Watchman on the Wall

Southwest Radio Ministries: Welcome to Watchman on the Wall, a daily outreach of Southwest Radio Ministries and swrc.com. Today, we continue our look at how you and I can share the gospel with the people of Africa and be part of our Africa Needs Jesus campaign.

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A thief broke into a house and stole a wind-up radio. When he turned it on to make sure it worked, the Bible teaching program captured his attention. After listening for a few days, he gave his life to Jesus. Now he’s reaching others for Jesus.

This is one of several stories you’ll hear on today’s program about how God is using radio to change lives across Africa. Southwest Radio Ministries and TWR are joining arm-in-arm at this critical moment in world history to impact as many lives as possible. Will you join this effort to advance the Great Commission in Africa without even leaving your house? Friends, Africa needs Jesus. Africa needs you.

Greetings, fellow watchmen on the wall, and welcome to another special episode. We’re not doing headlines from the end times today, but we are talking about making an eternal impact. When you see the signs of the times and you understand what’s happening in the world around us, you understand the nearness of our Lord, the nearness of the rapture of the church. While we still have a window of opportunity, we need to invest in eternity.

We are partnering with a wonderful Christian radio ministry, TWR. Both ministries have been around for decades, using the tool of radio to make a difference in people’s lives. Many of you have been greatly impacted by radio. Think about the difference that Christian radio has made in your life. Think about how you can extend that blessing to people halfway around the world from where you’re sitting right now without even having to board a plane.

If you were to travel to Africa, that would be wonderful, but you would just stay for maybe two weeks or a month. Imagine putting something into their lives, their homes, and their hands that they could listen to for years to come. It would be every single day, investing the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, and solid Bible teaching content into their lives. Only heaven will tell the difference that your gift can make.

We’re going to talk more about the radios and how you can be a part of all of this, but I want to welcome in our special guest today. He’s Andy Napier. He works with the TWR radio ministry, and we’re talking about how much Africa needs Jesus. Andy, thank you so much for joining me again.

Andy Napier: It’s my pleasure to be with you, Josh. I’m excited about looking at the signs of the times. God could be sending his Son Jesus very soon for his church. It’s our responsibility to tell as many people about Jesus as we can.

Southwest Radio Ministries: Absolutely. We don’t know how long this window is going to remain open. With the things that we see happening around the world, free speech being trampled in so many different pieces of this world, and people being restricted, they can still listen to radio. The signal is still reaching them. In nations that are closed to Christian missionaries, radio can still reach and make an impact in people’s lives.

Friends, we urge you to prayerfully consider how you can help brothers and sisters in Christ, but also help reach people who need to hear the good news of the gospel. Each radio is $50, and that doesn’t just pay for the radio unit itself. That covers shipping, customs, and getting it into the country. That takes care of the distribution through TWR’s partners, the boots on the ground in Africa who can take these radios, identify people who would need it, and deliver it straight into their hands.

That’s what your gift of $50 will do for one radio that can impact a whole family or perhaps even an entire village that would gather to listen together. Andy, would you describe a little bit more about these radios, the wind-up feature, and why that makes such a big difference in people’s lives?

Andy Napier: We are distributing these radios to people that would never be able to afford a radio on their own. The gift for these radios is $50, which covers the cost of the radio, the shipping, the customs, and even the distribution where we can have events and invite people and then present the radio to them. Many of them then clutch it to their chest because this is not just a valuable appliance or a tool that they can put up on their shelf. This is an instrument that they can use to hear God speaking to them through his Word as they hear solid Bible teaching.

These radios are wind-up. They don’t require electricity. You don’t even have to put batteries in them. Some of the ones we distribute are both wind-up and solar-powered. As they’re working outside in the day, the sun just charges that up. That really is a beautiful picture of the Son, Jesus, being the light of the world that’s even empowering them through that radio they’re listening to because it’s his Word that’s coming through.

These radios even have an emergency light. For places where they don’t have electricity and they’re listening at night, it even lights up the room, or if they go outside at night, they can see. It’s a wonderful tool we’re giving them, but the bottom line is that through that radio, they’re going to hear God’s Word clearly taught to them, and it makes a difference.

