I was told as a young kid in Sunday School that the Bible can be described using the acronym BIBLE that stands for, “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.” On one hand, this is correct because the Bible does provide guidance and direction for how to grow in righteousness. On the other hand, the Bible is so much more because it is the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says, “for the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” And then in 1 Timothy 3:16 it says, “All Scripture is God-breathed.” So when you talk about the Bible, and it’s purpose, you need to first acknowledge who the author is. The main author is known other than God Himself who sovereignly speaks to His people through the Word. Second, you need to know that through the Holy Spirit, God illuminates spiritual truth to individuals using the Bible showing them their need for Christ. The Bible is the only place where the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, is explained and thus discovered for the reader. For this reason, God’s Word must get translated and recorded in languages all across the world so unreached people groups can read and hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul said in Romans 10, “14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” It is the Holy Spirit alone who, through the reading and hearing of God’s Word, brings conviction of sin to the person and reveals to them their need for a Savior. The Bible reveals God’s story of redemption and needs to be available in all language.

Thank you for joining us this August praying for the audio recording of the New Testament in the Shan language. This is the first recording in the language to happen since the Bible was translated in the early 1800’s. A modern translation was used that was finished in 2022. Ask God to continue to unite the team together and give them divine, persevering strength, to finish the project by the end of the month. God’s Word is a double-edged sword piercing the hardest of hearts. May this recording be a means to see more Shan people, numbering almost 5 million, come to faith in Jesus Christ.