“This week celebrates 25 years of broadcasting the Gospel of Jesus Christ, beginning on a small radio station in Michigan , and soon reaching out to all the world.”

 I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll reminisce about these 25 years of “Giving the Winds God’s Mighty Voice” …

…Well hello friends, this is Dennis Finnan your host and speaker welcoming you to this special 25^th anniversary broadcast of the World, the Word & You! Our program continues to come to you today by the wonderful and marvelous support of our friends and listeners of these programs.

Actually, we have two separate broadcasts that go out over the airwaves each week. One is local, promoting the church I serve as senior pastor, and the other is our international broadcast that is supported by a number of churches and individuals who have through these 25 long years kept us on the air with their prayers and financial support. 

The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is strictly a faith ministry. It has no funding apart from individuals like you who listen, and Bible-believing church groups that see the need for God’s Word to be broadcast to the listening ears of the world. Now today on the program we are going to so something unique. I would like to reminisce about these 25 years and give you my testimony of how I came to know Jesus Christ as my Savior and God. Also we’ll look at the changes in Christian ministry and worship along the way. Nevertheless, I want to share with you God’s unchanging Word that regardless of what century we live in, what age of man materializes before our eyes, it is good to adapt to as much as possible, to make God’s Word relevant to the people of the day and age we live in. So let’s begin with an opening moment of music geared to today’s generation of worshippers. Don’t go away, I think you’ll enjoy this special program ahead…

… It all began for me on May 24, 1974 , for that was the exact date I was “born again” by faith in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. I know you’ve heard this term “born again” often, and perhaps its meaning is a bit foggy, but it is a good term and has solid meaning biblically. That date is clear to me for it was on that Friday in May, after listening to a radio broadcast  in my car as I was traveling, my spiritual eyes were opened to realize that I was a lost sinner on my way to an eternal Hell because of my sins against the holiness of God. To make my story short, I pulled over to the side the road I was traveling, and bowed my head and prayed this simple prayer:

“O God, all my life I’ve been self-sufficient, I’ve needed nobody but myself or so I thought. But now I’ve come to realize my own self-sufficiency along with my own failures, has been sin against You, God. I ignored your Son Jesus Christ who died for me; I’ve blatantly lived as if I was my own god’ I’ve done things I’m now ashamed of; I’ve been callous towards my wife and children; I’ve indulged in life without a thought of Your presence and place – God forgive me. I now know I need You in my life for it to have any meaning and purpose and I now know it is Jesus Christ who is to have first place because He died on that cross for my sins, and offers me His free gift of eternal life. O God, I’m sorry for my sins, and I ask forgiveness. Please come into my life right now, and be my very God and Savior. I hereby turn the reigns of my life over to you now and forever, give me the power to live above my sins and sinfulness, and grant me your promised Holy Spirit to live in and through me to accomplish it. I pray this prayer in Jesus Name. Amen.”

For me my friend, that began a new life in Christ that has since gone on wonderfully and faithfully to grant me the gracious opportunity to eventually become a servant of God who preaches and declares His Word to the world in which I live. From a hearer of God’s Word to a preacher of it – what a joy it has been for me, and now to celebrate 25 years of radio ministry of reaching my world with the GOOD NEWS gospel of Jesus Christ through the air waves of the nation and the world.

Now where did this profession of faith take me? Well it took me back to the means whereby God reached me for Christ – Christian radio. It was actually my first church that God sent me to serve in after equipping me for the ministry. The name was Calvary Bible Church of Benton Harbor, Michigan . When I arrived as the new pastor, I learned the church had a radio ministry started by a previous pastor and the people there expected me to continue this ministry. Its purpose was to reach shut-ins in the local community who couldn't come to church services. By the reading of poems, and letters, the program aired weekly on WHFB and WHFB-FM in Benton Harbor , Michigan .

So on May 11, 1980 , God began my radio ministry that has lasted now for 25 years. My first broadcast was for me a flop. I just couldn’t use this precious time to read poems and read letters of encouragement. I realized it was through the radio that God reached me, and I wanted desperately to reach others for Christ by the very same means. So I revamped the entire format and messages to be essentially evangelistic. To do that, I saw the need to take current events and happenings, coupled with biblical teaching and truths, and assorted music of the day to reach the non-Christian who probably never or rarely attended church.

