Welcome to Truth Talk Live. All right, let's talk. A daily program powered by the Truth Network. This is kind of a great thing, and I'll tell you why. Where pop culture, current events, and theology all come together.
Speak your mind. And now, here's today's Truth Talk Live host. Today, filling in for Robbie Dilmore. And man, do we have a treat for you today.
The Bible League. And we have Michael Woolworth. Are you there, Michael? Hey, Mike. Great to be with you today on Truth Talk. And hey, let me say thanks to these wonderful listeners. You know, Mike, we were doing the math.
This is our 12th campaign together. We've asked Truth Talk listeners to get involved. And you know, the result is that thousands and thousands of Bibleist believers all over the world, who really had no hope of a Bible, now have God's word.
They're using those Bibles to make much of Him, to read about the God who loves them, and then pointing others to the hope of the Gospel. So listen, God's not doing much. I say that facetiously. But He's doing a lot through the Truth Network listening family. So Mike, all that to say it's great to be with you today, brother.
It's great to have you, brother. Our spring campaign through the Truth Network is Open the Floodgates, Bibles for Africa. And it runs May the 5th through June 1st on the Truth Network. And our goal right here at the Truth Network is to bless 3,500 Bibleist believers over there in Africa. Mike, what can you tell us about that? Well, you know, a reasonable question is when we talk about the work of the Gospel, you know, half a world away on the continent of Africa, you know, a reasonable question is, why should I care?
Why should I be involved in this? Let me just, you know, I threw a search into my computer here just before we came on the air, Mike. And my search was what? Christian news in Africa.
Here's what the search revealed. 70 Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, kidnapped, tortured, and beheaded inside a church by terrorist affiliated with the Islamic Slate state. In Ethiopia, religious violence has escalated, resulting in churches being burned down, pastors murdered by radical fashions and factions. In Somalia, the terrorist group, Al-Shabaab, suspected of killing any Somalian who converts to Christianity.
And I could go on and on. And Mike, you'd say, okay, with all of that happening, Christianity doesn't stand a chance, does it, in Africa? But here's the thing, this is where Christianity is growing in the greatest numbers in the world. Number three is the region of Latin America. Number two is Asia. And number one is the continent of Africa.
Again, this is really remarkable when you think about what has characterized this continent for not merely years, but for century upon century. And that's why it's all their idolatry. It's the pagan practices, witchcraft, the influence of radicalized Islam. And again, one would say, does Christianity even stand a chance here?
But this is where it's happening. Real quick perspective, if I could, Mike, if you think about the year 1910, the Christian community there, total about 10 million. Today, it's 400 million. And when I think about 400 million, I think about the population here in the U.S. Right now, it's about 350 million. And today, there are more evangelical or Protestant Christians on the continent of Africa than there are people here in the U.S. So that's absolutely remarkable. But we find it, bibally now in our 87th year of ministry, that as many as nine of 10 new believers, these are new Christians, people that have come to saving faith in the countries where we serve.
That's Ghana, that's Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, a few others we'll talk about as we go along today. But as many as nine of 10, Mike, go without what is so basic to the Christian faith, and that's simply having a Bible. But enter the Truth Network Listening Family. Between now and June 1st, our prayer is we can get it done for 3,500 waiting believers, all Bibleists, but praying that God's word will finally reach those empty hands. And again, Mike, we're believing it'll happen through the Truth Network Listening Family.
Amen. And when I was praying about this earlier, Michael, the passage that came to my mind was James 2, and it's verse 14. It says, And you may be listening today and you may say, well, I've got a Bible. Well, my family has a Bible. But can you imagine if you or your kids, let's say your kids became Christians, your kids are Christians, and you want them to get into God's word.
The Bible says that thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Well, what if there was no Bible available? You guys have a solution to that.
Well, we do. And, you know, Mike, the Christians will talk about today. In fact, I want to tell you a quick story before the break of Lally, the former village witch doctor. But, you know, these of all come to saving faith are members of our spiritual family. There's not a place on earth where Bible League ministers and certainly not on the continent of Africa where we're not connected to the local evangelical church.
But we'll sort of flesh out how we put the Bible into the hands and hearts of these believers. Hey, real quick, let me just tell you the quick story of Lally, the village witch doctor. What was her story?
Well, she was all about voodoo, black magic, shamanism, all that spiritual darkness, right? And there was a Christian that invited her to a Bible study. This was somebody in a previous Bible League campaign received a Bible, knew that Jesus is not to be kept to oneself.
You share him with others. And so, Mike, we have a Bible study that was available in the Malagasy language, one of the prominent languages spoken there in her part of Madagascar, Africa. And long story short, Lally went to that Bible study not because she cherished Christianity. She thought, OK, one more thing for my tool belt of witchcraft. But with about 20 others week by week or for about 12 weeks, I can tell you, Lally became a believer.
