Pointing to God's Presence and Activities

 

Jesus has called us to be His witnesses in the world. In fact those were his parting words to his disciples before his ascension. We are to be the evidence that God is alive and at work in our world today.

The apostle Paul states that the things of God are to be plainly seen (Romans 1:20). We are called to be witnesses to this truth. It may be obvious to us, but it is not shared by the unbeliever who has a different view of life. As media people our job is to help people discover God for themselves, to help people to see. In these days of increased scepticism we may find ourselves reflecting these truths through words coupled with deeds of kindness.

The question is how? Telling of how God has worked in the lives of individuals, or even communities, is one of the most compelling ways of doing this. Listeners can easily identify with people whose stories and testimonies bring the Gospel down to earth. Christian broadcasters' files are filled with stories of listeners whose lives have been changed — often quite dramatically. We sometimes hear of whole communities that have been changed as a result of becoming Christian.

True stories go over well on radio. A news or documentary format might be the most suitable. Personal testimonies often require more sensitive treatment in order to respect the individual's privacy. In situations where human rights are ignored we need to guard the listener's security.

Stories can cover far more than simply telling how individuals came to faith, or how their lives have been changed. They can also tell of coping with problems in business, financial difficulties, healed relationships – or physical healing. They may talk about how people are learning to cope with disabilities or terminal illness.

We can also help the listener to recognise the hand of God in nature. Our goal is to help people appreciate that there is a different way of interpreting the natural world.

Witness of such kind should not be confined to natural science: we can also give testimonies of God's sovereignty in disciplines such as social science. We will not convince people to come to Christ through knowledge, but rather use that as guidance to know God.

Lee Strobel's fine book The Case for a Creator might provide a good basis for an absorbing program series. It would need to be presented by some credible person with teaching credentials and a good science background. In that book he interviews leading scientists and cosmologists. They each present clear evidence of the delicate balances of the created order. At the same time he exposes the very flimsy and often false evidence that supports the theory of evolution which is now taught so widely as fact.

Very often in Asia, when people are faced with natural disasters or spectacular displays of the forces of nature, they ask, “Is God trying to tell us something? ” This was the case in Indonesia when the Asian tsunami struck in 2004. People with a supernatural world-view look for a deeper meaning behind these events. They provide an opportunity for introducing the God of creation. Even man-made disasters can produce the same kind of questioning.

God also seems to reveal himself to people through dreams in many cultures. This is especially the case in the Middle East and N.Africa. Christian broadcasters therefore devote specific radio programs to explaining these dreams and what people are seeing and experiencing. There is an amazing consistency.

 

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Last updated 21 Apr 2011

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