I want to say thank you for your prayers and gifts to our ministry and share with you some wonderful news.
We just received a great report from our friends at Faith Comes By Hearing. They reported to us that, because of your gifts for Audio Bibles, there are now over 16 million people in 83 countries listening to the Bible in their own language.
And because people in these 83 countries have listened to God’s Word in their own language, over 8 million people have invited Jesus to come into their lives and be their personal Savior.
The reason I say that over 8 million have accepted Jesus into their life is because many of the villages that we are going into are totally pagan. There is no church, there is no pastor, and there are no missionaries. All they have been given is an Audio Bible.
But God the Holy Spirit has used the gospel message powerfully in their lives and, as a result, they have given up their idols, their drunkenness, and beating their wives. Now they are loving their wives and children and have completely changed. Further, they immediately want to share the good news with their other family members and friends.
You have made it possible for us to bring the words of Jesus in one of 253 different languages to people who have never heard the gospel before. Thank you for being so generous. Also, please pray for these new Christians as they are learning how to live out their new lives in Christ.
What new guests and what new topic will be coming to the John Ankerberg Show in the weeks ahead?
Starting on Sunday, March 3, we will be starting a new series with two wonderful guests: Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz—called “the best preacher in the family” by her late father, and her daughter, Rachel-Ruth Lotz Wright, who teaches an online weekly Bible study that attracts thousands of people.
I think you’ll really like these programs because Anne and Rachel-Ruth are going to share with us practical ideas and real-life stories from the Graham and Lotz families, of how they daily tried to pass on God’s truth to their children and grandchildren.
And I can tell you in advance that their stories are marvelous. You will laugh, you will cry, you will be inspired by the biblical ways they have tried to live for God themselves, while they have been modeling their faith for their children.
I’m calling this series “Inspiring Faith in Your Children and Grandchildren.” Why? A Lifeway Research study found 43 percent of church-attending teenagers said the reason they wanted to keep on living for Christ and regularly attending Church was because they wanted to follow a parent or family member’s example.
But a Barna Research Poll found that 41 percent of Americans say they never ever read the Bible at home. Yet surveys also show that many moms and dads want to live a more spiritual life in front of their children. So, our series is going to try to accomplish that goal. I’ll be offering our seven television programs on 2 DVD for a gift of only $60.
Along with our television series, I’m going to be offering their 216-page hardcover book entitled “Jesus Followers” for a gift of $20. This is a wonderful book in which they share real life lessons for inspiring faith in the next generation.
You will learn how Ruth met Billy Graham at college and fell in love; how they got married and had 5 children. At the same time Billy became famous and was gone 60% of the time. Yet you will learn how Billy and Ruth still inspired their children to live their lives for Jesus.
Anne and Rachel-Ruth talk about going to school, living for Christ, and being isolated by some fellow students because they were Christians; how they had ideas about who they wanted to marry; and how God uniquely arranged for them to meet the men they would marry.
And then they will tell you about their own children and the real-life stories their families have experienced, and how they have passed down biblical truths to their children even in the busyness of life.
As I close, thank you for praying for all of us at the John Ankerberg Show. Thank you for your prayers, notes, and sacrificial gifts to the ministry. They mean so much to us and are greatly appreciated.
Until the whole world hears,
John and Darlene