We made a big deal about it. We gave her a Malagasy language Bible. She read that every single day, Mike, and she came to the text in Luke 19. This is where Jesus comes into Jericho and he encounters Zacchaeus. Remember the wee little man who climbed up in the Sycamore tree for the Lord?
He wanted to see that guy, right? And the text tells us when salvation came to this man, he said to Jesus, I'm going to give away half of what I own to the materially poor, and I'm going to make things right with those that I've deceived as a tax collector. When Lally read that scripture, she knew what she had to do. She went to literally dozens of families that she misled over the years through witchcraft there in the rainforest of Madagascar, Africa, and when unfold for them the gospel the same way it was unfolded to her through this weekly Bible study. And she had a lot of help from her own pastor, her own congregation there. And I can tell you today, Mike, through God's grace and through the gumption of this former village witch doctor woman by the name of Lally, 200 families, 200 families representing about 2100 adults and children have said, we want to follow Christ. But Mike, they're planning where they simply cannot access the Bible.
There's no Christian bookstore, no discount retailer, no Amazon to drop a box of Bibles into their village. But enter the Truth Network listening family. And that's why we're doing this kingdom business today. You know, above all, I pray that the stories we share honor our Lord. This is his work in his world through his word. But also, Mike, to you and me and to your listeners, this would be an encouragement because the gospel is truly going forth. We pray that that would happen.
And I can tell you today, with certainty, it's happening all over Africa. But because of this incredible growth, we find that as many as nine of 10 new believers go without a Bible. But again, now, you know, 200 families praying for Bibles. And Mike, our prayers at the Truth Network listening family will become Bible senders today. Amen. And we've got a special guest on the phone right now. We've got the owner of the Truth Network, Stu Epperson Jr. Hey, hey, guys.
Hey, just want to say, Michael, love what you're doing. I just pledged. It took me less than 45 seconds to pledge. I went to the truthnetwork.com.
I did it on the app, actually. Clicked on the link and boom. So we're going to send Bibles, man. I'm listening to you guys.
I couldn't do the show today. Zwick, you're doing great, brother. And with Michael Woolworth as a guest and talking about Bibles, is there any better setup, man? It's the perfect setup, brother.
It's the perfect setup. I got the feeling he's done this a time or two as well. Well, you know what?
Stu and I have done this a couple of times. Maybe there's a future for us in radio, but thanks for that gift. I know you're not asking your listeners to do anything.
You've not gone. But again, we want to do this for 3500 waiting believers in Africa. Stu, what a great legacy this Truth Network family has. As I said to Mike, this is campaign number 12, and the result over these many, many years of kingdom partnership is what thousands who had no hope of a Bible now have God's word. They're using those Bibles to make much of him and to point others to the hope of the Gospel. And Stu, I know that's what you're all about today. Praise the Lord. There's a lot more time left this hour, folks. Let's give Bibles to people.
The word of God has changed my life. It's why we're doing this. Back with Michael and Michael, the Michael and Michael show in Bibles. After this, thank you, guys. Love you. Thank you, Stu. You bet. Thanks.
All right. We are back, and we've got Michael and Michael. And so from the Bible league. But Michael, you've got some more stories for us.
Is that right? Yes, Stu is quite witty, isn't he? It's a Mike and Mike show.
I think somebody has already trademarked that, but it works, doesn't it? Mike, it's great to be with you today, brother. As I mentioned, Africa is where God in his sovereignty is choosing to work. It's absolutely remarkable, again, we think, of all the spiritual darkness that has dominated that economy. Yet people are coming to saving faith. They find very quickly Christ is not to be kept to oneself. He's to be shared. And they're absolutely on fire for Christ.
I can't use, you know, I'm trying to find the strongest word. There's not merely a need for Bibles. They're craving it. They're hungering for it. They're thirsting for it.
They're absolutely desperate, Mike. And again, so I'm grateful for calls that are being made today. Let me thank some of those Truth Network listeners that are getting involved. We've heard from Ed of Draper, Utah. He said, I'm in a gift of 20 Bibles today. Terry of McClellanville, North Carolina, said, Mike and Mike, count me in a $50 gift for 10 Bibles.
And then Kevin of Raleigh, North Carolina, said, I'm in. I want to be a part of this, a gift of $100 enough for 20 Bibles. And it takes a $5 gift today. You know, $100 today is 20 Bibles. $500 today is a $100, I should say, $100 Bible gift. And again, Mike, we've said by June 1, can we do this for 3500 Bibleist believers that we know by name at Bible League? If this is a major issue facing the global church on the continent of Africa, then Truth Network and Bible League said, you know what, let's let's make a dent in this. Let's do it for 3500 that we know by name at Bible League. And Mike, today all we're doing is simply connecting the Truth Network family to unmet Bible needs all over the continent of Africa.
