The Soviet official was boasting to a Christian leader at the height of communism’s brutal reign several decades ago. He was proud and blunt. They had converted an entire nation to communism by sowing their message like seeds across the vast Union.
The propaganda was brilliantly planned. And it worked superbly. One great thing the communist regime did was to ensure literacy. They made sure that people would learn to read and write.Then, they gave them words that would transform their lives, and subsequently the nation.
Everywhere you looked, from newsstands to tables at open-air markets, there was a continual supply of printed literature celebrating the ideals and values of the new order. People were being transformed by the renewing of their mind.
For the Christian leader one question was unavoidable… was the Church as determined and committed to spread the message of God’s glorious Gospel? Was the Church grasping the impact of persistent saturation through the printed page?
Words have such a profound and formative influence. In a very real sense, they have spiritual force and they form belief. The words to which we are most frequently exposed shape our values, our vision and our hopes.
Today, our friends and neighbours are bombarded with all sorts of words. My great concern for this nation in particular is not so much the proliferation of an ungodly social agenda but the receding presence of the gospel message beyond the walls of our churches.
[box]We have done what you Christians have never been able to do!” The brazen comment stung. It must have felt like a nasty sucker punch. [/box]Long before the advent of modern technology with printing presses, radio, television and the World Wide Web, a brave band of disciples of Jesus saturated their world with the Gospel. They had done what the communist official had boasted about. They had filled their city with their teaching. (Acts 5:28)
We will have a short report on another brave band of disciples in one of the next posts. They are young, passionate believers living in the former Soviet Union. With extremely modest resources they are endeavouring to communicate the love Christ to every home in Siberia. They are going to the most remote places and reaping a harvest to the glory of God! They are proving once again that the printed page has transformative impact!
BY DENYS BLACKMORE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR