Missions in an Advanced Technological Age

by Ray Thompson

The independent Baptist churches of the twenty-first century are faced with the greatest challenge the church has ever addressed. When Jesus said to His disciples, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature," He was giving a command that must be obeyed by every generation. The people living when Jesus spoke these words were few in number compared to this generation. The same was still true when my family went to the mission field in 1955. The estimated population at that time was about three billion people, but today the number is approaching seven billion.

There is no way we can compare the times or the challenges. Today we have a larger number to reach with the Gospel than ever before, but we also have the technological advantages that churches in the past never dreamed of having. The intense urgency of reaching the billions of lost souls with the Gospel of Christ means that BIMI must utilize the modern technical methods of communication.

The printing press has been a tremendous means of getting the message of Christ to multitudes of lost souls around the world. BIMI has already distributed over a million Russian Bibles. Millions of Gospel tracts have been printed in various languages for the people of Africa. Gospel tracts have resulted in thousands of people being saved; especially the illustrated tracts sketched by Joe Jenkins. However, without the aid of teachers, there are millions of illiterate people who will never be helped by the printed Scriptures.

This is where Christian radio has been a powerful means of evangelism and Bible teaching. Mission radio has made it possible for Bible truths to be proclaimed to people who live in areas of the world where missionaries have not been permitted to distribute tracts or Bibles or preach the Gospel.

Taped recordings and CD's have enabled thousands to hear the Gospel message in their own language. Thousands of Chinese Bible CD's have been successfully distributed in China. BIMI now has the goal of providing thousands of Bible CDS's in the language of the Mayan Indians of Mexico.

The present use of the internet has made it possible to communicate the Gospel to those living in the 10/40 Window, which is the largest area that is closed to the work of missions. It is interesting that the five major religions of the world were born in the so-called 10/40 Window. Thank God that now, via radio and the internet, the truth of the Gospel can now be received by millions of people in these unreached nations.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Jonathan & Heidi Huff -  TOGO
Robert & Gail Huffman -  FRANCE
Don & Helen Hughes -  USA - NEW YORK