The recent National Religious Broadcasters convention brought many international Christian broadcasters to Nashville. A group of more than thirty Christian media leaders from around the world met three times during the four-day conference to discuss recent challenges to Christian media. Our desire is to determine ways to work together for the cause of Christ.
Jan-Eric Nyman, who serves with IBRA in East Africa, gave an impassioned plea…a cry for help…for training nationals all over Africa. Several of our major ministries such as HCJB Global, TWR, and Far East Broadcasting are active in Africa, and together formed Africa by Radio a number of years ago for that specific purpose. They are doing a good job, but Africa is huge, the opportunities are growing, and the need is great. As Jan-Eric put it, “We need you to come to Africa, to come again and again. Not just once, but again and again. Come to Africa and help us!”
Though our ministry is relatively new and small, I am praying how we might answer this call, this cry, from Africa.
This is not the only call for training. We met with Ashvin Dhyriam from India and furthered our plans for another media training conference in India in September. This enormous country desperately needs the Gospel. Broadcasting and the electronic media are the tools to reach the masses…the 1.2 billion people of India…with the Good News that Jesus saves. More on that later.
We are also hearing from a country in the Middle East (nameless due to the sensitivity of their culture) about Christian broadcasters in that country, and their need for training. We will likely go there in the near future to see the need and determine how we can help.
As I weigh these opportunities, I often wonder how God will meet our financial needs in order to assist these who cry for help. Yet I know God is faithful to supply our needs to do His will. And He is already doing just that.
The Blessing
Recently I opened a letter and received a huge blessing…and a challenge. A faithful donor has offered us a $50,000 matching gift! Wanting to encourage others to also support MEDIAlliance International, he is willing to match all donations up to $50,000 total. What an amazing blessing! I rarely use this newsletter to talk about our financial needs because the needs of our many ministry partners are so great. My heart and my focus is on their ministries and their opportunities to spread God’s message of Hope to their country and their culture.
In real sense, that still is my focus, because securing this $50,000 matching gift will help us train, mentor, facilitate, and encourage these dedicated servants to a much greater degree than otherwise possible. We do not charge these international ministries for what we do. We even ask our instructors, who help us teach and train, to pay their own travel expenses. We depend on God’s people, whom He has blessed, to support this work.
The Bottom Line
As we began this new phase of our work, and as we established 
MEDIAlliance International in January, I sought a verse from the Lord that expressed the bottom line of ministry for us. In the opening of the Apostle Paul’s second letter to young Timothy, he explained his own calling…his reason for serving…as an example for Timothy, and for us all.
“From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
to further the promise of life in Christ Jesus….”
II Timothy 1:1 NET
There it is. The bottom line. To further the promise of life in Christ Jesus. Apart from Christ, we are dead. Living in darkness. He is the Light. He is our Hope.
In most of the countries I visit, evangelical Christians are a very small minority. The message of hope found only in Jesus needs to reach the masses, but the laborers are few. Our work strengthens committed Christian media professionals who use these strong tools to take God’s message to souls living in darkness. To further the promise of life in Christ Jesus.
If God moves you to contribute, you will not just be giving to a ministry called MEDIAlliance International, but to directly “…further the promise of life in Christ Jesus.” I pray God will put that calling on your heart, and that you will respond as He directs. Our world needs that hope…that life. Help me help others share that hope…that promise of life in Christ Jesus.
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