Until All Have Heard
Until All Have Heard
From Redemption to Innovation - Part 1 (Ep. 306)
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Effective ministry comes from people with changed hearts. In this episode, you’ll get to hear about the amazing story of redemption from one of our FEBC staff. Our good friend Jonathan Mortiz sat down for an extended conversation with our Indonesian Ministry director, Yancen. In the first part of a two-episode series, you’ll hear how Yancen’s ministry focus comes out his own personal prodigal son story. He’ll detail how his pursuit of power, position and wealth was abandoned for the greatest gift, the love of God…Until All Have Heard.
Join us now for Until All Have Heard, a podcast featuring the Ministry of the Far East Broadcasting Company. I'm Wayne Shepherd with Ed Cannon, president of FEBC. And Ed, today we're going to hear about an amazing story of redemption. One of our staff is going to tell their story today.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I think the reason it's so important that we listen to this story, and I hope you enjoy it, is because these are the kind of people that FEBC has to do our broadcasts. We focus very clearly on having indigenous people who understand the local culture, the local language, and what it's like to live in their country. Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_03And very often they're first impacted themselves by FEBC before they ever become a part of the ministry. Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Many have been. And they in this case, Indonesia is a very large Muslim country. And so our broadcasters need to at least understand that culture, if not have come out of that culture themselves. Similarly, in in Cambodia and Thailand, most of our broadcasters are former Buddhists who have come to faith in Christ so that when they're speaking to the majority of people in that country who are Buddhists, 98%, they understand what those people's mindset is. So in order for us to be effective at communicating the gospel, you need to know your audience.
SPEAKER_03Well, during that forum, Jonathan Mortiz sat down with Jansen to tell the story, and he mentioned Yasky. Let's set the context there. Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_02We have ministry in Indonesia. There's two separate aspects of our radio ministry. There's FABC Yasky and there's FABC Heartline. Heartline is more of a pre-evangelical radio ministry to kind of introduce people to scripture and Christian things. Yasky is more the radio that's declaring the truth of Christ, Bible studies, sermons, that sort of thing. And so we have to use those two different levels to bring people who are unwilling to listen to Bible teaching first and then advance them to the Yasky.
SPEAKER_03Well, with that understanding, then let's turn to the interview that Jonathan Ortiz did in Helsinki, actually.
SPEAKER_00Now going to the ministry with Yasky and F E B C Indonesia, what is a typical ministry day look like?
SPEAKER_01Based on our vision, uh Christ to the Word by Media, we uh the main ministry is how to share the gospel, how to broadcast the gospel through Indonesia, through the world, by radio, by online uh stuff, by on-site mission. We have three models on on air, our main ministry by radio. We do uh seven radios there, and also one hundred and forty something Christian radio uh as our partner to share uh the gospel in Indonesia. And also we we we are doing online mission, uh something how to put the Bible, how to put the good news to the social media, like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, website, something like that. And also meet by Zoom uh with others people, uh you know, because because we are realized that Indonesia um have uh many, many islands. So if we just do our traditional way, oh I can I cannot imagine how cost it is, how uh yeah, how cost it is. So that's why we use on also on online and on site sometimes we we we have to go to the island, we have to go to the the communities to have uh engagement and uh you know uh probing some investigation about why why uh and why what and how they live as a Christian and how can be uh how they can be uh missionary also. Um yeah, based on Yasky. What's the total population of Indonesia right now?
SPEAKER_00Uh 200 282 million, 282 million, and majority is Muslim. Muslim. As majority is Muslim. And as far as we know, this is the largest uh Muslim population as a country. Yes, yes, of course. Now, what have you been learning from God's word as you do ministry?
SPEAKER_01You know a story about prodigal son? That's me. Because uh uh the year 2005, uh before that time, um I'm a missing one. I'm a prodigal son. Yeah. Uh I did my job as a journalist and also uh part of a mafia in Indonesia in that time. Uh you know, the world is mine, was mine. The world was mine. I have uh I have everything I can say, oh, that's nice. I will have it easy like that.
SPEAKER_00And I didn't know this part of your uh your life, and you're okay to share this, right? It's okay, it's okay.
SPEAKER_01Uh, because I want to notice one one thing that uh I'm a prodigal son, but uh God and Jesus loved me very much. Jesus accepted me. Even I I uh I did something wrong with him and forget him in my uh young era when I I was uh you know the I was I have a lot of money, I have a lot of action access to to a politician, I have a lot of uh a lot of resource to do, but um I forgot him. I never go to the church, I never go touch my Bible, even I have a lot of Bible in my home.
SPEAKER_00But you know, you know, when I look at you right now, I don't see that because you're a total change man.
SPEAKER_01Uh in the past years when I have uh long hair, and I always you know I always do um, you know, a ponytail. A ponytail or something like that. Yeah. Um in that time I love one girl. I love I love very much one girl. I asked God, okay God, you gave me a wealth, you gave me a strength, you gave me a power, you gave me a portion, but you don't you didn't give you don't give me a woman to love. Yeah, why many, many, many uh women uh near me and just about because of I have money, I have power, but they don't like me uh as I am, something like that. That's the first the first after long uh journey as a prodigal son, I talked to Jesus in Berlin.
SPEAKER_00In Berlin? Yeah, in Germany. Germany.
