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Audio Bible Listening Programs
Morgan Jackson relates the immeasurable value of Audio Bible listening, from his own experiences visiting groups around the world, and invites you to join us in bringing the Word of God to the nations.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
Today I want to talk to you about what a Faith Comes By Hearing program looks like.
Now when we finish the dramatized recording of the New Testament, we now put it on a Proclaimer, a Mini-Proclaimer, or a BibleStick. And then we take these into the churches, and communities, and villages around the world. And if a pastor or leader will agree to listen at least 30 minutes, followed by a time of discussion, it’s given to ‘em as a gift.
Now what I want you to do is, I want to take you with me to some of my first experiences with Faith Comes By Hearing.
‘Cause when we recorded the Bible in Konkomba – this is a language of Ghana in West Africa – we went out to the villages. And as we went to the villages, we sat with the chiefs and elders and we’d tell ‘em, “We have the Word of God in Konkomba.” And their response was, “Ah! No! God only speaks English.” We said, “No He doesn’t; He speaks Konkomba.”
So they grab a gong-gong, a piece of metal, and they go through the whole village: Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! And soon you have the whole community – everybody – under this tree. You take out the Audio Bible; you push the button. And as Konkomba starts coming out, the sound in the village just disappears; it’s gone.
Now I didn’t know at that time, that oral people cannot separate themselves from a story. So when they hear a story, or the Word of God in their own language, they literally enter the story, and it’s like Jesus is speaking directly to them. And so, as you watch them listen, they’re not with you. And you’ll see them start weeping, cry out, react. And when you stop it, you watch people coming out of the story, and they’re like, “Ah! He speaks Konkomba. Ah! We don’t have to have a translator to talk to God. He’s from among us.” And then they begin to debate and discuss the Word of God.
Old men who have served idols their whole life will jump up and say, “How do I get into this Kingdom of God?” And you watch and, as they listen to the New Testament, they enter the story. When Jesus is healing somebody, they’ll be healed. When Jesus is delivering somebody, you watch people fall down and start screaming and shouting and the demons are cast out of them.
When you get to the end of the story in Matthew, people are so excited about Jesus. But when they start hearing them beat Him, and He dies, it’s like all hope is gone, and they throw dust on their head, and they weep and they cry. And then when He resurrects from the dead, they cheer and shout because hope has come again.
And so, what I love is watching people in Asia, and Latin America, and Africa, and Europe hear the Word of God in their own mother-tongue for the first time. When they say, “Ah! He’s from among us,” I go, “Yes, Jesus is from among us.”
Now the cost to fund a Faith Comes By Hearing program – the worker, the Proclaimer, the follow-up, the training – is $157 U.S. Now that provides a national worker with a bicycle, a canoe. Sometimes we have volunteers; sometimes they’re paid. On average, a Faith Comes By Hearing program will disciple 90 people. And many times, like in India, we’ll start at least 4 different listening groups, because they share it, among.
And so your gift of $157 allows a village, a church in a slum, a school to hear the Word of God from Matthew to Revelation in their own language. You allow people who sit in darkness to see great light.
And so I would invite you to join us in bringing the Word of God to the nations. 700,000 churches, schools, villages are listening to the Word of God right now. But we have several million churches and villages that are waiting. And we need your help. Thank you.
