Mission News: Citizens of What Kingdom?

You are a Saudi citizen. As you recite your evening prayers, head low, facing Mecca, you hear a neighbor's TV set and the sound of a strange, but joyful song. The neighbor is singing, "Lord, the light of your love is shining. Set us free by the truth you now bring us. Shine on me, shine on me!" The spiritually dark country of Saudi Arabia is decidedly anti-Christian. Churches are completely illegal. No worship services can be held, not in private, not by foreign Christians living in the country. Displays of the cross are completely forbidden. The former international airline, Swiss Air, was required to land planes only at night with tail illumination extinguished, because the company logo on the tail included a Swiss cross.

No Bibles, study guides or devotionals of any kind are permitted in book stores. As a citizen of Saudi Arabia, you could be arrested for seeking or possessing a Bible. Should you take a stand for Christ, you could be beheaded publicly for apostasy. All newspapers, radio and television stations are censored. Foreign broadcasts that are considered subversive are jammed, except for one - satellite television.

An organization receiving support from Central beams Christian programming, via satellite, to encourage isolated Christ followers. These believers experience on-air worship services, listen to Christian music, view Sunday School-like programs, receive Bible teaching, witness Christian dramas that demonstrate how to live as a Kingdom citizen.

Viewers from non-Christian backgrounds are captivated. One man wrote, "I admit your message appeals to me and it soothes me when I hear it. I beg you to help me because I am totally lost - not convinced about anything. I live in a society where cheating and hatred are rampant. I do not belong to them and they do not relate to me. Would Jesus really help me? Would you help me? This is what I am hoping for."