Just before I came on with you, I looked up some recent listener comments that we’ve been receiving out of Africa. These programs are translated and contextualized into the heart language of the people. It’s not just English; it’s going to be whatever language a particular people group speaks. One person listening to Turning Point, which is David Jeremiah’s program, says, "I find Dr. Jeremiah’s sermons both inspiring and motivating. I feel greatly blessed just listening to his teaching on God’s Word. Thank you for sharing this awesome ministry, and I give God all the glory." That’s someone in South Africa.

A listener in Nigeria says, "Great teaching. I love the truth and I look to hear more of it." That’s a Grace to You listener. Here is one that is listening to Thru the Bible: "The teachings of the Bible are so precious and insightful. Thank you." What they’re hearing through these radios is not just entertainment. They’re hearing the truth of God’s Word.

Southwest Radio Ministries: They’re hearing God speaking to them through scripture, carefully taught. We know as we drink in God’s Word, we’re like that tree planted by a stream of water, and we’re going to grow. We’re called to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. That’s what these radios are going to be doing. People are going to come to Christ, and then they will be discipled through these radios.

This is so important, especially in Africa. Friends, Africa needs Jesus. Africa needs you. SWRC is partnering with TWR for this mission trip of sorts that you don’t even have to leave your front door. You can make a difference that is going to impact lives for years to come through the gift of a simple radio. God is using this tool mightily in Africa, a place where people sometimes have to pay for their electricity almost like you would pay a parking meter. You just put in some money and the power comes on for a few hours a day.

Can you imagine how far out this kind of radio would be for someone existing on a dollar a day or perhaps even less by our United States standards? Think of the difference that you can make in these lives. Africa needs Jesus. Africa needs you. Give us a call right now. It doesn’t matter what time of day or night it is. We have people standing by to talk to you and take your donation right away.

This is the dedicated toll-free number: 888-777-1875. It’s 888-777-1875. Again, 888-777-1875. Or visit swrc.com. Right on our homepage, you’ll see the box where it says "Africa Needs Jesus." Click on that and it directly takes you to a giving link where you can give safely, securely, quickly, and easily. Andy, I’m sure you have more stories and more insights that you want to share with our listeners.

Andy Napier: I want to introduce you to someone named Germa. This person writes, "Every evening, we listen to TWR together with friends. Because they don’t have their own radio, they travel here just to listen to my radio. In our village, there are seven that are listening together, and nine of our friends are coming from a distance. If possible, could I request a radio for each of my nine friends? It has been very difficult for them to come here every evening. I can imagine how they feel or I can imagine how they will feel when they get this radio. May God bless you from above."

When we talk about how many people will be listening to this radio that you’re going to be giving—and again, each one is $50—it could be an individual, a couple, or a family. In this person’s case, they’re inviting up to nine people every evening into their home to listen to that radio. This person is saying they want to give them radios so they can listen at their home, and then maybe they’ll invite more people in.

Even pastors. In Africa, the great majority of pastors have no Bible college or seminary education at all. Radio, listening to solid Bible teaching over the air—whether it’s a program like J. Vernon McGee’s Thru the Bible, which takes them through the entire Bible over a five-year period—that in-depth Bible teaching becomes their seminary. This pastor, Akobay, described the radio as an essential tool in his ministry to his congregation of 500.

He explained that TWR has helped sharpen his preaching, deepen his biblical understanding, and encourage him personally in his pastoral journey. Your radio could go to someone who doesn’t know Jesus and comes to know Jesus. It could be someone that God is going to call to be a pastor one day. It could be someone that can’t read or write, and radio is the best way to reach that person. I met one of these gentlemen in Kenya who couldn’t read or write. This guy was a preacher. He has to hear it, and then he can re-present it to his congregation. Radio is the way to reach so many people in Africa.

Southwest Radio Ministries: Absolutely. Andy, you’ve touched on something very important that we need to emphasize, and that’s the important role of discipleship and reaching local churches through these radios. I have personal friends that conduct Bible training institutes in Africa with networks of pastors. My friend, in particular, has told me that they’ll take study Bibles, commentaries, and whatever they can. But there are pastors leading churches who don’t even own a copy of the Bible for themselves. They’re taking them study Bibles and presenting them to these local pastors so that they can have a copy of the Word to teach their congregations.

