History has seen many changes in how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is spread.

    During the time of Jesus' original twelve disciples, the sending fields were modern-day Turkey and Israel. Today, those areas are mission fields once again. Evangelistic work has remade the Christian map repeatedly, often in response to war, politics, and struggles within the church. But Christians' commitment to share their faith never ceases. Indeed, the treasure of salvation is so great that many have willingly suffered loss—even death—to carry it beyond their borders, or just around the corner.

    Followers of Christ originally relied upon their feet to aid in disseminating the Gospel and building up disciples in other nations. Over the course of time, boats, and later trains and airplanes, accelerated the arrival of the Good News to lost people groups. But the twentieth century produced technology that opened the door to worldwide discipleship.

c. 33–65  The Great Commission

    Before Jesus' ascension into heaven, He commissioned His disciples to spread the Good News—baptizing new believers and "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded" (Matthew 28:20). Until the first letters of Paul and the gospel accounts, these details of Christianity were passed by word of mouth. Testimonies given on the day of Pentecost brought 3,000 people from throughout the region to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:41) In the book of Acts, we find accounts detailing the missionary excursions of several disciples. The tradition of carrying the Gospel to other countries began during this time and has not stopped.

c. 37  Saul of Tarsus Converts

    Paul, the renamed Saul, set out on the first of his missionary journeys after three years of preparation by the Holy Spirit. Through three separate trips spanning 20 years, he traveled with companions such as John Mark and Barnabas, who would both subsequently undertake mission trips of their own. Paul depended upon his tent-making skills for income, although some of the churches he helped to establish contributed to his support in later years. His New Testament letters to those communities of faith provided believers with wise counsel and a solid foundation for spiritual growth.

c. 313  Constantine the Great Ends Persecution

    The conversion of Emperor Constantine halted three centuries of overt persecution against Christians. With the recognition of the Roman government, Christianity made great strides toward becoming an empire-wide religion. In addition, determined men of faith were making forays into areas outside Rome's borders.

c. 350  Ulfilas Translates Portions of Scripture Into Gothic

    As the apostle to the Goths, Ulfilas brought Jesus Christ to the warrior people residing north of the Rhine and Danube Rivers (in the region of present-day Germany). Until this time, Scriptures from what now comprise the Old and New Testament had been translated primarily into Hebrew, Aramaic, Latin, and Greek because these were commonly understood languages. The Gothic New Testament credited to Ulfilas represents some of the first Bible translation work carried out for a specific people group.

c. 690  Earliest English Translations of Scripture

    Portions of the Bible were translated into England's primary language. The trend toward providing the Word of God in a specific vernacular continues today though the work of organizations like Wycliffe Bible Translators.

1380–82  John Wycliffe Translates Both Testaments Into English

    Oxford theologian John Wycliffe completed a New Testament translation from the Latin Vulgate version in 1380 and an Old Testament translation in 1382. Producing such versions was labor-intensive because each volume had to be copied by hand. Consequently, few people knew how to obtain a copy of the Scriptures, and furthermore, each Bible was prohibitively expensive.

1452–1455  Johannes Gutenberg Prints the Bible

    Woodblock printing was the standard method of mass-producing books before 1452. The text of a document was carved backwards into a large wood block. The upraised letters were then inked, and paper was pressed over them. Gutenberg refined the process by creating individual characters—capital and lower-case letters, punctuation marks, and numbers—in reverse using pressed steel. To demonstrate the speed of his new technique, Gutenberg printed an entire Bible. His method lowered the cost of book production and so increased the availability of the Bible.

1931  HCJB World Radio Initiates Christian Broadcasting

    A new radio station, with call letters HCJB and a Christian mission, transmitted its first signal on Ecuadorian airwaves. Now joined by several other exclusively Christian broadcasting companies, HCJB continues to carry its radio programs on stations throughout the world. The potential impact of worldwide evangelism and discipleship grows each year.

1972  Dr. Charles Stanley's Television Debut

    Dr. Stanley's half-hour program aired on a local station in Atlanta, Georgia, for several years. In 1978, Christian Broadcasting Network asked to expand the program nationally. In Touch Ministries was incorporated in 1982, and radio broadcasts were initiated.

2002  Charles Stanley Institute for Christian Living Launches

    CSI comes online in response to the growing need for teaching Christianity's core values to new and seasoned believers. The interactive electronic learning system allows Dr. Stanley to present scriptural principles to students worldwide in a one-on-one mentoring relationship.

2004  In Touch Ministries Broadcasts in 52 Languages

    Dr. Stanley's messages are reaching and discipling millions of people every day. In Touch Ministries is set to inaugurate a plan that will bring its global broadcasts in sync. A three-year track of sermons on the Christian life is being compiled and translated into each language on the IN TOUCH roster. Once it is completed, audience members throughout the world—from the U.S. to Japan—will hear identical messages each day, as they grow together in Christ.