It's 50 Bibles here, 500 there, 300 here. Let me tell you a story about a man by the name of Pastor William. What's his story? Well, he's an itinerant pastor.
He will walk 31 miles each way to reach his church, one of his churches among the Maasai tribe there in Kenya, Africa. The Maasai, of course, the tallest ethnicity in the world. Mike, when we were there, we met a nine year old boy. He was already seven feet, one inches tall.
I thought at five, seven, I was a little envious of the height. But anyway, wonderful people. And again, this man will travel 31 miles each way. You know, I know fitness experts will tell us, you know, try to get about 10,000 steps a day to stay on the physically fit trail. Right. And I did the math 124,000 steps.
That's 31 miles each way. I thought, OK, this guy, William, is definitely getting his fill of fitness. But who's at the end of those tracks? Well, it's people like Anya.
What's on your story? And while she's among the Maasai tribe and she is subjected to some very unhealthy traditions among the Maasai tribe there in Kenya, Africa, two of those, I will say one of those is a female circumcision. I won't get a graphic about that, only to say there's really no known health benefit. It's painful. It's humiliating. There's even laws passed have been passed in Africa that prevent that from happening in many parts of that continent because the Maasai tend to be a little disjointed from the government.
They tend to get away with this. But that's the first thing. The second thing is forced marriages. A lot of these young girls, 11, 12, 13 years of age are forced to marry older men that they don't know, men they don't love.
These men often look at these young women as possessions to hold, to have, not to love and to nurture. And that was Anya's story. Mike, at 14 years of age, she was forced to marry an older Sunni Muslim man. This man was abusive. He didn't love his wife.
He hated her, especially when she became a believer. William led her to Christ. But I can tell you that young woman Anya said, I'm going to live out my life in an admirable way before my husband.
Let me fast forward a little bit. William had Anya gather about 40 young women, all in the teenage years, married, forced into and arranged marriages. And I can tell you that they would take them through this weekly Bible study from Bible League.
I mentioned this earlier. They learned who is Jesus? How is he both God and man?
What's it mean to die to self and to put on Christ in the day to day? And I can tell you that all 40 of those young women came to Christ. Mike, the story doesn't end there. They went on to lead their husbands, all of their husbands to Christ, because these men saw on these younger women, women who were on fire for Jesus and determined to live out who they were in Christ.
And the story expands from there. Again, those couples, as Christian couples, have gone on to lead about 200 others to Christ. And so God's had worked all over the continent of Africa, especially true among the Maasai tribe in Kenya, Africa. And again, God's working through people like William, an itinerant pastor, willing to walk 31 miles each way to see that the gospel is taking root all over his part of Kenya, Africa. Mike, you know, the prayer is not for pity.
You know, these young girls, all that they go through, they're not asking for our pity. They're not asking for an airline taken out of Kenya to a place of safety in the U.S. What they're praying for is what? The precious word of God.
They need Bibles to be able to grow into grace and knowledge of Jesus. And so enter the Truth Network, Listening Family and Call by Call, Click My Click, Mike. We're getting it done today.
Absolutely. And I want to invite every single listener to give at five dollars a Bible. If you give if you give sixty dollars, you're going to bless them with 12 Bibles who are waiting in Africa. A hundred a hundred dollars sends 20 Bibles. And if you want to give, go ahead and give right now. Call this number 1-800-YES-WORD or you can click on the Bible League banner at TruthNetwork.com. Once again, that's 1-800-YES-WORD. Back to you, Mike. Well, let me just mention the names of Christians praying for a Bible, because, Mike, today, if a five dollar Bible gift is an answer to the prayer of a waiting believer in Africa, we've seen a couple hundred at this point. Again, we've got our goal set. Our prayers focused on thirty five hundred.
But let me just mention the names of three Christians right now praying for Bibles. Kofi is 50 years old. He's in Ghana, Africa.
That's in the western part of the continent. He lost twenty three family members to the country's civil war in the 90s. You might remember that today he's a day laborer. He works on a cocoa plantation, but he was invited by his cousin, a Christian, to hear about the gospel today. Kofi is a believer. He's praying for a Bible in the Don Bani language.
Mabel is in her 20s. She's a former animist near Nairobi, Kenya, who believed that there were, what, spirits and places and things. Mike, they essentially engage in ancestral worship. They pray to their dead relatives for blessings and protection.
They absolutely have no peace. But a pastor in her small village invited her to come learn about Jesus today. Mabel is a believer. She's praying for a Bible in the Swahili language.
