It Is Finished!

Imagine what it would be like to be followed.  It would be a bad thing, right?  It would be worse if there were two followers; one writing down all of the good things you did, the other writing down all of the bad things you did. To make it worse yet, suppose that at the end of your life these watchful scribes weighed their lists and the heavier of the two determined where you spent eternity. 

The idea of these “Watchful Scribes” is a traditional belief in Islam. They are said to sit upon a Muslim’s shoulders, one on each side, and record their deeds. The heavier of the two lists is said to determine whether they go to Paradise or go to eternal punishment. 

There is just one list that Muslims and non-Muslims need to be concerned about. It is the list of names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Philippians 4:3, Revelation 21:27). 

Regardless of how many bad deeds a person may have committed, the sinlessness, holiness and righteousness of Jesus Christ outweighs them, and then some! Our sins left us in spiritual debt to God. However, in His final breath on the cross Jesus cried out, “Tetelestai!”. Literally translated, tetelestai means “It is finished.” It was commonly used in the Ancient Near East in business accounting to indicate that a debt has been paid. Jesus paid everyone’s spiritual debt. 

Whether reaching adults through radio broadcasts in their heart languages, or children through creative programming, The Tide remains committed to bringing the unchanging message that salvation is by God’s grace, through faith in the finished work of Jesus and not by any amount of good deeds.

This is good news for the Muslims of Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Albania, Kosovo, and other the countries where The Tide is at work. They don’t have to live in fear that their good deeds might not outweigh their bad deeds. They simply need to put their faith in Jesus Christ. 

You can read below for some of the exciting ways that The Tide is sharing this Good News among Muslim populations. As you read, please also continue to pray. The payment for our sins is finished, but the work of sharing this message is far from over. With almost half a billion Muslim souls at stake, there is still a lot of work to be done.

The Tide at Work

Throughout the Middle East, our Children’s Program uses engaging puppetry videos aired on satellite channels and is shared online to address children’s questions about the Christian faith. Using a creative, non-confrontational format helps present the salvation message clearly while breaking down barriers for young hearts in Arab and Muslim societies across the region to come to Jesus as Savior.

In Pakistan, we identified four unreached people groups without Gospel radio programming in their heart languages in 2018. By 2020, the ministry enabled a partner organization to recruit teams that began recording and broadcasting programs while conducting discipleship activities. Outreach now targets Pashtun, Punjabi, Saraiki, and Sindhi communities, reaching areas marked by religious persecution and opposition to Christians.

We reach into Afghanistan with weekly radio broadcasts in Dari, delivered through strategic transmitters, offering the hope of Christ to a spiritually hungry population eager for relief from severe persecution.

In India, we broadcast Gospel programs in nine local languages, produced by indigenous ministers in a local studio. This radio ministry is strengthened by complementary discipleship efforts, including literature distribution, Bible correspondence courses, seekers conferences and the “Radios for India” distribution project. Together, these initiatives are helping plant churches and nurture new believers among diverse and often unreached communities.

Since 2015, we have collaborated with Radio 7 Albania and local pastors to produce and air Albanian-language programs titled “Sipas Fjales” (“According to the Word”). These broadcasts serve as valuable tools for church planting, enabling pastors to disciple listeners who respond to the Gospel in a nation with a history of religious restrictions.

In Kosovo, we continue airing Albanian-language radio programs produced in partnership with local pastors since 2015. In a predominantly Muslim nation with a legacy of conflict, where evangelical Christians form a small minority, these broadcasts share Christ’s message of hope and have contributed to planting new churches while fostering positive responses in local communities.

We rejoice over the work through each of these outreaches. May God receive the glory for all He has done in the 80 years of The Tide ministry and for what He will accomplish in the years to come!