40 Days of Prayer Journey - Day 12

Challenge Cannot Be Denied

In our age of instant news, it only takes a few hours to hear about the public humiliation of a public figure or a Christian leader. In the mid-1980s as IMM began to grow, the first 24-hour news channels had begun. Satellite trucks covered negative news about media ministries whose leaders had fallen into dark temptations. IMM in its fledgling state was not part of that but the press reports had to be deflected clearly.

David Lee, founding director of IMM, wrote:

“Satan has launched an attack on media ministries because we are invading his territory. For this reason, just a little more than a year ago we developed a campaign to solicit prayer partners who would pray at least one minute each day for International Media Ministries.

International Media Ministries was born out of the burden of the Foreign Missions Committee to use the tools of radio and television to preach the gospel to the unreached billions. Because of the multiplicity of languages, cultures, and government regulations, it was determined from its beginning in 1981 that IMM should train nationals and help them produce radio and television programs to evangelize their people. In a simple phrase—IMM plants national media ministries that are part of the national churches. In many countries, in fact in most countries, the only religious programs that are allowed on television are those programs that feature the people of that country. IMM does not make any small plans. Our plans are large. They are God-size plans! We intend to reach the “unreached people” of the world…Radio and television signals can penetrate the barriers that other missionary efforts cannot.”

We love that the mission stays the same even as the technology changes. Then as now, Satan is against the hope of Jesus Christ spreading around the world and he uses any means possible to destroy the work of God’s people. It is a significant answer to prayer to celebrate 40 years of keeping our mission in focus and our hands on the plow at IMM. Thank you for praying and continuing to pray as more projects need our work and people need to hear the good news.

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God’s Word for Today:

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Matthew 16:18

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Pray with us:

• Pray against the lies the enemy tells about the church so the untruths would not stick in environments with limited Gospel access.

• Pray for the safety of the IMM team and facilities.

• Pray that you will resist the temptation to believe the enemy’s destructive ideas about the church and fellow believers.

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Have a need that you would like us to join you in prayer for? Want to join our Prayer Team? Click the “Pray with us!” button to sign up and submit prayer requests.

40 Days of Prayer Journey - Day 11

If these ruins could talk…

Ruins at a Tunisian park

Throughout North Africa, much like Spain, there are many ruins of ancient cultures. The city of Carthage in Tunisia was the historic site of the capital city of the Roman empire for the continent. Lots of writings still exist and tell stories of that time. However, the ensuing centuries have put other powers in place that have obscured some of the significance of the past.

“Ana” grew up in a city in the region having picnics and events in the amphitheater. It’s part of a park where people enjoy outings during good weather.

Later in life, Ana became a Christian through media connections and now works with an organization that does follow-up to new inquiries about Christ from satellite and online sources. She networks with people who want to know Christ! Of course, there is a risk to this work but the follow-up team does their best to make sure the inquiries are people with a legitimate interest. Ana had been a Christian for three years in the same city doing the follow-up discussions and encouraging others. Then she talked to someone visiting from outside the country who had done research on her forefathers. They gave her a flyer that explained things that Tertullian, a church apologist, had written. He lived in North Africa in the second century; he had known this amphitheater when it was whole.

Suddenly, Ana saw the connection of stories of Christians who were killed in the amphitheater. Her park. Her city. Tertullian, her ancestor. She was blown away. She was so excited to know about these hidden stories of believers. She said, “I’ve regained my own history!”

We can’t wait to get the video of Tertullian into her dialect. Some versions are on the air and she is no doubt talking to people about their own lost Heritage already!

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God’s Word for Today:

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” Hebrews 9:27-28

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Pray with us:

• Pray for the places that try to keep the truth out to be broken open to the light of the world – Jesus Christ.

• Pray for IMM to continue to be able to bring lost stories to light.

• Pray that you would be salt and light in the places you are.

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Have a need that you would like us to join you in prayer for? Want to join our Prayer Team? Click the “Pray with us!” button to sign up and submit prayer requests.