And then one more. Jeremiah is a store owner. He sells dry goods and herbs in Maputo, Mozambique. He's also a Christian who serves as a deacon in his church of about 700 people. He was leading a Bible study from a Bible league with about 20 Sunni Muslims. I can tell you they've all become believers and they're praying for Bibles in the Portuguese language.
And then some Truth Network listeners doing something about this today. Mike Rose from Winston-Salem said, count me in. I want to be a part of this. Wendy of Richmond, Virginia, said, I'm in a $100 tax-deductible gift for 20 Bibles. Clint of Durham, North Carolina, said, Mike and Mike, count me in.
I want to be a part of this. Enough for 11 waiting believers today. Mike, that's how it gets done. If you think about, gosh, my Bible means everything to me. God has truly used His Word to grow me.
If that is your feeling today, would you give that privilege to others? And today it comes through a $5 per Bible gift. And as I say, Mike, a gift of $60 today will take care of a dozen Bibles. $100 today, that's 20 waiting Christians.
$500 is enough for 100 Bibles. Bible league will follow through. We will promise to do everything that we promise that we're mentioning today, namely to put a Bible into the hands and hearts of these waiting believers.
And we'll squeeze every dime to the glory of God. And Mike, it's so tempting to say, okay, you know what? My $5 gift, what will that truly do in Africa?
Well, the stories we've shared so far about Lally and then Anya. Mike, it all happened with one Bible. Somebody sent a $5 Bible and God did His thing, if you will, and has brought these people to saving faith. And again, you know, more disciples are coming to Christ. And I think from, you know, wherever you're listening today, Winston-Salem, somewhere in Utah, wherever God might have you planted listening to the Truth Network today, you get to be an incredible impact in all of this. And so, Mike, our prayer is that we can take care of 3,500 waiting believers by the time we hit June 1. And praise the Lord, we're getting there today.
Absolutely. And it's easy to just kind of sit there and listen and let somebody else do it. But it's also easy to pick up that phone and at least give a big gift for a Bible. Call this number right now, 1-800-YES-WORD. 1-800-YES-WORD. And I wanted to tell our listeners who are not going to hear that some of them won't hear the second half of the show. They can go to the Truth Network podcast to listen to the rest.
But many of you will still be able to hear the second half of the show. Thank you, guys. Thank you, Mike, so much. And we'll be back in a minute. Well, we are back on Truth Talk Live.
This is Mike and Mike and Michael Woolworth. I am sure there have been some more people calling in to donate some Bibles. Well, let me say thanks to Ed of Draper, Utah. He said, yeah, I want to be a part of this at 20 Bibles. Terry of McClellanville, North Carolina said, Mike, Mike, count me in. I'm good for a $50 gift for 10 Bibles.
And then Kevin of Raleigh, North Carolina said, hey, I want to be a part of this. 20 Bibles today, Mike. And again, we've got our sights set on blessing 3,500 Bibleist believers. By the time we hit June 1, again, we know these believers by name, Mike. They're all believers. They've come to saving faith. Many are in the first few months of their own walk with Christ. They've come through this Bible study for Bible League.
Mike, I've been through that. It's the Gospel of John paired with what I call Christianity 101, sort of the basics of what it means to walk with Christ, to repent, to believe the gospel and to make him known among others in your village, in your town, your family. And I feel like, as others do at Bible League, that these believers are in a great place to begin their walk with Christ, and that is so important to have that foundation. If you're, you know, leaving the grips of radicalized Islam, or if you've, you know, you've embraced a witchcraft, what you typically have a Christianity is one, it's a caricature.
It's half right, it's all wrong. You need to have that foundation. So many Christians begin their walk with Christ without a basic Bible. Mike, I've been in congregations in Africa.
We have friends that fund those trips. You know, the only person to have a Bible was the pastor. And how can you become a faithful Berean? You know, Paul called out the Bereans in Acts. He said, you know, they didn't merely hear the preaching, they actually opened the scriptures that they had for themselves at that time, and would verify what they heard. And so Paul called them out, he called them faithful Bereans, and that's what you're doing today.
I know this book is also described as a sword, right? It's a weapon for fighting spiritual battles, and so in essence, you're providing that sword that is so incredibly important. It's absolutely necessary for the Christian walk today. And so Mike, that's why it's such a joy for me to thank people like Ed and Terry. Kevin, I know Big Stu, you know, got on the phone and made his gift today, and so our prayer is that listeners, you'll catch a glimpse of what God is doing and say, you know what, I gotta be a part of that today.
