Dr. Delron & Peggy Shirley
Teach All Nations Mission (TAN) is a global evangelical educational ministry birthed from the teaching ministries of Delron and Peggy Shirley. The name Teach All Nations Mission was chosen to carefully indicate exactly what the heart of Delron and Peggy’s mission is.
TAN’s commitment is to establish a solid foundation in the national pastors and leaders so that they can help enrich the people. The vision is Christian teaching materials (in English and the local languages) in printed form and on audio and video, providing scholarships to Christian colleges and Bible schools for promising students, assisting in establishing and building of Bible schools, and broadcasting via the internet, radio, and television.
In the email invitation for our partners to read the April meditation on our website, I made a comment about all the challenges that Peggy and her team had encountered on their March mission to Sri Lanka and the “hoops” I had to jump through to get the flights for our upcoming mission to Nepal rerouted after the war in the Middle East closed the Dubai airport. I then followed with the hopeful anticipation that we would not have any further problems on the trip to Nepal. I have to confess that I was miserably wrong. Because we were not able to rebook with the same airline all the way to Kathmandu, I purchased tickets on one airline as far as Delhi and tickets from there to Kathmandu on a different airline. When Peggy and I tried to check in for our flight, we were refused boarding, saying that we did not have visas to India, and that were booked as going only as far as Delhi rather than being transit passengers. Although I could show the clerk that we had onward tickets to Nepal, I was repeatedly told that we could not board the plane without visas to India. After about an hour and a half of going back and forth with several different agents, a supervisor was able to solve the problem, check our bags all the way to Kathmandu, and issue us boarding passes for all the flights. When we thanked her for her help, she told us that she is a Christian and that she had prayed that morning that she would be in the right place at the right time to help someone in need. Of course, we told her that we are also Christians and were praying for the favor of God and man over our predicament. She was definitely in the right place at the right time to help us! When we met Linda Easton who was joining us in Newark for the rest of the trip to Nepal, we found out that the airline had allowed her to fly as far as Newark but had canceled her flight from there to Delhi for the same visa issue. We wound up with five customer service agents working on the problem, and they finally settled the crisis five minutes before we were to board the flight. When we eventually made it to Nepal, we discovered that in the rebooking process, I had booked our return flight to Delhi on the wrong day. Fortunately, I was able to get that straightened out; however, rebooking fees, the difference in the price of the ticket because we were so close to the travel date, and fuel surcharges because of the price increases due to the fuel shortage because of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz essentially doubled our price.
Out of all the congregations that felt the impact of Paul’s life, I’d like for us to consider one specific church as an example of maximum impact because this particular congregation was birthed out of just three weeks of the apostle’s ministry – yet it became a viable and enduring church that, according to Paul’s own evaluation, was an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia and the epicenter from which the gospel was sounded throughout Macedonia and Achaia and beyond. (I Thessalonians 1:7-8) In spite of the fact – or possibly enhanced by the fact – that this church was birthed in much persecution by opponents who were not satisfied to just wreak havoc locally but actually followed Paul to his next destination to engender even more violence (Acts 17:5-9, 17:13), the congregation stood strong and flourished. Yet Paul was able to define in one concise passage what he did in Thessalonica that left such a powerful impact, “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.” (I Thessalonians 1:5)
The first avenue he mentioned was the Word. In fact, Paul’s writings are full of instruction to avoid various substitutes that can camouflage themselves as worthy ministry material but actually lead to confusion and disqualification of our ministries: philosophy (Colossians 2:8), vain deceit (Colossians 2:8), the tradition of men (Colossians 2:8), the rudiments of the world (Colossians 2:8), enticing words of man’s wisdom (I Corinthians 2:4), profane and vain babblings (I Timothy 6:20, II Timothy 2:16), oppositions of science falsely so called (I Timothy 6:20), fables (I Timothy 1:4, II Timothy 4:4), Jewish fables (Titus 1:14), profane and old wives’ fables (I Timothy 4:7), endless genealogies (I Timothy 1:4, Titus 3:9), the commandments of men (Titus 1:14), foolish and unlearned questions (II Timothy 2:23, Titus 3:9), teachers having itching ears (II Timothy 4:3), teaching things which they ought not for filthy lucre’s sake (Titus 1:11), strivings about the law (Titus 3:9), the doctrines of men (Colossians 2:22), and even doctrines of devils (I Timothy 4:1). Paul himself had a personal experience with the temptation to make a substitute.
After having travel from early morning on Saturday, I arrived in Monrovia late Sunday evening – only to find that my host was not at the airport to greet me. I had to fend off a barrage of “greeters” who wanted to offer me taxi rides, cell phone sim card, and advice...
In the African country of Liberia, Teach All Nations sponsored a training conference for about five hundred pastors and church leaders from the eastern region of the country and the neighboring country of Guinea. The pastors in this remote area are normally not...
There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?...
The humanitarian aspect of my missionary work has taken me around the world in relief projects associated with every kind of natural disaster short of a volcano eruption. I’ve seen firsthand what the insurance companies refer to as the “acts of God” – a legal term...
You Know You’re on the Mission Field When… Peanut butter, jelly, ham, and cheese sandwiches with lettuce and tomato! Yes, we had healings, salvations, and baptisms in the Holy Spirit on our mission to Colombia, but one thing that no one will ever forget is the...
Have you ever noticed how it’s always the Democrats or Republicans who are at fault? We always want to blame the President – and always without even giving him the respect of prefacing his name with the title “President” or even “Mr.” It’s just “Clinton” or “Bush” or...