40 Days of Prayer Journey - Day 10

Denied but Redeemed (in a closed country in Africa)

Under torture, a man we will call Mustafa, denied Christ and was permitted to leave prison. He was filled with deep sorrow for having betrayed Christ. He began to pray, "Lord, if you will give me another chance, I will be faithful to your name and not recant."

Of course, he hadn’t denied Christ in his heart, but he didn’t know how to make it right. Shortly after this prayer, the bus he was riding on struck something, flipped over, and caught fire. Mustafa escaped but plunged into the burning vehicle and pulled out a trapped policeman. The injured group of passengers walked to a nearby village hospital. A policeman doing triage on the new arrivals shouted, "Are there any policemen? They will be treated first!" The rescued policeman came up and said, "I'm a policeman, but you must treat this man who saved me. He has been burned."

The policeman doing triage turned and looked at Mustafa. They both froze. Mustafa was looking into the face of the policeman who had tortured him into renouncing his faith when under arrest. This policeman asked, "How could you save a policeman after what I did to you?"

Mustafa’s second chance had come full circle. He responded, "Because I believe in Jesus Christ, and He has told me to love my enemies!"

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God’s Word for Today:

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” Matthew 5:44

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” Matthew 16:25

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Pray with us:

• Pray God will provide strength to those under torture around the world today. 

• Pray IMM will have more opportunities to encourage believers through media. 

• Pray you will be strong and clear in your faith as life brings challenges. 

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Have a need that you would like us to join you in prayer for? Want to join our Prayer Team? Click the “Pray with us!” button to sign up and submit prayer requests.

40 Days of Prayer Journey - Day 9

Dream Big, Really Big, Really Big!

Excerpt of a letter from John Merrell, former director of IMM:

“Joseph dreamed and it was years in the making. So did Noah, and he pushed on for many years to see the rain eventually come. When the Lord gives you a dream, you do not ask yourself to evaluate the size of the mission, how much money it may cost you, or how long it will take to complete it. He doesn't even ask you if you're going to make it, just that you obey him and fulfill the call.

“It takes a bit of madness to heed a command to do something for which you have no answer. But beforehand, God knows for what purpose He is ordering you to do what He orders you to do. When you have the conviction that He does know what He is asking of you, everything makes sense.

“Never before in history has the church of Jesus Christ possessed such powerful tools to spread the Gospel.”

The idea of IMM when it began was so BIG. The media equipment was BIG. The tapes for programs and the cameras were BIG. A Big God had plans to reach around the globe to find people who were searching for hope on television, radio, and now the internet. God is the master of BIG ideas and He does great things. Dream with us for the Women of the Bible story of Esther to be done on a grand scale for the people of Persia (present-day Iran).

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God’s Word for Today:

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

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Pray with us:

• Pray for God’s provision for touching the world in BIG ways through media.

• Pray for IMM to continue to have provision to buy equipment to deliver quality programs.

• Pray for yourself to see the BIG paths God may be leading you in during this season.

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Have a need that you would like us to join you in prayer for? Want to join our Prayer Team? Click the “Pray with us!” button to sign up and submit prayer requests.

40 Days of Prayer Journey - Day 8

Let Us See You

During a French-speaking conference discussing North African media, the time for questions and answers came. The foreign leaders were not the ones to speak out at this point. It was the Algerians and Moroccans who spoke up. They took a strong stance by literally standing up! They wanted evangelistic programs; they wanted the on-screen person to identify himself with his name; they wanted the programs from a North African former Muslim world point of view. While they were thankful for the general Arabic programs from Egypt or dubbed programs put into Arabic from other parts of the world, they wanted something with local people for their own nations and their own stories.

In the early years of Satellite TV, before this meeting occurred, International Media Ministries had been working with nationals as a matter of principle to put local people into the camera and to get the gospel into a context that related to the regional culture. Together, with partners like you, we have done that for Africa, Europe, Russia, and the Middle East.