Absolutely, they are, and I'm sure they're calling and going online as well. I was reminded years ago, somebody told me, it was an older guy, Michael, and he said, Mike, he said, I can look back in my life, and he said that the times in my life where I was the unhappiest is the times where I was just looking out for myself and looking out for my own regard. He said, but the times in my life where I've been the happiest is where I've been trying to help others. And when people give the gift of a Bible today, it really, it not only touches the hearts of the people over in Africa, but they can really feel something themselves, and I can feel that myself, Michael.
Well, you know, I think of, it's Proverbs 3 27, it says, don't withhold good from those to whom it is due. When you have the opportunity to act, you know, I don't have to beat this listening family over the head with that message, because they get this, they say, my Bible is so precious to me, God has truly used his word to grow me, and again, they want that privilege for others, and again, that's why we're hearing from this listening family today. But Mike, it's incumbent upon us again to share unmet Bible needs, and you can ask yourself, listeners, is this the group that I want to help today? I'd love to take you to Ethiopia, I should say the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we'll head there next, and talk about a really a tough topic, Mike, and that's persecution. You know, here in America, you know, the persecution we face is what I kind of put it in the social category. If I tell somebody I follow Jesus, they may say, so what, right? Or I'm a Christian, oh, you mean you follow that religion of judgment, right? That's kind of the, you know, that's kind of the persecution we often face here.
It's at an altogether different level in Africa. In fact, as I came into the show today, Mike, I mentioned that search engine, you know, the results of the search that I did in my own computer today on, you know, Christian news in Africa, the, you know, beheadings of 70 Christians at the hands of the Islamic State. But let me tell you what happened with Pastor Ruses in that same area, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There is a strong opposition to Christianity.
People are hated simply because they believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and life. And one day, Ruses' sons, two boys, 9-11, went missing. The church put a search party together. Mike, they found out those kids had been murdered at the hands of this same Islamic State terrorist group that murdered those 70 Christians about a month ago.
That was all over the news, right? And some churches would retaliate with violence, there's no doubt about that. But this church did what they knew best, what they do. They gathered, they allowed this family to mourn the loss of their boys, they prayed, and they felt that God was leading them to the neighboring villages where these terrorists and their families live. And I can tell you what happened after all of that is absolutely all credited to the Lord.
I can tell you they would hold Bible studies, the ones like we've been talking about today. And many of those terrorists and their families have, what, left the grips of a radicalized Sunni Islam, and they've become believers. And again, you tell me God is not at work through people that take to heart his word. When I talked to Ruses through a translator, I said, how can we pray for you, brother? He said, listen, Michael, don't pray for an end to our suffering. We know that God is working through it. He said, pray that we'll love God with every fiber of our being, pray that we'll obey him in every circumstance, pray that we'll see those around us, not as the enemy, those that hate us, right?
He said, we don't want to see them as the enemy, we want to see them as the mission field. He was quick to say, believers who are characterized as being tortured, singled out, beaten, jailed, all of these things, he said they need to be able to open their own Bibles in their own language and be reminded that God is there, he knows them intimately, they can endure, they can persevere as they open up and read his precious promises. And so, Mike, that's the message we bring from Bible League. The gospel is truly going forth in some of the most difficult places today, and again, we get to be a part of it as the Truth Network.
One more quick story, I'll just take you just a couple of miles to the east in Mozambique. Pastor by the name of Lumo, he's preaching away one Sunday, right, from Galatians 2, I've been crucified with Christ, I no longer live, there's a ruckus at the front door. Who was it? Well, it was a group of about 25 radicalized extremists, they stormed the pulpit, they dragged this Pastor Lumo down the aisles, poor family in his congregation looking on absolutely horrified, they take him to the front lawn where they want, beat him nearly to death.
You know what his crime is? Very simply, in a quiet, winsome way, Pastor Lumo has been using Bible League study materials week by week, bringing Sunni Muslims through the gospel, and I can tell you there are 150, 150, Mike, that have said, we want to follow Christ, we want to lead our families and raise our children to know and love Jesus. They face incredible opposition now that they identify as believers, but that's a glimpse of what's happening in two parts of Africa right now. Incredible levels of persecution, but again, your gift today says what? We may be half a world away, but we're with you, we're for you, and we're going to send you exactly what you're praying for, and that is the precious word of God today. Amen, and when you were talking, I was reminded of Philippians 1 29, and it says, For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which he saw in me. And when I thought about that, Mike, it's really easy to pick up that phone right now and call 1-800-YES-WORD, 1-800-YES-WORD, or you can go to truthnetwork.com. For as little as $5, you can give a Bible to somebody over in Africa right now.
