Ari Talja is an evangelist from Finland. After pastoring for 15 years he felt called to go into full-time evangelistic ministry. Today on The Evangelism Podcast we discuss his transition from pastoring to evangelism. You will hear the testimonies of the powerful miracles God is doing through Salvation to All Nations.
Learn more about Ari Talja: https://www.salvationtoallnations.fi/
Summary:
- Ari Talja has transitioned from being a Pentecostal pastor for 12 years to becoming a full-time evangelist focused on reaching the unreached with the gospel [1:26].
- He previously worked in media ministry for 15 years but felt called to preach the gospel directly, which led him to begin evangelistic campaigns in Uganda and Bangladesh [1:35] [3:16].
- In Bangladesh, which is only 0.3% Christian, Talja’s recent campaign saw over 13,000 people attend and 940 make decisions to follow Christ [3:16].
- Similarly in Uganda, Talja’s campaigns have resulted in miracles, healings, and many conversions, including the testimony of a woman who came to curse the ministry but ended up surrendering her life to Christ [4:15].
- As Talja transitions to full-time evangelism, he faces the challenge of raising both personal support and funding for the evangelistic campaigns, which can be costly [5:35].
- Talja encourages viewers to visit his ministry’s website at www.salvationtoallnations.fi to learn more and consider supporting his work [7:03].
Transcript:
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (00:00):
Welcome to the Evangelism Podcast. I’m Daniel Kingman. I am excited about telling people about Jesus today. I have a very special guest with me, an evangelist from Finland. Pastor Ari Talja, thank you for joining me on the Evangelism Podcast.
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (00:13):
Thank you so much. I humbled.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (00:15):
Yeah. So you and I met last year in Finland. Actually it was this year in June. We were in Finland for the World Pentecostal Conference, and they had some different tables there. And I was going around and I saw your table and you have a big picture of a crowd said, now here is an evangelist. And it made me so happy to meet another evangelist. And so you have just launched your ministry. Tell me, what do you call your ministry?
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (00:42):
It’s called Salvation to All Nations.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (00:44):
I say Amen, salvation to all nations. And now we are here in South Korea at j Jude Island for the Billion Soul Conference. And you and I are doing a workshop together on mass evangelism. So it is very exciting because we’re going to raise up many evangelists that are passionate about sharing the gospel. Talk to me a little bit about your story of how you ended up here. You were a pastor for many years, but the fire of evangelism burns in your heart. So how did you go from being a pastor to the better job, I think, of being an evangelist? How did you get this great promotion?
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (01:26):
Actually, 12 years as a Pentecostal pastor, it’s a good education for anybody. But actually God called me to medium ministry called International Russian Radio and tv.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (01:35):
I
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (01:35):
Was spending there 15 years doing media campaigns all over the world, but I was not able to preach. I saw good testimonies. I was sharing, I was utilizing media, big campaigns in Mumbai, Chennai, all these Indian countries. But I have the passion to preach. God has put it there for 30 years ago. But then two years ago, God opened me a door first to go to Uganda. 2023. I went with my brother, evangelist, started the water to preach the gospel. I saw the power of the gospel and it kind of fired me up. I felt that this is what I want to do, this is what I want to do. But it took two years. I saw what 20,000 people to come to Christ during five different mission trips to Uganda, one in Pakistan. And then finally Lord delivered me from my current previous position from IRTV. And he said, now you step down by faith. You have to establish your own media ministry, own mission organization, salvation, all Nations hundredth Church of HA Church. My pastor Robert Brandau is the one I’m accountable to. So we together founded it. And there were three others that all spoke to us. And now we have done two campaigns. First in Eastern Uganda, and last one was in Bangladesh.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (02:47):
Now just last week you came from Bangladesh.
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (02:50):
That’s right.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (02:50):
And you saw God do amazing things there. Tell me a little bit about Bangladesh. I mean, this is a nation that I heard. It’s 0.3% Christian.
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (03:01):
That’s correct.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (03:01):
And that means that there is a huge harvest field there. Majority Muslim and also some Hindu in Bangladesh. But it is a big harvest field. So tell me, what did you see God do there?
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (03:16):
I saw great things to happen. Actually, I was first time introduced with Hindu and Muslim community leaders together, the local churches. When we organized this in the nearby Boal, about 150 kilometers southeast from daca. And we organized it in a rural area, but people transported from 100, 150 kilometers just through hear the gospel message. And when we preach about 13,000 people during two days, revival and healing program, we see healings, we see crippled hands, shaken, straightened, and by the power of God. And the demons delivered. People got delivered from demons and they were healings. And of course, 940 people, mainly from Muslim and Hindu background, came their lies to Christ. And we call it a pile of contact information for the follow-up and discipleship for the churches.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (04:07):
Amen. What a great miracle. And before that, you were in Uganda. Tell me about Uganda. What did you see God do there?
