For 85 years, Bible League International has been serving under-resourced churches by providing God’s Word in a way that people can read and understand. People are now empowered with the knowledge and understanding of the Gospel, so that they can go out and share it. The Good News is for everyone!
Well, I’m here with Michael Woolworth with Bible League. And Michael, our campaign here on KLTT is nearing a close. We have a hard end date. And for people that have heard us talk about what we’re doing with our Bible campaign, the time’s running out, right? Well, it’s a campaign that won’t go on forever, Mike.
SPEAKER 02 :
And I’m glad, you know, God has allowed our paths to cross, KLTT and Bible League. This is our 87th year. But again, we got together and said, look, If a major issue facing the global Christian church is that they go without Bibles, we said, let’s get together and do something about it. And so, Mike, we began just a few weeks ago, and we said, you know, here’s the ask. It’s very, very simple. It’s a $5 an ask per Bible. So a gift of $60 takes care of a dozen Bible-less believers on the continent of Africa. We’re about 10% of the way today, as you and I gather and spend a few moments together. About 10% of that goal has been met. We said together, can we do it for 1,100 Bible-less believers that we know by name at Bible League, all over that continent, 13 countries where we serve right now. That’s Ghana, that’s Tanzania, Mozambique, the Ivory Coast, South Africa. Many others we’ll talk about. But anyway, we’re about 10% of the way to the goal. Again, this is a campaign that will not go on forever. By the time we observe Memorial Day, our plan is to tally up what God has done through the KLTT listening family, rejoice in that, and get these Bibles on their way. But Mike, we’d love to take care of the balance of this goal. I know if there’s a group that can get it done, it’s the KLTT listening family. But Mike, I wanted to talk today about persecution. Let me just mention to you, I threw a a term into a search engine today. It’s Christian news in Africa. Here’s what came up. Seventy Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo kidnapped, tortured, and beheaded inside a church by terrorists affiliated with the Islamic State. In Ethiopia, religious violence has escalated, resulting in churches being burned down, pastors murdered by radical factions. And then in Somalia, the terrorist group al-Shabaab is suspected of killing any Somalian who converts to Christianity. You know, if you throw that into a search engine, do that yourself, you’d say, okay, you know, if persecution is at an all-time high in a place like the continent of Africa, does Christianity even stand a chance? But, Mike, this is where Christianity is growing in the greatest numbers in the world today. Number three is Latin America. Number two is the region of Asia. And number one is the continent of Africa. And again, that’s remarkable because if you think about what has characterized this part of the world for centuries, it’s what? It’s their idolatry, the pagan practices, witchcraft, the infiltration of radicalized Islam all over that continent. But I can tell you again, this is where Christianity has happened in the greatest numbers, and yet because of this incredible growth, as many as nine of ten believers in those countries I just mentioned go without what is so basic to the Christian faith, and that’s simply having a Bible. But at $5 a Bible, we’re inviting the KLTT listening family to say, you know what, let’s do something about it today. Let’s send these Christians exactly what they’re praying for. And that is a Bible.
SPEAKER 01 :
When it comes to Africa, you’ve heard some very powerful stories, Michael. Tell us about one of those. I think you have a couple to share. just so we can get a sense of how it impacts someone that does not have a Bible and how desperate they are for God’s Word.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, I visited that continent, Mike. We have friends of Bible League that fund those trips. And I’ve met, I call them heroes of the faith. These are men and women, they’re pastors, evangelists, lay people, just Christians in general who are, you know, simply hated because they believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. You know, I mentioned that story earlier. just a moment ago when I did the Google search about the Islamic state group that murdered those Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Let me tell you the story that hits home for us, because a pastor by the name of Rousis, who ministers there in the DRC, receives Bibles and study materials from Bible League Without Charge. Why? Because He’s such an impoverished man, at least materially. He has virtually nothing. Again, he’s hated because he’s a follower of Christ. Mike, one day his sons went missing, two sons ages 8 and 11. They put together a search party. They found out these boys had been murdered at the hands of that same Islamic State group that had killed the 70 Christians I just mentioned, right? Some of the churches would have retaliated with violence, not this one. What they did is they prayed. They allowed this pastor and his family to grieve the loss of those boys. And then what did they do? They took the gospel to neighboring villages where they knew these terrorists and their families lived. Mike, they poured out the love of Christ in a very difficult place, in a very difficult way. And I can tell you today there are about 150 families, some of these affiliated with that terrorist group who are now followers of Christ. They need Bibles in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 150 needed there for families that have said what? We’re leaving radicalized Islam. We’re going to follow Jesus. And then let me take you not far from there in Mozambique. This is just off the Indian Ocean there on the southwest corner of the continent of Africa. A pastor by the name of Lumo, he’s preaching away one Sunday from Galatians 2, 220 or what. I’ve been crucified with Christ. I no longer live, but Christ lives within me. All of a sudden, a ruckus at the front door of this shanty church. What is it? It’s a group of 25 extremists. They storm the pulpit. They grab this man, Lubo, pull him down the aisle, his family, the congregation looking on horrified. They take this man to the front lawn where they do what? They nearly beat him to death. You know what his crime is? Very simply, in a very quiet, winded way, he has been ministering to radicalized Sunni Muslims, and many have come to what? Believe in Christ. They’ve said, we want to follow Jesus, and for some of those, they’ve said, we saw the sharp contrast in our kind of extremist religion. Allah only demanded, but they said, when we looked at the beautiful gospel, Jesus laid down his life for us, and that’s what broke us, and so You’ve got people like Luma willing to pay a price there in places like Mozambique to see that the gospel will go forth. And Mike, as I say, I’ve traveled that continent. We have friends that fund those trips. And I constantly see believers who are living out what Jesus says in Matthew 5. He says, I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those that would persecute you. And then in James, in his epistle, he says, you know, I tell you, count it all joy. Count it all joy when you suffer these trials. And so I’ve seen that on display over there. And yet, Mike, as I come on KLTT, I can tell you those Christians would never tell me, hey, Mike, Mike Woolworth, get on that station and pray that God would bring it into our suffering. They know that he is working through it. What they pray for is what? To love God with all their being, to obey him in every circumstance, to love their neighbors, those that would hate them simply because they believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, not as the enemy. but they would see them as the mission field, and they’re quick to say, look, believers here, they need Bibles, and they need to be able to endure and persevere. And when you can open up your own copy of God’s Word, you can be reminded that God knows you intimately. So our prayer today is we tell you about 350 Christians, 350 families, new believers, members of our spiritual family in two different places there in Africa. Our prayer, KLTT listening families, that you’ll get involved and become Bible senders today.
