Are We There Yet?
David Platt
Not yet.
We’ve gone from Birmingham to Detroit, and from Detroit to Amsterdam, where we now sit in the Netherlands groggily listening to Dutch announcements ringing in our ears overhead as we wait for the last leg of our trip…an 8-hour flight to Delhi. Lord willing, we will be there soon.
But this 3-hour layover affords me a short opportunity to share with you about two ministry partners in India that we will not have the opportunity to visit on this trip. As part of our emphasis in India, we have been working with The Seed Company and Faith Comes By Hearing to make New Testament and Bible story translations available to Indians who currently have no scripture in their language. India is home to 456 distinct languages (29 of which are spoken by over 1 million people each, and 18 of which are spoken by over 10 million people each). The Bible has been translated into only 70 of these languages, and the New Testament has been translated into approximately 120 of them.
In light of the need for so many people to have access to the gospel in their own language, during the Radical Experiment we partnered together with The Seed Company to make key Bible stories known among 15 distinct language groups comprising a total of 7 million people. Using chronological Bible storying, we have worked together to train Christian translators to share 20 to 30 Bible stories in areas where the gospel has never been heard. Now, by God’s grace in you and through our Indian brothers and sisters, they have heard the gospel.
Then, in a more specific and intensive project, we have partnered together with Faith Comes By Hearing to complete an audio recording of the New Testament in the Chhattisgarhi language, spoken by over 15 million people across the states of central and eastern India. Chhattisgarhi speakers now have access to an audio New Testament that they hear in their own language for the very first time. Now, even in a context where many people may not be able to read the Bible, they can listen to the Word in their own language! Our team is bringing audio devices preloaded with Chhattisgarhi to present to our field partners who will begin to distribute and use this resource to advance the gospel and strengthen the church among the 15 million people that speak this language. If you would like to hear the language that your sacrificial giving funded, go HERE and click on the "New Testament" tab.
All this to say – as you open your Bible this morning, or as you look at the numerous Bibles you may have in your home, spend time thanking God for making Himself known to us through His Word (I praise God for how He has made us a people of His Word!). And then spend time praying to God on behalf of 2 million people in India who now have access to the New Testament in audio form, and on behalf of 7 million people who now have access to Bible stories in their own language. Now that translation work is finished on these projects, pray for the New Testament and Bible stories to spread rapidly and deeply in these languages as the gospel advances to new peoples for the first time.
We’ve gone from Birmingham to Detroit, and from Detroit to Amsterdam, where we now sit in the Netherlands groggily listening to Dutch announcements ringing in our ears overhead as we wait for the last leg of our trip…an 8-hour flight to Delhi. Lord willing, we will be there soon.
But this 3-hour layover affords me a short opportunity to share with you about two ministry partners in India that we will not have the opportunity to visit on this trip. As part of our emphasis in India, we have been working with The Seed Company and Faith Comes By Hearing to make New Testament and Bible story translations available to Indians who currently have no scripture in their language. India is home to 456 distinct languages (29 of which are spoken by over 1 million people each, and 18 of which are spoken by over 10 million people each). The Bible has been translated into only 70 of these languages, and the New Testament has been translated into approximately 120 of them.
In light of the need for so many people to have access to the gospel in their own language, during the Radical Experiment we partnered together with The Seed Company to make key Bible stories known among 15 distinct language groups comprising a total of 7 million people. Using chronological Bible storying, we have worked together to train Christian translators to share 20 to 30 Bible stories in areas where the gospel has never been heard. Now, by God’s grace in you and through our Indian brothers and sisters, they have heard the gospel.
Then, in a more specific and intensive project, we have partnered together with Faith Comes By Hearing to complete an audio recording of the New Testament in the Chhattisgarhi language, spoken by over 15 million people across the states of central and eastern India. Chhattisgarhi speakers now have access to an audio New Testament that they hear in their own language for the very first time. Now, even in a context where many people may not be able to read the Bible, they can listen to the Word in their own language! Our team is bringing audio devices preloaded with Chhattisgarhi to present to our field partners who will begin to distribute and use this resource to advance the gospel and strengthen the church among the 15 million people that speak this language. If you would like to hear the language that your sacrificial giving funded, go HERE and click on the "New Testament" tab.
All this to say – as you open your Bible this morning, or as you look at the numerous Bibles you may have in your home, spend time thanking God for making Himself known to us through His Word (I praise God for how He has made us a people of His Word!). And then spend time praying to God on behalf of 2 million people in India who now have access to the New Testament in audio form, and on behalf of 7 million people who now have access to Bible stories in their own language. Now that translation work is finished on these projects, pray for the New Testament and Bible stories to spread rapidly and deeply in these languages as the gospel advances to new peoples for the first time.
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