Life TV Al Hayat

‘That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth’, Acts 13. 47

Media tabloids frequently tag the 21st century as being the age of the Digital Revolution. This idea that individuals have the ability to transfer or access information freely and instantly from anywhere across the globe was formerly complicated or impossible to do.

PDA’s, tablets, social networking sites, Google, Wikipedia and a host of other gizmo’s and applications have created an insatiable thirst for this type of technology. What’s more, it has created a mass dilemma for so many people who struggle to keep up to date with the changing trends.

As a result, our world has been transformed from hard copy to soft copy and from copper wire to optical fibre, so that the letters ‘www’ precede every recognized or known organiza-tion. However, this hi-tech age has not come without prejudice and concern. For instance, it has highlighted new dangers which we are still coming to terms with. Nonetheless, one can appreciate the positive aspect of what this digital revolution has done – it has opened up new opportunities that previous generations could not even dream about.

For example, the digital world has given rise to a huge number of satellite channels. No longer are we restricted to traditional analogue signals, but like internet sites, hundreds of new channels flood the airways and are being beamed across regions and lands where the gospel was previously considered taboo.

One channel in particular is Life TV (Al Hayat) which commenced in September, 2003 and is aired across New Zealand, Australia, the Middle-East, Europe, North America, North Africa and many other key locations. This channel is a free-to-air, 24-hour Christian channel which broadcasts primarily in the Arabic language and with occasional programmes in English, see www.lifetv.org.au. It also provides many devotional and educational programmes such as:

• God is Able
• Biblical Characters
• Daily Bread
• Questions about Faith
• The Sound of Testimony
• A Daring Question, which is produced by a group of ex-Muslims
• Worlds Apart – speaking the truth in love
• Misconceptions – rightly dividing the word of truth

Interestingly, the channel has become famous for its apologetic and Christian-Islamic dialogue-based programmes and has subsequently become one of the most controversial channels in the Middle-East through its live shows, where Muslims and Christians can ring in and ask challenging questions, www.islamexplained.com.

While this channel competes against secular mainstream channels, it has enjoyed phenomenal growth and success which is without doubt, a blessing from the Lord. Keep in mind that Life TV is watched regularly by up to 100 million people and with the potential to expand its audience in selected South Asian countries that figure could dramatically escalate.

A number of believers who fellowship at Kingsgrove Gospel Chapel in Sydney, Australia, are involved in this ministry, including its Australian director who has asked that this ministry become a source for vigilant prayer. While Life TV Australia is not in total control of every programme, it contributes to a range of gospel and teaching programmes for its viewers. The assembly at Kingsgrove, commenced in 1986 and currently has about 240 believers in fellowship; seventy of whom attend the youth group meetings. It holds regular meetings in Arabic and English.

Life TV is a faith ministry which produces programmes from its studio in Sydney, Australia. It is headed by a team of dedicated workers but for security reasons the exact details cannot be disclosed.

Many hundreds of people from different religions contact the channel asking for copies of the Bible and want to make a profession for Christ. There are far too many stories and testimonies to detail in this article, although we would like to encourage and inform the saints abroad about the impact of this channel upon the lives of many around the world, not least in areas where it is a capital offence to preach the gospel.

On a recent visit to Sydney, Mr. Roy Hill, chairman of Precious Seed Trust, was invited to be the interviewee in a ten-part series about the family unit. The show was titled ‘World’s Apart – Speaking the truth in love’, Eph 5. 23. The recordings took place each morning for a week. This particular show aimed to demonstrate the difference between what the Bible teaches and what the secular world practises. The ten interviews of 30 minutes each will be aired later this year.

For further information please email Romel Ghossain at [email protected]