Millions seek for meaning, purpose and identity each day. Googling, Blogging, Face timing, zooming, the world seeks to connect. Will they find what they are looking for? Or will it be like the Bono of U2 as he sings: “But I still haven’t found what I am looking for?”
The growth of the Internet and digital technologies have made it possible to reach a vast number of unreached peoples. Whether over the Internet using YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter or through Wifi, bluetooth, Apps and SD card distribution, the work of spreading the Good News to those who have never heard is becoming easier and cheaper.
Nearly 5 million people are on the internet with over 3.8 million people active social media users. Facebook 2.19 billion, Instagram 1 billion, Twitter 336 million. During the last reported quarter, the company stated that almost 3 billion people were using at least one of the company’s core products (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, or Messenger) each month.
The numbers are staggering and fraught with possibilities for evangelism, but we can’t only use the English language if we want to reach all peoples.
Out of the world’s approximately 7.7 billion inhabitants, about 2 billion speak English — that’s about 22% of the Earth’s population. However, most of those people aren’t native English speakers. About 360 million people speak English as their first language. reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English-speaking_world
Many times it is not the gospel message that our audience reject, rather it is the way the message has been “packaged.” Therefore, as evangelists and media communicators we must present the Good News in a way that a particular people group can hear with understanding, and then pass on with accuracy. Until we learn to share Christ in the same way as local people do other important information, we will have little lasting impact on their community. This is as true for media as it is with personal witness.
Various ministries including YWAM are responding and creating meaningful on line digital resource sites.
Since 1997, Create International has promoted internet evangelism through some of the first web evangelism seminars, evangelistic websites and sites for free film downloads. Our ministry gleaned from web evangelism pioneers like Tony Whitaker, author of Web Evangelism Guide and Internet evangelism day, Global Media Outreach, Cru, CBN and other active internet ministries. https://www.globalmediaoutreach.com/
You Tube Downloads: Over the years, millions have received a culturally relevant gospel witness. Over 40,000 visits per month and tens of thousands of downloads. Over six hundred gospel films and 1300 Audio Bibles are free to download on indigitube.tv. Our films share a tailer made gospel presentation in over 300 languages with over 40,000 views per month.
Become a walking evangelistic studio by downloading our free App. Over 800 films are available on the Create International App. Follow this link to download the version best for your devise: www.CreateApp.mobi
Indigenous partners are also putting our films on their own YOUTUBE sites and seeing dramatic viewerships such as among the Banjara of India. Here is one of our lead actors who is also a Banjara church planter.
Evangelistic websites Actual testimonies from some of our webistes include: The conservative Iranian Muslim house wife alone in her home searching for halal recipes and coming to our evangelistic website where she also discovers new revelations and truth from the Prophet Isa al Masih. She secretly contacts us hungry to find out more. We are able to send her a Bible and more insights on line. Later we have someone contact her to arrange for a coffee shop meeting.
Or the Hindu looking for the sacred light and coming to our Ashram of Light website where he can download his style of music in bhajans, Hindi poetry and finds out about following Jesus known as Sadguru Yesus.
Or the Buddhist fearful of evil spirits and longing for true peace finds answers through indigenous music videos and animation in their Thai styles on our facebook sites and evangelistic Lotus of Life website. Workers proficient in Thai are following up inquires on these sites.
“Thanks to online tools, the body of Christ has the ability to plant churches in every unreached people group with less expenditure of resources than ever. This is one of the greatest moments in the history of the church for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.”
In our prayer time this month, let’s pray for continued online evangelism so that ALL peoples will hear and understand the gospel message in their own heart language.
