Displaying items by tag: Bible Translation

We are living at a historic time, in terms of international health. Never has a pandemic had the physical, economic, and social impact of Covid-19. But we are also seeing an unprecedented moment in the history of the church. In missions today, there is a convergence of five major events that have never happened before, say the One Challenge global research team. Five major mission milestones are coming together. Every known people group in the world has been ‘adopted’ by at least one body of Christians to take the gospel to them. By 2025, a translation of the gospel should be started in every known language in the world. Churches, denominations and mission agencies are working together as never before. The technology exists to deliver the gospel to every person on earth. The nations and people of the world are being prayed for through a vast number of prayer networks of millions of people.

As well as targeting individuals for exercising their freedom of religion and belief, Tajikistan’s regime also targets Christian communities. For example, the Full Gospel Protestant Church's two buildings in northern Tajikistan have both been confiscated. One of them had a vision in 2018 for a kindergarten to open there - but in 2020 there is still no sign of it. Between August 2019 and January 2020, the state fined leaders of four Protestant churches between £574 and £902 each (the average monthly offering in some of these churches is £41, the average monthly salary about £123). ‘They were fined for arranging a translation of the Bible into modern Tajik’, a local Protestant said. The translation is needed as some Christians think that other translations use archaic words and some passages are unclear.

For the first time since 1890 the full Pakistani Pashto Bible will be printed. The translation is in the major Yousafzai dialect of Pashto. Up to now missionaries and evangelists and the underground Pakhtun speaking Church only had a version of the New Testament in a mix of Pakistani and Afghan Pashto. This version, aimed at Pakhtuns living outside Pakistan, will be printed in Europe. It is hoped that the Bibles will be ready to transport to mission agencies in spring 2020. For security reasons, the name of the translating organisation is not available.

Hassan, a fervent Muslim in an African country, was fanatical about converting Christians to Islam. He accepted a missionary organisation’s offer to help translate the Bible into the Ndam language. After all, many Christian scriptures are deemed holy books in the Koran. In a secular country where tolerance marked relations between Muslims and Christians, he welcomed the opportunity to discuss Scripture with prospective converts to Islam, but he was constantly exposed to Scriptures at translation workshops, and ended up accepting Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. Now he is growing through discipleship and constantly interceding for the salvation of his community.

For years Albania was closed to the gospel. Many see concentrated prayer and intercession as major reasons why it is now open for ministry and scripture translation is being undertaken. There are three complete translations of the Bible in Albanian; one literal, one paraphrased, and one Catholic. The NT has been retranslated into modern Albanian, and a new OT translation is under way. Pray for accuracy, timely completion, and widespread use of the Scriptures. Religious literature from many faiths flooded the country after Communism fell. Christian books are now published there, but there are very few Christian bookstores. Pray for the impact of useful Christian books and literature, and outlets for their circulation.

If written words meant nothing to you, how would you hear and understand the gospel? 1,961 unengaged and unreached people groups, totalling 5.7 billion people, are oral learners who do not know a single verse of Scripture in their native language. Pray for the mission agencies developing strategies to reach these unreached people with God's word. Pray for churches overseas to engage with these people groups in their area through methods specific to their worldview and culture. Pray for organisations like Wycliffe Bible Translators, who are impacting unreached people groups globally with oral Bible storytelling and audio recordings of Scripture. It is time that all nations, tribes and languages not only hear about Jesus, but also experience him through God’s transforming Word.

Praise God for the initiative of the Asi people in forming the ‘Asi Bible Association,’ to oversee New Testament distribution. Pray for good decisions and the finances needed to distribute the Scriptures in written, audio and digital formats, including the Jesus film, DVDs, CDs, and hymn books. Pray that people of the Philippines will be eager to engage with the Scriptures available to them. Praise God also for the hundreds of followers of the Northern Thai Facebook group formed when the New Testament was dedicated in early 2018. Pray for the scripture engagement team as they put out an updated version of the phone app. There will be a meeting of churches in September to encourage support for translation of the Old Testament. Ask God to bring many to the meeting, and that funds will be found to pay the salary for a scripture engagement coordinator for another year.

Conflict over land used by herdsmen and farmers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is sending thousands into Uganda. Wycliffe Associates in Uganda invited members of DRC people groups to learn Bible translation for their individual tribal dialect. People attending the workshops found that their neighbouring enemies were at the same workshop at the same time - then the Holy Spirit went to work, as they were being equipped to steward God’s Word for their people. The power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit bring reconciliation. Many DRC tribal groups function without any written language: about 242 languages are spoken. Translators use translation recorders in French, the majority language, and then record the same portion of scripture in their dialect to share with their communities. Pastor David Platt said the greatest social injustice today is the 2 billion people who have never heard of God's redeeming love. Bible translation is addressing that injustice.

Monday: at a missions course in Papua New Guinea, participants came face-to-face with previously unknown realities. Pray for hearts challenged to missions. Tuesday: ‘Bloom where you are planted.’ Pray for Christians to reflect the love of God to all with whom they come in contact, wherever God places them. Wednesday: more than just language learning. ‘God uses my language learning experience to help me understand my walk with Him better.’ Pray for missionaries’ spiritual walk with God. Thursday: the first Amdu Literacy Class graduation. ‘Praise the Lord! A milestone happening here in Amdu! Pray for the team to move forward with exact translation, leading to the future clear sharing of God’s truth.’ Friday: death brings new life. At a funeral people who had never heard the gospel realised they were missing something and expressed an interest in Biblical truths. Pray for these new inquirers.

What would life be without Jesus? Thousands of people have never met a Christian or heard the Good News in their mother tongue. In 2018 more people than ever will find out that God is reaching out to them. Wycliffe Bible Translators personnel work tirelessly towards the goal of delivering the message of Jesus in people's heart languages, while organisations like MAF travel across continents to deliver God's Word to new believers. Recently a South Sudanese Christian said, 'I was jealous of white people being blessed by having the Word of God in their own language. We had no Bible in Baka.’ Then he gave a broad grin: ‘Now I am happy because I have a Baka Bible. God did not forget us.’ Now Christians speaking Baka can share God’s Word with those around them who do not yet know the salvation Christ offers. See the World article ‘Praying for the unreached’, and also https://www.maf-uk.org/campaign/unreached