Little did I know how much God was going to use me in and through this, nor how far from that first local radio station ministry, a new Christian evangelism broadcast would go. From the very first broadcasts, letters began to pour in of folks who were blessed by the teaching and others who never went to church tuned in and began to realize their need of Christ. Indeed, it was a blessing.

Now to reminisce I want to share with some excerpts of my early radio days. We’ll listen to portions of my preaching and the types of music that have changed through the years. I do hope you will enjoy them as well as chuckle at the progression of my outreach style and changes along the way.

So, let’s begin with what I think is one of the early broadcasts in the year 1980. Listen now…

-- EARLY BROADCAST PLAYED --

… As I listened to this recorded radio program, I indeed chuckled to learn of my style changes. I was quite shall I say “subdued.” I think I’ve become more animated in my speech and my topics have zeroed in more on the needs of people worldwide, rather than locally as then. Of course, the music has changed too, as you can note. Now speaking of music, we all realize the vast changes that have taken place there. Some of it good, and of course some of it not so good. Yet God wants us, who claim the name of Jesus Christ, to realize that styles and ministry methods can change and should change to meet the needs of any society and place, but the message must never change. I thank God, my message of hope and help from God offered in Jesus Christ has never changed on this broadcast! Yet my preaching styles and music has, for which I have no apology.

It’s sad when folks in the world of Christianity get “stuck” in time and cannot change. For them a particular era of time satisfied them and gave comfort and they cannot move forward. That of course is the story of the Amish peoples. It was somewhere in 1853 that they got “stuck in time,” and their faith and practice could not advance. Oh yes, God moved on for He is greater than any age of man, but sometimes His children fail to move with Him. So, we’ve tried over the years to stay relevant in these areas with modern ways and music, but carefully not to adopt that which is in the world and cannot be pleasing to God. Not all of you will agree, but thankfully I do answer for my ministry to God first, and then to those who support me. But let’s reminisce some more. As my radio ministry blossomed and progressed we reached out to other stations around the nation. As God moved me to different churches to serve in His Name, I encouraged these local congregations to get involved and sponsor local broadcasting in their area of influence. In addition, we kept the national radio ministry that soon was sponsored by a number of good church groups and individuals. Let’s listen to another interesting excerpt in time of our radio broadcasts. This was in 1981 and it was a special memorial remembrance at the death and home going of a dear saint and preacher -- Dr. John R. Rice. I broadcast at that time, one of his “down-home” moments as he sung a favorite hymn he had written. Listen now…

-- EARLY BROADCAST --

… “Wow,” that was a time and era of the past that is worth reminiscing. But time moved on and so did music and this messenger of God. We faithfully continued preaching the gospel on the airwaves, and many people who listened, who never went to church, came to know Christ as their Savior and Lord. But what intrigued me the most was I had designed the radio ministry pointedly for the non-Christian secular listener, but I soon discovered, many Christians who were not being fed the Word in their churches thrived through this radio preaching ministry. In fact, a number of times even pastors wrote to me and thanked me for reaching out with subjects they rarely talked on in their Sunday morning services, but knew God’s people needed answers to. Even radio station managers wrote to tell me they also appreciated the programming on their stations. In fact the founder of PAX TV, Lowell “Bud” Paxton wrote this about our programming:

“We are grateful for the opportunity to carry your program. After 30 years in radio I can truly say your program is inspired.”

I have been amazed at how much God has blessed our radio talks to listeners far and wide. So, let’s listen again to another broadcast, this time later on in the years, to a message from the past in the early 90’s entitled “PLANET-WIDE PLAGUE…”

-- EARLY BROADCAST--

…Oh how things change! You know it’s hard for a man to listen to his own voice, for you hear how you change through the years. Yet one thing never changes my friend. It is the Word of God and the message it has for the world! It must never change! And that I can pledge to all of you who listen and others who support this radio work -- God’s message of eternal life must go out to all the world, and Christian evangelistic radio is one of the mighty ways to do it.