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God’s Word for Today:

“Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalm 61: 1-2

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Pray with us:

• Pray for the on-camera presenters and actors to have security in spite of the dangers they face.

• Pray for IMM and the on-camera people to find one another. We often struggle to find people who are in a secure place and can take the risk of being put on-screen without damage to their extended family.

• Pray that your own faith will be filled with courage today.

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Have a need that you would like us to join you in prayer for? Want to join our Prayer Team? Click the “Pray with us!” button to sign up and submit prayer requests.

40 Days of Prayer Journey - Day 7

You Are With Me

A North African man was in Europe and called one of IMM’s broadcasting partners. He was an ordinary Muslim. For almost a year he had been sick. He lost his business and felt an emptiness in his life.

Then one day he discovered that his stepmother was hiding witchcraft objects under his bed to get him under her control. To protect himself, he went to consult other specialists. They advised him to get books on occultism. He was surprised to see the number of verses of the Koran in those witchcraft books.

He said he learned that deliverance and protection did not come from those books, but from Jesus. The first time he heard good news clearly was in the programs on their TV channel. He called the network to say that he became a believer and now has peace.

“What about the witchcraft books?” the follow-up worker asked.

“All burned,” he answered.

“Who is Jesus for you now?” The worker asked.

“Jesus is the Son of God, who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day,” the Tunisian man replied.

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God’s Word for Today:

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

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Pray with us:

• Pray for the people suffering from the hold of evil through and for Islamic people to be set free.

• Pray for IMM as we continue to send the gospel into Islamic countries to show salvation and break the chains of the devil.

• Pray that you will see God’s hand at work in your life even though at times you suffer attacks from the enemy.

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Have a need that you would like us to join you in prayer for? Want to join our Prayer Team? Click the “Pray with us!” button to sign up and submit prayer requests.

40 Days of Prayer Journey - Day 6

So All May Hear

From Lazarus Chakwera, the General Superintendent of Malawi, Africa.

The Malawi National Church needed to install a radio station transmitting tower and begin broadcasting, but they needed help. IMM’s adjunct staff, Al and Marilyn Pulis, were instrumental in getting it done. Engineering feats like a radio tower – as well as wiring television studios – have been a regular occurrence since IMM began. It is a significant way that people who are unable to come live overseas long term can serve the mission field in a temporary way.

Do you have a skill that could serve a missions community that God may be speaking to you about? IMM looks for media content creators, graphic designers, marketing and business skills to keep delivering videos in Europe, Africa, Eurasia and the Middle East.

Later, IMM trained the team in Malawi so they would be able to sustain the work and grow in the radio opportunities. Training others is another opportunity to serve in a temporary capacity. Through the years many people have served faithfully this way. IMM keeps a list of people who may be able to go and serve short term by building media skills for local people.

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God’s Word for Today:

“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” Mark 16:15

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Pray with us:

• Pray for countries that have local media opportunities for God to supply all their needs and talents.

• Pray for IMM to have the wisdom to train people who want to begin to minister using media and build the church in their own regions.

• Pray for you to continue to find ways where you are to share the hope of the gospel.

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Have a need that you would like us to join you in prayer for? Want to join our Prayer Team? Click the “Pray with us!” button to sign up and submit prayer requests.

40 Days of Prayer Journey - Day 5

Cast Out and Alone

Nadia was alone and desperate. Her husband beat her repeatedly and eventually kicked her out of the house. For ten years, Nadia lived in a foreign country, unable to see her daughter or son. She watched Christian television shows, and God used them to change her life. One day, after watching one of the shows, she gave her life to Christ. Nadia says, "My only consolation in the midst of my pain is that I now know the Lord."

Nadia's story is one of many stories of women who have lost everything but still have hope. Her culture gave her little to hope for and her religion even less, yet through her pain she chose Christ.

