Digital ministry has a way of crossing borders and boundaries that might stop the spread of other efforts. Consider Sanjay, a man from the Himalayas who was offered a job working in the Middle East. It seemed like a great opportunity. He could make money to send back to his family! So he took the job and somehow managed to gather the funds for a plane ticket.
On arrival in the Middle East, though, he discovered there was no job waiting for him. He’d been tricked. And since he had no job, his visa was not valid, either. Sanjay was arrested and detained by the police. What would become of him?
FREEDOM
While sitting in his detention cell, discouraged, Sanjay scrolled through Facebook on his phone. An ad about finding freedom caught his attention. Freedom was the one thing he felt he’d lost completely.
A short video about freedom in Christ found him receptive. Then he visited Arab World Media’s website to watch the whole video. So he contacted them. A member of the media follow-up team in his home country listened to Sanjay’s story, talked to him about Jesus and offered him hope and encouragement.
THEY DIDN’T STOP THERE
The media team also connected Sanjay with a local Christian fellowship in the Middle East. Members were able to visit Sanjay in the detention centre, share with him about the life of Jesus and invite him to study the Bible with them. They were also able to help Sanjay find a real job so he could stay in the country.
A FAITH WORTH SHARING
Sanjay put his faith in Jesus and his new friends began teaching him what it means to have a relationship with the Lord. As he saw God work in his life and he grew in his faith, he also shared the gospel with his family back home. Eventually his parents, brother, sister, wife and others gave their lives to the Lord.
A media outreach specialist says this kind of thing is happening all the time. “This is part of what the gospel does. It excites people. They realise they have found a treasure and want to share it with others. We see that continually.”
THE POWER OF GOD
Another media outreach specialist is quick to point to the power of prayer in all this, and ultimately just the power of God. It’s not about our efforts, he says. Yet media outreach allows us to connect with those God is already drawing to Himself.
Used with permission from Pioneers-USA. For more information, visit Pioneers.org