Yeah, it's a $5 gift. You know, there's a lot of things you got to pray about. You know, if somebody comes to you and says, Hey, your child is in a Christian school, we need to pray that you can give a six-figure gift. You know, you probably want to pray about that, right? But today, for the princely sum of $60 for a dozen Bibles, $100 for $20, maybe $500 for $100, maybe that's a decision you could make a little more quickly and go home over dinner and tell your family, Look, we've lost waiting believers all over Africa, and I know Easter's just a few weeks behind us, but you know, to think that the believers we're talking about today, they've never read the beautiful resurrection story, but to think that this year and going forward, they could open the pages of their own Bible and be reminded of the beautiful resurrection story and all those precious promises.
I don't know what your favorite verses are, Mike. I know, you know, 1 Peter 5-7, cast your cares on him because he cares for your means a lot to me. You know, John 3-16, and we all know that one, that's incredibly precious. But my mom died about a year ago, you know, John 14, where Jesus says, I go to prepare a place for you, right? That gave us great assurance. My mom is a believer.
We'll see her again someday. And so all of these favorite verses of ours, again, you've got yours, listeners, you've got yours. The Christians we're talking about today, they've never read a single verse in their own Bibles because they don't own one, but enter the Truth Network Listening Family, Mike, call by call, click by click. We're getting closer to this goal of 3,500 Bibles.
Absolutely. And I think we're going to hit it, Mike. And one of the things that I was thinking about is this, is that it is exciting. Stu and I were talking one time and he said, Mike, he said, when you're on the radio or when you're giving to Bible League, you're giving your donation of $60 or $100 to bless these folks in Africa with Bibles. He said, a lot of this you'll never see in your lifetime. He said, but when you get to heaven, you will see the impact that you have made.
And part of it is just by giving a gift today to bless somebody in Africa with a Bible. Is that right, Mike? Two ways to get involved, Mike. It's 800-YES-WORD. It's about a two-minute call.
We train our operators to get you on, get you off very, very quickly. But 800-YES-WORD, that's Y-E-S-W-O-R-D, 800-YES-WORD. Or just click the Bible League banner. You can find that at truthnetwork.com.
That's available, of course, 24-7. But again, Mike, our prayers that your listeners will, you know, do something about it and rejoice in the gospel, that the gospel is going forth. And again, as we look back over several years of partnering together for kingdom purposes, and again, this is campaign number 12 for us. Just think about all the good that's come from this. I mean, people coming to saving faith from, you know, deep, deep spiritual darkness that grips, that controls not only a local family, but generations of people. Yet that is broken when people come to Christ. They've got Bibles. They can lead their families.
They can raise their children to know and love Jesus. And again, Mike, it's because of people like Vicki of High Point, North Carolina, saying, you know what, I want to be a part of this, a $100 tax deductible gift. Robin of Dayton, Ohio, said, you know, Mike, Mike, count me in, a $50 gift.
And then Allen of Ogden, Utah, said, I'm in a $100 tax deductible gift today, enough for 20 Bibles. And Mike, praise the Lord. That's how we'll get there. And we are going to get there in the name of Jesus. And so if you're listening today, it's exciting to hear these other folks get involved. But I believe today is the day where you can get involved yourself. And all you have to do is pick up that phone at 1-800-YES-WORD. And it's 1-800-YES-WORD. And so, Mike, before we go to this break, I'm sure you have some other folks who have been calling in and also been giving through thetruthnetwork.com.
But you have been doing this yourself for 10 years, and I'm sure you get more excited every day to do it. Well, people ask me, Michael, you know, what does it mean to you personally? Mike, there's not a warning that I open my Bible, and I don't thank God that I have His Word in my own language. Knowing there are Christians around the world that would give their left arm, Mike, for what we're talking about today, that is the precious Word of God.
Yeah, real quick, Gertrion is a 20-year-old minor. He's in South Africa. He learned to read and write after going through Bible-based literacy program.
And he's praying for a Bible. And again, you've got people like Terry and Kevin and Yvette, all Truth Network listeners who have said, you know what, let's be a part of this today. Well, hello, this is Michael Zwick, and I am back with Michael Woolworth. And Michael, right now, the NBA playoffs are going on.
And last night, there were two teams who came back in the fourth quarter, and they ended up winning the game. And right now, we are in the fourth quarter of our segment. What do you feel like you want to say to the listeners right now, Michael? Well, you know, you read the Psalms. I was in Psalm 25 this morning. I was reminded what God doesn't expect us to pull His will for our lives, just out of thin air, right? It's all over the pages of Scripture. Mike, you've shared a lot of Scriptures today that I've absolutely loved, and they remind us of what God's will is for our lives, right? So Psalm 25 is, Lord, teach me your ways, lead me in your paths, and I'll gladly follow your commandments. That's in Psalm 25. I'm thinking of Psalm 119, where the psalmist writes, you know, cherish God's Word, hide it in your heart. But then the question is asked, if as many as nine of ten new believers in many of the countries we've talked about today, Mike, go without a Bible.
