Multiplying the Gospel
I love the biblical accounts of how Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fishes. The writers of the New Testament must have loved this story as well, because its significance is underscored by its presence in all four gospels.
You know the story: as Jesus was teaching what is described as a “multitude” of people, the disciples noted that the people were getting hungry. They used their human wisdom and told Jesus, “Send them away, that way they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find food.” Jesus, however, challenged them to do the impossible! “You give them something to eat,” he told the disciples. Still stuck in their worldly way of thinking, the disciples protested that they had only five loaves of bread and two fish among them. Jesus took what they had, held the small bit of food up to heaven and blessed them. Handing the fish and loaves back to his disciples, he commanded them to hand the lunch out to the people. Finally the disciples exercised obedience and did as Jesus asked…and that’s when the miracle unfolded.
Luke’s rendition of this story notes that there were about five thousand men present. If the women and children are added to that number, it is a sure possibility that more than ten thousand people made up the “multitude.” No wonder the disciples were reluctant to hand out their measly pittance of a lunch! Yet, after the food was eaten and the people’s hunger was satisfied, the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
What a miracle!
Just as miraculous, however, is the fact that Jesus had the ability to speak to over ten thousand people in “a remote place” (Luke 9:12) without any amplification of His voice. There was no P.A. system, no microphone; just the voice of Jesus touching hearts and drawing the people closer to God. It’s almost as if the Holy Spirit Himself took His words and increased the intensity of Jesus’ voice to enable each person to hear what He was saying.
What a miracle!
When Jesus tells his disciples, that “anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12, NIV), the “greater” here does not have to do with the quality of the miracle. After all, how could one perform a miracle any greater than those done by God Incarnate—Jesus Christ? Rather, the “greater” has to do with quantity; that is, more people doing more miraculous things in Jesus’ name.
Did you know that 3 billion people live within the range of FEBC’s transmitters, broadcasting the gospel 24/7?
Our mission is to be part of the “greater things.”
Just as with Jesus and the multitude, our prayer is that the Holy Spirit is taking the preaching of the Gospel and amplifying it over radio waves so that the 10,000 people who heard Jesus’ message in that remote place so long ago is multiplied 30,000 times over every day.
And that is truly a miracle!
Last fall, Kyaw Noah* visited one of our ministry offices in Southeast Asia for the first time. “I’m so glad to finally meet you,” he said. “I’ve been listening to you on the radio since 2003. It’s the only source of spiritual encouragement my family receives, especially your Bible messages. We listen every day.”
A year earlier, Kyaw Noah had committed his life to the Lord, but there was much about the Bible he didn’t understand. Listening to the radio all those years helped him develop his faith. Now he eagerly shares the gospel with his neighbors who follow other traditions. Wherever he goes, Kyaw introduces FEBC programs to people he meets.
Listener Serves as Radio Courier
Three weeks later Kyaw Noah visited us again. “I’m concerned about the people who live in my district who don’t know the Lord. They have no way of hearing the gospel because most of them have no radios,” he explained. He told us about one village that owns only one radio and every night between 8:00 and 9:00, people flock to listen to our broadcasts. Before he left our office that day, we gave him 5 radios and asked him to distribute them.
Seven weeks later, when Kyaw visited us again, he brought more than 20 letters he had collected from listeners in his district. He later delivered our follow-up responses, since the postal service in this area is not very reliable. He also told us he had distributed the radios we had given him, mentioning 2 in particular that were given to Saw Ae* and Moe Pine*.
Radios are Precious Commodities
Saw Ae and Moe Pine had never owned a radio. They used to visit a mutual friend’s home to hear our broadcasts. For Saw Ae this was not a major hardship, because he lived in the same village. Moe Pine, however, lived 30 miles away. But this didn’t prevent him from visiting his friend whenever possible to listen to FEBC broadcasts. Both men now own their own radios, thanks to the generosity of FEBC donors who support our Give-A-Radio Program.
But this is just the beginning of our ministry’s impact in this district. Kyaw Noah continues to help us introduce our broadcasts to people there, as well as collect letters from listeners. And when funds become available, we’ll distribute more radios.
Giving a radio is a small investment…with a big return, often impacting numerous people in one family or village. We know because we hear from people, like this woman from Indonesia who told us: “I cried when I received your radio. Now my family is so happy and can listen to Christian programs whenever we want.”
