This week the blog is sponsored by ShareWord Global.
What do most people think of when they hear ‘The Gideons’?
If you were to ask around, the answer would likely have something to do with Bible distribution, with the most common forms being Bibles in hotel nightstands or in the hands of Grade 5 students. But the thing is, the Gideons have never just been about Bible distribution – in hotel nightstands, or otherwise.
If you trace back to the very beginnings of the ministry, you’ll find two traveling salesmen that met and found they shared a passion for the gospel. From that meeting, The Gideons were born as an evangelistic association of traveling salesmen. One method they employed in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ was the distribution of the Bible, but at its core, their intent was evangelistic.
In other words, the goal was to see souls saved.
Ten years ago, for both ideological and legal reasons, The Gideons International in Canada (“TGIC”) became an independent entity from The Gideons International. In so doing, new avenues of ministry opened all around the world. The kind of ‘this can’t be happening’ gospel opportunities that only God could have orchestrated. Until recently, that international outreach lived under the distinct brand name, ShareWord Global. But this past September, the organization adopted it to represent both the international and domestic ministry – unifying under one name and clarifying its ministry focus to mobilize Biblical evangelism.
No longer will we solely be the people who put Bibles in hotel nightstands, our renewed focus is to come alongside believers across the world, mobilizing our brothers and sisters to be faithful to Jesus’ call to “go and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt 28:19).
And so, we go.
Not just sharing Bibles, but sharing the Word – partnering with the local church to invite people into a relationship with the person of Jesus Christ and leaving them with a copy of Scripture to help them on that journey.
Two of the places that God has called us to do that work are Nicaragua and Cuba. In Nicaragua, government officials requested that ShareWord Global connect with every school-aged child in the country, to share the gospel with them and leave them with a copy of Scripture. Similarly, in Cuba, we’ve been invited into the nation to mobilize the church and ensure a copy of Scripture is placed in every single home in the nation.
This is clearly a work that only God can do, and yet, He has chosen to use us, and we can’t do it alone.
The need is immense, the stakes are eternal, and we cannot do this work without you. Would you consider being part of the ongoing work?
Canada – https://sharewordglobal.com/ca/give
US – https://sharewordglobal.com/us/
Together, we can tell the world.
