With Katy flying home from Rome, Luke sits down one-on-one with Dr. Dennis Wiles to catch up on a busy fall of travel to Canada and Assisi, Italy. Together they work through Acts 16 and the Macedonian call, and ask how a church holds onto its skill, strategy and systems while still depending on the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

In this episode

• Fall recap: the evangelism sermon series, three guest evangelists, and eight weeks of churchwide Sunday school study in the book of Jonah.
• Acts 16 and the Macedonian call: the Spirit closes the way to Asia and Bithynia, Paul's vision at Troas, and the gospel crossing into Europe in the reverse direction of Alexander the Great.
• The Spirit gets us in the ballpark: Paul goes looking for a Macedonian man and a synagogue, and instead finds Lydia and a group of God-fearing women praying by the river.
• The bit players matter: Silas the prophet, Euodia and Syntyche, and John Mark's restoration after his split from Paul.
• Lessons from Canada and Europe: in post-Christian settings, church leaders describe a growing dependence on the Spirit, including stories of healing and of people flourishing in the middle of suffering.
• An organism, not just an organization: the complexity of ministry at First Baptist Arlington, from the Wade Building and printing company to the child development center, counseling center and global work.
• Discerning the Spirit's voice: Luke's "ABCs" for testing a sense of leading.

Key takeaway

God gives us skill, strategy and systems, and we shouldn't abandon them. But we won't work our way into a new move of God on ability alone. Following the Spirit means being willing to be wrong, taking the risk anyway, and staying alert for when He calls us beyond our plans.

The ABCs of discernment

When you sense the Spirit leading you to do something, ask:

1. Affirming: Does it encourage or build up other people?
2. Biblical: Will it help you or someone else love God and love neighbor more?
3. Christ-like: Is this something Jesus would do?

If the answer is no, check with someone wiser before acting.

Mentioned in this episode

• Acts 16:6–15; Acts 15:36–41; Philippians 4:2–3; 2 Timothy 4:11
• Guest evangelists: Raphael Anzenberger, Ozzie Jones (Texas Baptists), Gary Stidham
• Jonah study curriculum by Dennis Tucker (Truett Seminary)
• Commentators: Craig Keener, John Stott, Patrick Schreiner
• Missionaries: David Livingstone, William Carey, Adoniram Judson
• Mission partners: TMS Global, Canadian Baptist Ministries, Restore Hope
• Transforming the Bay with Christ (San Francisco)
• The Chosen

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Host Luke Stehr is joined by college minister Connor Toreallaba and Dr. Gary Stidham for a conversation about the gospel movements happening on college campuses across Texas and the country, and what every believer can learn from them. Gary has spent more than two decades in collegiate ministry, including 20 years leading the Baptist Student Ministry at UTA. Connor leads First Baptist Arlington’s college ministry. Together they talk about why students are more open to faith than they were a decade ago, how “reps” build confidence in sharing your faith, and a simple step-by-step way to start a gospel conversation with anyone.

In this episode

• A great time for college ministry. Gary says he knows of at least 10 campus ministries that have each seen more than 100 students profess faith in Christ in a single year. Ten years ago, he knew of none.
• Evangelize or fossilize. As culture becomes more post-Christian, churches and campus ministries are recovering a sense of urgency about sharing the gospel.
• Why reps matter. Contact evangelism means going out in pairs and talking with strangers. It gives students dozens of practice conversations in one semester, and that confidence carries over into conversations with roommates, coworkers, and family.
• Getting reps outside of college. Ideas include reviving “visitation”-style follow-up, gospel appointments over coffee, neighborhood cookouts, kids’ activities, and community events. Luke also suggests a simple prayer to pray everywhere you go: “God, what are you doing here, and how do I join in?”
• What counts as sharing the gospel? A spiritual conversation is valuable, but sharing the gospel means communicating the message of Jesus: he lived, died, rose again, and offers salvation, usually with an invitation to respond.
• Your story in one sentence. Have a full testimony, a 20-second version, and a one-sentence version, built on “Then… but God… now.”
• The holy relay race. One plants, another waters, and God gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6). You have a part to play, but not the whole thing.
• The thresholds of faith. Most people come to Christ through a series of steps. For many, the first step is simply knowing one Christian they trust. That’s a good reason to “fly the Jesus flag early.”
• Building a witnessing culture. Connor’s approach is to lead by example, pray boldly, set clear expectations, talk about it often, and share stories.

