Tagged: mass media

The Truth About Jesus

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By on Apr 29th, 2013

My name is Idris, and this year I learned who Jesus really is.

In my former faith, Islam, I learned that Allah was one. There is no Spirit, no Son. But almost fifteen years ago, Jesus came to me in a dream.

This dream made me doubt the faith I had known my whole life. Even my wife saw that I was not committed—and for that she divorced me. I had to know more about this Jesus, but I could not find answers from those around me.

Islam was difficult … and it grew even more difficult to practice with my increasing doubts.

One day, I turned on my television and some people from my country were talking about Jesus. I saw a phone number, and I called—hoping the people behind this campaign would have the answers to the questions I had been seeking for so many years.

I spoke with a follower of Jesus on the telephone, and he began to tell me more about Jesus. The more I heard about Him, the more I was intrigued. As he spoke the message of the gospel to me, I knew that this Jesus was the True God and I did not want to wait another second before surrendering my life to Him.

In that moment, my life changed forever. I have since discovered more about the Father, the Son, and the Spirit each day through the words of the New Testament and have been baptized to show my commitment. I saw my family come to faith in Jesus, and I will continue to proclaim the goodness of His love and forgiveness to my people for the rest of my days.

Missions Focus: Mass Media Evangelism

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By on Apr 12th, 2012

Television, radio, newspapers, billboards … every day, people all over the world are engulfed in messages from these and other media channels. Large cities are often drowning in the noise because of the variety of available media.

But mass media evangelism campaigns are harnessing the power of media outlets and redeeming them by giving them a message that matters … the gospel.

Why Mass Media?

Family Watching television

Power to Change, a mass media evangelism project, utilizes regular network television broadcasts in spreading the gospel.

Mass media campaigns are effective because they saturate large cities with the gospel message. Using every available media outlet, the Good News is broadcasted through the testimonies of locals—reaching people of every age and walk of life.

Through these broadcasts and advertisements the gospel is overtly presented or an opportunity is provided to connect people to local believers who will share with them the forgiveness found in Jesus Christ.

These media blasts take the gospel where the people are and creates buzz throughout the city. This provides believers with the opportunity to join in the religious conversation and share their faith boldly.

Keys to Success

There are two distinct characteristics to a fruitful mass media evangelism campaign:

  1. Cultural relevance
  2. Local church partnerships

Campaigns of this magnitude must speak to the culture of those in the area. Using testimonies of local believers has proven to be the most effective way to produce a response from the residents of these large cities.

Mobilizing the church to pray, connecting with unbelievers, and following-up with those responding to the message they’ve heard is also a crucial part of these campaigns.

Strengthening the Church

Billboard

Billboards like this one drive people to a website or call center where they can hear a clear gospel presentation and sign up to receive additional information.

While the main objective is to expose these mega-city residents to the gospel, several by-products usually occur that strengthen the Church:

  1. Believers are trained and find confidence in sharing the gospel
  2. Local churches are mobilized within their community
  3. Churches connect through the campaign’s many volunteer opportunities, further strengthening the network of believers
  4. Church attendance often grows, providing further opportunities for evangelism and discipleship

Growing the Kingdom

East-West uses the mass media campaign Power to Change (P2C) to saturate mega-cities with the gospel message. During 30 days of non-stop communication, P2C exposes millions of people to the gospel through the testimonies of national believers.

“EWMI is all about reaching people for Christ,” said Bob West, East-West Vice President-Evangelism. “Using the P2C mass media events has been very effective in accomplishing that goal.”

P2C campaigns not only provide East-West with an opportunity to reach millions with the gospel but also provide hands-on training for the network of believers that is already established. This training strengthens the existing churches by equipping believers to share their faith … so that God’s Kingdom may multiply!

Read more about the Power to Change campaign and how it is transforming the world’s mega-cities.