Year in Review—“Flinging the Seed”
November 28, 2022
by Gregg Harris, THRU the BIBLE president
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building.
My mind is drawn to the powerful truths in 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 as we look back on 2022.
I love to quote Dr. McGee on the “business” of THRU the BIBLE. “We are in the seed-sowing business,” he loved to say in his homespun way. “Our job is to fling the seed.” What tremendous freedom we have in this simple, biblical mandate.
Now read 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 again. Together, we can be confident that:
(1) Our job is to play our part.
(2) God’s job is to give the increase. (He alone can do this.)
(3) We will receive our own reward for our obedience to our calling.
For almost 50 years, we’ve been flinging seed around the world using radio. We continue to invest heavily in that medium, but as God opens doors, we have added new delivery systems that allow us to “fling the seed” in exciting new ways.
Two Hundred Languages. This year, we celebrated the wonderful milestone of seeing Dr. McGee’s systematic teaching available in more than 200 languages around the world. We are excited to see the impact in smaller language groups, many of whom have almost no solid Bible teaching resources.
Satellite TV. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of THRU the BIBLE’s satellite TV ministry. The Arabic TV program continues to reach huge numbers of people on multiple satellite releases and social media. Their YouTube channel alone has seen over seven million views. Over the past decade, we’ve added seven more languages to our TV ministry: Persian, Turkish, Urdu, Indonesian, French, Armenian, and Italian. THRU the BIBLE’s satellite TV broadcasts now cover the entire Muslim world at a time when more Muslims are turning to Christ than any time in human history. God really knows what He is doing!
THRU the BIBLE Home Groups. Ten years ago, I was in India meeting with the CEO of TWR-India. He expressed gratitude for THRU the BIBLE’s commitment to reach India and shared a vision to take Dr. McGee’s teaching into dozens of smaller language groups. That simple vision is now a reality as we have more than 20,000 THRU the BIBLE Home Groups meeting in countries like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. This model has been so powerful that other regions of the world are proposing to duplicate it. Dr. McGee said, “As the church started in the home, it is going to come back to the home.”
Digital Initiatives. We all know technology has changed the way people live, work, and play. While it is an incredibly complex and fast-changing realm, we believe THRU the BIBLE must be active in getting the Word of God out through these avenues. God has brought together a team of tremendously gifted partners who have built exciting platforms for us to distribute both the Bible and our Bible teaching to anyone on earth who wants it. By the end of 2022, we will have not only our main THRU the BIBLE app with the Bible and Dr. McGee’s teaching in over 100 languages, but we also will have released 25 THRU the BIBLE contextualized Bible apps. By God’s grace, we already see millions of engagements across all the digital platforms available as of this writing.
| | THRU the BIBLE App | | THRU the BIBLE Contextualized Apps |
| Primary Audience | Anyone who wants to engage with THRU the BIBLE programs and resources.
| | Anyone who wants to study the Bible in a single language. |
| Core App Features | Access THRU the BIBLE study programs in 100+ languages paired with a Bible. Along with additional resources, listeners can stream or engage offline, as well as save progress with a personal account. | | Access to a single Bible and associated THRU the BIBLE content, for use in areas where connectivity or data storage are a barrier to using our primary app. Available in 20 languages, with more being added each month. |
| Download Options | Download it from the THRU the BIBLE Apple and Google Play stores, or visit TTB.org/listen. | | View all apps in our THRU the BIBLE Apple and Google Play stores, or visit https://ttb.bible. |
As we head into 2023, let’s keep flinging the seed out there, while trusting God to give the increase. We can be sure of His promise to reward us for our faithfulness to the task. I’m thinking of you, each of you individually, who are playing your part and whom God will reward for your obedience to your calling.
On behalf of the entire team at THRU the BIBLE and our partners around the world, thank you for your faithful support as we take the whole Word to the whole world!
At THRU the BIBLE, our mission embraces the intersections of opportunities—both divine and seemingly ordinary. Faithful choices and generous service lay the foundation for us to continue to take the whole Word to the whole world.