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (04:15):
Yes, that was wonderful actually. We saw their blind eyes open. That is open. And the previous Uganda trip, I was, I saw a lady, which doctor who came to curse us. We have been praying, actually the churches have been praying for 60, 56 days and fasting. And the power of God was so overwhelming when she had the ball of conjunction, he came to curse us in the first day of the crusade. She suspended to surrender her life to Christ. She went to the stage and said, I was about to curse you, but God’s power was so overwhelming. So when I keep my life to Jesus, after that miracle started to pop down the signs and wanders, sight open ears, open, paralyzed people, we saw powerful testimonies. What the Lord did in the area of Senge that was notorious place of track trafficking and also witchcraft and all kinds of pro prostitution. The Ka change, the whole atmosphere.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (05:11):
So in many ways, you are just in the beginning stages of your evangelistic ministry. You’re very experienced in ministry, but you have just launched out to be full-time in evangelism. What do you find are some of the challenges in the difficulties maybe of launching out in a new area of ministry like this
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (05:35):
To create awareness that now I’m not anymore in a media ministry. I’m now doing the Crusades By faith and especially to unreached nations, people get a long time to realize, okay, this is something that we need to invest to. We need to pray for it, but we need to invest money for that in order to reach out even more people to Christ. So it takes some time that God has made many, many already, and we have been able to cover all these two crusades by miracle. But in future, I would like to get my salary out of this as well. So it’s going to be a great hurdle next year. Now, one church promised to send 500 euros per every month, but we would need a lot of more to cover my costs in order that I would full-time be able to serve the Lord through this salvation to all nations CEO.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (06:20):
So right now, are you, are you doing something else as well?
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (06:24):
I’m doing actually on churches in Finland. I visit and promote the ministry. They pay me something little, but basically I’m unemployed officially, but not the unemployed in practice.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (06:35):
Sure. Yeah. I mean, being an evangelist is full-time. It is. And so now you have to start slowly raise your personal support, and then on top of that, raise money to be able to do crusades,
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (06:48):
Which
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (06:49):
Is not cheap. I mean, you can, some nations cost more than other nations, but you need lots of people to support you. So if someone feels called to help your ministry, how can they find out more about you? What is your
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (07:03):
Website? Website is www salvation to all nations.fi. And there is English flag. So you can press that soul in English there.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (07:13):
Amen. Well, I’d encourage you, if you’re listening to go and to support evangelist Ari, he is launching out in evangelism. And I believe in the years to come, God is going to give you a great harvest of souls. The finished people have a great heart for missions. I’ve met finished missionaries in different parts of the world. My wife, Jessica, she was a missionary in Papua New Guinea. There were finished missionaries there. Really?
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (07:39):
Oh,
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (07:40):
I didn’t know that. And in every finished missionary’s house, guess what they had? They had a sauna. That’s right. That is a true Finn missionary. That’s our sanctuary. The Lord speaks to us most strongly. And so I think that God has put a great mission’s heart in the finished people.
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (07:58):
That’s very true.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (07:59):
And you told me at lunch that Jesus was finished because at the Cru of Fiction, what did he, did he say?
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (08:08):
He says it’s finished.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (08:09):
It is finished. Yeah.
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (08:12):
Yes.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (08:13):
Well, let’s finish by praying today. Absolutely. For the harvest fields of the world, would you just lead us in a prayer that God would lead many people to Jesus
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (08:23):
Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, we know that great commission is not our idea. It’s your idea. Thank you, Lord, that you’ll release power of the Holy Ghost as we preach the best news about Jesus Christ, crucified and resurrected. Thank you that you’ll receive all the glory and honor when miracle signs and wonder happen. It’s not our cause. But thank you Lord, that you’ll raise up a new generation of intercessors and donors who are passionate for Christ and passionate for the gospel, that even those who have never had the gospel before will hear it. By the power of Jesus Christ, we hand it over to you. Thank you, Lord, that you touch the hearts of the people and you make them mission-minded Christians. Amen.
Evangelism Coach Daniel King (09:02):
Jesus name. Amen. Thank you for being on the Evangelism Podcast.
Ari Talja – Finnish Evangelist (09:05):
Thank you so much. I’m humbled. I’m Ous. Thank you for calling me and having me.
