Baptists. In fact, Tippit says the Brazillian Baptist convention is the second largest missionary agency in the world, with members taking projects around the globe. This hundredth convention and the thousands that attended were tangible proof of that couple’s long-term influence.

Photo courtesy of Sammy Tippit Ministries

And that was only the planning meeting. In May 2020, Sammy Tippit Ministries plans to help launch a massive missions emphasis with a global perspective.

How big? “We’re trusting that we’re going to reach 10 million people with the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Tippit says. “This is all beginning and being initiated inside Brazil, and it’s through discipleship.”

For Tippit and others working on this project, relationships is the name of the game. As Tippit puts it, “If it takes a dog and pony show to get a person into a meeting, it takes a dog and pony show to keep them, so we have none of that.” Instead, they use counselors, networking, and local churches to plug new believers into local Christian communities and give them a chance to experience discipleship from their neighbors and friends.

The project is already starting. Tippit says they helped Brazillian Baptists establish a 31-day prayer program for the event in May 2020. When the event does come to a close, “We’re going to have a great evangelistic event that will be livestreamed and broadcast throughout Brazil, and not just Brazil, but the rest of the world.”

At that point, Sammy Tippit Ministries will help new believers connect with small groups that in turn connect to local churches. In fact, many small groups have already started as local believers prepare to invest in one another and connect with God’s Word.

Consider joining Brazillian believers in prayer for this coming event. Ask God to give you the same passion and joy for Christ so many local believers are experiencing. Thank Him for the incessant excitement of the Brazilian Church.

“What’s exciting for me to see is that it’s not just something that is a program but it’s something where the lives of people are being changed,” Tippit says. “There’s excitement. There’s a joy, a thrill. There’s a young set of leaders who are on fire for the Lord.”

Find out more at Sammy Tippit’s website.

Header photo courtesy of Sammy Tippit Ministries.

However, that's been complicated by a push toward an Indian
Hindu state. Eight states now have
anti-conversion legislation either on the books or in process. The rise in anti-Christian sentiment has put
quite a lot of pressure on outreach efforts.

AMG International's Paul Jenks says they've taken
evangelistic ads out in periodicals as a creative answer to the pressure.
"It has to be through some other media that they hear the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. We've found the newspaper evangelism very effective because faith comes
by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. The person who is able to read the newspaper, obviously, has the
literacy skills to be able to study God's Word." 

A newspaper or magazine will get into places that traditional missionaries will never go. It can spread a message more efficiently, more concisely, and faster than a non-relationship interaction could.

In fact, Jenks relates: "I recall personally handing out tracts in New York City. But for
some, showing interest in a tract was too public, too embarrassing, too
confrontational. Hundreds of tracts quickly ended up in a gutter or sewer line.
Not so with newspaper evangelism. The Holy Spirit can engage an interest while
everyone else in the room (or on the street corner) takes no special notice.
After all, everyone reads magazines and newspapers."

AMG is focused on Andhra Pradesh's Telagu readers. The photo above shows cards from
readers asking for more information following a campaign in India. Some
wanted a Bible Correspondence Course. Others simply had a question.

"When we respond to those who write in," Jenks
notes, "we send the material out in such a way that it wouldn't bring
undue attention to the recipient. Then they can read the material in the
privacy of their home or in a place where they feel safe. And many times
the Lord speaks to them through the written word."