Thanking God for His providence over many decades, slowly heading along the path Christ is leading. As a result, and I trust that this is true for most of us sojourners, the desired outcome is that we all have a testimony – our own unique story of joy and sadness, struggle and gain, even temptation and courage! What’s your story? Do you have one?
We’ve been telling the same story by video for some 22 years now. The chief protagonist is Jesus. The scene is corruption, decay, wickedness amidst smoldering promise and hope. It’s a battle between good and evil, truth and compromise, light and dark.
This week we uploaded our 666th gospel film. Like those streets that don’t have a number 13 (preferring instead a 11B letterbox number), the number 666 has it’s own connotations and symbolism. So, how might we manage this conundrum? Number the video as 665B, or plunge right in and tell it like it is?
We are currently refurbishing our film studio in Western Australia, adding another cinema camera, as well as working on better lighting. By God’s grace and providence, we’ve just uploaded our 631st gospel video.
The cameras we’ve been using in our more recent films has been the Canon EOS 80D, the BMCC 2.5k, and we now have a new BMCC4K on order. This will allow us to film each clip from multiple angles. Over the past 22 years, we’ve used a variety of cameras, including some old VHS cameras, various prosumer cameras including Canon and Sony, as well as a range of DSLRs. But, whether originally written on parchment, or conveyed by digital film, it?s the same timeless message that centres on Jesus Christ.
We?re all aware of the role that media plays in our lives. With the continual roll-out of better and faster technologies throughout the world, and the windows of opportunity that still exist in the free world, whether written on parchment or conveyed in bytes and bits, the follower of Christ has a commission and mandate to share the good news everywhere – to the ends of the earth.
We invite you to partner with us in this labour. Please pray that the LORD of the harvest would call and commission many more disciples, who with fervent vision and Christ-centred identity, embrace with diligence the work of supporting this and other ministries. We need capable media producers, presenters, researchers and those skilled in apologetics who can speak into this generation. We need those who are prepared to sacrifice in the name of Jesus that one more person may hear the good news. More than that, Jesus wants you to step up into his vision.
Someone once asked me, ?Why all this effort into sharing the gospel?? I suppose it?s a fair question, considering the apathy and lack of scriptural integrity that exists in parts of the Christian community. How would you answer? Perhaps mine would be: “Taste and see that the LORD is good!” After all, he is the Bread of Life!
We’ve just returned from the International Ministerial Congress meeting of the Church of God (Seventh Day) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was a wonderfully inspiring time together with leaders from Myanmar, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia, USA and Mexico.
Among the numerous presentations shared was one I titled “A Visual Culture Demands A Visual Gospel”. Our work for the past 17 years has been to share the gospel using media streaming, and I believe we’ve barely scratched the potential this has for introducing the gospel to millions and millions of people in South East Asia and beyond.
A missionary must understand the culture to which he or she is sent. To ignore the language, customs, religion and more if we’re to effectively convey and minister the gospel is to fail before we’ve started. Today’s culture is increasingly immersed in multimedia. The film industry and media generally are powerful influencers at every level of society, affecting attitudes and social mores.
The disciples of two millennia ago understood this. Matthew wrote his testimony with a Hebrew audience in mind. Paul preached to those in Athens, understanding the Greek culture of the day. What about us, today?
May we have ears to hear where God is sending us, eyes to see the harvest ripe, and a heart and hands to minister where God beckons.
(For additional photos of the IMC meeting, please visit our gallery).
John Klassek,