The year 2020 once seemed to be so far in the distant future, didn’t it?
Now … BOOM … it’s here!
People have long predicted what our lives would be like in 2020. Some predictions were accurate—including self-driving cars and computer watches. Other predictions—such as time travel or vacationing on the Moon—were inaccurate. Some people even envisioned the stuff of The Jetsons (remember that cartoon?) … aerocars, Rosie the Robot maid (I want one!), and automated meals.
This new decade has brought with it an unexpected global challenge in the form of the coronavirus. All around the world, people are dealing with unprecedented health challenges, grief from the death of friends and loved ones, adjusting to the new normal of staying inside and away from others, and an uncertain financial future. Now more than ever people need the strong, solid foundation of God’s Word—and the ability to hear His promises that are true and trustworthy. They need to hear God’s Word in their own heart language.
This new decade brings extraordinary opportunities for us to work together to share Jesus and build His church globally. Yet with these opportunities, come sobering realities of people impacted by COVID-19, and the vast numbers of people still waiting to hear —even for the first time—of salvation and hope in Jesus.
More than 7,000 people groups, representing 3.2 billion people, are considered “unreached.”1 This year, Audio Scripture Ministries (ASM) is prayerfully exploring Bible recording and distribution projects with national leaders in 2 of those “unreached” people groups that together have a population of over 10 million people. Would you pray with us, and invest in this work to record and distribute God’s Word among those who need to hear it?
In 2019, more people than ever before in Mexico and Mozambique heard the Bible because of your prayers and financial support of ASM. Yet, in those two countries even more people need to hear. Chad Vanden Bosch, ASM Africa Director, says they need tens of thousands of audio Bibles to meet the hunger for God’s Word in Mozambique. (Please go to www.audioscripture.org/give to help provide audio Bibles for Mexico or Mozambique.)
over 1 billion still live in ‘Bible poverty’
The Joshua Project reports that over 1 billion people still live in “Bible Poverty,” meaning they have little to no access to God’s Word in their own language. Nearly every day we receive requests from Christian brothers and sisters in creative access countries who request audio Bibles because their people desperately need to hear about Jesus. Would you help us meet those requests by considering a “Where Most Needed” gift today to ASM? (www.audioscripture.org/give)
God’s Word is a gift, and as believers in Jesus it’s an essential part of our growing Christian faith. 2020 has been designated as the “Year of the Bible” (www.yearofthebible.com), an exciting opportunity for Christians around the world to celebrate God’s Word and focus on increasing Biblical literacy, and access to the Bible. YOU can be used by God this year to help give people access to His Word through Audio Scripture Ministries.
So many are still waiting to hear. They don’t want aerocars, or a vacation on the moon, they want—they need—God’s Word. Will you help them hear the Good News this year?
Yes, I want to share God’s Word
1“An unreached or least-reached people is a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group without outside assistance with the Gospel” (www.JoshuaProject.net).
2Learn more about this term here: www.ibmglobal.org/creative-access-nations.
