"Air Mail"
September 2, 2016
(The Lord said) "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My Word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11
Eighty-five years ago the radio broadcast The Lutheran Hour went on the air. Its goal then -- as it is now -- was to bring Christ to the nations. Today, The Lutheran Hour is heard on more than 1,400 stations in North America alone, and we are the oldest ongoing Christian broadcast in the world.
But that doesn't mean our broadcast is the only way of delivering the Savior's story by air.
Recently, Sweden's Word of Life church has announced plans to use military drones to drop thousands of Arabic electronic Bibles into ISIS-controlled areas of Syria. As one leader of the church has said, "Let's pray the message of God's love in Christ will conquer that of darkness and hate."
Now to be honest there are a fair number of naysayers who are putting down the idea.
* Some say anyone caught with a Bible in an ISIS-controlled area is going to forfeit his life.
* There are others who maintain the church is making its headquarters a target for Islamic extremists.
In all probability both of those statements would be true.
More than one of our Lutheran Hour Ministries' offices has been threatened over the years. Still, that is the price which sometimes must be paid when an organization takes seriously the Savior's command to go into all the world to deliver the story of salvation.
And if you were to ask me about how I felt about what the Swedish church is doing, I would say I don't have an opinion. I don't have an opinion because the Lord has already shared how He feels about the matter.
Look to the text above where the Lord promises when His Word goes out it is not going to fail. Yes, some of the seed may fall on hard ground, some may sprout and then die, but some of it will grow and bring forth a beautiful harvest.
By the Holy Spirit's power, God's Word will accomplish what He intends, and that Word will succeed in moving people from darkness to light, from damnation to salvation.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant that Your Word may be blest and hearts which today are held by the devil may be brought into the light of the Savior. Send Your Holy Spirit to be with and protect all those who courageously tell the world, "Christ is risen!" and because Jesus lives all who believe on Him will also live. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