Since that very first broadcast in May 1980, our radio ministry has moved around the nation and began to consider other means of broadcasting. It was in June of 1995, when the Internet and computers began to open doors to radio broadcasting on the cyber-waves of this new electronic medium. The World, the Word & You! Broadcast started with a website, and began what was perhaps the first Christian radio to be broadcast on the cyber-waves of the Internet. Little did I know how much it would reach the world. To date, we have been heard in more than 26 nations of the world who have responded through the years with letters of help and encouragement.

But then something unique happened. Back in 1997, the New York Times became interested in what Christians were doing with the Internet and they came across our radio program. They couldn’t believe anyone could be reached for the gospel by this means. So they called me up and asked me if I had any proof that Christians using the Internet, could really reach the world with our message? Well, I had proof at that time. One of our first converts to Christ was in Norway . A young man had found our radio broadcast page, listened to the radio ministry and read a transcript and gave His heart to Christ. The New York Times was in disbelief, so I asked the young man for permission to give his name and they went over to Norway and interviewed him.

He shared the truth – it was through the World, the Word & You! Broadcast, that God reached his heart for Christ. There was no real preaching of the gospel there and this was the first he heard of it. So the New York Times sent a reporter and photographer down to interview me, which at that time I was pastor of the St. Charles Bible Church in St. Charles , Minnesota . Following the interview, a full page story and pictures were in the Sunday New York Times. With that exposure, the Internet radio ministry greatly blossomed, and people who wanted to see what was being done by this ministry on the Internet. It has since been wonderfully used of God to reach peoples from nations around the world to hear the Good News of Christ.

Each month our Internet broadcast reaches an average of 30,000 inquirers of the website. Furthermore, we moved to shortwave broadcasting, in the early 90’s where through the years we reached the South Pacific, Europe, South Africa, and the entire continent of the Americas from North to South. God was good as He gave opportunity to use us for this exciting purpose.

Now to date, I have had the privilege to broadcast 1,300 messages from God’s Word to a needy listening world. Only God knows how many people have come to Christ, and how many more Christians, starved for God’s Word in nations they cannot worship or gather together, but they could tune in to shortwave radio, or possible the internet and be fed the holy manna from Heaven.

Although 25 years have gone by, one downside to all this has been our original supporters, wonderful Christians, many have gone on to glory and their support is gone. As we are a faith ministry, nationally we depend totally for listener support to keep us on the airwaves and the Internet, we indeed need your regular support to keep the work going.

However, I've learned through the years I cannot anticipate how God will fund us, for each time there was a crisis, He has met it through folks like you. I thank God for your faithful support that has kept us on the air now for these 25 years, and I thank God for the years ahead, God will deem it His grace and plan for us to continue.

This year I’ll reach my 61^st birthday and I don’t know how long God will give me, but as long as I have breath and ability is mine, I’ll go on and be faithful to declare God’s Word for a needy world.

Years ago Steve Musto sang a beautiful song and on that I will close my message and special program today. Listen to the words, from this great song and give thanks to God with me…

… To God be the glory, great things He has done! But my friend all this is in vain and useless, unless you the listeners have come to know Christ as your Savior and Lord. Remember the truth of the Bible is  -- God loves this world so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, to be an offering for sin; to pay the penalty of all sinners that awaits us in eternity and by dying on a cross. There on that cross of death, God the Father punished Jesus for our sins. Yes, He suffered our Hell, and endured our punishment for sin, so that Jesus Christ, God the Son, could offer this payment on our behalf when we meet Him in eternity.

Friend have you trusted alone in Jesus Christ as your Savior, and do you realize it is God alone who paid for your sin? Jesus is the infinite God-Man who rose from the dead and offers to you His salvation, full and free, for the taking. We take it by faith and through prayer confessing our sins and calling upon the Lord Jesus Christ save us. Know this my friend, God never fails any contrite heart that comes to Him, nor will He ever cast them out. I’m a poor sinner lost along life’s way that God rescued over 30 years ago. I was a sinner then and still am, but by the grace of God I am moving closer to God, His presence and the likeness of God’s Son Jesus Christ. May these 25 years of faithful ministry ever count as my and your gift to God for so great salvation. To God be the glory great things He has done!

Thanks for listening my friends, and thanks to our supporters for their faithful upkeep for this programming. May God ever bless you till He comes again in glory.