Today, the internet, smartphones, computers, and networks are instruments used by the Lord to teach his Word and offer hope in places where it is forbidden. Media spreads the Word of God to hidden and hurting people who are forgotten or abused.

In Nadia's particular case, everything was over. Losing her children, going to a distant country, and suffering from an abusive marriage was devastating, but God met her via media. He showed his power to heal her wounds through the gospel of salvation.

The story of Tamar (from IMM’s Women of the Bible: The Line of Christ series) and Sabina’s Encounter were both created with women like Nadia in mind. When the world rejects you, God is still yearning to be your Father.

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God’s Word for Today:

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

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Pray with us:

• Pray for those who are hopeless and who desperately need to hear the good news of Jesus.

• Pray that IMM would find more outlets for stories to encourage the broken-hearted.

• Pray for your own heart to be sensitive to those you will meet today who are downcast and hurting.

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Have a need that you would like us to join you in prayer for? Want to join our Prayer Team? Click the “Pray with us!” button to sign up and submit prayer requests.

40 Days of Prayer Journey - Day 4

Legacy Reclaimed

We heard a moving story of a young lady named "Mary" who lives in a city in North Africa near where Perpetua and her fellow Christians were martyred 1900 years ago. During our work on The Heritage Project, we captured true stories of Christians in North Africa like Perpetua. We used Perpetua’s own diary, which she wrote while in prison, as our source material.

Mary had no idea about her local Christian legacy in Tunisia. She was excited to know that she is not the first single woman making her way in this part of the world to accept the radicalness of faith in Jesus Christ. Mary dreams of being able to find a Christian to marry, but her family doesn't know she is a Christian.

She is afraid that when she announces her faith publicly, they will rush her into marriage with a Muslim which is not an uncommon occurrence. The stories of the martyrs encouraged her, and she is eager to see the entire series of The Heritage stories in her own language -. lost stories of her heritage and people from her land. We are eager to get them to her.

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God’s Word for Today:

“And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Luke 15: 5-7

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Pray with us:

• Pray for secret believers in hard places to know when they should make their testimony public.

• Pray for IMM to find presenters in regional dialects who are bold enough to go on camera.

• Pray for your faith to be filled with wonder as you look at it fresh.

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Have a need that you would like us to join you in prayer for? Want to join our Prayer Team? Click the “Pray with us!” button to sign up and submit prayer requests.

40 Days of Prayer Journey - Day 3

Children’s Programming Needed Then and Now

From a 1991 IMM Report:

IMM’s production team for Boulevard des Enfants

“We are working with CBN to produce their animated Bible story series, Superbook, in the Romanian language. There are 104 episodes in the series. The IMM team is working almost around the clock to get the first 26 of these programs ready for broadcast beginning November 18. All 104 programs must be completed by the end of March.

“When the Superbook programs were shown in four Russian cities, more than 1 million children responded to a single ad that was played at the end of one program. Hanu Halku was the chairman of the post office box receiving the responses from the program. The post office called and said, “You don't need a post office box, you need a post office.” 30,000 letters came to that one post office box on the very first day!

“There are already over a million pieces of follow-up literature in Romania, and 20 full-time workers have been set up by CBN to meet the expected response.”

The tremendous thing is that as we travel to conferences today, we meet people who are second-generation believers who saw a program like Boulevard des Enfants (a French childrens’ program produced by IMM) or Superbook as children when their parents were new believers. Our follow-up connections say these second-generation believers make the best follow-up partners. They understand and can communicate with people who are on a new journey to know Jesus in challenging places. Children's programming continues to be one of the most needed types of media today. We want to fulfill that need!

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God’s Word for Today:

But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Luke 18:16

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Pray with us:

• Pray for children to be instruments of bringing their families to Christ as they watch “safe” Christian programs.

• Pray for IMM as we develop new programming for children in the next few years.

• Pray for your words to be ones that build up the next generation.

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Have a need that you would like us to join you in prayer for? Want to join our Prayer Team? Click the “Pray with us!” button to sign up and submit prayer requests.

