Muslim Turns from Jihad to Christ in Nigeria

Muslim Turns from Jihad to Christ in Nigeria
By Dan Wooding, who was born in Nigeria, and is the founder of the ASSIST News Service
CHAMBERSBURG, PA (ANS – March 16, 2015) -- As the radical Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram continues its rampage of death and destruction in Nigeria, The Tide® global radio ministry is receiving miraculous testimonies of salvation and protection in the midst of terror.
According to a news release from Hamilton Strategies, one Muslim listener heard The Tide ministry program in the Hausa language, the official language of Islam in Nigeria. Although a believer in Jihad, he was challenged by the message of hope and peace that only Christ can offer. He responded to the Gospel message, called the number at the end of the program and is now a follower of Christ.
“There is no situation more powerful than the power of the Gospel, and there is no one beyond the reach of Christ’s love and salvation, if they only will come to Him,” said The Tide® Director Don Shenk. “The message of hope in Jesus Christ is for everyone—and God’s greatest desire is that those who are committed to opposing Him would instead run to Him and accept His offer of salvation and reconciliation.”
Shenk added that even as some terrorists continue to embrace Jihad, The Tide ministry also received word of God’s protection in the face of terror.
The news release went on to say that one listener wrote, “I am a Nigerian soldier with the 15th armored brigade. I have been a regular listener to your radio program. I am just back from the war front where I joined my colleagues in the war against Boko Haram insurgents. Thanks for your prayers. God has brought me back home alive. By God’s grace Boko Haram will be defeated and the northeast border will witness the flushing out of the terrorists.”
Shenk added, “Just as Boko Haram is trying to keep people in bondage through terror, the terrorists themselves are in bondage to a belief system that demands that they kill and terrorize. Only the Gospel message has the power to bring peace to those terrorized and to rescue the terrorists. We pray for protection for those facing terror and for a revelation of Jesus Christ to those who embrace terror.”
The Tide ministry began broadcasting in Nigeria in 2009 in the Efik language, spoken by approximately two million Nigerian people. Today, The Tide radio programming can be heard in eleven languages in Nigeria: Efik, Hausa, Ijaw, Igbo, Annang, Yoruba, Tiv, Ibibio, Nupe, Amo and Agwagune.
The radio ministry is unique in that its programs are produced on-site, using indigenous speakers who tell people about Jesus in the language they were born to speak.
As one listener in Nigeria said, “Finally, a God who speaks my language!”
Now in its 69th year of ministry, The Tide global radio ministry shares the good news of Jesus Christ across three continents through producing radio programs in heart languages. The Tide ministry currently broadcasts in 23 heart languages, including eleven languages in Nigeria, two languages in Nepal, one language each in Zimbabwe, Bhutan and Albania/Kosovo and seven languages in India.
“The mission of The Tide ministry is to creatively share the good news of Jesus Christ worldwide through media and partnerships,” explained the news release. “The Tide ministry is working diligently to expand its Christian broadcasts in more languages across the globe.”
The Tide ministry invites Christians to sign up for the “Have You Heard?” Campaign (www.thetide.org/challenge). Millions of people live their lives every day without knowing about the hope and peace of Jesus Christ. “Have You Heard?” challenges individuals to ask just ten people throughout the course of the next year if they have heard what Jesus did for them. If someone responds, “No,” then the door is opened to share God’s plan of salvation. If the response is, “Yes, I know Jesus,” then all can rejoice in meeting a fellow Christ follower, and The Tide ministry invites those believers to join in its mission to be
“creatively sharing the good news of Jesus Christ worldwide through media and partnerships.”
Registration for the “Have You Heard?” Campaign can be found at http://thetide.org/challenge. The challenge is open to all believers, and The Tide ministry encourages participation by families, churches, Bible study small groups, youth groups, women’s and men’s ministries, and other Christ-focused groups.
The Tide ministry says that it is committed to supporting and helping those who accept the “Have You Heard?” challenge. And anyone who signs up for the challenge will receive a “Have You Heard?” kit, which includes a pamphlet with suggestions on how to share their faith, brochures for distributing to others and a free “Have You Heard?” t-shirt, which, it says, " is bound to be a conversation-starter with friends, family, acquaintances and even strangers."
The Tide Vision 2015 initiative builds on the momentum of more than six decades of radio ministry and strives to add several new languages to its efforts by the end of 2015. With almost a quarter of the world’s population living within the current range of The Tide radio programming, and nearly 7,000 languages spoken in the world today, the opportunities are tremendous. Several new potential languages are also being considered for strategic growth, such as those spoken in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Nigeria and Albania.
In addition to producing programs in heart languages, The Tide ministry gives radios to people in remote villages in Africa and Asia so they can listen to the programs. An alarmingly high number of people across the globe have never heard the message of God’s saving love, due to lack of a simple $40 radio. At the same time, Christianity is growing worldwide, partly because of programs like The Tide radio programs. Thousands of generous people across the United States have enabled The Tide radio programs to thrive and expand into even more countries through the “Sponsor a Radio” program that helps further projects like The Tide Radios for Nigeria and Radios for India.
Details on The Tide “Sponsor a Radio” program can be found at http://thetide.org/radios.
For more information about The Tide projects, Radios for India, Radios for Nigeria, the “Have You Heard?” Campaign, the weekly Global Update radio features, and other news, visit www.thetide.org.
About The Tide®:
For 69 years, The Tide® radio programs have been changing lives by telling people about Jesus in the language they were born to speak. Founded in 1946 as the Gospel Tide Broadcasting Association, The Tide ministry has transitioned from a domestic radio program to a versatile multi-national outreach focusing on the least reached regions of the world.
Through radio broadcasts in 23 heart languages, thousands of lost people are coming to know Christ. Driven by a sense of urgency to rescue the world from false teachings and pagan religious practices, The Tide board of directors has set an aggressive goal to introduce evangelistic radio programs in 15 additional languages by the year 2015.Currently, The Tide ministry is just six languages away from reaching this goal.
The Tide® outreach includes discipleship seminars, literature distribution, Bible correspondence courses and leadership training. This combination of ministry elements has proven to be extremely effective in changing lives and planting churches where believers are nurtured in their faith so that whole communities are drawn into the Kingdom of God.
Media note: To schedule interviews with Don Shenk, Executive Director of The Tide global radio ministry, contact Deborah Hamilton at 215-815-7716 or 610-584-1096, or Beth Harrison at 610-584-1096, media@HamiltonStrategies.com.
Photo captions: 1) Boko Haram fighters. (2) One radio placed in a village in Nigeria makes it possible for many to hear about God's love, grace, and mercy. 3) Don Shenk, Director of The Tide®, consults with a Zimbabwean leader.
Please feel free to re-publish this and any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net)
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