Not only has the end of 2020 arrived but, as the apostle Peter asserted in his first letter that “the end of all things is at hand” (1 Peter 4:7). His letter, filled with hope and practical instruction for how we should live in light of the end, concludes with Peter summarizing all that he had written as “the true grace of God'' (1 Peter 5:12). His final exhortation for us is to “stand firm in it.” Nothing motivates us more at Truth78 than the hope and earnest prayer that our children will be standing firm in “the true grace of God'' as we anticipate the end of all things.
It is amazing to reflect on how God has helped pursue this hope through His people in this year: resource partners who are making use of our material for the discipleship of the next generation; the increasing number of financial partners, whose generous investments have funded the development and distribution of those resources; and faithful prayer partners, who join us in appealing to Him who delights in making His glories known and accomplishing His sovereign will for the next generations through the prayers of His people.
A Fruitful Year of Ministry
By God’s grace and through the generous investments of time, skills, prayer, and resources by our faithful Truth78 staff and partners, we are looking back on one of our most fruitful years of ministry. Earlier this year, we published Zealous:7 Commitments for the Discipleship of the Next Generations, the vision for the next generation that has defined our mission for more than 25 years. O, how we want this message to be heard and embraced far and wide for the good of God’s people. To that end it has already been translated into eight languages, and more than 7,500 copies have been distributed. Additionally, we published 12 English and 13 other language resources for equipping the church and home this year, culminating with the December 1 release of More Than a Story: Old Testament. This one-of-a kind, 432-page volume covering the whole Old Testament promises to provide parents and churches around the world with a biblically and theologically robust tool for grounding children in the truth about God, all of His works, all of His ways, and the wonders of His love through Jesus Christ.
We also give thanks for the merger this year with Partners in Discipleship International and the formation of a nine-member advisory team who, under the leadership of Gary Brewer, will help develop our plan for international resource development over the next several years.
One of the unexpected blessings of the COVID19 crisis was the challenge to discover new ways to inspire and equip the church and home. In March, we launched our first podcast recording, "Discipling Children During and Beyond a Time of Disruption." In September we hosted our first webinar, "A Vision and a Plan for Children’s Discipleship This Fall." And at the end of October, we hosted "Side-by-Side for the Faith of the Next Generations," a virtual ministry event, which gives viewers in 60 minutes an engaging introduction to the heart, vision, passion and mission that defines Truth78. We now have virtual options available to us that have has expanded our reach to parents, grandparents, church leaders and teachers around the globe and have enabled us to support their discipleship efforts for the next generation.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead to 2021, we are determined to provide as many tools and resources as we can that inspire and equip the church and the home to effectively impart to the next generation “the true grace of God” as revealed in the whole counsel of His Word. If we have learned anything this year, it is that we must hold our plans loosely and submit to the way of Him who directs our steps. Still, we are trusting God for the grace to complete more discipleship resources, including the children's book, The Very Bad News and the Very Good News, the new curriculum, I Will Build My Church, and the New Testament volume of More Than a Story.
Our international resource development plan includes 12 more translations of Zealous and the publication of More Than a Story in Spanish, Italian, and three other languages. Also, we recently brought together leaders from eight different churches who in this next year will be helping us develop a “partner-church” model that can be expanded to even more churches. Having this structure in place will enhance the effort to effectively inspire, equip, and serve local churches in their discipleship efforts.
As we anticipate being one year closer to the end of all things, may God be pleased to exceed our plans and provide the necessary increase in partners investing their gifts, using our resources, and earnestly praying that the next generation will indeed stand firm and set their hope in the true grace of God.
Join us in side-by-side ministry for the faith of the next generation.
- Partner financially with Truth78 to help inspire and equip the church and the home in North America and throughout the world for the comprehensive discipleship of the next generation. We thank God for one of our generous donors who is matching 2:1 any new investment in Truth78—which means every $100 given by a new financial partner becomes a $300 investment during this match.
- Consider becoming a regular financial partner with Truth78 by making a recurring monthly investment.
