When churches were forced into coronavirus quarantine, people all over the world began losing one of their main sources for hearing God’s Word. But for people in Nigeria, one of the nine countries in which The Tide radio ministry is broadcast, the Gospel continued to reach believers and unbelievers through the airwaves.
In a time when forging personal relationships seemed impossible due to contagion, our radio broadcasts created opportunities to build relationships and proclaim the Gospel. For one listener, hearing — in his native tongue — how to live for God through a radio broadcast by The Tide ministry led him to turn away from a perverted life. After hearing The Tide ministry’s “Tamunu” (“God’s Word”) program, the listener repeatedly reached out to the station and was welcomed into a relationship of evangelism and discipleship.
“I want to praise the Lord for his mercy [to] redeem me,” the listener said. “I confided in your speaker and we prayed together for some months. Today I am free.”
The “Tamunu” broadcast is just 1 of 11 broadcasts that we have started in Nigeria. Throughout quarantine, all 11 continued to spread the Gospel, which God used to change the lives of many listeners. One listener of the “Dandana Zazzim” (“Praise Time”) program was a victim of a witchcraft attack, but God used The Tide ministry’s broadcast and loving team to lead the person to freedom in Christ.
“Through your prayers, I have been redeemed,” the “Dandana Zazzim” listener said. “I praise the Lord for his mercy.”
From The Tide ministry’s first Nigerian radio broadcast in 2009 to its 11 broadcasts across the country today, God has provided a medium for the Nigerian people to hear His Word even in quarantine. With sessions about suffering, thankfulness and spiritual warfare, the broadcast emboldens its listeners to worship God amid challenging circumstances.
Don Shenk, Director of The Tide ministry, underscores the vital lifeline the radio broadcasts provide to the Nigerian people.
“Government-mandated lockdowns can leave people extremely vulnerable to spiritual attacks by making them feel isolated and alone in their struggles,” Shenk said. “Fortunately, social restrictions have not hindered our radio broadcasts and God is using them to draw listeners into His embrace where they find solid hope through experiencing Him at work in their hearts.”
Nigerian Christians desperately need prayer and support from the global church. More than 6,000 Christians have been targeted and killed in Nigeria since 2015, with little protection from military and police or from international leaders, in violent campaigns many members of British Parliament say could meet the definition of genocide.