The SALTY method

Gary’s step-by-step framework for gospel conversations:

• Start a conversation. A good opener is “What’s your spiritual background?”
• Ask questions, with permission, moving from general to personal.
• Listen to answers with genuine curiosity.
• Tell the good news, using a gospel summary you know well, such as Three Circles, the Romans Road, or the Bridge to Life.
• Yes or no: invite a response.

Resources mentioned

• Free SALTY ebook at garystidham.com
• I Once Was Lost by Doug Schaupp and Don Everts (InterVarsity Press), the source of the “five thresholds” framework
• 1 Peter 3:15, on sharing your hope with gentleness and respect
• First Baptist Arlington’s equipping brunches

Take a step this week

Pray for opportunities. Write your one-sentence testimony. Ask one person, “What’s your spiritual background?”

Learn more about First Baptist Arlington at fbca.org.

Dr. Dennis Wiles is back from Canada, and he joins Michael and Ashley Berryhill to talk about what he learned. He joined a pilot mission trip through the Ascent Movement, hosted by Canadian Baptist Ministries. The trip took the team from the Greater Toronto Area to Montreal and Quebec, where they saw how churches are sharing the gospel in one of the most multicultural places in the world.

From there, the conversation turns to evangelism here at home. Dr. Wiles shares two divine appointments: a server at a busy restaurant who asked for prayer, and a Hindu seatmate on a flight from Africa who wanted to add a statue of Jesus to his home altar. These stories show how simply being available can open doors for the gospel. The episode closes with a call to pray, because every great movement of God has begun with a praying church.

In This Episode

• An overview of the Ascent Movement’s pilot trip to Canada with Canadian Baptist Ministries, TMS Global, and Restore Hope
• Visiting Tyndale University during the 500th anniversary of William Tyndale’s English New Testament
• Why “multi” isn’t the same as “inter”: multicultural vs. intercultural, multigenerational vs. intergenerational
• New research from Canada: younger generations aren’t so much secular as pluralistic, and they’re more open to spiritual conversations
• Why the gospel doesn’t need cultural or political power to prop it up
• William Carey and the “unusual, mysterious partnership” between God’s power and our availability
• Two divine appointments: a restaurant server and an airplane seatmate
• Evangelism as a continuum: being one link in the chain, not just the person “closing the deal”
• Becoming “come and see” people, like the Samaritan woman
• Prayer as the “secret sauce” behind every revival and awakening

Key Takeaways

• The power of the gospel doesn’t depend on us, but it does have to be shared.
• Busyness is one of the biggest reasons we walk right past divine appointments.
• Try praying for “the one”: ask God each day to put one person in your path.
• You don’t need a playbook or to have every answer. Just say, “Yes, Lord, I’m available.”
• Praying together with other believers creates accountability, and lets the whole church celebrate when God moves.

Scripture Referenced

• 1 Peter 3:15
• John 4 (the Samaritan woman)
• The prayer life of the early church in Acts

This Week’s Prayer
“Father, help me to be sensitive to your leadership in my everyday life.”

Join Us
The Table meets Wednesdays at 6 PM in the Fellowship Hall for worship, prayer, and a devotional led by Dr. Wiles, plus light bites. Pick up a copy of the weekly prayer guide, and find more at fbca.org.

Hosts & Guests

• Michael, Minister of Worship
• Ashley Berryhill, Minister of Discipleship Engagement
• Dr. Dennis Wiles, Senior Pastor