Worshippers at the Tent Revival in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota in early August.

By Tom Shanklin

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Romans 1:16, KJV.

Paul suffered much persecution and ridicule in his day, but he said, “I am not ashamed.” He knew that the message he preached is the remedy for all of mankind’s ills. 

“The Gospel is,” he said, “the power of God unto salvation.” 

This message, when you believe it, is much more than a salve for your wounds or a tranquilizer. It will change your life!

When you have Christ, you have forgiveness. When you have forgiveness,  you have righteousness. When you have righteousness, you have life. You have access to the Father and His Kingdom. You have an inheritance, now and throughout eternity.

Jesus died on a cross for your sins, and He was buried. But God raised Jesus from the dead. When you receive Him as Lord and Savior, God receives you into His family and makes you new.

Everywhere we go, whether it’s in a nursing home in our hometown, a church in North Dakota, a village in India, or an open field in Africa, this message of the Gospel works! It brings salvation, healing, and deliverance to broken people. It is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes!

A Fruitful Month of Minnesota Ministry

August was a busy month of ministry. It almost seems like a blur, with much action for the kingdom of God, including a tent revival, ministry in three churches and the Prairie Fires Men’s Advance in Hendricks, Minnesota. We saw a genuine hunger for God everywhere we traveled, and many lives touched for the Lord. 

At the tent revival in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, 6-8 people prayed to get right in their relationship with God and one person was baptized. I had a word of knowledge about people with deep emotional pain and a number of people responded. One lady had been wounded in a church situation. The Holy Spirit touched her very deeply, and the next morning, she attended church for the first time in 10 years. 

At Buffalo Assembly of God, I spoke on “The Purpose of Pentecost,” which of course is souls. Many people came forward and received a refreshing of their Pentecostal experience, and left with fresh fire to reach others for Jesus. 

At Living Word Church in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, Susan and I team preached on “Sharing Jesus.” Susan gave a powerful dramatized sermon on the body of Christ being like Gulliver of Gulliver’s Travels, who needed to loosed from the bondage imposed on him by “little people.” I spoke from the story of the woman at the well from John 4 about Jesus’ method of personal evangelism and then spoke about the woman’s method of evangelism. The interesting thing is that this woman, with no training or experience, reached her city for Christ with her simple testimony and invitation, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” John 4:29, KJV.

Men from as far away as Detroit Lakes and LaMoure, ND attended our Prairie Fires Men’s Advance in Hendricks, Minnesota. I shared a message on true worship and holiness, and we shared communion in the morning session. The afternoon session was more relaxed and interactive, with many of the men sharing testimonies and praying for one other. It was a great time of encouragement for all of us. I personally was greatly encouraged through the fellowship at the men’s meeting and at Faith Family Christian Center on Sunday.

Looking Ahead to Benin 2019

We are getting fired up for our upcoming mission to Benin, West Africa in January 2019. Our schedule will include:

• A large Festival of Glory and Miracles which will be held at the national stadium in the capital city of Cotonou. 
• Preaching at the Messenger Gospel Church of God in Cotonou.
• A four-day Mass Crusade in Hiassame, Benin with churches of all denominations from that city.
•  A three-day Pastors and Workers Conference in Hiassame.
• Please be in prayer with Susan and me for this upcoming mission. This will likely be the most people I have ever reached with the Gospel at one time. Benin is the least evangelized non-Muslim nation in Africa, so we have a great opportunity to reach people for Jesus. If you would like to invest in this great soulwinning opportunity, you can use the enclosed response card. Your seed will help provide for plane tickets and other expenses for our mission to Benin.

Benin Book Project Need Met

We plan to give free copies of my book, You Can Touch the World, at the Pastors and Workers Conference. Our team in Benin is making final corrections to the French translation of the book. I shared last month that we needed approximately $2,000 for the printing of the book. I am happy to share that we have  received those funds and the need is met! Praise God for His faithful servants! You Can Touch the World has now been translated into four languages and has ignited the passion of Christians around the world to reach others for Christ.

Harvest Conference in October

I would like to invite you to our Harvest Conference here in Mankato on Friday and Saturday, October 19-20 with our missionary friend from Europe, Stan Strunc. Stan and his wife, Sarah, live in England and minister among the gypsies and many other groups there, as well as continental Europe. Stan, who is from the Czech Republic, was our interpreter when we ministered to the eastern European Gypsies who are living in England. 

The focus of the Harvest Conference will be on reaching others for Jesus. We are also planning a healing service on Saturday night. I am hoping that many of our friends from the upper midwest can join us for this conference. There are many hotels available in Mankato. Please come and fire up your boiler room.

Thanks for being a part of this mission to reach the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ. You are a great encouragement to us!