Africa Needs Jesus

Hey, this is Jim Graham from the Masculine Journey Podcast, where we explore relationship instead of religion every week. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just a few seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing the Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network. This is actually a pregame conversation.

You may hear balls bouncing. You may hear nets, just that swoosh of the net, my favorite thing, because I'm with John Somerville in Cary, North Carolina, not far, not a mile from Transworld Radio's world headquarters. And John, we're reaching souls for Christ. We're about to go play basketball, but I had to grab you real quick because Africa needs Jesus. We have the ability to be able to work together once again with Truth Network, TWR, Truth Network, hand in hand, partnering to bring the gospel to Africa. And that is a beautiful thing because Africa needs Jesus.

But Africa needs you. If we're going to make this happen, we need folks like you to be able to step up and be a part of this ministry, giving radios, wind up radios to people in Africa. Now, why a wind up radio?

Because a lot of places in Africa, there are no batteries or electricity might be very expensive or maybe not even available. And so wind up radio makes the perfect solution to be able to put God's word into God's people's hands. And we love doing that because when I was there in Malawi, just in May, handing out radios, you could see the tears in their eyes when I'm handing them a radio. This is a precious gift you're giving them because you're not just giving them a radio. You're giving them Jesus.

You're giving them the gospel and you're giving them the ability to be able to hear God's word each and every day. But you know, in America, we have so many options, so much technology. And interesting, even with all the technology and the digital stuff, radio hasn't gone down that much. I mean, there's still over nearly 90% of all Americans are listening to radio still, which is kind of cool.

And so many lives are being changed. I bump into Truth Network listeners all the time, John. Well, you and I will go to lunch in Cary, North Carolina and listeners will say, hey, they see the logo. I listen to Truth Network. I love that station.

I love Dr. Jeremiah, the great programming. But you've made that same program available in these foreign languages that are spoken all over Africa. You've got these big signals and the people there, radios increased in popularity over there. Everyone wants to listen to radio, but they don't all have the luxury of owning a radio. And so that's what we're trying to get our listeners to do. Listeners sends money to Transvaal Radio. Transvaal Radio sends a really nice radio, a wind-up radio, so it's not, you know, stuck whatever the weather is, or it's not going to, you know, it's not going to, if the battery dies, this and that, it's going to be wound up and they can listen to it. And sometimes an entire home will gather around, like in the early 40s and 50s of radio. And like my dad, Big Stu, used to listen around the living room and they'd pile all people from all over. You guys have a radio at the Epperson House in Ararat, Virginia? There'd be 30 people in that living room listening to the Grand Ole Opry and great Bible teaching, you know, and the great Bible teachers, you know, of the early era of America. But we're trying to do that in Africa, John, but we need our listeners' help.

Oh, we've got a great example of exactly what you're talking about. When I was in Malawi, I met a guy who they call Mr. TWR. They call him Mr. TWR because he invites so many people into his home to listen to his radio and to listen to TWR.

And so they have dubbed him Mr. TWR in his community. And he was one of the ones who helped gather the listeners together so that we could give them radios. And as one person said, now I'll be able to listen with my entire family.

What makes it so powerful is this is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This isn't people listening to ball games. And I love hearing the ball games called on the radio, but this isn't listening to the major league or this isn't listening to some kind of news thing. They're hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ. They're hearing programming relevant to them, women's issues, relevant to men's issues, relevant to, you know, other things that are very, very particular to that culture to help them with hygiene and things like that. But they're hearing Jesus. They're hearing the gospel, the word of God, which is quick and powerful, sharpening a two-edged sword. How can our listeners give a radio right now? There's people listening.

God's blessed them. This is kind of our give back on truth talk. I love having John Somerville on.

I love playing basketball with this guy, which we're going to do in a second. But John, how can our listeners support? What is it per radio?

And what's the best way for them that listening to guys put this on their heart to give back and to give to someone that can get a radio and hear the gospel? Each wind up radio is only $50. So maybe you might want to give a radio. Maybe you might want to give two radios. Maybe you might want to give five or 10 or 50 or 100. You know, whatever God puts on your heart.

That's between you and the Lord. But how do you do that? Our phone number is 888-988-5656. Let me give it to you again.

888-988-5656. Or you can always do it on truthnetwork.com. Okay, we got a big, big link there.

