Thru the Bible Ministry eReport 28 July 2006
Since 08-21-06
Thru the Bible Ministry eReport 28 July 2006
Sent: Jul 28, 2006 9:28 AM
Subject: Thru the Bible Ministry eReport
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Inside This Issue: Welcome to the first ever Thru the Bible Radio Monthly Ministry eReport! You're a valuable partner in this worldwide ministry, and we want to keep you informed of the impact your prayers and gifts are having on listeners around the world. You're receiving this mailing because at some point in the past you contacted the ministry and provided us with your email address. If you'd rather not receive email communications from us, use one of the links at the bottom of this page to unsubscribe. Otherwise, each month you will receive an eReport just like this one informing you of the latest prayer needs and ministry developments, providing you with insights by our Bible teacher Dr. J. Vernon McGee, and letting you know about our current specials.
If you currently subscribe to the newsletter mailing that comes to you each month by regular mail delivery, don't worry! You'll continue to receive both mailings for the first few months, at which point we may ask you to consider switching to the electronic or traditional mail version only.
Worthy to Be Believed
From Dr. J. Vernon McGee's Edited Messages on MatthewThen Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? (Matthew 15:32, 33)
Frankly, this seems like just a rerun of the feeding of the five thousand. It appears to be a repetition, and we wonder why Matthew included it since it doesn't seem to add any further advancement of the messianic claims of the Lord Jesus. However, this is a section in which the emphasis is not upon Jesus pressing His messianic claim but the emphasis is on the rejection of His claim. And this miracle shows how slowly the disciples were to learn. They had already witnessed the feeding of the five thousand (and I think it took place only a few days before this), yet here they raise the same old objections of unbelief. Again His disciples say to Him, "Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?"
Comfort in Hardship
Three generations of women find solace in studying the Word of GodDear Thru the Bible,
I'm writing to say thank you for your ministry. I represent the third generation in my family that has listened to Thru the Bible's radio ministry. I heard Dr. McGee's voice as a child playing at my grandmother's knee and with my mother and her twin sister, who together raised me. I eventually left my hometown for college and a career. I was far from home and after awhile very lonely and spiritually weak. One morning, I heard Dr. McGee's distinctive voice on the radio. It was the first time I actually listened to what he had to say. My soul was hungry and fed on the Lord's Word that Dr. McGee preached so well. This past summer my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I spent summer into autumn with her as she slowly succumbed to the illness. McGee's teaching on the radio helped us to endure this dreadful time and filled us with the Holy Spirit….After she passed, I discovered Dr. McGee's 5-year program was available in mp3 format. I'm so glad that all of McGee's study is freely available online. I've been waiting for this, and I feel it is the ministry format of my generation. I want to help keep the ministry (in all its formats) readily available to those who don't have the funds, those enduring a spiritually difficult time like we did, or for anyone in need of God's Word.With God's love and many sincere thanks,
Charlotte
New York, NYThe Bible Bus Unbound!
New technologies modernize the program's mode of delivery, but the message stays the same"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever" (Hebrews 13:8). But for the more than 65 years that Dr. J. Vernon McGee's voice has been heard over the airwaves, God has provided many new and exciting open doors through which His unchanging Word has reached hearts seeking the truth. From the first local radio program aired on Sunday afternoons in Pasadena starting in 1941 to our recent nationwide venture on XM Satellite Radio, God has continued to bless the ministry and lead His people to propel the "Bible bus" with their prayer and financial support.
When Dr. McGee retired from the pastorate in 1970 to devote his energies to producing the five-year study that we hear today, the broadcast was being carried on 66 stations. Today we are on more than 800 stations in North America! And through our partners at Trans World Radio, we are now beaming the program into over 200 countries in more than 100 languages, and our goal is to "make Jesus real" to people in every country in the world.
Since 1997 the good news has been going out over the Internet to countless more needy souls from our website at ttb.org. Today listeners can feast on the Word by streaming audio, MP3 download, or podcast. And we're regularly adding more international broadcasts to the already extensive online roster.
Recently, traditional radio has undergone a change as well. Satellite technology has enabled a broadcast to be heard across the country on the same channel. Initial response to our weekend programs on XM Satellite Radio channel 170 has been enthusiastic, especially from those for whom "the rubber meets the road" is a literal reality as they commute to work or drive cross-country truck routes. A member of our radio family recently wrote to us, exclaiming that he thought Dr. McGee would have been as thrilled with satellite radio as he was with the first international program in Spanish back in 1973!
Our founder couldn't possibly have envisioned all the venues that the Lord would provide, but he wanted the ministry of the Word to continue "until the day of Christ Jesus." He recorded several announcements to be read after his homegoing, one of which began, "The Bible bus continues to roll down the highway of time and you see no one at the driver's seat. Actually, the same driver is there who has been there all the time: The Holy Spirit. He is the real Teacher who alone can take the things of Christ and show them unto you." God is faithful! Who knows where He'll take the Bible bus next!