How do you do that? How do you hide God's Word in your heart if it's never been held in your hands? And again, call by call, click by click, we're getting it done as Bible League and Truth Network.
We're really in the first week of this campaign. We wrap up on June 1st, but Mike, there's no reason why we can't continue to take a big chunk out of this goal to bless 3,500 Bibleist believers that we know by name at Bible League. Men and women who have said, you know what, I want to follow Jesus, they leave all of the spiritual darkness behind that's characterized that continent for many, many years, and they're now members of our spiritual family.
Mike, you said it before, it's reasonable you won't meet these people this side of eternity. You think about, you know, Winston-Salem to, you know, Tanzania, Africa, you know, likely you won't get over there this side of eternity, but it's highly likely that in eternity somebody will stop you and say, hey, I was the one on the receiving end of that Bible, I made that to read about the God who loves me and to point others to the hope of the Gospel, and this is what God did with all of that. So again, let me say thanks to people like Vicki of High Point, North Carolina, we've heard from Robin of Dayton, Ohio, Allen of Ogden, Utah, in the last few moments, Rudolph of Clayton, North Carolina said, Mike, Mike, count me in, 12 Bibles, a gift of $60 today, and again $3,500, that's the place where we are focusing our efforts and our prayers.
We want to be there right after Memorial Day when we observe that somber holiday, we'd love to be able to tell all $3,500, your Bibles, they're coming, they're on their way. They certainly are, and I'm reminded in Matthew 25, verse 37, it says, then shall the righteous answer him saying, Lord, when saw we thee and hungered and fed thee, or thirsty and gave thee drink, when saw we thee a stranger and took thee in, or naked and clothed thee, or when saw we thee sick or in prison and came unto thee, and the king shall answer and say unto them, verily I say unto you, in so much as ye have done unto one of the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto me. And really these folks in Africa who are looking forward to getting these Bibles and will be blessed by these Bibles, these are some of the least of these, Michael, is that right?
These are the ones, Mike, we don't have to imagine what do they look like, right? These are the ones, we're sharing intimate details into, you know, groups of 50 here, 500 there, members of the Maasai tribe, members of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, they're in Mozambique and all over the continent of Africa, but these are the ones the Lord is speaking about that are absolutely precious to him, and yet, you know, they're not asking for our pity today, even those that are severely persecuted, right, beaten, jailed, they witness, you know, the deaths of their own family members, they're not asking for our pity, they're not praying for an airline ticket out of where God has been planted, they're praying what for the precious word of God to be able to endure and to persevere where he has been planted. I wanted to share a story as we wrap up our hour together, Mike, you tell me if this is not the definition of desperation, but I was at Ethiopia, Africa, we were just north of the capital of Addis Ababa, it was about 110 degree day, it's always warm in Africa, right, but we were with a congregation of about 400, I found out that some of those people had walked 90 minutes each way, each way to be there, I thought that's desperation, right, to gather with the people of God, it was an outdoor service, we were under the shade of the blackwood, this big towering African blackwood tree, whatever shade it could provide, right, but it was a three-hour service, a little long for this westerner, I have to admit, but afterwards, of course, the preaching was vibrant, the worship was absolutely vibrant as well, but afterwards I met a man by the name of Caidman, I found out he was a deacon in that church, he was about 30, he had a wife, two children, he was hovered over a Bible in the back of that worship area, and he had a, it was an Amharic language Bible, Mike, that was open, a dilapidated Bible, he also had a lined piece of paper, and I remember the thick pencil he held, for some reason it sticks in my mind, it reminded me of the pencil that my kids used when they were like first grade learning to write, but this guy had a look of determination on his face as he hand wrote scriptures from that morning's sermon, right, and it was this look of determination that turned to a look of sadness when he actually closed that Bible, handed it back to its rightful owner, who in a congregation of about 400 was only two or three families to actually have the written Word of God, and I thought to myself, that is a man desperate for God, he wanted to have something to take into his week, to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, to lead his family, to teach his children, to walk in the ways of the Lord, and I thought, that is a man desperate for the Lord, I thought to myself, in fact, I promised, Mike, I promised about 400 families in that part of Ethiopia that the Bibles that they were praying for, more than anything that they would be coming as we bring this need to the Truth Network listening family, takes a $5 gift, Mike, we're not talking about a huge investment, for you today, pray about it, is that $60 for a dozen waiting Caidmans, that man's name was Caidman, right, is that 20 Caidmans for $100, is it 100 of those Caidmans, those believers we're talking about today, at $500, you know, some of you, I know