Light for the Lost Continues to Impact World

Since 1953, Light for the Lost (LFTL) has focused on one missional directive: to empower the local church to provide God’s Word for every person on the planet. In its first year, a small group of believers gave a little over $300 to provide evangelism resources for missionaries. That vision has continued to grow and strengthen.

In 2016, Light for the Lost supporters gave $7,298,037.71 to send the good news around the world. Giving to LFTL in 2016 exceeded four of the last five years, and was an increase of 14 percent over the previous year.

“Today we have the greatest opportunity to present the gospel to all nations, to all people groups in every village, town, hut, or city,” states Rick Allen, national director of Light for the Lost. “The power of the gospel is the most powerful voice on our planet, and the voice of the lost is getting louder wanting to hear it. We must continue to offer the gospel by all means to those who have not heard.”

LFTL provides a variety of resources such as audio, visual, web-based, digital, and printed materials with one guiding principle: all assistance must be to provide resources directly related to evangelism. In the 63-year history of LFTL, donors have given over $318,000,000 to the cause.

“When small beginnings stay focused on prayer and vision, God can raise a mighty army, and that is what we are,” Allen says. “We are an army of prayer warriors and missional givers who have not wavered in the mission of Light for the Lost.”

Starting in 2014 and every year since, LFTL can report that every second of every day someone, somewhere, is actively using a LFTL resource to discover who Jesus is or learning more about Him that will eternally impact their world.

One church recently used the LFTL Celebrate the Light video and sent in a testimony:

A few weeks ago, at a Thursday night banquet, Rick Allen, our national LFTL director, walked through these stories just as I have tonight and a pastor of a small church in rural West Texas with Sunday morning attendance of around 30 was intrigued. During the faith promise time of the banquet, he felt led of the Lord to increase his faith promise to $3,500 believing for a miracle. Friday morning, he went to his office and watched every video presentation available of Celebrate the Light. He decided to show the first presentation in his Sunday morning service. He showed the video, used the faith promise forms he downloaded, and waited to hear from the treasurer. The church responded by giving $5,000 in cash that day and $2,500 in faith promises for the next year. What started at $500, increased to $3,500 and became a $7,500 gift and faith promise.

This year, Sunday, May 7, is National LFTL Day in the Assemblies of God. Free downloadable resources, in addition to the Celebrate the Light video, are available to help share the message of LFTL on that day — or any day. 

“When God’s people allow the hopelessness of the lost to interrupt their day,” Allen observes, “they begin to pray a different way, give a different way, and focus a different way!”