SPEAKER_01I talked to him. God, because I I pursued my my girl till that place and still he still uh avoid me. So okay. Uh if you don't talk to me, God, okay. It means I really, really loss. Okay. We we won't be uh have a conversation again after this conversation. I will go home to Jakarta because I never heard something from God, I have never heard his answer that that time. Why, why, and why, and what I have to do. So okay. You neglect me, you uh uh you avoid me not to talk with me. Okay, it's okay. I will go home in that time. I go home, uh yes, uh in sort of story. I I arrive in uh Jakarta. Um after I turn off turn on my signal, my um my phone. There's a ring. The phone. Who is it? I say, oh my mother. I pick it up and say hello. My mother just said Aja Aja is my short name. Ajay just come home. What? Just come home and never talk to her for such a long time, but just call me and say that come home.
SPEAKER_00So you take that as uh uh a word from God absolutely, oh but still still questioning is it yours okay, I will do it in that time.
SPEAKER_01I will go because in my mind that's God's word, and I have to go home. I go home and my big boss is very was very angry and decided to uh kick me off from the organization and took all of our my facility like uh you know the cart. And I I I realized uh after after uh I reconciled with my my mother and just come home and wow, she hugged me and come. I I have prepared uh a meal for you, just come. And I don't know, in that time I cannot speak anything. I just cried. Just cried. Oh my god, see feel warm at the time.
SPEAKER_00Okay. That's why that's why this is like really the story is like a prodigal son.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. The love that I searching for I was searched before, I searched before, and I need touched me uh so hard at the time. I cannot speak. I just uh follow my mother and uh eat with uh tears. And after that, okay. I feel oh my god, this is yes, this is yours. I have to come home, and I've I have to come to you.
SPEAKER_00So it's uh it's a depiction of you coming home to your mom, mom's home, and that's also a picture of you coming home to God. Yes.
SPEAKER_01And after that, I decide and make a decision to okay, this is your this is yours, God. Use me because I feel uh this is the love that I need uh above all. The money, the position, the power, it's nothing because I need love. For the first I need love from the woman. But no, Jansen, no Jansen, you need love from me. That I I felt God say that to me, okay. You have come to me first after that. You will be you will do everything that maybe you you don't think before uh a bigger one or biggest with me. And I felt that in that time, and yes, all the my facility gone, but I have my gut.
SPEAKER_00Well, I I believe with this question, the following question What part of the gospel message are you most excited about sharing with your listeners?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Um John 3 16.
SPEAKER_00John 3 16.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, John 3 16. That's that's my my golden uh verse. I have uh accept the prodigal son uh story that's inspiring me that I have a uh lovely God, lovely Jesus who accepts me anything, who accepts me whatever I am, and I can learn uh a lot to be perfect, to be like him, and uh I feel okay if I'm wrong, yes, I'm wrong, and he never judges me. He just okay come I will fix you. Okay, this is me, fix me, and I I do another things uh good. Maybe I feel grow ever anything, everything, every time. Sorry, every time I I uh I uh live my life and feel uh growing in my life.
SPEAKER_00And this is the message you are sharing to your listeners.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, just believe him, just believe him uh as a God and uh savior personally, your own God, your own savior, because what everyone can can leave you, everyone can can do anything bad to you, but only God never leave you. Only God never do anything bad, believe him. He will uh form you as best as you can, of course, like him. That's why uh I really want to share you uh about uh my experience, my life experience, how God formed me uh from nothing to be something, to be someone in him.
SPEAKER_02It's so important that FABC have people that understand the local culture, whether it's Buddhist or Muslim or Hindu, it doesn't matter. But the testimonies from people growing up in the cultures that our listeners are connected to. When they hear that your testimony has changed you from something very, very dark to something very, very light, they realize that no matter who I am or where I come from, Christ and the Holy Spirit can change me, can redeem me, can give me hope. And what we hear from so many of our listeners is regardless of the faith background that I have, even if they have none, they are so desperate and discouraged. Life is uh it's dark, it's depressing, I'm filled with despair. And no matter what faith it is, that cannot help me. But when they hear these testimonies of people like Jansen, whose life was so ruined because of the way he was living, and and now he is so grateful and so happy and so fulfilled and such confidence that he's got the right faith and his life will go on for eternity living with God, then they want to hear about more and they come to faith in Christ. Aaron Ross Powell, Jr.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, his listeners can identify with him more personally, they would you or I, right? Trevor Burrus, Jr.
SPEAKER_02And it's because he can identify with them. Exactly. Trevor Burrus, Jr. You know, he's not just somebody way off in a distance who had a sheltered, privileged life. It's because he was just like us, desperate and discouraged.
SPEAKER_03Well, we heard Jansen's testimony today. Next week, we're going to continue with part two of this, and we're going to hear him talk about his uh vision and his innovative ideas for reaching the youth of Indonesia. So that'll be an informative report next time here on Until All Have Heard. Our thanks to Jonathan Mortiz for capturing their conversation at the Innovation Conference, which we reported on previously on a podcast here.
SPEAKER_02And I'm looking forward to part two. It's much more encouraging than part one. And if you could only meet Jansen, this is a man on Fire for the Lord. And what a joy to be with.
SPEAKER_03Okay. Well, stay tuned for that next time on Until All Have Heard, produced by the Far East Broadcasting Company, with thanks to Joe Carlson, our producer, and Wayne Shepherd. Thank you for listening. We'll see you next time.