-Teresa Byington

My house has a Bible in about every room and I suspect you have at least one Bible also. We are blessed. (If you don’t have a Bible and go to Connection Pointe, please stop by the Information Center in the Lobby—we have one just for you.)

Scripture tells us that … All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 2 Timothy 3:16 NLT

THE MAGAHI

When our India Mission Team returned home recently, I had the opportunity to actually see the newly published Magahi New Testament (pronounced “muggy”). This project was commissioned and organized by ASSI and partially funded by your Unstoppable gifts, and now 30 million people can have the Bible in their own language! 30 million!

While I was celebrating (and there is much to celebrate), I couldn’t get out of my mind those in India who still don’t have the Bible in their language. According to Operation World by Jason Mandryk, there are more than 2,500 people groups in India alone, and approximately 2,033 of them are unreached by the Gospel of Christ. 80% of them are Hindu.

And, it’s not just India. While the total number of people groups in the world is hard to determine, when referring to ethnic people without reference to country boundaries, the number is around 9,800 (Joshua Project). The diversity is not just in “other parts of the world;” right here in the Brownsburg School District alone, there are 40 languages spoken.

GETTING GOD’S WORD TO THE PEOPLE

The first time we hear of the Bible being written down was in Exodus 34 when God told Moses “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”

Through the years people have risen up to take on the mantel of translation. Men like John Wycliff (1384), William Tyndale (1530s) and William Townsend (1930s & 40s).

Today groups like Pioneer Bible Translators, the Joshua Project and Wycliffe Bible Translators are dedicated to bringing God’s word to “people of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).

MUCH TO BE GRATEFUL FOR

What a privilege it is to live where God’s Word is so accessible whether through digital media and iBooks or a physical Bible. Today I find myself very grateful for those who worked hard to make that happen, those who continue to work tirelessly to bring the scriptures to more and more people and, most of all, I am grateful to be a part of a church with a heart for all people—those across town and those around the world.

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