Translating the Word
How many Bibles do you have? Many of us have multiple copies of the Bible. We have different translations. We have editions with notes for different phases of life. We have Bible apps on our phones that can send us notifications to help us memorize verses. My wife and I even have a fancy Bible that was a wedding gift and is basically symbolic—I don’t recall ever having read from it! But many around the world are not so privileged—they do not have a Bible because the Word of God has not yet been translated into their heart language.
Just a few verses before our missions theme verse (John 1:4–5), John begins his Gospel by describing Jesus as the incarnate Word of God. Throughout the Old Testament scriptures, the Word of God is shown to be supremely effective. God spoke, and the world was created out of nothing (Genesis 1:3, 9; Psalm 33:6). God’s Word provided healing and deliverance for sinners who cried out to him (Psalm 107:17–22). His Word will not fail to accomplish God’s saving purposes (Isaiah 55:10–11). John’s gospel goes on to describe how the incarnate Word was the prophesied Messiah (John 4:26) whose work accomplishes salvation for whoever believes in him (John 3:16).
We believe that God continues to work in special and powerful ways through his Word as written in the Old and New Testament scriptures. Jesus himself relied on it when tempted (Luke 4:1–13) and when addressing those who opposed him (Matthew 22:29). It is a light to our paths (Psalm 119:105). When writing to Timothy, Paul extols the multiple profitable uses of scripture for the Christian life (2 Timothy 3:16–17). In Philippians 2:14–16, Paul also connects “holding fast to the word of life” to our calling to “shine as lights to the world,” a calling we’re considering this month.
As part of our missions emphasis month, we are partnering with Seed Company to translate part of God’s Word into the language of a South Asian people group that still doesn't have the whole New Testament in their heart language. A couple of years ago we sponsored the translation of Philippians into this language. Our goal this year is to raise $5k to support this continuing translation effort. This is approximately the amount it would take to translate Romans, a rich book that many of us hold dear and that was just recently preached to us. For many people groups, receiving the Bible in their heart language is a cause for community-wide celebration, as this Seed Company video beautifully shows. What a joy to be able to help give this gift to another people group!
Will you join us by contributing to this translation? Many of you have already and we've raised more than 20% of our goal in just one week! If you haven’t yet contributed, you can donate securely on our online giving page by selecting “Seed Company Translation fund” or by writing it in the memo line of a check. After giving, fill out this form to indicate a verse in Romans that you're especially excited to see translated. Provide your mailing address and receive a personalized thank-you card from Seed Company.
Thank you for considering giving in support of this effort, and may God bless and encourage you in the remainder of this missions emphasis month!
Photo provided by Seed Company