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This week, John Bailey and Mark Renfroe discuss World Challenge's recent pastors and evangelistic conferences in Mexico and Cuba. The economic poverty versus the wealth of godly passion in these countries' churches is striking. John and Mark explore how great spiritual vitality often comes through great difficulties and how the Holy Spirit meets God's people in their trials, lighting a fire in their souls.

Key Points from the Podcast

• John Bailey shares about his recent trip to Mexico and Cuba, where World Challenge held pastors’ conferences during the day and evangelistic outreaches with Nicky Cruz in the evenings.

• Despite great physical poverty, suffering and oppression the church in Cuba is thriving and growing.

• Much of the western church wants comfort and ease, avoiding pain and suffering, but in the New Testament church we see a people who thrived and found joy in hard times.

• You may not know that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.

• Mark Renfroe shares about his recent trip to Cairo, where World Challenge is working with partners to plant churches among unreached people groups.

• In much of the Middle East, you are free to be a Christian or become a Muslim. You are not free, if you are Muslim, to become a Christian.

• John and Mark discuss the benefits of working through near-culture neighbors and indigenous people over foreign missionaries.

• There is no conflict between strategy and being led by the Spirit, but we must allow the Spirit to override our strategy when he sees fit.

Bible Verses Referenced in the Podcast

Acts 5:41; Romans 5:3; Colossians 1:24; James 1:2; 1 Peter 4:13

Resources Mentioned in the Podcast

• The Cross and the Switchblade

• World Challenge Missions

• Fire in our Bones Conferences

About John Bailey

Pastor John Bailey serves as the Chief Operating Officer at World Challenge. John came to know Christ in jail after some difficult struggles as a young man, and God has done a powerful work of transformation since! Spending 13 years in Next Gen ministry, he excelled in discipleship and helping young leaders discover giftings to serve God. John was called next to serve as a missionary and pastor in Western Europe. John and his family then returned to plant the Springs Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Today, the church is a thriving body of believers excelling in outreach and missions. John has now brought his giftings and vision to World Challenge, accelerating the spread of the gospel in America and around the World.

About Mark Renfroe

Mark married his college sweetheart, Amy, with whom he has four adult children—one girl and three boys. The Renfroes have been involved in field missions work for 30 years. They served in the Arab community of San Francisco for four years before becoming foreign missionaries in 1995. Mark was asked to serve as the Area Director for Assemblies of God World Missions in 2007. As part of his role, he led missionaries and interfaced with national church leaders in the 18 countries of the Arab World. In 2017, Mark created Reaching Africa’s Muslims, an initiative to mobilize, equip, and deploy indigenous African missionaries to reach Muslims on the continent. Mark has graduate degrees in Intercultural Studies and Executive Leadership. He currently serves as the Chief Missions Officer for World Challenge in Colorado Springs.