in inflation, things are tough, everything's costing more, right, it's still tax season for some of you, you've had to file an extension to be able to pony up to Uncle Sam, what is rightfully his, right, so those that are making gifts today, I know there's some sacrifice in your budget, I don't know what that is, a Friday night pizza, a night on the count, something that you're sacrificing in order to bless these Bibleist believers, so all of us at Bible League, you have our assurance, we'll squeeze every dime to the glory of God, we will follow through with everything that we're promising to do today, and that's namely to disciple these new believers, give them a Bible, and make sure that they understand what's in that Bible, so Mike, again, they will grow, they will mature, you know, as newborn babes in 1 Peter, you know, the admonition is given, you know, crave this word, crave it, crave this milk, as a newborn baby would crave its mother's milk, and so we're praying that that can be quenched today, if you will, through the Truth Network listening family, but it's been a great joy for me to be here, Mike, again, I'm thankful for those that have said we want to be a part of this, and again, June 1 is sort of the ending date, June 1, 3500 Bibles for 3500 people, Christians that we know by name at Bible League, Mike, there's a little bit of a gap from where we are today to where we need to be, but I can tell you, if there's a group that can get it done, it is the Truth Network listening family, and I believe that they will, I've got Mark 16, 15 in the KJV, and it says, and he said unto them, go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, and you know, the neat thing is, is that yes, you can preach the gospel to people all over the world by donating today and giving your gift of at least five dollars, you can give $60 and give 12 Bibles, and how much will a five hundred dollar gift give, Michael? Well, at five dollars a Bible, Mike, it's a hundred Bibles, so a hundred families, several of those stories we mentioned, there was a need of at least a hundred Bibles, and in one gift, you'll take care of that entire need. And you can do so by calling 1-800-YES-WORD, and that's 1-800-YES-WORD, or you can go to thetruthnetwork.com and you can donate there, and I'm sure we've got some more people who are donating, right, Michael? Well, and let me close you with this, Isaiah 52, it says, how beautiful are the feet of those that send good news, and Mike, that's what your listeners are doing today, they've got beautiful feet, they're sending that precious word, they say, you know what, my Bible, it means everything to me, how would I be where I am today in Christ without the precious word of God, and then of course, the Lord using his word to grow us, and again, we want that privilege for others, and that's why people like Rose of Winston-Salem said, you know what, I'm in, Wendy of Richmond, Virginia said, count me in, a $100 tax deductible gift, enough for 20 Bibles, and Clint of Durham, North Carolina said, Michael and Mike, count me in, I want to be a part of this, a $55 gift today, enough to take care of 11 waiting Christians there in Africa, and Mike, I can tell you, is the eyes and ears of Bible league, again, I get over to Africa quite a bit, we have friends that fund those trips, it is a great joy for me to always circle back to these waiting believers and let them know, hey, those Bibles you're praying for, they're coming, they're on their way. They are, they're on their way, and you, we have about a couple of minutes left, but you, as the listener, you can make a difference, you can make it so, a child who is out in Africa, who wants to know God better, who has heard about Jesus, can get their own Bible, because it breaks my heart, Michael, to hear that there are congregations where the only person who has a Bible is the pastor. Yeah, it ought to be unthinkable in our minds, you know, that the Christians go without the word of God, you know, Mike, God are the days where we print a Bible here in the States, stick it on a ship, pray that it gets here in six months, now Bible league is able to work with printers on the continent of Africa where it's safe, where it makes sense to do it, and when we meet financial constraints like this, when the cost to take care of 3,500 waiting believers, we say, what, fire up the presses, we need Bibles in Swahili and Bimba, some of those in Arabic and Amharic, and again, Mike, it happens because Truth Network listeners say, you know what, I've got to be involved with this, you know, if the psalmist writes, you know, how do you hide God's word in your heart if you've never even held in your hands, you know, you can be a part of that this spring, and again, June 1 is kind of the ending date for this, 3,500 Bibles, Mike, again, it takes a $5 gift today, and again, what a joy if you can go home over dinner tonight and tell your family that we have provided spiritual nourishment for members of our spiritual family all over the continent of Africa, but Mike, you've been a great host, thanks for giving me a full hour with you today, and you've been incredibly kind to ask your listeners without any reservation to be a part of this, and thanks to Stu, I know Stu called us early on into the show to say, look, I made my gift, and so I know Stu is not asking listeners to do anything that he has not done, but hey, listen, I believe we're going to get there, we've got a few weeks to do it, and Mike, God bless you, let's get it done, and send these believers the precious word of God. Will do, and Michael, thank you for coming on Truth Talk Live today. Call 1-800-YES-WORD to donate now. God bless you.
