Israel (MNN) — Nestled in a region drenched with conflict, Israel has long stood as a bastion of religious inclusivity. Yet believers there, including those working in Christian broadcasting, often face pushback for sharing their faith. Denise Godwin with International Media Ministries says maximizing digital evangelism can facilitate conversation.
“There are a lot of people trying to communicate about the Messiah who live there, but they’re having to be careful, and we always find that media is a good handshake with people on the ground,” she says.
IMM’s media products are distributed in about 80 languages, several of which are spoken in the Middle East. When Satellite channels broadcast the hope of Christ:
“What we see is a huge move of God all over the Middle East – that the numbers they can study are just exploding with Muslims coming to Christ.”
Now working on a film depicting the story of Esther from a Persian perspective, Godwin is burdened for the people of Israel.
“I can’t help but think: doesn’t God have a heart for the people of Israel and letting them know his stories to maybe consider them from a new perspective?” she asks.
Godwin says telling the dramatized stories of Jesus can help people reconsider a familiar story or explore a new one. What if two groups of people with a shared history in the story of Esther could see God’s unified purpose for them in the present?
“I just think these days we live in are so extraordinary. Surely God could open a way for programs that reveal a bit more of Jesus into Israel to happen,” she says.
Please pray for God to open doors through which to pour out his spirit in Israel. Pray for believers there and in the surrounding region, as well as influencers online who are communicating God’s truth. Pray also for IMM as they continue to film the story of Esther.
People praying at Jerusalem’s Western Wall. This image and header image courtesy of Unsplash.