I applaud all their efforts and everything that they’re doing, but radio is a great way to disciple not just individual believers and families but to impact entire churches in Africa. Friends, we urge you, call today with your best gift. How many radios can you purchase to equip Christians in Africa to reach the lost in Africa? The toll-free number is 888-777-1875. 888-777-1875. One more time, 888-777-1875.

That dedicated number is available 24/7. It doesn’t matter what time of day or night you’re listening to this; you can give that number a call. Or visit swrc.com right now. Right there on the home screen, the first thing you’re going to see is a banner saying "Africa Needs Jesus." You’ll see the picture of the radio, a man holding that in his hand up to his ear. Click that box and it’ll take you to a safe, secure link where you can give right away: swrc.com or give us a call at 888-777-1875. Andy, what else is on your heart to share with our listeners?

Andy Napier: I want to introduce you to a gentleman named Peter. I met Peter in the country of Malawi, way out in an area called Inchesee. I recorded an interview with Peter, and I’ve got part of it transcribed here. Peter said, "I myself am a product of the radio. I got born again through a message preached by a pastor on Trans World Radio, TWR. My spiritual life has grown through listening to the programs on Trans World Radio. If these people are going to listen to TWR through these radios, I’m sure that God is going to use them.

One day someone will testify, whether here on Earth or maybe there in heaven before our Father, that I got born again through something that looked this small, that our brothers and sisters in America did through the distribution of these radios. It is not just a small gift; it’s a great gift." Peter says he got born again by listening to TWR. He kept listening and was discipled. He became a lay leader in his church. Then, when we met Peter, he was an assistant pastor.

Peter is the one that we worked with in his village to identify people that couldn’t afford a radio that the church wanted to reach out to so that they could be better discipled through the gift of a radio. Peter, knowing the value of the radio, it’s full circle. He was someone who came to know Jesus. Now he is identifying people by name with TWR saying, "That family down the street, let’s make sure they get a radio. There’s a man I’ve been talking with; he’s not a believer yet, but I think if he starts listening to TWR every night, it’ll be like me. God is going to reach him."

Peter now helps distribute radios for TWR. We’ve got it set up. We know the people that need these radios, but we need you to be able for $50 each to purchase these radios so that we can then distribute them to people so they can be discipled by scripture. Here is the number to call: 888-777-1875. Have you got it? 888-777-1875. Or you can give online at swrc.com. There’s a rotating banner, and the first thing that comes up says "Africa Needs Jesus." Josh, if they click there, they can give their gift as well.

Southwest Radio Ministries: Absolutely. We’re joined by Andy Napier. He’s part of the radio ministry at TWR. We’re taking this mission trip of sorts when we don’t even have to leave our own homes, and you can make a lasting impact. Friends, think about how you can lay up treasures in heaven. What we invest in eternity is really what makes the difference. God has his church here for such a time as this.

It’s no mistake that you and I, Christian friend, are alive on Earth right now. God has us here to make a difference in this moment. While we have opportunities like this, we need to invest what we can into eternity. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6 verse 21, part of his famous Sermon on the Mount, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." We want to invest in eternity. We want to show that our heart is fixed on the things of God.

We want to make a difference in the lives of people that we will never have the opportunity to meet this side of heaven. Think about that day when you’re gathered there in the Lord’s presence for all of eternity and you meet someone from Africa that says, "Thank you for giving to TWR. Thank you for what you did to make a difference in my life and my family. I was one of the ones who was reached through the gift of a radio." What a great blessing and an eternal legacy that could be. Friends, would you call with your best gift now? 888-777-1875 or visit swrc.com.

Andy Napier: I want to tell another story that comes from our director at TWR Malawi. Recently, someone came into the office and shared a story that goes back 10 years. Ten years ago, there was a man who was part of a gang of thieves. What they would do is meet together, then they would all spread out in a neighborhood. They would go into homes, grab stuff quickly, and escape with it. This one thief goes into a home in Malawi and he sees a radio.