I guess they call those links and they can click on that. And then go Africa needs Jesus is the is the campaign. And this is hitting a whole area. I mean, tell everyone the swath of Africa, the signals like 200,000 watts or more than that even this big signal blasting all over with gospel preaching.

So the radio receiver you're giving them allows them to turn on that channel and hear the word 24 seven. But tell us we're all it's covering john give some put some, you know, kind of some, some meat on the bones of that for our listeners. Well, we have over 12 countries, I think it's might be up to 15 now. And so you're hearing about countries like Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Benin, just so many countries that we could go on and on. But one of the things I'd like to do right now, if you don't mind, Stu is, I would like for you to ask our listeners right now, if you will take a moment to be praying for the radio is going to Ethiopia, because right now our staff is praying for them to be released out of customs.

And you know, sometimes customs, they can look for a little greasing of the palm, you might say, or something along those lines. But we don't like to do those kinds of things. We want to be above and beyond reproach. So we just want to pray that they will release those radios, so that we can distribute those radios to people who need to hear the good news of Jesus.

I love it. That's hundreds of 1000s of people. That's millions of people. That's a Muslim families who've never heard the gospel, who have no idea and they turn on and they hear Jay Vernon McGee, David Jeremiah, Dr. Stanley, and all the different programs that you have, Dr. Davey, all the different programs that people hear on the Truth Network, that now they can hear in their own language through these wind up radios made possible by generous gifts of all the people listening, all the amazing networks that are brave enough to carry Truth Talk. We love our folks at AFR and Wilkins and Salem and, you know, all the stations up and down, you know, Georgia, South Georgia and North Florida and Jacksonville, 91.7 FM there, St. Augustine, 91.9. And we're so grateful for you carrying this program. But we're asking you listening to make it possible for other people who aren't like you, don't speak your language, you may not even have a passport to go to Africa.

You may never been to Ghana or Togo or Benin or any of these places, but you can give. $50 gets a radio. $500 gives 10 radios there. They go straight from Transworld Radio right to Africa and people can turn that radio and they can wind it up. I've held these things.

They're high quality and they can hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. John, take us out of here. Give the final call to action and give the phone number again on the website, all that stuff for people.

It's just $50 a radio. Pick up that phone. Give us a call. Our phone number's 888-988-5656. 888-988-5656. Call right now. We would love to hear from you. You can always do it by clicking on the Africa Needs Jesus banner at truthnetwork.com.

I love it. Radio changed Big Sue's life. When my uncle Ralph brought that little radio kit and built a station inside the farmhouse in Ararat, Virginia, everything changed. Preachers would come in, pay a little money to my grandma and grandpa and my uncle Ralph. Dad was just a little tiny guy then, but he was announcing some and singing and doing stuff. They would preach the word of God on the radio. People that had receivers in the neighborhood and the community could hear them preach.

This was in the 1940s, John. It's just amazing how that changed my dad's life. He went on and he and my uncle started a huge Christian radio company, Salem Media.

The Truth Network came out of the influence of my dad, my uncle, all my uncles. Now I'm able to tell our listeners, hey, listen, it's changed my life. You listening, I know you have a testimony of hearing the word of God on the radio and how it's blessed you. Now you can parlay that blessing and compound that blessing to people all over Africa with our friends at Trans World Radio, truthnetwork.com.

We've got a link up there. Give any amount is going to help change the life and get a radio in the hands of someone who's going to hear the gospel and be encouraged to be built up. A pastor may get this and help them be deeper in the word.

Just maybe help them sharpen them in the word as they hear other pastors that help them grow and challenge them to study and go deeper. John, what's the phone number if you want to just call the number and either leave a message to be called back or call and give a gift right now? Alright, 888-988-5656.

888-988-5656. Okay, we got to go. You better bounce that ball, John, so they'll know you are really holding a basketball and you're about to put serious buckets up with that feathery jump shot. We'll have to put a picture of our sweaty selves at my Facebook, Instagram page and a link to this podcast so people know that we are for real. We're putting up buckets, but the most important thing that will happen today is this conversation right here because Africa needs Jesus. And please be faithful to share the gospel wherever you go, wherever you are right now. That's why you're there, to share the gospel with those annoying people around you. They need Jesus in your family, in your home, at your office, at your work, everywhere you go on the basketball court like we're about to do. But hey, let's help our friends over there who don't have the resources and the wealth we have in America by giving them a radio. Africa needs Jesus. It's all at TruthNetwork.com.