Praise and Prayer Needs UPDATE ON RUSSIAN BROADCAST
Earlier this year we shared disappointing news of Russia's tightening grip on media, which had led to the discontinuance of our Russian TTB program on FM station Yunost. Werner Kroemer (Trans World Radio's Regional Director for Europe, the Middle East, and CIS) wrote in a recent email:
The situation in Russia is a major concern for us. It is obvious that the recent reductions on the state-owned radio networks…are a result of an order that came from high political circles…. Evidently the Orthodox Church has intervened against us, asking the authorities to reduce our broadcasts (and in the long run even eliminate them). The [rise] of the Orthodoxy and its increasing political influence is a reality in today's Russia, having an increasingly negative impact on the evangelicals in that country. [In] hindsight, we have to say that it was a miracle of the Lord that we have been able to broadcast for so many years Bible teachings on state-owned radio networks in Russia. At its outset, we knew that those days were counted and that the time [would] come when we [would] be put off the air again….
That time has now come. While the program continues to be aired online and on shortwave, we ask for your prayer as we seek out and secure new broadcasting outlets for reaching Russia by FM. As Werner reminds us, "It is important to know that this is also a spiritual issue. Without fervent prayer our Lord might not open the doors for us. Your support in prayer is therefore highly appreciated."
Read more important ministry praise and prayer needs here.
You Said It!
Letters from ListenersMALAGASY, from Madagascar: It is a great privilege for my family and a blessing to be together with my wife and five children to set a special time each day in front of the radio receiver and listen to your Bible teaching. Our lives and views are totally changed through God's Word each time we listen to it. One of our neighbors told my wife to listen to it, and it took three months to convince her. At first only my wife and children listened. They heard a message on Ephesians and convinced me to listen too. I listened and knew that God wanted to do many things in our home, starting with me. I gave my life to Christ in front of my family and also led all of them to Christ. We praise His name and give only to Him alone the glory.
KONKANI, from Karnataka, India: It is a privilege to listen to your program. I come from a Catholic home. I was a very violent boy and had bad companions. I loved this world and the things in it. Though I knew about Christ, I was far from Him. But God in His tender mercies and love changed my life and I accepted the Lord as my Savior. My life changed. My classmates, who hated me before, loved to have fellowship with me. By reading God's Word and listening to your radio program daily I am blessed. Please pray that I may stand for Christ.
Q & A With McGee
Selected from our Questions and Answers programQ: How are Christians to "try the spirits whether they are of God " as indicated in 1 John 4:1?
A: We're told very definitely, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." Just because a thing is religious and references the Bible doesn't mean it is a work of God. A great many gullible people have been taken in by cults. I disagree with the psychologist that says all of us are vulnerable; all are not vulnerable! No child of God is vulnerable to this sort of thing. Even when Antichrist appears, the Lord Jesus Christ says that he will be a miracle worker and if it were possible to deceive the elect, he'd be able to deceive them. But it's not possible. You can fool them for awhile, but they'll catch on. The interesting thing that characterizes these folk is ignorance of the Word of God. They've been exposed to the Word, yet they seem to have no spiritual understanding of the Bible at all. They do not study it. I do not believe a person who is grounded in the Word can be lured by charlatans that appear from time to time and lead off a great many people. And they're generally people that have been going to church. But they never seem to get anywhere as far as the Bible is concerned. Sometimes that's the fault of the church - they do not teach the Word of God to their people. And when they don't, then they're open prey for the first leader that comes along and promises them something for nothing and uses a little magic. They go after him. My friend, if you are built up in the Word of God solidly, you're not going to be able to do that. That's the way to try the spirits–by the Word of God.
Coming Up on TTB Want to read ahead in your Bible in preparation for the daily Thru the Bible program? Interested in knowing what Dr. McGee will be talking about in upcoming Sunday Sermon or Questions & Answers programs? Visit our broadcast schedule page to find out .
Something to Think About
From Dr. J. Vernon McGee's booklet "From the Top of the Mount of Olives, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever"Friend, we should keep in mind that man will never solve the problem of war….There will be no peace until the Prince of Peace comes.
August 2006 Issue
Download Dr. McGee's Notes and Outlines to help you prepare for the daily Bible study!
This Month's Special Offers:
(Offers available for US DELIVERY ONLY; prices valid through September 15, 2006)
Paperback Book: Matthew, Vol. 2 (Chapters 14–28)Available for $3.00 (USD)
Cassette: What is the Sign of the End of the Age? Available for $2.50 (USD)
Matthew & Mark Compact Disc Album (17 CD set) Available for $38.00 (USD)
To find many more Bible study resources by Dr. J. Vernon McGee, please shop our online bookstore.
Contact Us:
U.S. Address
P.O. Box 7100
Pasadena, CA 91109-7100Canadian Address
P.O. Box 25325
London, Ontario
Canada N6C 6B1Phone: 1-800-65-BIBLE
Fax: 626-449-4430
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