Monthly Letter

Dear Partner in ministry,

I have mentioned this to you before. I bring it up again because it’s as important now as it’s ever been. Maybe even more so.

I am a Christian today because someone gave me printed materials. Someone gave me literature knowing it would go on speaking to me long after he could not. It would be a witness to the power of the gospel, a messenger of the goodness of God.

When a viewer I’ll call Louise contacted me, I was encouraged by the way God had used It Is Written to impact her life. “I have begun to keep the Sabbath, I want to be baptized, and I am looking for a church to join,” she told me. Not only had Louise begun to watch our weekly English-language It Is Written program, but she had also contacted It Is Written to request our free offers. When she received our Bible study guides, she learned the teachings of the Bible and came to love God with all her heart. On her first visit to church, she surprised the congregation by asking when she could be baptized. Louise was reached by media, yes. Media and resources, those quiet preachers that are used by God to speak to hearts.

Each month, It Is Written sense, free of charge, thousands of resources to people all across North America. Thousands more are downloaded around the world. Viewers of our programs are encouraged to learn more about faith in God by receiving complimentary study materials containing precious Bible truth, a revelation of the depths of God’s love and grace, and a strong invitation to accept Jesus as Savior and Lord.

We are able to provide free materials because of your support, and your desire to see the everlasting gospel go to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.

Two days ago a friend contacted me. “The Bible studies we have printed in Hindi are running out and we need to print again. May we do so?” Souls are being won via these studies, and more are urgently needed. A man recently said to me, “The Bible studies in Urdu have been used to win many souls to Jesus.” Urdu is the language spoken in Pakistan, a country where sharing Jesus is not easy. However, the printed page can do what people cannot.

Publishing resources is an extremely important part of what we do at It Is Written. The more visible aspects of our ministry—media evangelism, public evangelism, evangelism training, and mission trips—work in tandem with resources in order to be truly successful.

While the It Is Written Bible Study Guides continue to point men and women and boys and girls to Jesus, I’m excited about two new studies that are coming off the printing press almost as I write.

While anyone who attends an evangelistic series in the United States will receive study materials each night, it is common for people in the mission field to go home from evangelistic meetings empty-handed. They often have no follow-up resources to reinforce what they have learned or to share with others. This need led us to adapt the It Is Written Bible Study Guides for use in the mission field.

As it isn’t always practical or cost-effective to ship full sets of glossy, multi-page Bible studies around the world, we have reformatted these same studies into an easy-to-use and affordable resource. Still attractively laid out, these Bible studies can now be printed in the mission field, assisting groups in overseas mission work. The church in other countries can now mass-produce comprehensive Bible study materials easily and inexpensively. These new studies, currently being produced in English and Spanish, will go with mission groups to the ends of the earth, sharing the light of Christ and the power of the gospel.

Our brand-new Early Learner Bible Guides are now enabling “early learners”—children as young as 4—to develop a relationship with Jesus as they learn about Him and His Word. My wife, Melissa, excitedly watched the very first Early Learner Bible Guides come off the press just days ago. I’m so thankful for her commitment to seeing little ones develop a solid foundation of faith. And I’m beyond thankful for your kindness in making this initiative possible. At It Is Written, we can only do what you permit us to do. This truly is your ministry. And there are more exciting ministry tools in development.

In a certain sense I was deeply troubled as I read my way to faith in Jesus. I was very aware that my life was going to radically change if I chose to follow Jesus. In fact, I seriously considered throwing away the book I was reading. Maybe then life could go on without the disruption that seemed sure to follow. But I knew that if I disposed of the book, what I had learned would still be true. Jesus would still have died for my sins, and the Bible would still be real and true. Getting rid of the book would not change the truth of what it taught me.

I still have that book. I keep it in my office so that I can see it virtually every day. It reminds me of what Jesus has done for me. And it reminds me of the power of literature and the opportunity it gives us to change lives. The Holy Spirit speaks through these powerful resources.

It Is Written invests hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to bring resources to people searching for answers to life’s most important questions. It costs an average of $3.50 to send study materials in answer to a viewer request. Your gift of $350 will bring the life-changing message of the Bible into 100 homes. $35 will answer the searching questions of at least 10 people, shining light into their hearts and helping them to see Jesus clearly.

A set of the mission field studies will cost us $2.00 to produce. During our Colombia mission trip this month, we will distribute as many as 10,000 sets of studies. $20 will sponsor the distribution of 10 sets of studies. $200 will bring the gospel into the homes of 100 families, while $2,000 will make it possible for 1,000 families to study and share the great, transformational teachings of the Bible.

With your help, It Is Written will continue to develop, produce, and distribute millions of resources in multiple languages all around the world. This is the sort of project that neither of us could do on our own. But as we collaborate together, you enable It Is Written to dedicate the time and human assets to this work, and the funding to turn heaven-inspired ideas into life-changing encounters.

Thank you for your partnership in taking the gospel to the world. Souls are being won to faith in Jesus thanks to your strong support.

May God bless and keep you.

Yours in the blessed hope,
Pastor John Bradshaw
President, It Is Written

P.S. Our printed and digital resources are an integral part of our ministry. Books and Bible studies continue to reach souls long after the preacher has gone home or the program has ended. We’re in the process of publishing two new resources: our mission field Bible studies, adapted for printing and distributing in the field, and the new Early Learner Bible Guides, Bible studies for children aged 4-6. With your help, It Is Written will continue to develop, produce, and distribute millions of resources in multiple languages all around the world. Thank you for your support in bringing others to know Christ.

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