What do you think about crowds?
Some folks love the hustle and bustle of a crowd, while others border on Ochlophobia, the
very fear of crowds. Some may enjoy the crowds at a sporting event, but not like them at the airport or Metro station. And many find they prefer the solitude of being by themselves to the interaction and activities brought on by being surrounded by many people.
We seem to face crowds more and more these days. On the freeway, at the ballpark or stadium, at a concert, the 
mall, or eating out. It seems we can’t get away from crowds. So…what do you think about crowds?
Jesus also had to deal with crowds. Often in the Gospels we are told that the crowds followed him, pressed in on him, cheered him, or jeered him. Christ sometimes sought solitude from the crowds, but he knew that he had an assignment from the Heavenly Father to reach out to the crowds. Jesus loved the crowds. He had compassion for them. Eugene Peterson’s The Message puts the passage in Matthew 9 this way:
“When he (Jesus) looked out over the crowds, his heart broke.”
I run into crowds often as I travel around. Recently in Ankara, Turkey we were among the vast people in this world capital city, riding the buses, strolling through the markets, walking the city streets. In Chennai, India, we were among the crowds in that city of ten million people. There were crowds everywhere. Statistically, almost every person I saw was lost, without Christ as Savior. On other past trips I have been exposed to the crowds of the world…Paris, Bali, Buenos Aires. It is pretty much the same the world over.
You don’t have to travel the globe to be exposed to crowds. They are around all of us in growing numbers. So…what do you think of crowds?
“When he (Jesus) looked out over the crowds, his heart broke.”
Sometimes we are moved to compassion for the crowds, too. But what do we do then? Dr. Henry Blackaby, in the devotional guide, Experiencing God Day by Day, says:
“Whenever He saw the multitudes, Jesus would reveal to the disciples what was on His heart for the people. Jesus wanted His disciples to share His love for the people…. When God places you in a crowd, you may sense the Holy Spirit impressing upon you the heart and mind of God for those people…. He may place a burden on your heart….”
Our Albanian friend, Enkelejda Kumaraku of Radio 7, has received just such a burden. Along with her heart for the people of Albania, she has felt the compassion of the Lord for the people of Kosovo. Most of the people in this next-door nation are of Albanian heritage and speak Albanian. But most…about 97%...are Muslim. Compassion, pity, concern, are nice qualities. But if this compassion doesn’t lead to action, it is of limited use. The full paragraph from Matthew 9 in The Message reads this way:
"Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. "What a huge harvest!" he said to his disciples. "How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!"
Prayer. Teaching. Action. Harvest.
Radio 7 has a broadcast license for the first Christian station in Kosovo. The broadcast ministry needs to purchase its transmitter and antenna soon to meet the deadline to be on the air. On Wednesday, July 13, listeners to KCBI 90.9 FM in Dallas-Fort Worth will have an opportunity to give financially to put this station on the air in Pristina, Kosovo, proclaiming Jesus as Lord in the midst of a Muslim culture. The cost is $70,000 for this equipment and its installation.
Would you please pray for this critical effort? There are multitudes in Kosovo that need to hear of Jesus’ love and sacrifice for their sins. In a nation of darkness, the crowds of people need a great light...the Light of the world…Jesus.
You may want to listen to KCBI to find out more about this project. If you live outside the area you can listen online at www.kcbi.org. The KCBI team will be giving listeners an opportunity to give during the station’s morning drive programming from 6:00 AM to 8:30 AM on Wednesday, July 13. Of course, in the DFW area, you can listen on 90.9 FM.
What do you think about crowds? What do you think about crowds of lost souls who need Jesus? What is God saying to you? And what will you do to help take the Gospel to these people?
Prayer Updates
Albania
In addition to the work in Kosovo, Radio 7 in Tirana has made application for a radio frequency in northern Albania. This process has experienced some delays in the awarding of the license. Pray for God’s favor for Radio 7 with the authorities granting licenses. Pray for Enkelejda Kumaraku and her staff with these projects to extend the reach of the Gospel.
In Korce, Albania, Radio Emanuel wants to expand their reach by relocating their antenna to a higher point. Galcom International is assisting with the engineering for this installation. Pray for Tani and Efti Baraku as they impact lives in Albania, and offer programming to touch those in Macedonia and in Greece.
Sweden
While the work in Sweden to firmly establish Christian programming through HopeFM is very challenging, it’s obvious that God is not through in that country. Premier Radio in London is providing strategic programming help, and God is showing Roger Arnfjell glimpses of the impact of the ministry, even in its limited form. Pray for financial support to come along side the support from the US, and for HopeFM to impact the major population centers of Sweden.
Bolivia
I was able to spend time in Dallas with Ann Wheeler of Radio Mosoj Chaski. Judy and I 
enjoyed visiting one evening with Ann and her husband Mike and his daughter. This ministry continues to use shortwave to reach into the Andes Mountains of Bolivia with programming in the language of the Quechua Indians. A recent prayer letter spelled out some of the challenges they face.
"We are in 'dry season' and usually during this season our signal strength weakens. Please pray the Lord would 'clear the air' for the hours that we are to be on the radio, giving us a strong signal so that it reaches every corner of Bolivia where a Quechua is anxiously waiting with his/her radio to hear our programming. Pray for wisdom as to how we can overcome this annual problem."
Some reports show that possibly as many as one million Quechua listen to Mosoj Chaski on a regular basis.
India
Christian broadcasters in this country of 1.2 billion people know that if they are going to be most effective, they need to come together and gain strength from each other. They have asked NRB to assist them as they discuss forming an association in their country. They also want additional training to grow their communication skills in taking the Good News to those caught in the hopelessness of other faiths. We are hoping to be in India this fall for initial meetings.
Strategic Partnerships
The opportunities for our Strategic Partnerships ministry continue to grow. I receive more requests than I can handle, due to the constraints of limited staff and limited resources. Pray that we will have discernment from the Lord to know how we can best help in this global effort to reach the unreached with God’s Truth.
Along with the new opportunities in India, we will be attending the Africa by Radio conference in Accra, Ghana, in September. Many of the international ministries who are members of NRB, such as TWR, FEBC, and HCJB Global, are very active in Africa. My presence there will be to bring a word of greeting and encouragement to faithful servants using radio and television throughout Africa to share the Gospel and to disciple believers. As always, I will be learning how God is working in these lands, and will be attentive to His Spirit for any way He may want to use us.
One of the big challenges (and big prayer requests) is for the financial support needed for this ministry to continue at its current level. God raised up some key donors who gave significantly to help launch this ministry. Their gracious three-year commitment has now ended. I can’t express enough what a blessing these individuals have been. We would likely not be where we are in this ministry effort if it were not for their generous hearts.
We now need to find others to help step in with support. I am excited to visit with anyone you may know who might have an interest in making a difference on a global basis. I am usually working with 10-12 ministries around the world. The impact of their work broadcasts the Gospel over populations that number over 100 million. Hindu, Muslim, atheist, animist…non-believers of all types…have access to the Good News of Jesus’ sacrifice for their sin, and the hope we find only through Christ.
“When he (Jesus) looked out over the crowds, his heart broke.”
Where is your heart for the multitudes of our world?
Expectantly,
