Ministry Minded: A Podcast by Step Up To Life · Step Up To Life

From Firing Squad to Following God

·53 min·3 clips

Paul Tan says a 1972 drug-smuggling case in Bali carried a firing-squad death sentence.

Ministry Minded opens with Lincoln and Nick welcoming Paul Tan from Singapore. They mention the 13-hour gap between Singapore and Omaha. The tone stays relaxed and familiar, with the hosts joking that Paul has already lived most of the day. Paul explains that his connection with Step Up to Life did not happen overnight. He says he read the material, prayed, and waited for nearly one to two years before everything came into focus. The turning point came at a second conference. He talks about a prison Bible study that was already serving prisoners well. He also wanted something that could reach people in the marketplace. When he encountered the five-step Step Up to Life material, especially the movement from unconcerned to concern, conviction, repentance, and saving faith, he says it sparked something in him. The language is simple, but the conviction behind it is not. Paul says the framework felt like something the Spirit of God had already been using, not a new invention. That made him eager to join the work. The hosts respond with gratitude and repeated affirmation. Paul describes the ministry spreading across more than 10 countries in a short period of time. He frames that growth as obedience, not strategy. He talks about receiving photos and reports from coordinators in each country. Those teams are going into prisons, streets, and marketplaces with the same material. The conversation treats those updates as proof of real fruit. Near the end, the hosts praise the partnership and say they are looking forward to seeing Paul in person in March. The episode closes with a pastoral note about serving Jesus biblically and keeping at it on the journey.

As heard by us

A patient account of gospel work reaching prisons, streets, and the marketplace.

Ministry Minded follows Paul Tan of Singapore as Step Up to Life moves from prison Bible study into wider gospel outreach. The episode keeps its focus on lived ministry rather than summary, tracing prayer, reading, waiting, and the slow spread of a five-step message into…

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You want a warm ministry story about gospel work that crosses from Omaha to Singapore.

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