If you’d like to put a radio in the hands of a listener or learn more about FEBC’s Give-A-Radio Program, please visit us online at givearadio.com or call us at 800-523-3480.
*Names have been changed for security purposes.
Recently I was asked to step in for a colleague and travel to Mongolia, a country I had never before visited. My only knowledge of this remote land dates back to 1989 when I was covering the Lausanne World Conference for DZAS, FEBC Philippines. The emcee asked the delegates to pray for Mongolia, a country with only 6–8 known believers. This dearth of Christians surprised me and I began praying earnestly. At the time, Mongolia really seemed like the “ends of the earth.”
An Excellent Adventure
That is, until I stepped off a plane in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar on May 18, 2011, to commemorate FEBC Mongolia’s 10th Anniversary, a celebration that not only marked a milestone for our ministry, but also a miraculous change in a country once steeped in Buddhism, Shamanism and atheism.
Christianity was introduced in 1991, and though few took it seriously at first, God moved in the hearts of spiritually hungry Mongolians searching for the truth. The fact that one of their own – Batjargal Tuvshintsengel, FEBC-Mongolia’s Director – had come to faith proved that this was the real deal. Bat, as we call him, is now one of the key movers behind the emerging Church in Mongolia.
A Long Lost Bible
Special guests to this week-long celebration included foreign missionaries who courageously shared the message of Christ 20 years earlier, as well as their converts who later became leaders of the Mongolian Church.
Another highlight involved a man from Alaska who traveled to Mongolia to pass on a 1846 edition of the Mongolian New Testament he acquired years earlier. Written in the original Mongolian alphabet (not the Russian Cyrillic they now use), this is the only edition remaining, as all others were destroyed when Russian Communists invaded the country 70 years earlier. It was a moment to remember when this precious New Testament was ceremoniously handed over to Mongolian Church leaders.
Strength in Numbers
It was also thrilling to see how younger generations of Mongolians are serious about the Great Commission! The Church is growing tremendously, with over 600 where there once were none. Currently, 100,000 profess faith in Christ (3% of the population), but the Mongolian Evangelical Alliance is committed to raising this number to 10% by 2020. Not only that, but Mongolian Christians are now sending missionaries to 6 neighboring countries. Some say Mongolia is the #1 missionary-sending nation per Christian population. That’s a far cry from 6-8 believers in the entire country!
Shoulder-to-shoulder with local churches and missionaries, FEBC Mongolia is on the air 24/7 expanding God’s kingdom. Presently, we are operating three radio stations, with Wind FM in Ulaanbaatar as our flagship station (also voted the best station by Mongolians). Two other stations are due to be launched soon.
God began an amazing work in Mongolia over two decades ago, and it was humbling to be there to witness the results. I’ll have to say, my adventure to the “ends of the earth” felt a lot more like home than I expected, but that’s what happens when you’re surrounded by people who love the Lord.
Last year alone, friends like you helped provide 14,275 radios for FEBC to distribute to places like China, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Russia.
FEBC international leaders tell us that 25 people are often impacted by a single radio in most rural communities. Villagers often stop their work to gather around a single radio to listen to our broadcasts.
From plantations to rice fields to prison cells, that’s more than 356,000 people who now have constant access to the Good News of God’s great love—a message they perhaps never heard before and have no other way to hear.
THANK YOU!
Here are a few of their notes of gratitude:
“My name is PK and I’m 70 years old. From the depths of my heart, I want to thank you for the radio you gave me. I’m very thankful I can now listen to God’s Word every day. It has helped me grow in my faith and has enhanced my worship. I wish all Vietnamese people could hear God’s Word and believe in Him. May God richly bless you!” Listener in Vietnam
“Thank you for the radio. The Word of God heals my heart,” Srey Mau, Cambodia
“Thank you for your generosity. My congregation listens to FEBC on the radio every day. In this area there are over nine villages with 2,000 families. Most of them are poor, having come from refugee camps. We really need more radios.”
Pastor in South East Asia
Requests from the field are still flooding in, and there is an urgent need for 15,000 more radios right now.If you are interested in transforming lives by giving radios, please visit www.givearadio.com.