He thinks that’s a nice-looking radio and he grabs it. He doesn’t take time to grab anything else; it’s in and out as quickly as you can. Before he meets up with his friends to show them what he has, he decides that before they sell it, he better make sure that it works. He turns it on. The family that lived in that home were TWR listeners. A Bible teaching program comes on, so he starts listening.

This man keeps listening, and over the course of several days, this guy comes to know Jesus as his Savior. He goes back to the gang of thieves and says, "I’ve been listening to this radio that I stole out of that house, and I’ve become a Christian." They said, "No way." He said, "Yeah, my life has changed," and he gave up his thievery. This guy even felt so convicted that he tried to go back to the home where he had stolen the radio, but the people had moved because now it was a bad neighborhood with a lot of crime.

He couldn’t return the radio, but he kept listening and he was being discipled. This man’s life was completely turned around. When he came back, he was excited and had to go tell TWR that over this 10-year period, look what God has done in my life. How did that start? With a stolen radio. We don’t want people in Africa to be stealing radios. We can give them out. We can give them to people that churches have identified that need radios and could never afford one on their own so that they can hear the good news of Jesus and lives can be transformed.

That’s where you come in. Would you be willing to give one radio? That’s $50. Two at $100. Maybe you could give five radios; that would be a $250 gift. How many lives would you like to touch? It’s not just so that they’ll come to know Jesus, but as you’ve mentioned, we’re making disciples here. Some of these people might not only come to know Jesus, but God might call them to be pastors. Think about the ripple effect. Disciples that are making other disciples, but it starts with the gift of one of these radios.

Southwest Radio Ministries: Amen. Thank you, Andy. We just have a couple minutes left, friends. The need is urgent. Think about what you can set in motion today that is going to have that ripple effect down through eternity. What could your gift set in motion right now? The time is running short. This mission trip opportunity is closing. We need you to respond right away.

The phone number is 888-777-1875. It doesn’t matter what time of day or night it is. Give a call to that number: 888-777-1875. Or give safely and securely through swrc.com. Right on the home page of our website is the banner that says "Africa Needs Jesus." Click on that and it takes you directly to the giving page where you can give that gift right away.

Andy Napier: Think about what this one TWR listener said: "The Lord has spoken to me through your program on salvation. Now I have peace with God. Thank you for that wonderful work that the Lord is doing through you." It’s not just that the Lord used TWR, but God used TWR in partnership with SWRC and you in giving these $50 radios. How many lives can you touch today?

Southwest Radio Ministries: Amen. Thank you so much, Andy. Friends, Africa needs Jesus. Africa needs you. Prayerfully consider how you can be a part of this giving opportunity today. Andy, thank you so much for joining me, and we pray that God would continue to bless this outreach effort and that God would continue to bless the ministry of TWR.

Andy Napier: It’s an honor to partner with you, Josh.

Southwest Radio Ministries: Imagine desperately wanting to hear the Word of God, but you don’t have a smartphone, reliable internet, or even dependable electricity. That’s the reality for many people across Africa. That’s why Southwest Radio Ministries is joining with Trans World Radio for a very special campaign called Africa Needs Jesus. You can help right now by calling our special campaign number: 888-777-1875. Let me say that again: 888-777-1875.

Just $50 can put a wind-up or solar-powered radio into the hands of someone who needs it. No internet connection required, no electrical outlet needed, just a radio and the opportunity to hear biblical teaching and the life-changing hope of Jesus Christ. These radios are being placed into the hands of people across Africa who desperately need to hear the gospel.

$50 can give someone access to the gospel who otherwise may never hear it. Give one radio, give five, give 20, whatever you can do. We need your help because when you give a radio, you’re giving more than a radio; you’re giving hope. Join Southwest Radio Ministries and TWR because Africa needs Jesus. Call 888-777-1875 or visit swrc.com and help us send the gospel across Africa, one radio at a time.

Lord willing, we’ll be back here Monday, ready to once again bring clarity to the chaos. Head into the weekend, friends, with the encouragement that God is still on the throne and prayer changes things. Watchman on the Wall is a production of Southwest Radio Ministries and is supported by faithful friends just like you. To learn more, please visit swrc.com. That’s swrc.com.