Audio Scriptures bring Christ to unreached groups

South America (MNN) — It’s home to some to some of the least-reached people groups on earth. Many of its civilians are illiterate and lack access to modern technology. But one Christian ministry has a unique way to bring them God’s Word: audio Scriptures.

Many people in South America speak Spanish or Portuguese, the common trade languages. But those may not be their primary languages. Faith Comes By Hearing is establishing 60 listening groups for unreached people in the greater Amazon Basin, bringing them the Gospel in their heart language.

This is accomplished by a device called The Proclaimer. The Proclaimer is a durable digital audio player preloaded with the message of the Bible and distributed to each group in their language, in order to maximize the Gospel’s impact.

“These people are oral; many of them are not readers,” says Phil Kenney, FCBH regional manager to the Americas. “So when they have something in their language, in this case God’s Word, they’re drawn to it and they listen. The idea is for them to talk about what they listened to and share, and it really just seems to fit in with the people groups that we’re working with in the Amazon region.”

The Proclaimer is the perfect solution for these countries that lack access to modern technology. It is nearly indestructible and can be powered by solar energy, electricity, or a hand crank. One full charge will last about 15 hours, and it can be recharged enough to play the entire New Testament over 1,000 times. Its powerful speaker allows up to 300 people to listen at once.

“One key feature is really the appropriate technology for the appropriate place,” says Kenney.

“The second thing is that most people groups, whether urban or remote, have a group concept,” he continues. “So The Proclaimer allows them to come together and listen, whether that be in a church, a school, while they’re doing their gardening…. It’s just a versatile tool that provides access to God’s Word in a foreign language.”

Though many groups around the Amazon Basin haven’t head the Gospel, Bible translators in Colombia found some success many years ago. They taught people of the Cauca village different health practices and translated the New Testament in their language. They also helped implement the Gospel into their daily lives.

“The dream of the translators was that one day people would use the Word of God in a family setting for daily devotionals,” explains Kenney,” growing in their relationship with the Lord, bringing up their families to know Him.

“Over the period of five or six years after people started listening to the Scriptures, then it became a daily thing in the villages of the Cauca people. And [they began] really to see lives changed and transformed and centered around the Word of God.”

But the harvest is still plentiful. And sharing the Gospel message is only part of the task. FCBH helps educate indigenous Christians with a Bible institute in Colombia, equipping them to preach the Gospel and protect new believers from false teaching.

“One of the strategies we’re using in Columbia is to train indigenous who are a part of the Bible institute,” says Kenney. “So they come to the Bible institute, they study for a semester at a time, then they go back to their villages. As they’re learning the Scriptures and becoming leaders, they’re able to go back with a Proclaimer in the language of their people and lead them in a right path.”

Don’t let these groups go unreached for Christ. There are many ways you can help FCBH share Jesus with unsaved tribes, whether by prayer or giving. Kenney asks that you pray for safety for field partners bringing The Proclaimer to these groups as they face the natural elements, as well as violence from the drug trade. You can donate a Proclaimer yourself for $157. Visit the FCBH donate page to see how.