SPEAKER 01 :
We’re speaking with Michael Woolworth with Bible League. And again, the phone number is 800-YES-WORD. Very simple, 800-YES-WORD. Or go to 670KLTT.com and it’s right there on the homepage. Michael, I believe as we get into these last couple of weeks with our campaign, our Bible campaign, there’s an individual or a group of individuals on KLTT that could make up, we’re 10% of the way there. Well, we have folks that can make up that whole difference themselves or with others around them. Maybe that’s you. Maybe you’re listening right now and you have the resources to purchase hundreds of Bibles. They’re $5 each. So it’s such a simple goal and objective. $5 is one person receiving God’s Word tangibly in their hands. Well, some of you can do 100. There might be somebody out there that can do 1,000, says, you know what? I can make that happen. Let’s get it done. And we need you because we’re in these last weeks, and we have people who need Bibles that are earmarked from KLTT listeners, and we don’t have those funds yet.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, let me say this. There are people listening right now that can help us get there. Let me give you the easy math. If we’ve got 1,100 as our goal, we’ve got 100. taken care of. Praise the Lord for those. We’ve got a thousand to go. You know, the easy math is if we could see about three, four dozen of your wonderful listeners right now at a hundred dollar gift, that’s 20 Bibles each. We’ll be a goal. Let’s take the Hallelujah course and get these Bibles on their way. But let me say thanks as I toss it back to you, Mike, to people like Jerry of Littleton. She said, count me in. Debbie of Como said, I want to be a part of this. Jeffrey of Golden said, Michael, Mike, I’m in. And then Justin of Highlands Ranch, Colorado said, count me in a $100 tax deductible gift enough for 20 Bibles. You know, Paul, in closing, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12, you know, when one part of the body suffers, we suffer together. There’s an incredible segment of the Christian community all across the continent of Africa right now, the part of the world where Christianity is growing in the greatest numbers, and yet because of this incredible growth, Most evangelical Christians go without a Bible, but as I like to say, enter the KLTT listening family. And, Mike, we believe we can get it done. We’re done Memorial Day. We’re officially finished. We’ll tally up what God has done through the KLTT listening family. But, again, we are believing that Bible League, by the grace of God and through the generosity of this listening family, that we will get across the finish line and let these waiting Christians know, hey, the Bibles you’re praying for, they’re coming.
SPEAKER 1 :
Amen.
SPEAKER 01 :
It’s 800-YES-WORD, 800-YES-WORD. Or if you’d rather do this online, just go to 670KLTT.com. Really easy. Just click on the banner that will open up as soon as you open up the webpage, and you can donate there. Michael, final comment. You have people on the ground, do you not? So this is not just somebody swoops in, drops the Bibles off, gets out of there. There are folks through Bible League. that are local, are they not? And that makes a real difference.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, the pastors I mentioned, Ruses and Lumo in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo, what do they do? They invite people to come learn about Jesus. We provide a Bible study. It’s about eight to 12 weeks in length. And at the end of that, Mike, as people say, I want to follow Christ, Bible League is there. Now in our 87th year of ministry, I say, look, here’s a Bible as you begin that walk with Christ. And again, KLTT listeners, you could be a part of this. Make an incredible difference for the kingdom’s sake from the greater Denver area. And again, Mike, we’ve got 1,000 Bibles to go. Again, three, four dozen of these wonderful listeners saying, you know what, I’ll take care of 20, $100 tax-deductible gift.
SPEAKER 01 :
We’re there. We break this down into small pieces. Again, those of you listening, if you just say, you know what? I feel a tug on my heart. That’s me. Then you will be joined by others. And we’ve already had other KLTT listeners as Michael has brought up. And we’re so grateful for those of you that have given. So again, it’s 800-YES-WORD or 670-KLTT.com. Michael, thanks for your time with us. We’re grateful to be working with you in Bible League.
