From Me to You: August 2024

THANK YOU

Your prayers and well wishes for this evangelist are helping in every way possible, and I’m so thankful to have them, that I want you to know. As I dictate this article, they’ve still got me holed up at home while this arm of mine mends. Those of you who have had a broken arm or leg know full well how such a thing disrupts daily life and living. But I am improving, and how I thank the Lord for that.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FRANCES!

I know I say it every year, but every year it’s true—outside of my salvation, Frances is the greatest thing that ever happened to Jimmy Swaggart. Regarding the work of God, she and I give the Lord all the praise and glory for everything that we’ve been able to accomplish, but after that, I must give all the credit to Frances. Time after time, it’s been her faith, her God-given intuition,and her wisdom that helped to move the ministry forward. To be frank with you, I couldn’t have done it without her, nor would I have wanted to. When the Lord gave me Frances, it was truly a great favor that He did for me, and one for which I will always be thankful. Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!

EXPOSITOR’S STUDY BIBLE—IN FRENCH!

The French version of The Expositor’s Study Bible (ESB) is now well on its way to the Democratic Republic of the Congo where French is the official language. This means that the ESB is now available in French, German, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. And next we have coming up the Vietnamese and Hmong translations.

Some of you may recall seeing Dr. Dan Dang on The Message of the Cross in January of this year. Dr. Dang headed up the translation of the ESB New Testament into Vietnamese and, at that time, was nearly finished with the translation of the New Testament into the Hmong language, which is far more complex due to the different dialects in that part of the world. There is agrowing number of Christians in the Hmong population, he said, and we want to make sure that they have the best opportunity to grow in their knowledge of the Word. It was just some fortyyears ago that they had never heard the name of Jesus. Think of that. Now Christianity is growing by leaps and bounds due to the work of missionaries and ministries in that region.

The translation work, the approvals and the processes needed for distribution, the Lord orchestrated all of this, assembling a phenomenal team by divine appointment—Patrick Klein of Vision Beyond Borders, and Dave Roever and Dr. Dan Dang of Roever Evangelistic Association. How we thank the Lord for these precious brothers. We are thrilled to say that just this week (at the time of this writing) our people met with the company in Vietnam to begin the printing process.  

We’re also so very thankful to all of you who make it possible to put The Expositor’s Study Bible into the hands of pastors and Christian workers who need them. We simply could not do what we’re doing without your help. You are the ones who make it possible, and how we appreciate your generosity, your love for God, and your love for souls. You understand how very important this is. We thank God for each one of you who pays for one Bible a month, or several Bibles a month, which, so far, make up some 4 million Bibles now in the hands of pastors and workers around the world.

AMERICA

Not long ago, I was studying the lamentations of Jeremiah and, I’ll tell you, it will break your heart when you read that particular book and see what God’s people sank down into. They threw away the beauty and the glory that God intended for them until they reached a point of desperation and starvation. It’s awful, but that’s what it amounts to whenever people turn their backs on God. They can’t say that the Lord didn’t warn them because time and time again, He warned Israel through the great prophet Jeremiah, through Isaiah, and through Ezekiel, but seemingly to no avail. As I studied this, I wondered if the same thing was happening to America now. 

I’m telling you, some of the things that have taken place in the last few months in our country—things sanctioned by the leaders of this nation—will not go unanswered. In a matter of weeks now, we have the opportunity to change the course of this nation, and I speak of the upcoming presidential election. If every Christian will get out and vote, as every Christian should, then the result, I believe, will be a reprieve for the United States of America, yes, but also for the church.

THE ONLY SOLUTION IS THE CROSS

The message of the cross is, I believe, God’s last word to the church before the rapture takes place. Let me say that again—I believe the message of the cross is God’s last word to the church before the rapture of the church and the coming great tribulation. Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” He didn’t say to every person, He said to every nation, and this gospel has already been preached to every nation. It is being preached to every nation now. This gospel, this message of the cross, is God’s last word to the church. If this message is rejected, there is no other that will come. But I don’t believe it’s going to be rejected. I expect Satan to fight; I expect him to marshal his forces to try to stop it, but he will not succeed. This message of the cross is designed by God to set the captive free, and it is going to do what it was designed to do, glory to God.

Again, thank you so very much for your prayers for me and for the ministry, they are greatly, greatly appreciated.