Tim had worked for 10 years in evangelism with Billy Graham Ministries and 13 years with Luis Palau in China, Africa, and South America. He later told me that God spoke to him immediately after our conversation.

It triggered a deeply personal process of “letting go” and a radical step of faith to join our team. Despite the pull of history, friendship, familiarity, and security, Tim took a “leap into the unknown” and joined our team. Tim’s decision spearheaded our international ministry. This year we will train 170,000 pastors in person in large part to Tim’s radical step of faith.

If you’re like most believers, you want to make a difference in people’s lives. Some group of people or situation has broken your heart and led you to cry out to God. But it’s one thing to want to make a difference and another to actually do it. We need to learn how, but even more, we need to take radical steps of faith. God works through those who are willing to put feet to their holy ambition.

Nehemiah is a great example of radical faith. Four months after he had heard the heartbreaking news from Jerusalem that the city was still in ruins, and after much prayer, he told the king what was on his heart (Neh. 2:1-3). As a cupbearer, he was stepping out of character and taking a huge risk. Those closest to the king were supposed to make him happy, not talk about their own problems. Yet in spite of his fear, and at the risk of his life, Nehemiah shared his heart and asked for the king’s help.

Radical faith doesn’t mean you aren’t afraid. It means you’re willing to act in spite of your fears. You choose to step out to fulfill God’s clearly defined will, sometimes at great personal risk and sacrifice. As he did with Nehemiah, God honors those steps of faith and often uses them as turning points in history. They spark movements, bring His solutions into crisis situations, and change the world.

What steps of faith do you need to take to fulfill God’s purposes for your life? Who does He want to reach through you? How does He want to work through your faith to meet needs and change the world?

One of the greatest needs in our generation is the rise of the “nones” — those who claim no affiliation with any faith or religious organization. Many were once in the church and left; many more have never heard the gospel and don’t think faith has any relevance to their lives. One of our newest resources is in partnership with Steiger International. Steiger is active in over 100 cities around the globe, mobilizing followers of Jesus to reach the younger generation who otherwise would not step foot in a church. This collaborative book resource is titled Not Beyond Reach — How to Share Jesus with the Young, the Deconstructed, and the Non-Religious and can be found on our website starting September 5th.

We’re all concerned about the next generation, but parents, pastors, and grandparents have told me that they are at a loss as to what to do. God has given us a broken heart for the next generation, and we need your help to reach them. I’ve included an excerpt from the new Next Generation book, Not Beyond Reach. It’s the first of an overall strategy to reach the Next Generation. As we develop a curriculum in 2024 for the church and a digital discipleship pathway to meet them where they are, we need your prayers and significant financial support.

If you resonate with this, please pray for me and the team at Living on the Edge, for God’s continued guidance in actively taking radical steps of faith. Second, please give as God leads you financially. We’re stepping out in faith, but we can’t do it alone.

Pressing ahead together,

Chip Ingram
CEO and Teaching Pastor, Living on the Edge