40 Days of Prayer Journey - Day 2

When Damaris accidentally met Jesus

From Jerry Gibson, IMM Director, 2008-2013

“When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’

The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’” John 4 :7

Damaris was a young girl of 25, well educated and Muslim. Due to her training and her hunger to work in media, she began to work in a satellite Christian Ministry with an audience of 72 million people — a channel that IMM had trained in production and directing in 2006. When Damaris found the possibility of working there, she did not imagine her life would change forever. Over the course of the next two years, Damaris couldn’t help but watch programs like People Who Met Jesus which IMM provided for them and was used for their training. (This series gave them an educational view of scripture in their own language with a local presenter.)

She heard testimonies of lives being changed by Jesus. The emptiness she felt in her own life was set in contrast to what she observed from those around her who seemed filled with joy. We listened as tears flowed down her face and she spoke of how Christ had changed her life. She declared, “Now I have more than a job; I have a ministry!” In a country where there were only a few thousand known followers of Jesus Christ, together, Damaris, IMM, and local media ministries were telling the story that changes lives.

The gospel of Christ transformed Damaris’s life forever. Her story is very similar to the Samaritan woman at the well. Damaris was a Muslim. The woman at the well was from Samaria. They both had an encounter with Jesus. For both of them, life changed forever.

How great is God that He can use any circumstance, desire, or background for good! Damaris stepped into this career just as a means to break into the media industry. But God had other plans for her endeavors.

When Damaris gave her life to Jesus, her priorities changed completely. She changed the perspective of working for a ministry to working for the one who gave her the living water. When the Samaritan woman knew the source of the living water, many others heard of the power of the living God through her.

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God’s Word for Today:

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told everything I ever did”. So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. John 4:39-42

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Pray with us:

• Pray for our partners to not grow weary in doing good in hard places and to continue to see their work as a ministry for Christ—not just a job.

• Pray for IMM to hold up the arms of ministries and individuals who are getting started in reaching their people for Christ.

• Pray you can encourage a Damaris with your story of God helping you.

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Have a need that you would like us to join you in prayer for? Want to join our Prayer Team? Click the “Pray with us!” button to sign up and submit prayer requests.

40 Days of Prayer Journey - Day 1

A Minute Like a Mustard Seed

From David Lee, IMM Founding Director, 1987:

“Could you give us a minute? I am speaking for millions of people around the world who have never heard about Jesus–most of whom are beyond the reach of our ordinary means of missions work. Would you be willing to give just a minute to bring to these souls the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ?

The only channel for reaching into many of these “closed” nations is through the air--radio and television. International Media Ministries has agreed to produce 339 programs in 1987 for national television networks in a number of countries. We are providing programs for 7 million people in Burkina Faso, West Africa; 8 million people in Sierra Leone, West Africa; 63 million people in Germany; and I could go on and on. These are people that would possibly never hear about God’s love and salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. These 339 programs represent more than 10,000 minutes of air time. Our production cost for each minute is approximately $15. An entire program costs about $500 to produce. We need many friends who will give us these minutes of time to preach the gospel to these millions who are still unreached.” - A letter from David Lee, founding director of IMM from 1987

A minute! The words of David ring true all these years later for IMM. One minute can change a heart, a life. The costs of a minute have changed and the equipment has changed, but the power of the Gospel continues going through the air to touch people. A small thing, the seed of the Gospel flying through the air via satellite, television, and radio can make all the difference in eternity. 

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God’s Word for Today:

“He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” - Matthew 13:31-32

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Pray with us:

• Pray for the media minutes that will be viewed and change lives around the world today. 

• Pray for God to continue to be the creative director of the work that IMM does. 

• Pray for yourself. Ask God to use you in big or small ways. 

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Have a need that you would like us to join you in prayer for? Want to join our Prayer Team? Click the “Pray with us!” button to sign up and submit prayer requests.