John’s vision in Revelation 7:9-10 is glorious: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”
“They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.’”
The Paris Olympic Games
In the summer of 2024, all the nations of the world gathered in Paris for the Olympic Games. Spurred on by John’s vision, many also came to Paris to share the good news of Christ with people from those nations. At the Eglise de Télégraphe in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, a diverse team from our neighbourhood gathered for a week of training and evangelism called Portons la flamme!
The goal: to bear the flame of the gospel to a delightful, dark and disadvantaged district of Paris, and to the nations flooding into the city. On the agenda: teaching and prayer; eating, laughing and fellowship; street dance and singing; football and basketball in parks; a festival in a local square; afternoon games for local kids; interviewing people on the streets; sharing the story of Eric Liddell, the Christian runner and missionary who won the 400m at the last Paris Olympics 100 years ago.
What did we see God doing?
He showed us again the joy of labouring with and learning from brothers and sisters from different backgrounds, nations and evangelical persuasions.
We saw him taking us out of our comfort zones and growing us in our boldness: what a joy to see two shy young women from our church blossom in their gospel courage over the week! We saw him changing our hearts towards the people around us: as I arrived late to the open-air festival in the local square, tears sprang to my eyes at the sight of brothers and sisters from our church, made up from many nations, talking to and praying with unbelievers from our neighbourhood.
We saw God open people’s hearts
Christians all over the city testified to the uncommon openness of Parisians and guests to talk about the things of Christ over the weeks of the Olympics. People were happy to be prayed for, some prayed prayers of commitment to Christ. Others were delighted to take away New Testaments and literature, while some showed an interest in meeting again to find out more. What a God! Might that be in great part because, incited by some of the more controversial scenes in the opening ceremony, Christians who were watching the games all around the globe were also praying for Paris?
… some prayed prayers of commitment to Christ. Others were delighted to take away New Testaments
Please pray for us
We want to help believers become disciple-making disciples of Jesus, who love him and obey him and live for him, not just converts who prayed a prayer once. Please keep praying for Christians in Paris who bear the flame of the gospel to the darkest parts of the City of Light: that people from many nations, tribes, peoples and languages might come to worship the one to whom alone salvation belongs.
Christopher and Laura de la Hoyde serve in church planting in France