Celebrating 71 Years of Radio Ministry

Last year at this time, we were excited to be celebrating 70 years of effectively reaching people for Christ through radio ministry. This year, there’s not so much fanfare, as The Tide ministry passes another annual milestone and turns 71. Why is it that we treat some anniversaries as more significant than others? Thankfully, that’s not how God views us. Every life has equal value to God, and Jesus gave His life on the cross so that anyone and everyone who believes in Him can have new life and enter into eternal fellowship with God.

That’s the message we continue sharing through heart language radio programs and will remain our core mission and purpose as long as there are people who have not yet heard about Jesus and what He has done for them. The Bible tells us that eventually, everyone will stand before God, and this year we have made “Every Knee, Every Tongue” our theme. As I write this, I am full of gratitude for you and your heart for the lost. Thank you for choosing to use The Tide ministry as one way to share your faith.

As we celebrate this 71st anniversary, we are keenly aware that every life The Tide ministry has touched in the past and hopes to reach in the future has only been impacted because of the generous support and encouragement you and many others have provided.

Thank you for the friendship and support you personally have provided. I hope and pray you will continue joining hands with us to share the life-changing message of salvation through Jesus and continue pressing on in the Great Commission, together doing our part to see every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

Did you know that this year marks another significant anniversary? In October, it will be 500 years since Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the chapel in Wittenberg, declaring his conviction that salvation is through faith in Christ and not through the purchase of indulgences or mandatory baptism into a government-run, highly political church.

Luther’s public declaration of his spiritual enlightenment was the beginning of the Reformation that not only initiated the Protestant tradition but also put a target on his back. Luther was excommunicated, condemned and forced to go into hiding. Today there are more than a billion Protestant Christians, and while many of us don’t know what it feels like to be attacked for our faith, persecution of those who have committed their lives to Christ is common to the rest of the world.

Every day, millions of Christians worldwide face persecution, and the sad reality is that the violence and turmoil are increasing and spreading to more corners of the globe. Currently, three of the seven countries where The Tide ministry is active are among the top 30 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution for their faith (Open Doors World Watch List 2017). In fact, just recently we received word that one of our radio pastors, in a country not typically associated with persecution, has been receiving threats of harm to his family if he does not stop his evangelistic radio work.

There is a very simple solution to the persecution of Christians; introduce the oppressors to Jesus Christ and let Him transform them into loyal believers. It’s a huge task, but with your help, it is already happening. Former anti-Christian militants in Nigeria are now fellowshipping with believers because of the gospel message they heard on the radio. In India, former Hindu priests and villagers who once threatened to smash radios now sit with other believers and eagerly soak in God’s Word.

As an example of this wondrous life change, a church planter in India who received a radio through The Tide Radios for India project shared the following:

Nearly 25 people came to listen to the ‘Shanti Data’ radio program. During the week days, I visit them and share the word of God. There are 5 persons who come regularly to listen to the radio program. Before that, they were strongly opposed to us. When they started to listen to the radio program, their mind became changed and slowly they asked so many questions about Jesus and his life. Thank God they are very interested and believed in Jesus Christ. Please pray for these listeners.”

Jesus warned his disciples that persecution would come, but he also gave us the mandate to make disciples. Praise God for the way He is using your support and the dedicated efforts of The Tide ministry partners around the world to build His Kingdom here on earth. The reality is that spiritual reformations are taking place all over the world today as more and more people hear God’s Word through The Tide radio programs and come to the realization that their gods are false, and that Jesus Christ offers hope and a new life that their pagan rituals and idol worship will never provide.

Thank you for joining hands with us to push back the darkness with the light of Christ through radio programs and on the ground discipleship efforts.

The enemy would like nothing more than to silence the gospel message and keep people in spiritual darkness, but God has other plans. As one of our board members recently said:

“His desire is that none should perish. His commission to us is to fulfill His plan through focusing our time, our praying, our committed effort, our financial giving and submitting to the authority of Christ over all of these areas of service.”—Pam Zaiser

As we celebrate The Tide 71st anniversary, will you please consider making a special anniversary donation to keep our ministry going strong?

In his letter to the church at Corinth, after proclaiming the power of Christ to give life and victory over sin, the apostle Paul says, “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (I Corinthians 15:58 NIV).

Our radio pastors and discipleship workers around the globe are willing to stand firm in the face of persecution and are counting on us to provide the resources to sustain their ministry efforts. Let’s continue to stand firm with them.